New iPad: Crack open your wallets, fanbois, here's what it'll cost

The new iPad that was revealed to feverish fanbois last night in San Fran will be on UK shelves in about a week's time - 16 March. Yes, Brits, you can pre-order one now, or grab a sleeping bag and start making your way to Regent Street. The new iPad will be available in black or white, pricing will be the same as the iPad 2 …

[Anonymous Coward]

Photos please

Can The Register please dispatch a photographer to record all these pseudo masochists who would want to suffer sleepless nights, cold, rain, hunger, sunshine (whatever), all for the pleasure of emptying their pockets for St. Jobs' manna from heaven?

[Arctic fox]

"Yes, Brits, you can pre-order one now, or grab a sleeping bag...................

.....................and start making your way to Regent Street."

The Old One is more likely to complain about the air conditioning in the "Other Place" than I am to do any such thing. Utterly regardless of which producer/manufacturer we are talking about.

[jake]

And in 7-9 months ...

... you can throw it away and get the iFad4(c)(r)(tm)! Yes, folks, you've arrived! You're a consumer! Ain't it wonnerful?

As a side note, ElReg, that's "San Francisco" or "The City".

[Chad H.]

Re: And in 7-9 months ...

And this is different to other consumer electronic devices.... How?

[jake]

Re: And in 7-9 months ...

It's different in that modern marketing has created many false needs.

With the exception of replacing rechargeable batteries in miscellaneous bits of kit, the last consumer electronics device I bought was a Porter Cable half inch drill. 7 years ago. I didn't even look for one on sale ... when my near 25 year old unit burned out, I got on a bike & rode to the nearest store that sells Porter Cable power tools, and bought one. A couple months earlier I had to buy a new Krups coffee grinder. The coffee grinder is starting to die, but I'll bet my bottom dollar that the drill will last another 20 years.

This laptop is over 8 years old. It does everything I need it to do, why change it? My cellphone is nearly 11 years old. It works where modern cellphones do not, including over half this ranch.

My philosophy is to buy a tool right the first time, then wear it out ... and pray that the company who built the original unit hasn't started skimping on quality over the years when replacement is necessary.

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow...

Toys have got expensive, haven't they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Wow...

These are not the 'Droids you're looking for. Those come bundled with "Google Play".

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Wow...

@AC 14:23

I vote for this post to be considered for the Best Post of 2012.

The chocolate milk that spewed from my nose when I read this agrees in full.

[Andy Kay]

Re: Wow...

lol - chocolate milk? What are you, 8?

[Oninoshiko]

Re: Wow...

The wonderful thing about being an adult, is you can determine what being an adult means. If that means drinking choclate milk, then have at it.

elReg commentards be damned.

[deadlockvictim]

Re: Wow...

Strawberry milk (ichigomiruku) is good too, especially on hot summer days. It is a bit sweet though.

[Anonymous Coward]

Holy major rip-off Batman

£100 just to add 3G. Nothing else just 3G. And yet you can buy an entire low-end smartphone complete with 3G for less than that price.

Remind me again why Apple fans think Apple kit is not overpriced

[DrXym]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Archos have it right. Their tablet has a hatch at the back. If you want 3G you buy a 3G dongle and stick it in the hatch. The dongle also works in a PC. Cost - £50.

In other words Apple and other manufactures which slap £100 markup for 3G are taking the piss. Same goes for memory too. Prevent the user from adding their own cheap SD memory and then charge them through the nose for models which contain more memory built-in.

[jonathan1]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

TBH,

All tablets (to me at least) are over priced even the Android ones (from the likes of Samsung I mean).

[Richard 81]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Is it £100 for 3G, or £100 for 4G and 3G one of which you can't use?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you?

Unlocked (unsubsidised) and supporting HSPA at 42Mbit/s?

Don't think so, but if you can please post links. Don't forget it also includes a GPS chip.

[dboy]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Actually to be fair, that's to add LTE and 3G, which no one I know of is doing for £100.

The base model costs are quite reasonable, it's just the extortionate amount they want to charge in order to add memory that makes me baulk.

I am most pleased at being able to delete stuff from photo stream though. Don't understand why it was ever missing...

[ducatis'r us]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Deletion from photostream is only on that one device. If you have 'accidentally' taken a pic on your iPhone and you have photo stream on it will not delete that pic from any other household iDevice.

And while I'm still griping, 10.6 iTunes only allows re-download of purchased movies in the US of A.

[FartingHippo]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Apple must be using some amazing flash memory too, to justify those costs. It's probably carved from Foxconn workers bones or something.

[Chad H.]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Does your low end smartphone support HSPA? Probably not.

That said, most users can probably get away without the 3G.

[Lusty]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

"£100 just to add 3G. Nothing else just 3G. And yet you can buy an entire low-end smartphone complete with 3G for less than that price."

It also adds GPS functionality

[magnetik]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman

Well the original point stands - you can get a smartphone with 3G and GPS (and a whole lot more besides) for less than the price of adding those two features to the iPad.

[ThomH]

Re: Holy major rip-off Batman (@magnetik)

While Apple are clearly profiting disproportionately more from the higher cost models, the original point alleged this behaviour was unique to Apple. Going to Amazon and searching for 'Galaxy Tab' shows that Samsung's list prices charge the consumer... £100 extra for 3G. Or £100 extra to move from 16gb of built-in storage to 32gb.

So in that sense the original point doesn't really stand at all. This isn't an example of Apple overcharging, it's an example of the market overcharging and Apple following market trends.

[Jedit]

" it's an example of the market overcharging and Apple following market trends."

I would agree with this except for one minor detail: Apple are the trendsetters, and everyone else is following them.

[Bronek Kozicki]

GPS too?

You mean, if I compare "market loser" RIM PlayBook against "market winner" WiFi only iPad, then GPS is another one of many things iPad doesn't have? And they are just now catching up with 5Mpx camera?

One has to love effectiveness of Apple marketing!

[g e]

OMFG

I'll hang on for a Samsung Galaxy S3 I think (yes I know that's a phone). It'll be a free upgrade from Vodafone.

Then I'll have something nice and fast to play with while I assess a Transformer Infinity to see if it'll replace a laptop.

Seriously. That's a shit revision for a lot of money, it should've been called the iPad 2s

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: OMFG

g e, don't you ever get tired of mindlessly bashing Apple in every post?

The S3 and the Infinity are both vapourware, no one knows the price or actual specs.

Does this really make you that desperate that you have to pull out two unannounced, unreleased and unknown products to compare it with?

You're grasping at straws here.

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: OMFG

Stuff the products he's talking about being vapourware...

Vodafone will not NOT NOT be giving you a free upgrade. Those new Samsungs will cost £500-£600 (going on what the last 2 Galaxy's cost). Vodafone are not a charity. They do not give you the phone. You are paying more for your contract to get it.

...And relax... Sorry, personal bugbear there. Phones ain't bloody free!

Thinking about it, a 16GB iPad with 3G is £500. Which is the same price as the current top end iPhone/Samsung Galaxy II/HTC/Motorola.

So the iPad is incredibly cheap, or the phones are incredibly expensive. Or, more likely, the iPad (until you start paying for extra memory) is not too bad, and the phones are an enormous rip-off.

[Anonymous Coward]

@AC 15:00 Re: OMFG

don't feed the troll.

[introiboad]

Re: OMFG

But this is not meant for everybody to upgrade. If you already have an iPad, you're don't have to upgrade, the same way many people won't upgrade from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge. That doesn't prevent Intel from introducing new chips every year!

If you want a tablet, now you can buy an Apple one with hi-res display and better camera. If you don't, or already have an older iPad, stay home and enjoy life.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mates' rates

Strange that currency converters seem to feature so heavily in Apple's 'beginning OSX programming' tutorials, yet they always seem to have so much difficulty translating their prices from $$$ to £££ with any accuracy.

Based on today's rates from xe.com, Apple are stiffing UK buyers by around an extra quarter of the purchase price and, curiously enough, [and albeit slightly] you get more ripped off, the more expensive model you buy:

Wi-Fi

$499 16GB = £316 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £399 [26,26% increase]

$599 32GB = £379 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £479 [26,38% increase]

$699 64GB = £442 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £559 [26,47% increase]

Wi-Fi + 4G (just 3G in Blighty)

$629 16GB = £398 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £499 [25,37% increase]

$729 32GB = £461 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £579 [25,59% increase]

$829 64GB = £525 as opposed to Apple's UK price of: £659 [25,52% increase]

[Wyrdness]

Re: Mates' rates

You seem to have conveniently posted the US$ prices without sales tax and the UK prices including VAT.

[Dave Walker]

Re: Mates' rates States Slates

The UK has a standard sales tax with the VAT. Here in the 'states each state, and sometimes municipality, sets their own rates.

This variability is why national sellers advertise the base rate. you're on your own figuring out what will be added when you get to the till.

DX

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Mates' rates

You haven't heard of this thing called VAT?

[jahill]

Re: Mates' rates

Surely add in the UK's VAT rate at 20% leaves a price difference of just 5%?

[Chad H.]

Re: Mates' rates

Devils advocate, there's also shipping

[mccp]

Re: Mates' rates

Wi-Fi

$499 16GB = £316 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £332.50 [5.22% increase]

$599 32GB = £379 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £399.16 [5.32% increase]

$699 64GB = £442 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £465.83 [5.39% increase]

Wi-Fi + 4G (just 3G in Blighty)

$629 16GB = £398 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £415.83 [4.48% increase]

$729 32GB = £461 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £482.50 [4.66% increase]

$829 64GB = £525 as opposed to Apple's UK price (excluding VAT) of: £549.16 [4.60% increase]

There - fixed that for you.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Mates' rates

Don't worry in Belgium and probably the rest of Europe this will probably be:

$499 --> 499 € which should be 379.90 € +31% increase

$599 --> 599 € which should be 456.03 € +30% increase

and so on

[Anonymous Coward]

~25% Sounds about right

20% VAT, 5% currency hedging costs.

[Anonymous Coward]

optional extras

...cost 80 quid for 16GB more SSD, and 100 quid for a crappy 3g modem? Ouch!

[Lusty]

Re: optional extras

"cost 80 quid for 16GB more SSD"

You seem very certain that there is only 16GB more SSD in there - I'm curious whether this is confirmed anywhere?

Proper SSD from proper drive suppliers come with much more storage than quoted - the wear levelling then replaces broken bits with new ones to keep capacity static while the cells die off. Apple being a premium vendor may actually be putting 32GB extra in to offer 16GB more capacity.

[Andrew James]

cheaper ipad2 ...

Does the cheaper iPad2 mean that mobile networks bundling them with a 2 year data deal will now be reducing their prices for them too?

[Malcolm 5]

Inc VAT

so are those UK prices inc vat?

if they are a 6% markup is a pity but not immense.

[Andrew James]

Re: Inc VAT

Yes, thats inc VAT.

[Audrey S. Thackeray]

Japanese version of Siri?

That just sounds daft.

</1970scomedy>

[FartingHippo]

Re: Japanese version of Siri?

Tsk. It sounds silly.

</1970s comedy>

[BorkedAgain]

Re: Re: Japanese version of Siri?

Yay! That was the joke! And you killed it!

[johnnymotel]

unless of course...

you have a friend in Oregon (0% sales tax) who is coming over this year...

[John A Blackley]

There is another option

If you don't like it, don't buy it (and resist the urge to tell everyone who does like it how stuipid they are).

[CollyWolly]

Re: There is another option

yeah, but it doesn't stop the endless media headlines and speculation about something that will be quite irrelevant in a few years time.

[aThingOrTwo]

"Quite irrelevant in a few years time"

You're getting it muddled up with the netbook.

Oh no maybe not, because the netbook is already irrelevant, in spite of forecasts to the contrary.

[jake]

Re: There is another option

yeah, but it doesn't stop the endless media headlines and speculation about something that will be quite irrelevant in a few years months time.

There. Fixed that for you.

[Fred Flintstone]

I'm suffering device overflow

Look, I got my toys already, and I'm not likely to blow another wad of cash on just getting the latest and greatest (nor will it always be Apple, btw).

Am I the only one who actually manages to keep a device for more than one year? I really don't have that burning desire to show my mates I have the latest "in" thing - I buy what I need, and then use it and I seem to have an upgrade cycle that operates at half the pace of new releases, partly because I don't necessarily stick to a brand - my next phone may not be an iPhone (although it is unlikely to ever be Android, just don't like it).

So enough already. Yes, enjoy your iPad 3 if you have to. Just don't try to impress me with it.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd have got one

Had it had Siri and the touch feedback display thing I'd have upgraded my iPad 2.

Those features would have been useful to me as a blindperson.

As it is I guess I'll stay with my unusable iPad 2 and carry on enjoying the envious looks I imagine are on people's faces when I pull it from my bag in coffee shops.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I'd have got one

You're not really blind are you. I can tell because I work with them - on iPads, you know, the device recommended by the Royal Institute of Blind People?

The level of commentards trolling has truly just turned into sick level.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I'd have got one

Hmm... I like the comments of the supposed anonymous blind person, but then I like the comments of the supposed anonymous blind support worker. But which is better?

Only one way to find out...

[Anonymous Coward]

For the visually impaired.

Siri and the touch texture thingy would have been great.

Increased resolution not exactly a selling point.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: For the visually impaired.

Yes, but they can now get the iPad 2 for £70 less which comes with accessibility options like VoiceOver.

[Anonymous Coward]

Bloody hell,,

£659? You could buy something useful for that sort of money with change for a couple of pints and a fish supper on the way home.

[Doug Glass]

You Pommies ...

... are getting Royally screwed based on US MSRP prices. Yeah, some adders here and there but The Sacred J is still screwing you guys.

[Doug Glass]

Oh yeah about Taxes

If I buy over the internet (interwebs to you guys) I pay sales tax only if the seller has a physical presence in my state. I tend to do the wise thing and search for a good vendor with no stores in my state. So no tax for me on, well, every little old thing.

And shipping? Lots of vendors offering domestic address delivery with $0.00 S&H. Pays to look around there too.

You guys are still just getting screwed.

[Chris Ashworth]

Don't need lots of storage as most media is either text (Kindle) or over wifi at home. Loads of wifi out and about here in HK, and I have a mifi knocking about if I really need connectivity. It's about 316GBP for the basic model here, and that screen is a good price imo. Bye bye Galaxy Tab 10.1 and your sluggish interface and shoddy applications!

[verloc]

Touching £700 (by the time you buy a smart cover and a mochachoccaskinnysoylattefrappecino) is a held of a price to pay to have the privilege of buying from the app store and itunes using your fingers.

[Ron1]

New iPad heat issues

How come no one is commenting on the new iPad increased battery & increased heat dissipation?

Battery capacity increased from 25Wh in iPad2 to 42.5Wh in new iPad - that's a 17.5Wh or 70% increase.

With today's Li-po technology the weight of extra 17.5Wh is ~100g, so they must have shaved off 50g elsewhere. I bet the new screen is thinner & lighter (using thinner glass?) than old one, since the thickness increase of 0.6mm is alone not enough to cram in the 70% larger battery (even if the battery technology is maybe 5% better than last year's).

Perhaps the housing is thinner too? Cant wait for a tear down...

The real problem, however will be heat. At claimed 9h battery life of 3G (4G) surfing, the iPad2 has an average power consumption of 2.8W, the new iPad 4.7W.

And trust me, those extra almost 2W of heat will be noticeable. Almost 5W of heat to dissipate passively is quite a lot. Not to mention the heat generated when running some CPU / GPU intensive tasks...

[Adam Nealis]

Watching the Fanboi queues form.

If only google maps were in real time.

http://g.co/maps/87hap

We need a BOFH to hack into the nearest police surveillance cameras and make it a webcam.

[Anonymous Coward]

Exsqueeze me? Baking powder?

80 pounds for an extra 16 gigs storage?

What the fuck?

In perspective, 16gb memory cards and USB sticks can be had for £9 including postage from reputable online sites. What makes the non-removable, non-upgradable flash memory in these devices so goddamned special?

[Powelly]

Change the record people

Two things that you can guarantee in the comments for every single piece of kit that Apple announce:

"£nnn! For that price I could buy [insert name of generic Chinese ebay purchase] with the same spec and buy [insert name of generic Chinese ebay purchase] with the change"

and

"[Daily Mail Mode]$nnn x exchange rate = £nnn x 1.2 - another example of rip-off Britain![/Daily Mail Mode]"

[Andy 21]

Re: Change the record people

RRRRrrrrrrreeeeeeeewindddddd.

How much ?????? Pharw ...... I could buy 3 Lang Chi Padi 2S G10 Bigmacs for half the price AND have 2 Canal Street Fanboi's to carry it around for me on a simulated gold platter, whith enough change left over for a bag of chips.

[Fanboi Mode]Pah - typical rip off repetative jokes. [/Fanboi mode]