Some people who’ve ordered 3G iPads are complaining that Apple has neglected their best customers. “We’ve paid more (in many cases, much more) for a more complete product, and yet we have to wait while less-capable cheaper iPads have been in the hands of users for weeks? Something is not right with this picture. If anything, 3G iPad orders should have been fulfilled first,” one iPad 3G 64GB pre-ordered complained.
Another emailer stated things a bit more flatly, “I saw my first ‘Walmart iPad’ in the wild today. A 16GB Wi-Fi-only entry-level model (I’d call it a POS, but it is an iPad, after all). Meanwhile, I’m stuck staring at my iPad 3G 64GB sitting there on Apple’s order page, screaming ‘late April.’ Oh, yeah, and an empty iPad Case and Dock that have already arrived and are sitting in my office. Apple screwed the pooch on this one. Aunt Tilly shouldn’t be sitting in Jiffy Lube’s waiting area fumbling with her cheapo iPad that she picked up yesterday at Best Buy while my top-of-the-line iPad — ordered directly from Apple within the very first hour of pre-order availability — still hasn’t even been assembled yet!”
While we understand the frustration (we pre-ordered four 3G iPads during the first minute), we’re not sure if Apple should have waited to satisfy both types of iPad buyers at the same time or even delivered iPad 3G models to customers first.
So, open question: Should Apple have held off iPad launch until they had both Wi-Fi-only and 3G models ready for sale?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
No. Apple has not changed what they promised. Apple said late April and that’s when you will get it. If you are complaining then you should not have pre-ordered it.
I think spreading it actually makes sense, there is only so many you can deliver at any one time so the only alternative would have been a big delay for both, not clear what advantage that would have. At least now as the initial surge subsides they can feed in the second wave in some sort of order.
No. Apple gets to sort out the iPad w/wi-fi problems (that happen in the wild and not the lab) for a month, before they have to deal with 3G issues. The iPad w/3G owners will get a better initial experience, even though they had to wait a month.
It’s a bit like mac gamers having to wait for the cool games, isn’t it?
It feels like “No soup for you”
Do like me – buy both – that way you get to enjoy the experience twice!
I think it’s down to a little thing called type approval.
=:~)
Quick! Someone call the Waaaabulance.
If you think waiting for the 3g version is bad, try waiting for the 3g webcam version. That’s at least another year, maybe more.
email response from SJ:
I will decide if and when your life will change.
Isn’t the delay due to the need to have FCC certification of the unit? Apple absolutely should not have delayed the launch of the iPad until FCC certification was received on the 3G. All you have to look at is their announcement of 500,000 units delivered during the first week. If the FCC delays, for whatever reason, approval on the 3G, then would these people think that Apple should just sit on that kind of inventory as opposed to delivering it and building this market? Patience. You will receive the benefit of that patience in a better performing unit with the 3G. If you cannot wait, go buy a current model and then re-sell it in Europe in a month.
WHATEVER!!
This world is full of impatient complaining crybabies..
Get a grip people..
Apple chose to release the wifi model first knowing that would cover most of the people that had ordered the ipad. They could have waited to release both wifi and 3g at the same time but I think they chose the right thing by getting the most ipads in to the customers Jada as soon as possible. With that being said I spent over a $1000.00 on a ipad 3g 64gb a case and also the docking keyboard. I’ve got my case . I have my keyboard . I’ve already bought over 50 apps for my ipad. The thing is I don’t have a way to use these things without my ipad apple. Lol so send it to ms asap!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Mac4lfe, @montex – good call
Are they for real? They bought their iPad; they knew what they were getting into. I say, let ’em wait!
No, they should not have waited for appease whiners. If anything, this was smarter. I pre-ordered a 64GB 3G iPad, and last Monday went to the local Apple store at lunch and was so impressed walked out 10 minutes later with a 16GB WiFi iPad, ostensibly for my wife (she gets it full time next month).
I was only going to buy one. Now, I will have two and they will both be frequently used.
waah waaahh wahhhhh
get over it, the world does not spin under your feet. unhappy? then get an HP slate or a courier or a wepad or something else you can’t have today either!
waahh waaahhhh
I don’t know why some of those “best customers” are surprised. It’s often the case that Apple’s premium unit – with higher CPUs, bigger screens, or more standard RAM – come later.
For me, it’s an academic question. I spend most of my time close to home, so between my iMac and my iPod touch, I have the luxury of waiting until iPad’s v2.
Should Apple have held off on the release of the WiFi only model?
No!
Should Apple have not let anyone pre-order the 3G Model until it was in production?
Yes!
The Approval Process for a 3G Cell Product takes longer then a Wi-Fi Product. You want a Product that has a Cellular radio in it, it’s going to take longer to through the FCC certification and approval process. It takes longer then a Wi-Fi only version. So, stop Whining Be an adult and suck it up.
The customer is always right. Apple should have satisfied their best customers first.
What a bunch of f*cking whiners.
It doesn ‘t matter, people love to complain, if the world was perfect they would complain that it is too perfect!
Bunch of loser crybabies. Did it occur to your superior intellects that maybe the reason is Apple didn’t wait to release iPads without 3G because they don’t have to go through FCC approval?
This idea that you spent much more is ludicrous. Whoever wrote that nonsense reminds me of spoiled children who didn’t get a bigger piece of cake than their sibling.
Some days I’m just embarrassed to be an Apple fan when idiots like this who have an overly-inflated sense of entitlement shoot off their pie holes.
You knew when it was out when you ordered it, talk about the Now Generation!
It was pretty clear from the start. Folks that can’t understand need a time out. It’s not like they took orders, and then announced the two different ship dates. Then you might have a complaint. Imagine the chaos if they had released both a the same time – lines out the door and around the block for days…