PRESS RELEASE – Incredible Connection
For Immediate Release
1 February 2011
70% of Apple iPad stock at Incredible Connection stores sells out in three days
Following the South African launch at midnight on Thursday 27th January 2011 of the Apple iPad, 70% of the stock of the iconic tablet device available at Incredible Connection stores country-wide has been sold out in three days.
The most popular (comprising 85% of sales) of the six versions of the device on sale were the upper end 3G models, ranging up to R7 599.95.
The iPad has been made available in South Africa some seven months after the official American launch – and Apple International has stipulated strict distribution and pricing conditions.
“Demand for the iPad globally has been so huge that production simply hasn’t been able to keep up, causing delays in release of the iPad in South Africa as well as limiting the amount of stock made available now,” says Incredible Connection CEO, Dave Miller. “Also, there are very few factories around the world that can make the high quality touch screens that are the defining component of tablet devices. So, globally, demand for the iPad is far outstripping supply.
“At the same time, Apple is protecting its brand by ensuring that pricing, distribution, and in-store presentation requirements of authorised resellers like us are adhered to very precisely. Apple and the authorised local distributor, Core, have made it categorically clear that iPads that have not been purchased in South Africa through authorised resellers will not enjoy any level of support from Core or their authorised repair agents.
“Given all those conditions, we’ve made product available as broadly as possible, with sixteen of our stores in Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal equipped with initial stock - with more stock expected within the week.”
Apple provided no advance publicity of iPad being launched in South Africa (in part, Miller believes, to avoid customer disappointment with limited stock), so there have been no queues at Incredible Connection stores so far. “We were expecting a rush, however, as soon as word got out that the iPad was here,” Miller says. “Right on cue, there was pandemonium at some of our stores during the weekend.”
There are six versions of the iPad in two different ranges. One range offers a 16GB, 32 GB, or 64GB device, each equipped with Wi-Fi. Prices vary from R4 399.95 to R6 399.95. The other range also offers a 16GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB device, with both Wi-Fi and 3G. The prices go from R5 599.95 to R7 599.95.
“These devices really are extraordinary in terms of the mobility and convenience they offer,” Miller says. “They outdo laptops and netbooks in terms of battery life (up to 10 hours), their exceptional portability in terms of their light, thin form factor, and the variety of apps that have been designed specifically for them.
“Customers need to be aware, however, that the current iPad has no camera, front or back. So it can’t be used for Skype or video conferencing, unless a peripheral camera is attached. iPad Version 1 also doesn’t have flash built in.
“Version 2, due out in America at the end of February, will have both flash and cameras. A lot of South Africans are not going to wait for Version 2, however. What matters is that they can get their hands on an iPad of whatever sort right now!”
Apple does not permit iPads to be bundled with any type of long term service or connectivity contract such as those with which cellular phones are often packaged by stores like Incredible Connection. Buyers may, however, use their existing connectivity contracts, pre-paid facilities, or separate data bundles, to connect their iPads to the Internet.