“According to an update posted Friday morning — two weeks to the day after Apple began accepting online orders — an estimated 240,000 iPads had been pre-ordered for delivery,” Elmer-DeWitt reports. “Daniel Tello, who has been tracking order numbers submitted by volunteers, notes that this does not include iPads reserved for pick-up at Apple Stores, which the Boy Genius reports were pouring in the first weekend at the same rate as pre-orders. Nor does it include bulk orders by schools and businesses. [Emphasis added by MacDailyNews]
Elmer-DeWitt reports, “Speaking strictly about the pre-orders he tracks, Tello says a bookie might take odds at 300,000 units by April 3. ‘But the conservative in me,’ he says, ‘would bet under. About 280k would be my safe prediction.'”
Full article here.
Seth Weintraub reports for 9 to 5 Mac, “BoyGenius, meanwhile stated that people pre-ordering iPads to stores number about the same as those who are doing online ordering. Ten days ago, on March 15th, they said that 150,000 iPad store pickup orders had been placed. Extrapolate that out and you have close to another quarter million iPads.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: These numbers are obviously not from Apple, so take them with a grain of salt.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James W.” for the heads up.]
It’ll be at least half a million by April 3
I don’t know what to do. I want one. I want to wait. I don’t want to wait. But oh how I want one. Apple, you are killing me. You are so good at building up demand.
Is anyone else like me . . . You know it’s going to be great but you just want to wait and get some feedback before you fork over the money??
Plus it’s killing me that the 3g version is going to take longer! If I get 3G now will 4g be out next year?!?!
Oh the tension!
I’m waiting for both feedback and to see if the iPhone 4.0 software turns it into a desirable product.
I know long time Macpiles who still rather wait and touch it hands on in the store before they buy, but I think this time with this product you know your family will get more than one so doesn’t hurt much to at least order one first and check it out anyway, unless Apple comes up with some family plan/discount like Mobile Me where you save when buying for multiple members.
Apple has sold at least one iPad which I can vouch for.
@ ron
I’ll see your one, and raise you two. Hooo. Ahhh!
@Honeydew
Buy it now. If the iPhone is any example, these will have great resale value even after the next iteration. You’ll have lost some money, but certainly not the full price and you will have enjoyed a dull year earlier.
500,000 units + 2!
Woohoo!
(Don’tcha love it when slow paying clients unexpectadly pay in full?)
At least 1Million sold by end of 1st week.
The WaWa Sandwich Man know exactly how many have been pre sold. Contact him.
“800,000 preorders, 1.5 million in the first week.”
I believe the majority of people that would buy it within the first couple weeks have already ordered. There are very few sitting on the fence that will want to kick the tires. Those others that are waiting for a review, they won’t buy for another month or they will wait for the 3G.
1.5 Milllllliiiiiioooooonnnnnn is my first week predictions. I bought two and will probably buy two more before the first week is out.
Remember folks, you have two weeks to return it if you don’t like it. Where is the risk?
I debated which version to get for over a week, asking friends and family, rationalizing while on the porcelain throne… Hey, name one other convenient place to think in a household?
Anyway, I decided to go with the 16GB Wi-Fi version because 1) it was the least investment on a “1.0 device”, 2) enough memory to use and experience what I want (e.g. digital copy of Inglorious Basterds at the ready), 3) bragging rights (natch) and, if I really need to upgrade, I could hand it over to my girlfriend and order the 64GB WiFi+3G version I should have bought in the first place!
Now. Had I been really smart. I should have bought more of the cases, docks and keyboard/docks and sold them on eBay! No limit on accessories purchases! LOL!
Indeed, I believe there are a quarter-million pre-paid, pre-orders. Which is pretty amazing in itself. Regardless of the product and in these economic times. As to pre-orders with delivery at the store… that’s a different animal. I do wonder about the ratio of attrition (if any). Also curious how many iPads are going over to Europe, Asia, RoW as “accessories” to a laptop, with the traveler hoping not to pay duty when he/she gets back?
“Oh, no officer, it’s for business use. It’s used with my MacBook Pro for presentation purposes using puh, puh, PowerPoint. *cough, cough, hack* Excuse me… I get to see the next slide and my presentation notes on it. That’s it. Honest. I swear.”
I predict 340 gazzillion by the first week. I do have a spotty prediction record though……