Apple has announced that it managed to sell two million Ipads within two months.
Cupertino fanbois have pushed Ipad sales over two million since its launch on April 3. Apple achieved the sales after rolling out over several countries including the UK last week, but most of them were probably in the US. The company will continue its run for world domination, launching in even more unsuspecting countries in July.
"Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of Ipad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do," said Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs. "We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough Ipads for everyone."
While Apple didn't provide any breakdown of its punters, we'll wager that they all have one thing in common - too much cash, a lack of technological knowledge and an inflated self-image.
In the UK last week, Apple's fan flashmobs were running riot to get their paws on the Ipad. We reported there were up to 445 Apple acolytes queuing outside the Regent Street store in London.
Apple's marketing was probably lapping up the hype around "public order" concerns outside its shops. However no one, but no one makes a British queue disorderly. It's just not cricket.
In other Apple news, some press outlets have suggested that the Ipad is a ripoff in Europe and the UK compared to the US.
Reuters reported that Australia's Commerce Secretary released an Ipad Index study. The Oz study claimed that in the UK an Ipad costs "20-25 per cent more than in the U.S.," according to Craig James, chief economist.
Hang on. Once you add shipping and VAT, Ipad prices in the UK and Europe aren't really much higher than in the US. And, however you cook the books, everyone is being ripped off because of the excessively high margins Apple builds into its pricing. The UK can't be 25 percent more ripped off than the US.
We worked out some basic maths with the help of an abacus and the back of a postage stamp. The cheapest Ipad in the US is about £385 based on 8 per cent sales tax ($499 + 8 per cent at $1.4 to £1), compared to £429 in the UK. But we're paying a higher VAT for the privilege, so Apple's recommended retail rates in the US and UK remain about the same.
Still, Apple is extracting a lot of profit on its gadgets, as it always does, but that might be about to change in the tablet market, once it gets some of the competition that is headed its way. ยต
