Technophiles splash the cash to get hands on tablet device
Even setting aside the price (which ain’t easy in this day and age especially as it rises to €799 for the top model), it’s not a phone (thankfully unless you want to appear like a Trigger-Happy TV character) and as a computer one would need to be dedicated to try to tap out a masterpiece on its keyboard.
Yet in the Compu b store in Cork city, manager Ger Manley reported that by 10am, his staff had sold up to 80 of the devices in just 55 minutes.
Queues formed in front of the Opera Lane store from before 7am.
Mr Manley said the store had been due to open at 9.30am, but by 9.05am they decided not to prolong the agony for those anxious to get their hands on the latest innovation. For the rest of the morning the customers continued to come in at a steady rate.
And it was not the bargain basement €499 wifi 16 gigabyte variety that most were opting for but the more expensive 3G 16 gig model for €599.
It was a similar story at the Compu b store in Limerick according to manager Kieran Lowe. He said there had been palpable excitement in the run-up to the launch and there was a line of customers waiting this morning.
“It was like Christmas,” he said. “There was a steady flow of customers right through the day.”
The queues in the Compu b stores in Cork and Limerick were inflated by the fact they were the only stockists in Munster. Currys was the only shop selling it in the west and only selected stores had it for sale in Dublin.
Those who did take the plunge were, for the most part, happy with the capacity it gave on web, email, photos and video applications, though as one user said, the price should have included a camera application.
Apple has sold more than three million iPads since it went on sale in April. As well as hitting the market here for the first time yesterday, it went on sale in Hong Kong, Belgium, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Austria and Singapore.
It would seem likely new versions of the iPad will appear over time, not least since Microsoft is in the process of producing a rival “tablet-style” technology in partnership with Hewlett-Packard.
