The iPad has launched and has lived up to the hype for the most part. Canadians have to wait until the end of April before it is made available here but some people can't wait and unscrupulous sellers are trying to sucker them into paying double the price, which is criminal.
iPad looks like a killer product for Apple and a lot of people who already love their iPhones and iPod Touches will definitely consider this device. Reports confirm that 300,000 units have been sold over the weekend.
Canadians who are watching forlornly across the border are still waiting on the announcement as to when the Wi-Fi enabled iPad will be available (the 3G versions are more mysterious as no announcement of Canadian mobile partners or availability has been made by Apple).
Some hardcore Canadian Apple fans have no doubt crossed the border and lined up to be some of the first to get an iPad, which is cool and makes sense specially with the exchange between US and Canadian dollars almost at parity.
Greedy Vultures smell the Money
A number of people have smelled the money they can make selling the iPads and have littered websites like Craigslist and Kijiji with iPads for sale at really exorbitant and exploitative prices.
Just search for an iPad in Toronto's Craigslist page and you'll see a midrange 32 GB iPad (list price US$ 599) selling for Canadian $1000! Robbery!
Even the entry level 16GB iPad (list price US $499) sells for up to Canadian $850! - that's just ridiculous. Do they expect people to be so desperate and insane for a device they probably do not need to have.
I understand the trouble some of these folks went through to drive across the border, line up on a cold long-weekend morning and buy the iPads but asking up to double the price for a device that is a few weeks away from its Canadian release is just unconscionable and criminal.
I hope no one is foolish enough to throw their money away by buying grey market iPads from these gougers who deserve to get stuck with their extra, overpriced iPads.
Benefits of Waiting
Apple's website promises that iPads will sell in Canada by the 'end of April' and seeing how there weren't any shortages during the US pre-order and in-store sales, we figure its not an issue of supply.
There are benefits for waiting for the Canadian version. For one thing, Apple will need to price the Canadian iPad the same as it prices its US iPads because c'mon, that's the market reality. So we should be paying fair prices for the iPads even though we need to add the inevitable taxes.
Kinks and initial problems with the iPads and/or the software should have been worked out by the time we get Canadian iPads in the market. Being a version one device with no precedent, the iPad and its OS are expected to go through a number of tweaks as apps and functionality are expanded.
We should also see a bigger selection of services and iPad apps in the app store by the end of April and most of the accessories for the device should have been shipping as well.
The best thing is that we can go to Future Shop, Best Buy or an Apple Store and physically touch, experience and interact with the hardware and the software before plonking down our hard earned cash for the new device.
If it doesn't work out for us, we can always return it and get out money back. Try that with the Craigslist-bought iPad, good luck.
These are actual benefits to waiting for the iPad to come to Canada.
But for those who really can't wait, we hear you. We suggest you go cross the border and get one yourself. Not only will you get a first hand chance to see if the device is everything 'you' thought it would be but you'll save a substantial amount of money in the process.
