Anastasia Balezdrova
The emergence of the latest Tablet PC, Apple iPad 2 made a furor on the world market. The buying mania of the last word of the technique did not omit Greece either. Thousands of customers formed huge queues before the shops, selling Apple products in the hope that they will be able to obtain the so eagerly awaited iPad 2. Few, however, succeeded to do it because of the limited number of devices delivered to Greece.
Thanassis Doumanis is a salesman in one of the authorized stores. Here's how he described the latest gadget on the electronic market.
"IPad 2 is the Apple Tablet PC which is now the pioneer on the market and has no rival. This is a brand new product category. We can surf the Internet, listen to music, check our e-mail, get informed, read books, watch movies, but above all it gives us the opportunity to "upload" on line various programs from the Apple store. We can play games, browse recipes, or follow the stock market."
According to Thanasis, the improved technical features of iPad 2 are the reason for the huge consumer interest. "The new iPad 2 is very light and it is easy to carry it with you. Its weight is 600 g, i.e. 15% less than the weight of the iPad 1. It is 33% thinner, even 1 mm thinner than the iPhone. So, it is very comfortable to hold it. The screen is the same 9.7 inches large touchscreen display, responding to successive touch. That's where the innovation lies. In the different ways of use that Apple created with these products."
The new version of the iPad is visually changed too. Its frame is not just black but also white and is very reminiscent of an electronic photo frame.
"The new iPad 2 is equipped with a camera on both sides for video calls through Face time and for high definition video capturing which can be installed in the iPad 2 with the help of an application. Also, we can connect it to the TV screen with a HDMI cable and the mirror screen application. This is the best choice for the people who want to have fun at home and for those who make presentations at conferences or work in the field of education."
Many companies throw away all the paperwork and cardboard folders and replace them with iPad. Of course, they find the applications that meet their needs before that or develop their own applications. With the new iPad 2 we can create a list of customers, make presentations, process accounting records and write texts. These, along with the e-mail, the Internet and iPhone are very important and often crucial for the business."
After the initial success of the device its creators have tried to combine its usefulness with the beautiful form of the accessory called smart cover.
"These are the colourful and leather coverings that protect the screen and clean it. They are equipped with magnets that stick to the display frame and turn off the iPad in parallel. When we open it, it turns on again. Moreover, they bend and thus become a stand, we can write or use the device as a photo frame. All who buy iPad 2 purchase this supplement too.
Thanassis explained that iPad 2 is distributed in each country according to the number of the population. "Only several hundred pieces were delivered to Greece. They were allocated between chain stores, their affiliates, etc. As a result, they were not delivered to some stores at all, and only a few pieces were delivered to others."
The devastating earthquake that rocked Japan resulted in a decrease in the production of the iPad 2 because of the fact that many of the plants which produce some of the parts such as memories and displays are not currently working. "The pieces for Greece and Europe were generally small in number, but even consumers in the USA who purchas the iPad 2 on the Internet wait 4-5 weeks," said Thanasis.
"The small pieces in number that arrived in Greece were sold in mere seconds. There were people who waited for hours before the shops open. There was a queue in front of our shop from 04:00 am. About 80 people raided when we opened the shop and only 20 of them left with iPad 2 in hands.
But let's not forget all those who have ordered 2 iPad on the Internet. We do not know when we will have a new delivery. When we started the electronic sale we did not know that we would get so small quantity. As a result, these orders amount to thousands, and the people waiting only on our website are over 600. If supplies continue to be so small we will serve these customers with delay. Let's hope that the problem will be resolved quickly and that we will receive more supplies.
Despite the improvements and the new applications and options the prices of the new iPad 2 are the same as the iPad 1, "at least for the 3G models. A SIM card of a mobile operator can be placed in them and the users can have a constant access to the Internet. 639, 739, 839 euros for the 16, 32 and 64 GB models. I wish to emphasize that this only applies to the Internet access. iPad 2 has no phone features. Wireless internet models are 20 euros cheaper than the corresponding iPad 1 device. They cost 509, 619 and 719 euros for the 16, 32 and 64 GB models respectively."
According to Thanasis, the demand and purchase of Apple products is not affected by the worst financial crisis in Greece at all. He believes the secret to this lies in their quality.
"People buy them, although they are more expensive than other products. The customers prefer to save the money and buy a very good Apple product instead of a cheaper version of another company."
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