As the newest version of the iPad hits the shelves, its high demand may come with a price.

The iPad 2 went on sale March 11 in the United States at Apple stores, and AT&T and Verizon Wireless outlets, as well as Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy stores. Estimates placed first-weekend sales at as much as $1 million, according to a March 14 article in The Business Journal.

But as available supplies were purchased quickly, it soon became difficult to find an iPad 2. The iPad shortage is making other wireless tablets more competitive with Apple’s new launch, said Earnest Hart, columnist and online assistant managing editor of The Clarion-Ledger, in a March 19 online article. 

A few days after Apple launched iPad 2, Motorola Mobility released a Wi-Fi-equipped Xoom for $599, which puts it in the same price range and in competition with the iPad 2. The iPad 2 shortage is an opportunity for the Xoom, which will be available at a reduced price Sunday, Hart said in the article for The Clarion-Ledger.

‘Judging and comparing the iPad is subjective,’ said Chris Aliberto, director of computing services at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ‘It’s definitely fancy and high-tech, but customer feedback is the way evaluation works in business.’ 

The latest version of the iPad is thinner, lighter and more powerful than the previous one, according to the Apple website. The new features include a dual-core processor that makes Internet browsing faster and dual cameras in the front and back for applications like FaceTime and PhotoBooth. 

Available in both white and black, the new version is thinner compared to the original iPad and is even slimmer than the iPhone 4. The price ranges from $499 to $829, the same as the original model, according to the website.

On March 11, the Apple store at Carousel Center in Syracuse closed at 4 p.m. for an hour to prepare for the sale of the iPad 2. At least 100 people had lined up to purchase the new iPad by 2:30 p.m., said Rob Schoeneck, general manager of Carousel Center in an interview with The Post-Standard on March 11. Customers could only buy two iPads each, which were sold for $499 apiece. 

Reports about the progressing illness of Apple’s founder and CEO Steve Jobs have also fueled speculations about the company’s future. Jobs, 56, is suffering from pancreatic cancer. 

Brett Walsdorf, a junior economics major, said he thinks the iPad 2 may have been released early to boost consumer confidence because everyone was worried about Jobs’ health.

As much as technology companies try to compete with new releases and inventions, some students are indifferent to keeping up with new products. 

Brianne Manley, a sophomore social work major said she doesn’t know a lot about the iPad 2 or Apple’s newest products. 

She said: ‘I have a Mac, so I really don’t think I need an iPad.’

kvdolins@syr.edu

Published on March 21, 2011 at 12:00 pm