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SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly three weeks after launch, the iPad 2 remains elusive to shoppers in Utah and across the country.
Shipments are small, lines are long and experts are only left to guess why Apple’s hot new device is in short supply.
Dozens of would-be buyers lined up outside the Apple Store at The Gateway Thursday, hoping to get their hands on an iPad 2.
“(We) just prayed they had what we wanted,” said Kevin Porter, who was in line at 6 a.m. “They didn’t really tell us what specifics they were getting — but they said they were getting a couple in, so yeah, we decided to wait.”
Debbie Cardon lined up even earlier — 5:40 a.m.
Do I put it above Steve Jobs to say, 'We're going to create artificial demand in the marketplace'? Not at all. Do I know that? I don't, but I suspect the answer is yes.
–David Politis
“I’ve got a card that will get me that iPad 2 I’ve been waiting for,” she said energetically.
Nobody has a firm answer on why the iPad 2 has been so hard to get. Recent reports have circulated, indicating Apple is facing component shortages due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
David Politis, tech expert and chief marketing officer at ISYS Technologies, believes it’s a factor. Blackouts and brownouts have been a challenge since the double disasters.
“To be able to manufacture a transistor or a processor, you’ve got to have electricity,” Politis said.
He knows. He works for the parent company of Xi3, which is in the process of testing a modular computer for market.
“If you don’t have electricity, you’re not going to be able to guarantee you’re going to be able to turn your line on,” Politis said.
Politis looks at what is being shipped, and said it’s clear there is some sort of supply issue. One Salt Lake County contacted Thursday received a shipment of only five iPad 2s. It sold four of them in 20 minutes.
“I know people that have placed an order and are being told four, five, six weeks before their product is going to arrive,” Politis said.
It could come down to an underestimation of demand, he said, but suspects Apple may be creating artificial demand.
“Do I put it above Steve Jobs to say, 'We’re going to create artificial demand in the marketplace'? Not at all,” Politis asserted. “Do I know that? I don’t, but I suspect the answer is yes.”
Apple has not yet said what the holdup on iPad 2s is. Attempts to reach the company for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.
Piecemeal sales numbers are already coming in on the tablet computer. AppleInsider and other publications are reporting two-week iPad 2 sales numbers from eBay. The online retailer sold just under 12,000 units in the two-week period between the U.S. launch and the device’s launch in 25 additional countries.
Email: aadams@ksl.com
