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Apr. 1, 2010

Apple's newest device, the iPad tablet computer goes on sale Saturday, and it looks like some people can't wait to put their hands on it.

For now, Apple still won't say how many iPads it has sold in advance of their debut Saturday, and it's hard to predict how many enthusiasts will camp overnight and swamp Apple stores when the doors open Saturday at 9 a.m., as they did for last summer's launch of the most recent version of the iPhone.

But some observers think that the "iPad Madness" will probably be even more than it was for the iPhone.

So far, lots of people have happily dropped $500 or more for a device they haven't even seen yet, in the hopes it will be some previously unidentified missing link in their digital lifestyles.

Some people have even owned up to 4 iPhones and just about every model of iPod ever produced. These are the same people that are dropping $500 or more for a new unit they haven't seen yet, and won't until Saturday morning.

There's no question here that Apple is a genious at marketing tactics. And the iPad further proves that point.

Zich, an 11-year-old boy, started saving his money last year for a new iPod Touch, but changed his mind when the iPad was unveiled in January. He can now rattle off all his reasons for wanting one, such as the e-book store, plus a bigger screen and faster processor than his iPod Touch.

Zich says the iPad will be useful on road trips, and for playing games and surfing the Internet early in the morning when the rest of the family is still sleeping.

Zich added that he might also bring it to school and use it to record homework assignments.

Media companies are betting that the iPad's larger size — its touch screen is 9.7 inches diagonally, compared to 3.5 inches on the iPhone — is one reason people might pay for news and information that is often free in other formats online.

Some people say they would be willing to pay a moderate amount of money for a newspaper or magazine if it were delivered through some sort of electronic application that is easily portable.

Yesterday, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said it is so excited about the iPad's potential that it is adding $100 million to its fund for investing in developers who make applications for Apple devices!

The firm began its "iFund" two years ago with $100 million and so far has invested in 14 companies.

Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr, an early investor in Google and Amazon.com said the iPad is "going to rule the world. It feels like you are touching the future."

But even Doerr has trouble explaining why people already equipped with powerful laptops, lightweight netbooks and fancy mobile phones will feel compelled to buy an iPad. "I don't think we can anticipate the great new applications and uses that will be created," he said.

And so far, not only Apple die-hards have been swept up in all this seemingly endless iPad hype. It has also turned the heads of folks who have been lukewarm on Apple gadgets.

It will be interesting to see exactly how many people turn up to buy the iPad early Saturday morning. Of course, the overall tell tale sign will be the exact number of units Apple will have managed to sell in just eight hours.

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Source: Apple.