On a lark, I did an Amazon search on the Apple iPad. I half expected to be redirected to a Kindle page. Instead I found four pages of Apple iPad accessories already available for sale, four to six weeks before the first version is scheduled to ship.

Who said the iPad won’t be a success?

In all there are 50 items available - sleeves, carry cases and charging units. Not bad for a product that hasn’t even shipped.

Belkin has joined the iPad accessories party.

I do share your optimism, and evidently so do these companies.

Success still depends completely on how well the iPad actually sells.

cbsofla - 17 February 2010 12:49 PM

I do share your optimism, and evidently so do these companies.

Success still depends completely on how well the iPad actually sells.

I think most of us on here believe Apple have once again knocked it out the park. It certainly looks better than the other pretenders to the tablet throne.

Amazing, I went looking for the accessories and was surprised to see the iPads themselves listed. Quite nice of Amazon to get the PR going early for the device that is going to drastically reduce Kindle sales. I guess the increase in eBooks sales will be a good thing for them.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-Tablet-64GB-Wifi/dp/tech-data/B00365F6LE/ref=de_a_smtd

Actually, I hate the iPad. I hate the fact that I really would prefer to wait for the 2nd version, but realize that waiting is not a realistic option. I hate the fact that I will soon be spending less time with my jilted feeling iPhone. I hate the fact that I recently gave my young daughter a 64GB iPod touch that I’m worried will no longer be used to watch movies since she’d rather wait for the iPad to use the ‘big screen’, I hate the fact that I will soon be wasting my time in a huge line-up when I have many other things to do. I hate the fact that I need to get the 64GB version because it just can’t be smaller than my daughter’s iPod. I hate the fact that I’ll have to pay way too much for the 3G version because some Luddites I know don’t have wifi at home (and they need to see this thing!). I hate the fact that our happy family life will be disrupted by wild brawls over who gets to use the iPad next. I hate the fact that I will lose every fight and will only be able to use the iPad after everyone else has gone to sleep. I hate the fact that I’ll be spending more money on eBooks and eMagazine subscriptions. I hate the fact I’ll need to put myself into a self-imposed trading freeze as my investor objectivity will be completely shot through my extended honeymoon period with the new device. Yup, I hate the iPad.

Apple didn’t just hit it out of the park, they crushed a tape measure moonshot into the bay!

cranium - 17 February 2010 10:34 PM

Apple didn’t just hit it out of the park, they crushed a tape measure moonshot into the bay!

Nice analogy. 

I was talking yesterday with a staff member at my office. The person is an avid reader and is currently enrolled in a professional certification program and is taking classes on weekends. We’ve discussed the iPhone on a number of occasions but she doesn’t see the need for a smartphone, doesn’t subscribe to a cable TV service and happily gets along using a DSL connection at home to read the news and converse via of email. In other words utilitarian in her view of digital devices. Curious about Apple products (considers them well designed), she’s never, to my knowledge, owned one - not even an iPod.

However… she caught wind of the iPad, compared it to the Kindle (she was considering buying a Kindle some time down the road) but she’s decided she’s buying an iPad. She was quizzing me today on the release dates and we discussed the trade-offs of waiting for the release of the 3G version and the additional cost.

That’s one new Apple customer beginning with this new device.