Several analysts, including Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, are now estimating that Apple has sold more than a million iPads (most of them being shipped or sold to U.S. residents). Over the weekend, 49 of 50 stores surveyed were completely sold out of the iPad 3G. If his previous estimate stands, he will be extremely conservative for the June quarter, at just 1.3 million sales.

The pace of orders will surely increase as the Wi-Fi and iPad 3G versions become available in international locations in the May/June time frame.

Update: The announcement was made earlier today by Apple. They have already sold more than one million iPads in less than a month since launch. 12 million apps and 1.5 million eBooks have been downloaded since that date. The full PR report has been added below.

CUPERTINO, California—May 3, 2010—Apple® today announced that it sold its one millionth iPad™ on Friday, just 28 days after its introduction on April 3. iPad users have already downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store and over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore. 

“One million iPads in 28 days—that’s less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Demand continues to exceed supply and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers.”

iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.*

Developers have created over 5,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 200,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. 

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. Apple continues to lead the industry with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife, iWork and professional applications. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

[via AppleInsider]

Google’s latest project, which the company is putting a lot of emphasis on, is the Chromium OS, which is an open source project. The primary focus is on netbooks, but it may eventually scale to other devices, including tablets. A mockup and UI concepts have emerged on this page, which indicate the direction Google may be taking when it begins producing a device for market.

The main UI and features included will be as follows:

• Keyboard interaction with the screen will be anchored, split, attached to focus.
• Access to websites will be provided using touch or search.
• Contextual actions triggered through speech or touch input.
• Zooming UI for multiple tabs.
• Tabs presented along the side of the screen.
• Creating multiple browsers on screen using a launcher.

If Google goes after the tablet market like they have been going after the phone market, it is likely that multiple manufacturers will be sporting devices powered by the Chromium OS, although Google may have the last say as to what can be customized and what can’t be.

The main problem with how Google is trying to corner these markets is the same reason Microsoft ultimately failed at launching products like the Zune and their Windows Mobile phone platforms (which are both dramatically losing sales). While many respect Google for their search business, which is shown with their share of the search market, those who aren’t familiar with their motivation behind releasing these products will fall in the trap. With the Nexus One and any devices Google releases under their branding, they have full access to everything on your phone, which is said to “improve Google’s search results.”

Apple is in the market of providing evolutionary devices. We’ve seen plenty of tablets in the past, but Apple’s approach on how the tablet should be used is completely different. Never before has a company launched a device with an extremely successful application store. There are less apps available for the iPhone OS than the Windows platform, but they are generally regarded (as a whole) to be better and easier to use.

Many of Apple’s products have had nearly two decades of research behind them. The MessagePad, the first device made available under the Newton platform, was released in 1993. Some of the overall technology and ideas behind the device made it into the iPhone and later, the iPad. Google wasn’t even a company at this time. Those who purchase Apple’s products are accustomed to an experience regarded to as higher than the competition.

The Nexus One, Motorola Droid, and Palm Pre are all in the smart phone market, yet none have really been able to steal significant sales from the iPhone. Perhaps they are slowing the growth of the iPhone in the near-term (next several months), but this may simply be due to the fact that Apple hasn’t updated their iPhone since last summer. Flooding the market with devices won’t help Google: support has reportedly been horrible for their Nexus One launch.

Upfront costs for these devices are all quite similar, between $179 and $199 for contract-base devices and in the $529 to $599 range for devices without a contract. Two-year plans are also quite consistent across the board, only changing when data plans must be included or the carrier is different.

Google’s marketplace for their tablet computer will be much like the experience of Google Chrome. While they promote a clean, fast experience, as soon as you begin using the software, it becomes evident that the speed and interface haven’t been polished. Apple’s iPhone has been polished (as well as many of the included apps).

When someone spends $2,500 to $3,000 on a device over the lifespan of a contract, will they choose a device that works as intended or a device that looks like it should work as intended, that has all the specs. to go with the look?

Ultimately, the tablet market will boil down to some of the same principles as the latest saga of the smart phone market.

For now, we have user-created mockups and a video showing how the Chromium OS will look on a tablet device. Remember, the device is still in “mockup” stage, and there have been no prototypes displayed yet. Apple’s device will hit the market in about two months’ time.

Concepts and UIs

Video Showing Tablet UI

As a precautionary method for preventing further problems, Apple is halting production of the 27-inch models for some time, to ensure the fix works. The main problem was that the displays would intermittently flicker, which can be a real problem when you are trying to get work done.

On the Apple forums, more than 4,000 replies were made, which makes the issue appear larger than it actually was. The issue didn’t affect all the 27-inch models, and there were plenty of working displays, but those who did experience the issue voiced their opinion.

While Apple doesn’t claim to have a flawless track record in their products, in many cases, fixes are issued or replacements are given should the problem continue to exist. The ability for them to solve the problem is what continues to garner Apple high marks in customer satisfaction.

Deep discounts were given, although quarterly revenue is still much lower than in the 2007-08 time frame. Sales at electronics retailers like Best Buy benefitted from the surge in new customers with the arrival of Microsoft’s latest operating system, but largely, shipments vs. revenue has not been great for the PC manufacturers.

Apple, on the other hand, posted record earnings last quarter, and research firm NPD now says that, of computers priced at more than $1,000, 90% of all sales were directed towards the Cupertino-based company. This is an indication that not only are people continuing to buy Apple products (which are perceived to be much more expensive than the Windows counterparts), but they are stealing some of the profits from the PC manufacturers like HP and Dell.

However, while Apple is seen to have benefitted from the recession as more people turn to quality over affordability, the average selling price did slip from $1,499 to $1,361, but this could also have been due to price cuts on the high end of their product lines.

It would be interesting to see how Apple’s mobile phone and multimedia player line (including the iPad) are further able to shape the pricing of the competitors’ products.

At any rate, other PC manufacturers only wish they had the market that Apple is in. My guess is that their lineup of premium products aren’t selling too well—3.36 million Macs were sold in Q1 2010, indicating that PC manufacturers only sold about 10% of those.

They are constructed of polished white ABS plastic with a matte black steel grille. Each speaker is 4″x6″x2″, so they are quite small, but can still produce a good sound.

The speakers come from designers Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee, who have also designed Anti-Theft Lunch Bags, a “New” Lamp, and Stacked Cups.

Availability is by early summer for $120, although there will only be a thousand sets produced.

Images of The Speaker have been included below.

[via Unplggd]

The same reaction came when the first iPod was released, as well as the first iPhone. These two products revolutionized the two industries that they entered, and although there were other devices that allowed one to listen to music and answer phone calls, they were different, tying the software, hardware, and interface together. We’re at the point in Apple’s history where this same reaction is occurring again, and application developers: get ready!

Why I Will Repeat Myself

I try to offer both sides of the discussion and debate surrounding the new product from Apple. While it isn’t being sold at the moment, there have been outrage over the name, the features (or the lack thereof), and the ultimate question of “why should I buy an iPad?”Just a few hundred people have held the device, and the consensus from them has been remarkably positive, ranging from “stunning screen,” to “a generation faster than the iPhone 3GS,” to “the iBooks eBook reading application is fast and clean and feels a real advance on the Kindle’s monochrome.”

There is a circle of followers who insist that the iPad is nothing much than a bigger iPod or iPhone, yet many of these are the same that claim the Zune would overtake the iPod in sales. Recent sales figures of the Zune (after between two and three years on the market) at the February 2009 time frame put sales at 3.2 million. The original iPod was released in late October 2001, the Zune in mid-November 2006.

There were a whole lot less MP3 players in the market in 2001, but there was still a lot of interest in the market when the Zune arrived. All iPods were still hard drive-based, and the iPhone was just a rumor. During the first two years of the iPod, Apple sold 1.313 million devices, and 5.729 in the first three years. Considering Microsoft has had at least 92% of the OS market during this three-year period, and Apple introduced the original iPod as Mac-only, sales of the Zune dwarf in comparison to what Apple was able to achieve.

The iPad is no different, and won’t be a flop until this time next year, when sales figures come in. If analysts’ projections of the device were extremely high, then we know that there really isn’t a market for a “large iPod touch/iPhone,” but instead that it is a niche market. Again, this isn’t like Apple is introducing a revised iPod. It’s as though they’re testing the waters for a whole new market – the market that includes tablet computers, netbooks, eBook readers, as well as portable media players, photo frames, and to an extent, iPods (some would consider the iPad rather than an iPod touch or an iPhone).

Onto the Kindle, a device that entered a relatively non-existent market. People were reading digital books, but has now proven to be a successful market. More digital books are being sold than print, and the market for newspaper and magazine content sold in the traditional paper format will continue to dive. Estimates of sales of the three main Kindle products—Kindle, Kindle 2, and Kindle DX—range from 1.5 to 3 million, taking place in the 2.5 year period since release. The Kindle is a dedicated device for reading books and other forms of print content. Browsing the web is essentially non-existent on the device, as Amazon wants you to stay on their site for purchasing books and magazine subscriptions. Pricing for the original Kindle (6″ display) was $359, a price many criticized the company for setting, as profit margin was later revealed to be very high.

The Kindle and Zune are two devices released in the last four years, both of which have seen a mild level of success and each helped define what can be accomplished by multi-billion dollar companies. One is the leader in the category, while the other isn’t. Hint: the leader in the Mp3/entertainment industry isn’t Microsoft.

The Size Comparison

Toting around a netbook instead of a large-scale 13-17″ notebook has become common for many on-th-go computer and web surfers over the past few years. The screen sizes, cramped keyboards, and “light” size have made these devices great for people who want to browse the web and open up an occasional text document. The only reason they sell is due to their price – they are quite a bit cheaper, but they offer a level of performance similar to the price – cheap.

In the graphic above, you can compare a MacBook Pro with an ASUS Eee PC 10.1″ netbook, as well as the iPad. Some say that you should aim for having the most power in a small package, but with the above graphic, there is obviously something people are missing with netbooks: they are quite bulky, especially compared to the iPad or other eBook readers. Would you want to put a netbook in your pocket? No. The iPad was never meant to be placed in a pocket, nor will it ever be. It’s meant to replace (or complement) a full-size (13″ or above) laptop while you are on-the-go or consuming content.

Another question for those who claim the iPad is just an oversized iPhone or iPod touch: why do people demand larger computer displays, while they also promote smaller phone displays? The resolution of the iPad is at 1024×768, which is perfectly ideal for viewing most websites and working on the device. The same can’t be said for similar resolutions of 480×800 pixels, or 3.7″, found on “powerful,” “multi-tasking” phones. Try typing, let alone reading small text on a screen of that resolution without constantly trying to zoom in.

While traveling, weight is a bigger consideration than size. You’re more likely to simply carry an iPad with you that weights in at 1.5 pounds, rather than a netbook, which offers a far-worse experience (at least compared to many users’ experiences) weighing in at 2.9 pounds or more. Most 13″+ laptops are double that.

Now, the Kindle may be slightly slimmer, but only does one thing (but well), and that is reading books. When you need to browse the web and access applications while on the road, you won’t want to carry a Kindle, phone, and netbook with you, but an iPad alone, as it offers the ability to access 95% of what an iPhone or similar phone can do.

Multi-Tasking: Uh, Why?

There are people who can concentrate on multiple windows at once, work on multiple projects at once, then there are those who only want to read a book or answer a phone call, without being distracted or weighed down by background processes. The iPhone and iPad will be able to run the basic programs in the background on top of other applications. For example, while you are reading a book or browsing the web, you will be able to listen to music. On any screen of 10″ or smaller, there really isn’t a benefit to having multiple windows open and multi-tasking unless you have a processor that can handle this.

In Apple’s eyes, when you use the iPad (like the iPhone), you intend to only do one thing at a time. Even though they have excluded the ability to “multi-task,” this doesn’t mean they aren’t working on a way to solve the problem or waiting until they get their hands on faster processors. For all we know, iPhone OS 4.0 might include better management of application processes to conserve battery and function better. At this point in time, it doesn’t make sense to offer this ability, due to the experience trade-offs.

A similar stance can be taken with Adobe Flash, although I wont’ get into that discussion again. Apple follows an emerging trends, develops that trend, and then others follow in their footsteps.

Price Comparison

Apple shocked us with the price of $499. Pundits questioned why someone would pay this much for a large iPod touch, and Apple answered, yet no one listened. The iPad will be a great solution in the medial and design industries, as well as any market where “visuals” come into play. It will beat carrying around a 13″+ laptop, as it can also be used to create presentations, display them through projectors, and show latest reports. The App Store is what will continue to deliver the experience needed to convince millions it offers the highest-quality applications.

The eBook reader niche is continuing to be carved out, and the tablet/slate PC market is just starting to grow. How will other companies combine these markets, and if they do, how will they stack up against the iPad? HP is bringing to market a Slate product later this year, which, like many of the other products Steve Ballmer showcased at CES 2010, mimics a large-scale iPod touch. Nothing was impressive about the device, other than the fact that he positioned the device exactly where Steve Jobs did – in-between a phone and a laptop. Pricing details, specs, and is rather just a prototype at this point, offering nothing more than Windows 7 with touchscreen capability. What actually lies on devices like the HP Slate to differentiate it from the next eBook reader/hybrid tablet than the processor, memory, storage, etc.?

I expect many of the devices to be released in the $400-$800 price range, and if anything else, they will trend higher as time goes on. These devices could one day replace the netbooks, although it may be a number of years before the processors are powerful enough and users are comfortable enough with the experience they offer. For now, we only have a chart that has been compiled, which compares some of the latest eBook readers/slate computers into one convenient chart.

A link to the full-size image can be found here.

Conclusion

Share your thoughts on these topics in the comments area – will you be purchasing an iPad, and how do you think it will evolve?

On Tuesday, LaCie introduced a lineup of new hard drives with data protection in a new enterprise-class storage solutions format. When you add “enterprise” to any hard drive, the price usually doubles, but with this package, you get a complete solution from LaCie, a leader in the design and manufacture of hard drives.

Each enclosure contains enterprise-class SATA disks for the utmost reliability and performance, a 5-year warranty with a full 5-year product swap, which is great if any of the hard drives or the actual product fails in any way. In addition, 128-bit AES hardware encryption has been integrated, plus 24K gold-plated cable contact fro improved transfer speeds. The drives are built on a hardware RAID and are hot-swappable for non-stop data access.

Additional Specs and Information:

• 1.2 million MTBF (Mean TIme Before Failure).
• Optimized for RAID towers with vibration resistance technology.
• 700MB/s of transfer speeds through a RAID 50 array.
• A variety of capacities ranging from 1TB to 8TB from the LaCie Online Store, with a suggested retail price of $299 for the LaCie d2 Quadra Enterprise Class, $649 for the LaCie 2big Quadra Enterprise Class, and $1,349 for the LaCie 4big Quadra Enterprise Class.

[Via] [Additional Details]

We’ll take a look nearly ten years down memory lane to see what reaction was to the first iPod. At the time, there were some devices available for playing back and managing music, but they lacked the interface and integration that Apple has become famous for providing. Now, these are simply comments (like we’ve seen on the 27th) from Apple fans and others who were looking at purchasing the device.

• “Gee! An MP3 player with a HD. How original!”
• “$400 for an MP3 player!…It’s not really functional.”
• “Come on everyone, you’re all saying it sucks before you have even held it in your hand. I mean 5GB in a tiny little think like that, it’s amazing. ‘No one else has made anything like that.’”
• “20GB hard drive for $199, MP3 player for $50 from Best Buy, saving you $150 plus you get an extra 15GB of storage.”

The Template

This template has been used and abused already (through Twitter and other sites), but you can see the progression from where the idea started. Even though you think you have no purpose for the device now, you’ll need one down the road just like the first iPhone and the first iPod.

We want to hear from you what you think about the iPad – will you buy one, why do you personally think it is just a larger iPod touch, and what could Apple do to improve it come the second generation or through a firmware/software update? We look forward to hearing from you.

What the iPad Has and Doesn’t Have

• Wireless: Yes, through either WiFi on all models, and 3G with a plan and specific models.
• Screen: Includes fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and multi-touch technology.
• Sensors: Accelerometer and ambient light sensor.
• GPS: Included on WiFI + 3G model.
• In the Box: iPad device, dock connector to USB cable, 10W power adapter, and documentation.
• Environment: Arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free, Mercury-free LCD display, PVC-free, with recyclable aluminum glass enclosure.
• Accessories to be Available: Keyboard Dock, Case, iPad Camera Connection Kit, and power adapter for wall charging.
• Flash Support: No, there will still be no Flash support, as it will likely cut into the sales of music and movies through the iTunes Store.
• No Multitasking: While you can run nearly 140,000 apps on the device, there will be no multitasking when released.
• No Camera: This is what many people wanted in the device, but it doesn’t have it.
• Not Widescreen: To keep costs down, Apple likely used a more “square” design, based off the resolution of the Kindle and similar devices, but it is better for reading devices and browsing the web.
• The Name: Some are already making jokes about the name. Personally, I would have preferred it to be the Apple Slate, or just iSlate. It makes more sense, as I’ve already been referring to this as an iPod.

Finally, here is a gallery of photos of the new device from Apple.

Some have said that this is simply a larger iPhone or iPod touch, although I have some reasons listed below to indicate that it isn’t. Some say that the device is “closed” and simply indicates that Apple will try to restrict the Apps that are on it. However, what Apple has done is that they have opened up their marketplace to developers, offering an opportunity for people who needed a large target market – and they delivered, and are continuing to deliver.

Apple has defined its competition, and the integration of both software and hardware has allowed the company to get where it is today.

iPad Overview

From YouTube comes a video that was taken from the Apple site.

The iPod Touch

The iPod touch is priced at $199, $299, and $399 for 16, 32, and 64GB and wights 4.05 ounces, with a 3.5″ screen. It is roughly 2.8 times smaller than the new iPad, and offers a resolution of 480×320 pixels.

It can fit in your pocket, it makes it easy to consume movies, music, and the Internet while on the go. The iPod is Apple’s flagship product for helping Apple come back from a period when the company was looking at bankruptcy and never returning. Without the iPod and iMac, where would Apple be today? Probably gone.

The iPad is different from the iPod touch due to its size. When you want to listen to music or quickly catch up on email, you would bring with you the iPod touch. When you want to share content with others, you will use the iPad. It’s a completely different market, and until you realize the differences between the two, you will view them as one and the same.

No headphones come with the iPad, which clearly separates the intended market. Adding pictures, movies, and more to the iPad is much easier than any device currently available, especially with the iPad Camera Connection Kit.

The iPod Touch: Ideal for anyone who wants to take their entire music collection on-the-go. Pricing ranges from $199 to $399.

The iPad: Ideal for people who want to read books, connect with others, read email, create documents, and replace a basic computer. Prices range from $499 to $699.

The Kindle

We’ll be comparing the 9.7″ Amazon Kindle device (the DX). The device is at just over 1/3 of an inch, compared to 1/2 an inch for the iPad. The Kindle only displays black and white (like real paper) with 16 shades of gray. There are no contracts, no monthly fees, allowing you to download more than 3,500 books to the device. It lasts for on week on a single charge. Pricing for New Releases is $9.99, which appears to be the price point for many books through the new iBook Store.

The pricing for the same-sized device as the iPad is just $10 less than the 16GB device Apple released, making the iPad a much better deal. Unless you hate the way Apple runs its business and its products, you’ll continue to look at the Kindle as the ideal device. The Kindle does one thing extremely well – and that is reading books and magazines, as well as some basic websites. Amazon never intended to create an all-in-one device, but they wanted to bring it to the masses. Initially, the Kindle was more expensive ($399 for the basic model).

The Kindle: The Kindle is solely for reading books, and the price point for the 6″ model is competitive compared to some other e-book readers, but not great for anything else. The iTunes Store makes the iPad an extremely affordable product compared to the Kindle.

Netbooks

Anyone looking for a basic computer for basic gaming, typing documents, and browsing the web may look at netbooks for their size and convenience. However, they also fail at what people want – convenience. Sure, you can install early any operating system or applications on them, but they don’t make great devices for long-term use.

The average netbook is in the 8-to-10.1″ range. Hard drive vary greatly, but for the price range of $280 to $500+, netbooks typically include 160GB hard drives, a 1.60GHz Intel Atom Processor, and 1GB of memory. Only very basic wireless connectivity has been built-in, and their weight is nearly double that of the iPad.

On the iPad, the resolution of 1024×768 is quite similar to the resolution of many netbook computers, as well as some larger desktop computers at lower resolutions. With the 9.7″ resolution, it makes the pictures extremely clear.

The processor in the iPad is a 1GHz is an A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip processor.

Updates: We’ll be updating this in the near-future if more details and discussion comes in from people who are looking at this device.