Apple To Delay iPad 2 Shipment (Reuters)

Update: This why I don't do rumors and such.  Apparently, Apple will be delaying iPad intro in Japan to focus on the quake relief.  Meanwhile, delays from parts shortage remains a concern.

Developing at this time but it looks like Reuters (via CNBC tweet) that Apple will delay fulfilling iPad 2 shipments.

Many facilities in northern Japan were damaged or remained offline due to lack of electricity.  Apple is not the only company affected by this.  

The economy today has a global structure where parts are filled from various countries and then assembled in one central location.  

Due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and potential for greater nuclear disaster, it is understand companies as well as government officials will proceed cautiously.  

As always, people first.  

Note:  Ordinarily, I don't like to base my posts off rumors or even tweets but given the anxiety many of my fellow mobile warriors are feeling about their orders, I thought I put this out there now.  

Apple Stores In Japan Become Hub For Quake Update and Refuge For Employees

Make no mistake that many corporates are doing the right thing in the aftermath of the 9.0 earthquake (it was upgraded from 8.9) that rocked northern Japan and has inflicted suffers and damages on the survivors.  Google has used its expertise in cloud computing and set up a website to help pass information to love ones and victims.  But Apple has literally open its doors to the public and provided aid and comfort to its employees.

According to numerous reports, Apple stores is providing charging stations for mobile devices and provided financial aid, such as travel expenses given that the public transportation system is still down, to employees.  

And as one of the few locations in Japan that offers free WiFi, it was not unusually to see crowds near the Apple store to use the Internet and get information on love ones and media/government updates.  

I truly like that companies like Apple and Google are recognizing that their responsibilities as publicly traded companies go beyond maximizing profit for their shareholders.  I am particularly impressed with Google's generosity and its green initiatives.  And now, Apple recognizes that its responsibilities to its costumers doesn't end the money they walk out the door with its product.  

And these two being Californian companies, I am particularly proud as an American.

As for WiFi, I think there is something we can learn about its role in a disaster.  I think mobile WiFi stations for public use during natural or any kind of disasters could go a long way in saving lives and comfort to the population.  I know that ATT has mobile cell towers but I think WiFi stations work better since WiFi enabled devices outnumber cell-based devices.  Not everyone has an iPhone but a lot of folks have laptops and even WiFi-only iPads.  Perhaps, a fleet of WiFi mobile vans would work well.

More at Appleinsider, TUAW.

iPad 2 Orders: Tim Cook, You Need To Get A Handle On This Next Time

Maybe I'm writing this more as a comfortable to myself and feel like I'm doing something beyond refreshing the order status page on the Apple Store website.

But if somehow I can channel this to Tim Cook, who's on charge of Apple while Steve is on medical leave, please read the online posts or have some intern do it and summarize for you.

Many folks are anxious about their online orders.  I read situations where cases have shipped but iPad orders themselves are cancelled. I'm also just now reading that credit cards have been charged but no change in online status.  And then there are just folks whose orders have not changed since the time they ordered.

Maybe there isn't anything Apple can do about this but maybe for the iPhone 5 stamped or the iPad 3 rush (maybe in the fall?), you guys can update the system so that first-ordered-first-shipped should mean something.  

I've one of two iPads shipped.  I can't complain there.  It was a 1:10 AM PST order.  Very happy  Then I also noticed a few folks who ordered before I did with just one iPad and they haven't seen anything.  And obviously, I like to have seen my 2nd iPad shipped sooner rather than later.

Again, I don't know what it is that is driving folks crazy like drug addicts, constantly clicking away on Fedex for updates or their Apple account to see if the statuses for their orders have changed.  

And not, this isn't fan boys doing all this.  Apple has genuinely created a revolutionary device with the iPad and has added some evolutionary additions/changes that has really gotten more users to jump on the iPad bandwagon.

Ironically, Apple's rise to the top and increasing pie of the consumer electronic dollar has been bitter-sweet for Apple fans.  On one hand, we're happy with Steve Jobs and Apple's success and, on the other hand, it also makes it more difficult if not downright impossible to get an Apple product that has just been released.

Note:  After writing this, I do feel a bit better.  Now, back to check my order and delivery status!

iPad 2: Apple May Have Problems Filling Orders (My Take From Comments And Forums

Demand for the iPad 2 is there.  No doubt about it.  However, selling through for Apple's iconic "post-PC" mobile device is another matter all together.  I would not be surprise if Apple does sell 400,000 to 500,000 units over the weekend including online orders but I doubt it is any higher as some have suggested Apple moving one million.  

But it can depends on how you slide it.  If Apple does include orders that they cannot fill online over the weekend, we might see a higher number than my own 500K units.  And if that's true, it speaks about limited number of iPads on hand for Apple and its retail partners to sell.

Regardless of how Apple wants to deal with the numbers when it finally announces them, I am beginning to see a clear and bigger picture, especially with regards to online orders.

I believe Apple dedicated as much stock as they can for for its retail locations and a few for partners like Best Buy.  But obviously, that ran out quickly.  Fillers were likely on their way even as folks were waiting in line over the weekend that are likely to arrive for stores this week.  

For online orders, the amount was even more scarce which could explain why there were no preorders this year versus last year when buyers could preorder and pick them up in the stores if they like.  

A lot of people went online to find solidarity.  Some wanted to see where their orders stand relative to others and when they ordered, others went online to vent.  And there was a lot of discrepancies in how Apple fill orders.  Since I don't know how all this works, I am gonna have to hold any comments on it except to say that I totally feel the pain some buyers are going through.

Personally, my order with two iPads is a textbook case given what I'm ready online.  First, the covers shipped.  A day later, one of the iPad shipped but the other 3G version, even now, is stuck with "not yet shipped".  We have other orders and none of those have shipped except the covers.  

My best guess is that Apple is shipping them as they are made, tested, and packaged right away and fill them.  This would explain why they have not announced a number for how many iPad 2s they've sold.  You cannot say you sold and shipped something when you clearly haven't finished making it.

Also from what I see, most people with 2 iPads in their order are seeing one iPad shipped while the other one sits waiting.  

My advice for anyone who want one but isn't willing to wait for the 3-4 weeks wait call their local Apple store or another retail to see if they have any in stock and hope you get lucky.  

As for how many Apple will sell, I think Apple won't be announcing a concrete number for a few days just until they can fill all the weekend orders first.  

ATT and Veizon To Offer Free Calls And Text To Japan; Other Companies And Web Media Helps

ATT and Verizon will both offer free calling and texting to Japan for a period of time to help those in the US contact love ones and friends who may be affected by the 8.9 earthquake and the tsunami.

ATT:

• Free calling and texting until March 31th
• 60 Minutes of calling for landline subscribers.
• Subscribers can text "redcross" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross.
• TV Japan will be accessible for U-Verse customers through March 17th.

Verizon:

• Calling and texting free to most post-paid and residential customers.
• Free MM messaging and texting.
• 10 Aid groups to donate to.
• FIOS subscribers to get TV Japan for free until March 17th.

More information here at ATT (BGR), Verizon, Macnn.  Also Huffington Post has a detailed (though messy) page of how else we can help.

Also, Google has set up an excellent page for helping victims, love ones, and up-to-date information on the Japan earthquake.

Separately, Apple is accepting donations to the Red Cross through iTunes.  Apple also did this during the Haiti earthquake as well.

Is The MacBook Air Faster Or the iPad 2 Better/Faster For Editing Videos?

The Macbook Air 11.6" at 1.6 Ghz with 4 GB of RAM is a pretty buff little guy.  A Mac to be certain given circumstances, it is nearly as fast as some of the 2010 Macbook Pro models with some tasks.  And with the iPad 2 as a viable option for simple consumer video editing through iMovie, I wonder if it makes more sense to do editing on the iPad 2 or the Air.

If you're on the go and don't have the time to the video back onto a Mac, I assume that's the computer that you have at home, the iPad 2 seems quick capable for simple editing.  

Based on Macworld's benchmarks and Anandtech, the 11.6" Air, 1.4 Ghz or 1.6 Ghz, is not what I would use as my main iMovie or Final Cut Express work.  

My guess is that the iPad or the iPad 2 gigahertz for gigahertz, it is no match for the Air.  However, the iPad 2 does have a pretty snappy graphics component on the A5.  So I wonder if the iPad 2 is optimized to process videos so well that it can challenge the Air in the features that the iOS version of the iMovie have.

Of course, the iMovie for the iPad is very simple.  

In a few iterations down the line, I can see the iPad doing very well for on the go directors and editors who might need to make rapid cuts for reviewing back in the studio and it could have enough power and features to do just that.  The iPad offers a lot of portability but the MacBooks are still better for faster and more complicated editing.

For now, I'll be shooting most of my video on my HD camcorder and feed the video off to my Macbook.  

Note:  If you want to shoot video on your iPod touch or the iPhone, you can use an adapter to pass off the video to your brand new iPad 2, assuming you can find one, for faster editing.  MOre at iSource.

EVIL ATT To Start Capping DSL Services In May

This post from Electonista says it all.

Starting in May, ATT will start capping DSL use at 150 GB. A $10 fee will be assess for an additional 50 GB.

Does this affect you and how you use the Internet?

Let me do some simple math on this. This comes to 4.93 GB a day. Frankly, I think this is so bogus.

We are increasingly relying on our Internet services for streaming media and to get pertinent information. Heck, I don't even own a TV.

This just isn't right. Unfortunately, I think ATT will get away with this given the political atmosphere in Washington and the GOP not want the FCC to do anything at all.

Make no mistake about this. This is about GREED. And this can potentially destroy the Internet and innovation.

If there was ever a time for anyone in Washington to show some backbone, coming out against this would be an easy win.

More here.