Or they have been better prepared then previous launches, which were plagued by supply problems for weeks after product releases.

They have a suppy problem with the screens with only Samsung ones being of usable standard.
Sharp and LG are supposedly kicking into gear now.

But like everything, it's hard to tell what's myth or fact.
With Samsung already meeting enough supply it's quite a curious subject.

I bought mine in the Apple store in New York the day after they went on sale. When I asked if I could I buy two, he said I could buy 20 if I wanted so they obviously have lots of them in stock. But then, I would have expected that in New York.

Considering it's selling better than the iPad 1 and 2 it's evidently selling very well, in fact it's the fastest selling tablet computer to date.

They sold 3m in 4 days, but you're trying to say they're not selling fast enough. Bonkers.

Indeed.

This thread title is now misleading and not even true. So what if you can go into a store and buy them?

It's called higher stock levels not less demand. Spot the difference folks.

Apple haters would love for the Ipad to not sell but that won't happen.

Apple haters this, apple haters that .... yawn

You know the art of spin don't you? Declining desktop sales have got nothing to do with ipad they have been declining since the release of laptops. An iPod is nowhere close to being able to replace a windows machine and declining sales of desktop has got zero to do with ipad sales being good. Sales of video players have declined as well but I wouldn't link that to high sales of fiet puntos

Surely it's all down to the end user and what requirements they have of the hardware?

Tablets can connect to the internet and they can run many many applications. This for a lot of users is enough features to keep them happy. They really don't need more than that. In some respects the typical Windows PC is over powered for a lot of users. It has lots of features that they simply don't need to use or need to have access to.

The way I see it, it's like the big bang. The big bang happened, the universe (computing) got very big very quickly.. and now the universe is shrinking. Computers are no longer used purely by techie people who have an interest in computers. They're used by everyone. And so the devices are getting more and more condensed to support that bigger demographic of people.

It's like the world wide web. Once upon a time everyone had a home page, everyone wrote a bit of HTML and there were many many websites. The web is shrinking at a rapid rate now because people simply use facebook as their web presence. It's the same with computing. The 'Post PC' era way of thinking isn't exclusive to Apple. Microsoft know it's coming too.

Tablets right now can't replace every windows machine.. for example offices will still need windows based computers. For now. But to suggest a tablet like the iPad is no where close to replacing a windows machine is wrong imho. For a lot of users, it can easily replace a windows machine.

I was stood in a queue for an iPad listening to people talk about why they're buying one. The line was full of all sorts of people. A woman in front of me was buying one for her husband who is a plumber to help him manage his business. He didn't have a computer at home, now he has an iPad. A lot of people who aren't computer literate and don't need a full blown PC solution are getting iPads. This can not be denied because it's the truth.

The term 'computer illiterate' won't exist in a year or two, because the default solution will be tablets and no one will struggle to use them. Computers are high end, always have been. The % of users who don't need access to that high end is getting bigger and bigger.

I agree with some of these sentiments but ......

The current tablet market is really dumbing down what a computer can do (maybe for better, maybe for worse). The classic example is that PC manufacturers went to great lengths to develop systems that can truly multitask. Whilst the iPad does a form of 'pretend' multitasking, Android does 'hidden' (ie behind the scenes) multitasking - although there are beta versions of visible multi-tasking doing the rounds too - neither manage to meet the level expected of even the most basic PC (or Mac).

an analogy (albeit a bad one) is that we have spent years developing very good cars with great performance, comfort and safety records and then everyone goes off and buys golf buggies. They still get you from A to B but slower and in a more basic manner.

I have a tablet. I use it a lot. But there are still tasks I find that I much prefer heading over to my Laptop to do. I really cant see that changing in the near future.

On the other hand there are tasks that I much prefer using my tablet for.

What is happening is that the market is splitting. There are two types of market appearing. I believe the tablet is heading more in the direction of games consoles - used for casual gaming, browsing, reading (a full entertainment 'hub') - with laptops/desktops returning to their more basic (and early) uses as 'office' equipment. You will still have people who are computer illiterate.... but they might be 'tablet savvy' instead.

I do somewhat agree. You'll get tablets and basic low end laptops and PCs for people who don't need much more than a place to store their photos and look at Facebook, and then you'll have a higher end set of computers, which sell less units but do a hell of a lot more - make music, edit videos, programming, 3D graphics etc. The stuff that needs proper horsepower.

Tablets are mobile devices and battery life is an issue. By limiting multitasking to a necessary minimum, you are saving battery. Tablet is a typical consuming device, you can consume media, Internet, etc. You point at things you want, it won't get easier. With email and social networks support it covers needs of a lot of computer users completely. You can turn it on/off like a TV, it's portable. If you could get a keyboard and MS Office or some equivalent, many users could throw out their computers. They just don't need their desktops or laptops.

It's more about horses for courses. You were right about the golf buggy analogy not being very good. Clearly the golf buggy is poor in comparison to a car as it will take a lot longer to get from A to B. But with a tablet, it doesn't take longer to browse the net, check email, look at photos etc.

I've only had this a week, but for casually reading stuff on the web, a tablet feels far more natural than either a desktop or a laptop.

I think we are agreeing to some extent. Tablets will become the pick up and go home/leisure devices but I work in IT and until they can truly multitask and have multiple windows open they wont replace PCs in the workplace. like i say ... gaming was initially a PC thing and then consoles filled that niche. Now people want e-magazines .... browsing, casual games, pick up and go stuff.... thats where tablets fit in.

for individual tasks you can manage quite nicely on a tablet .... but if you want multiple windows open, or to load several things at once then a tablet is a poor choice.

I have a tablet. i use it lots. im using it now to browse.

if i want to do my Xmas shopping online and have lots of windows open and compare prices and items side by side i would use my laptop. i COULD do that on my tablet but its easier on my laptop. same with the golf buggy .... it will get me and three of my mates to London if i want it to ..... but id rather be using the Jag ...

but for a quick trip to the shops it would be fine

And thats any tablet ... apple, android ........

I must admit I do lie the windows feature that causes windows to snap to the side taking up exactly half the screen.

I would not want to programme on a tablet either Desktops will still have their place, somebody has still write the programmes for those tablets and that requires a comfortable environment, big screen, keyboard, mouse. But I think we may see a decline of laptops and desktops as private personal computers for a casual user.

agreed

in the same way that gaming on PC has made way for the PS3 and XBOX generation ......

I remember the days of Doom on a 486 DX PC

My old Windows 95 box had a 486 50MHz. My aunt gave it to me and it had been upgraded from Windows 3.1. It was as slow as a slug doing the London marathon I eventually got a different box and a faster processor and more RAM. The 486 couldn't even play Rayman!

Saw this article relevant to the OP, I'm not sure I agree, but it may be of interest:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavi...vises-caution/

I'd be shocked if the new IPAD was not selling well with all the free advertising Apple gets.

Every time they announce a new product, it's the lead item on the news & takes up many column inches in newspapers.

I'm waiting for the headline story on the news when Samsung launch the next Galaxy Tab, or Blackberry launches a new Playbook, but I think I'll be waiting a long time.

Well it doesn't matter how much advertising you get free or not if you "me too" product doesn't inspire anyone to care.