Apple will launch the iPad in the United Kingdom market May 28, with some in that country reporting their preordered iPads arrived a day early. The U.K. edition of the iPad features 3G connectivity through multiple carriers, unlike in the United States, where that service is only available through AT&T. The iPad proved a massive success in the United States, selling more than 1 million units within a month of its April 3 general release, but that demand put pressure on Apple's production channel and apparently slowed the international rollout.
Apple will officially launch the iPad in the United Kingdom May
28, with some devices reportedly delivered early. Apple's U.K. Website
suggests, however, that those now preordering an iPad will need to wait until
June for their purchase to ship.
According
to the Telegraph.co.uk, some British reported receiving their preordered
iPads a day ahead of the general release. Those devices, presumably, were
ordered soon after preorder availability was announced.
In addition to its 27 U.K. stores, Apple will apparently
sell the iPad through two additional retailers, Currys and PC World. Purchasers
in the U.K. will have the same options as those in the United States when it comes to choosing between
WiFi-only or 3G-enabled iPads, and storage capacity of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
However, at least one fundamental difference exists between the iPads offered
on respective sides of the pond: in Britain, those purchasers will be able to
choose from a variety of carriers with regard to a 3G plan.
"You can add a micro-SIM card when you order an iPad with
WiFi + 3G from the Apple Online Store," reads a note on Apple's U.K. Website.
"Just select your iPad WiFi + 3G model and choose a micro-SIM card. You do not
need to start a data plan at this stage. Or you can get a micro-SIM card later
from any carrier offering iPad data plans." Apple apparently limits customers
to one micro-SIM card per iPad.
U.K. carriers offering iPad 3G plans include O2, Orange and
Vodafone. The plans themselves vary widely with regard to cost: O2 offers three
options, ranging from 500MB/day for 2 pounds to 1GB/month for 10 pounds and
3GB/month for 15 pounds; Orange offers four, from 200MB/day for 2 pounds to
10GB/month for 25 pounds; Vodaphone's three include 1GB/month for 10 pounds,
3GB/month for 15 pounds, and 5GB/month for 25 pounds.
By contrast, the U.S. version of the iPad 3G offers a plan
from a single carrier, AT&T, with prices that range from $14.99 for
250MB/month to unlimited usage for $29.99.
In the month following its April 3 release in the United States, the iPad managed to sell more than 1
million units. That sales amount, apparently, put pressure on Apple's
production channel and delayed the international release. Thanks to that
success, analysts from research firm IDC predict that worldwide media tablet
shipments will see a compound annual growth rate of 57.4 percent, for a total
of 46 million units in 2014.
"These are early days for media tablets, an altogether new
device category that takes its place between smartphones and portable PCs," IDC
analyst Susan Kevorkian wrote
in a May 20 statement. "IDC expects consumer demand for media tablets to be
strongly driven by the number and variety of compatible third-party apps for
content and devices."
Hewlett-Packard, Dell and other manufacturers are currently
preparing their own competitors for the space. The success of the iPad is also
seen as a potential market-share boost for those manufacturers responsible for
various parts of the device, such as Samsung, according
to a research note from analytics company iSuppli.
Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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