“There’s an interesting chart in a report to clients issued early Thursday morning by Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune.

“What caught my eye, however, was what her proprietary research shows about the impact of the iPad and other tablets on the broader gadget market, starting with netbooks. As her chart shows, sales growth of these low-cost, low-powered computing devices peaked last summer at an astonishing 641% year-over-year growth rate,” Elmer-DeWitt reports. “It fell off a cliff in January and shrank again in April — collateral damage, according to Huberty, from the January introduction and April launch of the iPad.”

Source: MacDailyNews

dOvetastic Microwave Theater thought it would be a good idea to microwave a brand new iPad Wi-Fi + 3G 64GB unit, vidoetape it, and post it on YouTube.

For your viewing pleasure:

Direct link to video via YouTube here.

“Israel will begin allowing people to bring Apple iPads into the country starting on Sunday, two weeks after customs began confiscating the tablet computers for fear they would interfere with other wireless devices,” Tova Cohen reports for Reuters.

“‘Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of (the) iPad to Israel,’ the Communications Ministry said in a statement,” Cohen reports. “The tests proved the device identifies the Wi-fi access point in its surroundings and adjusts itself automatically, enabling the iPad to be operated without interfering with other wireless devices, the ministry said. ‘Accordingly, the import of a single device per person will be permitted commencing Sunday, April 25th,’ the ministry said.”

Cohen reports, “The ministry also ordered the release of 20 iPads that had been confiscated.”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews

Phil Bronstein sat down with Bill gates for an interview for The San Francisco Chronicle. One question and answer caught our attention:

Bronstein: You once said Steve Jobs could see the next big thing. Do you like the iPad?

Gates: It’s okay. The scenarios aren’t that clear. But it’s good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that.

Full article, mainly about Facebook and Twitter, here.

Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune, “When a customer asked last week ‘will the iPad 3G models still ship on time as planned (end of April) in the US, if I order one today? Or will the 3G US orders be postponed as well?’ Jobs’ one-word answer, e-mailed from his iPhone, was a terse ‘Yes.’”

“Early this morning, we found out which of his two possible meanings was operative,” Elmer-DeWitt reports. “According to the Apple Store, if you order an iPad 3G today, it will ship ‘By May 7th.’”

Elmer-DeWitt reports, “Apple attributes all this to ‘surprisingly strong’ demand for the new device.”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews

“In its first 10 days, Apple’s iPad has captured almost as much online usage share as the BlackBerry or Google’s Android operating system, a Web metrics firm said,” Gregg Keizer reports for IDG News Service.

“According to data from Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based NetApplications.com, the iPad’s share has averaged 0.03% since April 3, the day Apple started selling the media tablet,” Keizer reports. “Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, for example, had a usage share of 0.04% for the month of March. Android, meanwhile, accounted for the same figure, split evenly between Android 1.5 and Android 1.6, NetApplications said.”

Keizer reports, “But the iPad can’t hold a candle to Apple’s older mobile siblings. By NetApplications’ count, Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices have a combined share of 0.6%, about 20 times larger than the iPad’s.”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews

“Before you get stuck into our review, consider these questions: how many people do you know that are still confused by computers, and what do you think the majority of the population actually use a computer for?” Luke Peters asks for T3.

“Apple’s new 1GHz A4 processor allows apps, multimedia and screen transitions to fly. Playing back a HD episode of Doctor Who, downloaded from iTunes, motion is fast, without judder and free of lag or distortion when rotating the screen. With its superb, LED-backlit, richly coloured screen, it’s a slicker, quicker experience than the iPod Touch or iPhone,” Peters reports. “It feels like a computer, not a phone or PMP.”

“Reading books, papers and magazines on the iPad is an enjoyable experience. The brightness and colour of the screen can be adjusted to suit your preference, and it’s definitely easier on the eyes than we initially feared,” Peters reports. “Typing on the iPad is better than expected – in fact this entire review was written on it. Lie the device flat, rotate the screen to landscape and you’ll be able to rattle off text very quickly.”

Peters reports, “What most people use computers for is to communicate, browse the web and view photos, videos and literature. The iPad lets anyone – you, your kids, your mum and dad – do all that. Although there’s no news on UK pricing yet, it’s eminently affordable ($499 in the US for the 16GB version) incredibly easy to use and has a size, heft and quality that set it apart from the netbooks, smartphones and PMPs it superficially resembles. In our opinion, Apple hasn’t just created the first home tablet worth having. It’s actually redefined computing, boiling it down to essentials and making it accessible for everyone.”

Full review here.

Source: MacDailyNews