I drank the iPad Kool-Aid!

[n0iu]

I have had been an iPod Touch user almost since they came out, so when the iPad came out, I proclaimed, "I gotta get me one of those!" So in a moment of temporary insanity, my wife ordered one for my birthday! (My wife, I think I'll keep her!) So the iPad came yesterday by FedEx and of course it is everything I expected, but that's not why I am writing this...

So you would think that a company the size of Apple would have a warehouse somewhere in this country that they shipped products from... you would think! As it turns out, when you order one of these beauties from Apple, they are shipped individually from China!

What's up with that???

[kf0rt]

Just makes sense... Shipping from China to the US is cheaper than shipping across the street in the US. Seems odd, but I'm amazed at how many $2 trinkets you can buy on eBay that include free shipping.

[KC2UGV]

Customs on that has to be a mother fscker...

[n0iu]

...but I'm amazed at how many $2 trinkets you can buy on eBay that include free shipping.I have purchased watches on eBay from Hong Kong. The winning bid? 1¢! Shipping? $18.00!!!

[KG4CGC]

I have purchased watches on eBay from Hong Kong. The winning bid? 1¢! Shipping? $18.00!!!
What kind? Are they still working?
I've been wary of such watches. BTW, how long did they take to ship?

[kf0rt]

I have purchased watches on eBay from Hong Kong. The winning bid? 1¢! Shipping? $18.00!!!

I see lots of stuff that's under $5 with free shipping, but I'm sure it varies by vendor.

Charles- I've only ordered from the Far East a couple times; an outfit called Gadget Infinity (http://gadgetinfinity.com/home.php). In fact, you might be interested in them as they sell photo toys pretty cheap. Remote (wired) shutter release for your Nikon? They also carry a line of decent (?) filters that apparently is only common in that part of the world (Marumi) that's about half the cost of Nikon. And some cheap RF flash slave stuff. Worth a browse, anyway. Their shipping wasn't super cheap, but definitely reasonable. Got here in 7-10 days.

Edit: On watches... My brother lives/works in Guangzhou (China) and travels that part of the world a lot. He once gave me and my wife a set of his & hers knockoff Rolex watches. His comment at the time was that "if the battery wears out, throw it away -- the battery costs more than the watch." They actually ran fine for a year or two and had a typical cheapo electronic movement inside. I stopped wearing it when the battery died, but imagine that a new battery would have kept it going. These were NOT really well made; probably not even up to the standards of a $10 Timex. I wouldn't trust them to be very waterproof or shockproof, but they did look a lot like the "real thing."

[KG4CGC]

Interesting site. Thanks.

[n0iu]

What kind? Are they still working?
I've been wary of such watches. BTW, how long did they take to ship?Someone offers to sell a watch for 1¢ and you are "wary" ??? Of course they are no-name watches and I honestly don't remember who I bought them from, but the last two penny watches were Masonic. I wear one or the other once or twice a month and only for a couple of hours at a time. They are just for show and don't a lot of use, but yes, they both still work.

I am sure I could go to Wal-Mart and spend the $20 on a "better" watch, but I am pretty sure it would probably be the same quality and probably from the same manufacturer as my bargain watch.

[KG4CGC]

Someone offers to sell a watch for 1¢ and you are "wary" ???
Well duh! LOL!
I've been building a small collection of Timex watches for going on 8 years. All working. My favorite right now is the perpetual date with the cockpit instrument theme.

[kf0rt]

Timex has always made good, inexpensive watches.

I gave up wearing a watch 10-12 years ago when I discovered that I could almost always find the time without one. These days, I only wear one on vacation (where there is less technology and fewer clocks). Got a $30 digital Casio from Target a coupla years ago that automatically syncs to the WWV signal so I never have to set it. Wear it twice a year for about a week each time.

Y'know... that tan line from wearing a watch never goes away?

[KG4CGC]

Y'know... that tan line from wearing a watch never goes away?
I hang at the pool sans watch. Skimming bugs and debris is hard work. Waiting on a lumber delivery right now.
Tan lines? I skeerd teh naybores.

[kf0rt]

I hang at the pool sans watch. Skimming bugs and debris is hard work. Waiting on a lumber delivery right now.
Tan lines? I skeerd teh naybores.

Well, yeah. I suppose it might apply to pants as well. :rofl:

[n6hcm]

So you would think that a company the size of Apple would have a warehouse somewhere in this country that they shipped products from... you would think! As it turns out, when you order one of these beauties from Apple, they are shipped individually from China!

warehouse? hahahahaha! right now they're just like krispy kremes--hot off the assembly line. right now ipads ordered from the online apple store are shipping 7-10 days out.

eventually, when there are refurbs in the apple store, you may find those shipping from a regional warehouse (around here used to be a town near sacramento, but i don't know if apple still has an operation there ...) but other than that they all come from shenzhen.

interesting, apple can deliver stuff faster this way than lenovo can ... it takes *weeks* to get the most pedestrian item from lenovo.

[KG4CGC]

but other than that they all come from shenzhen.
Shenzhen, where the workers suicide in protest!

[NA4BH]

So the big question is, DO YOU LIKE THE I-PAD? Is it worth the price? Pros/Cons.

[n0iu]

So the big question is, DO YOU LIKE THE I-PAD? Is it worth the price? Pros/Cons.
Well, its all a matter of perspective. It kinda depends on how ingrained you are into the "i" way of thinking. I started out a few years ago with an ordinary iPod, eventually got a first generation iPod Touch, then another one (third generation) with more memory and now the iPad. Since all of my music was integrated with iTunes, the transition from on "i" device to another was pretty much seamless.

Pros - big screen! My primary use now is for reading books. I have just about all of the eReaders out there, but I still like the Kindle app the best. The iBook app looks impressive and the prices for most books seems to be in line with Amazon, but the disadvantage to using the iBook app is that it will only work on the iPad, whereas the Kindle and the Barnes & Noble apps will work on the iPad and iPod Touch which allows me to read the same book on any device.

Cons - There's a lot of other things I could have done with $500, but this is the choice I made. I got the WiFi only version and the range seems to be less than my iPod Touch units. I mean I can connect anywhere in my house (especially in the "throne room" where I do my best thinking), but the signal strength indicator shows a weaker signal. I have been a ham (notice how I didn't capitalize it and say HAM like everyone on QRZ does?) for nearly 20 years so I learned a long time ago not to rely on signal strength meters!

Do I like it? Yeah, I do. But then again, I am a gadget junkie. Its cool! My friends and co-workers are impressed!

Is it worth the price? Gosh, I don't know. I know this really isn't an answer, but this is really where your own personal financial situation comes into play. I guess now I have to get my wife something really nice for our anniversary... like maybe her own iPad!

[n6hcm]

Shenzhen, where the workers suicide in protest!

probably because they can't afford an ipad

[NA4BH]

I guess now I have to get my wife something really nice for our anniversary... like maybe her own iPad!

That's why I asked. I am thinking about getting the wife one for birthday/anniversary.

[kf0rt]

That's why I asked. I am thinking about getting the wife one for birthday/anniversary.

Got my wife an iPod Touch for her b'day last December. I don't think she's ever used it to play music, but she charges it twice a day. Heavy addiction going on there. :rofl:

[n0iu]

That's why I asked. I am thinking about getting the wife one for birthday/anniversary.If she has already partaken of the Apple flavored Kool Aid, then this would be a great gift... I think... as far as I know... YMMV

[NA4BH]

We/she has never had a taste of the Apple. I had a taste back during the AppleIIe days, and really liked it. The price has always been the reason why I never stayed with them. But, I have the gift problem solved this year. The I-PAD. It is two months away so if there any bugs they will iron them out.

If not I will send you the bill. :rofl:

Thanks for the input. Just one more question..... Do I go for the Mac (pun intended) Daddy? Or a scaled back version?

[n0iu]

Just one more question..... Do I go for the Mac (pun intended) Daddy? Or a scaled back version?
I can't answer that. Its not that I don't want to answer that, I just don't know enough about her wants, her needs, her desires... AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!! I am on my third marriage (divorced once and widowed once - but enough about me) and I still haven't figured out those things for my own wife!

But anyway...

I got the 16gb with WiFi only. For me, that's plenty for all my music (several days worth), apps (but I will always be adding more - I'm going broke 99¢ at a time!), a bunch of pictures (over 500) and there is still room left over. The thing that takes up a lot of space... movies! An average full length movie in MP4 format is around 1gb!

As far as the connection, I opted for the WiFi only since I will primarily be using it at home. Your router needs to be at least a "G" model. I originally had a "B" model back when I got my first iPod Touch and it just isn't fast enough for streaming audio from places like Pandora.

My company (that has just gone into the bankruptcy court in Germany) issues us a BlackBerry so my email already gets sent to that... for now! If staying "connected" outside of your home will be important to her, then get a 3G version. From what I understand, there are no long term contracts. Supposedly, you can use it one month at a time. You can get a 250mb plan for $15/month or unlimited data for $30/month. The 3G versions are $130 more than their WiFi only counterparts, so that's a decision you will have to make. (And DON'T send me the bill!!!)

Apple still has free shipping, but you will pay sales tax! I don't know if you have a BestBuy near you, but they are the only retail store other than an actual Apple store - but both are likely to be sold out. They just passed the 2 million mark for iPad sales. Call Steve Jobs what you want, just put "stinkin' rich" in front of it!

[n0iu]

Part II...

When my darling wife ordered my iPad, she also ordered a case for it. Because there has been such a demand for the iPad, they are on back order. Well yesterday I checked the order status and it has finally been shipped... FROM CHINA! Just like the iPad itself, the cases are shipped individually from China. Right now it is sitting in some facility in Hong Kong.

No wonder these damn things cost so much!!!