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TUAW TV Live from the Aspen Grove Apple Store
Those of us in the flyover states have been watching the photos and video coming in from the Eastern seaboard as the Apple Stores open their doors to a new era in personal computing. TUAW Editor Steve Sande is live at the Aspen Grove Apple Store in Littleton, Colorado, and will be streaming the action to you via Ustream at around 11 AM EDT (8 AM PDT). In case you want to know the mechanics of how this is being done, Steve's using an iPhone 3GS running Ustream Broadcaster, connected through Wi-Fi to a Sprint MiFi. The iPhone is encased in an OWLE Bubo with a wide-angle lens, and has a SIMA LED Camcorder Light attached to it as well as a small directional mic. All of this is standing atop a Manfrotto monopod. Enjoy the video, and if you're at the store or in a line somewhere else, remember that you can watch this on the Ustream app. One more thing -- due to the nature of this broadcast, we won't have the traditional chat this morning. Oh, and one MORE thing -- until we go live, you'll be watching Dave Caolo's previously recorded video stream from Boston.
Apple's iPad: it's here! (updated with unboxing video)
We've crossed the finish line at last! How is it on the other side? You tell us! We just put down plastic for one and had it activated at the Apple Store, so stand by for pictures and videos from that unparalleled experience. The "activation" process is just plugging it into a computer with iTunes for the first time, so that you can walk out of the store with the device turned on. After the unit is up and running you can dive into the App Store, where you're prompted for a free download of iBooks. It's all smooth sailing from there. Update: We added a gallery of shots entering The Cube, and after the break there's a video of us unboxing and activating the iPad. %Gallery-89670% %Gallery-89673%
Inside the 5th Ave Store & some retail tidbits
We're inside the 5th Avenue store and the fun continues, with stacks of iPad boxes on the counters, plenty of cases and accessories... and customers, customers, more customers. Gallery below. Some things we know now re. the retail situation: Yes, there was an all-hands call this morning, at least here at 5th Ave. No, there wasn't a ban on employees bringing their iPhones with them, as far as we can tell. Yes, the retail staff didn't get to touch iPads until this morning, so for the first couple of hours they will be catching up. Yes, they are carrying small blue chamois cloths to polish fingerprints off of the display units. Frequently. %Gallery-89672%
iPad launch at Apple Store 5th Ave
Do the words "mob scene" mean anything to you? No, in fairness the walk-in and cheering was handled with the usual Apple retail aplomb, and buyers are merrily checking out now. Pictures from the launch below. We're also tweeting updates through the day. %Gallery-89668%
Images from the iPad line in Knoxville, TN
About 60 people in line. We'll be streaming live on Ustream a little today, plus a Q&A later this morning. Stay tuned! %Gallery-89665%
First 3G iPad sighted in the wild, Steve Wozniak plays it cool by riding a Segway (video)
Loyal reader Parth Dhebar is keeping us updated on happenings in the San Jose Valley Fair Apple Store this morning, and earlier laptop signings from the Woz have escalated into an impromptu Segway demo courtesy of the eccentric Apple Inc founder. Where he got the personal transporter from, we don't know, why he's riding it around and doing his best Paul Blart impersonation is not important, what matters is that we've got video of Steve Wozniak on a Segway and it's right after the break. We're also told an iPad has emerged out of the ether for the Woz-man and his fellow early bird queuers to have a tantalizing play around with -- presumably thanks to Apple Store employees treating their patriarch like they should. The perks of being in the right place at the right time, eh? [Thanks, Parth] Update: That's a 3G iPad old Steve is playing around with! Look at the plastic up top. We'll do our usual digging to try and find out how that wily superhero managed to get his mitts on a device that's a good few weeks away from release. Update 2: We've got video of the 3G iPad running Netflix. An Apple engineer apparently walked through the queue with it, it didn't come out of Steve's magical trenchcoat pocket. Update 3: Interested in seeing Woz grab his iPad, sign a few hundred others, and then ride off into the sunset on his Segway? Gallery's just below. %Gallery-89696%
iPad line watch: the few, the proud? (updating, Woz on deck!)
We just landed at Apple's 5th avenue flagship, "The Cube," and it's... a little bare. We count less than 15 people in line at this point (still headed by the inimitable Greg Packer), and most of them actually have pre-orders. Despite the minimal line situation, Apple has a huge section of The Cube's plaza cordoned off to make room for more, and the NYPD is here with barriers galore, ready to lay down the law. We're told the lines will be split between pre-orderers and non-pre-orderers at 6:30PM, at which point the scene will look truly pitiful. Presumably the crowd will grow later tonight and swell early next morning, as those pre-orderers with nothing to worry about shuffle in, breakfast in their bellies. Or maybe everyone just went to the beach for the weekend. Have you spotted a line in your city? Send us a tip! Not planning on braving the beautiful spring weather for a shot at this revolutionary / magical device? Make sure to check out Josh's iPad-equipped Jimmy Fallon appearance later tonight. CLICK HERE TO READ ENGADGET'S FULL REVIEW OF THE IPAD! Update: News is filtering in from all over -- check it after the break, and make sure to send in what you're seeing, wherever you are! Update 2: The line at The Cube is moving! Check out the update after the break. Update 3: We're Ustreaming live from NYC's Cube store. Check it after the break! %Gallery-89648%
First Look: Pianist Pro for the iPad
MooCowMusic, the developer of the iPhone app Pianist, is bringing Pianist Pro (US $9.99 upon release) to the iPad. As Mike Grothaus pointed out in his post on Air Harp, there are lots of musical apps for the iPhone but the screen is too small to make full use of them. There won't be a complete description of this app until the rollout on April 3rd, but what you can see now is really quite impressive. The keys, in landscape mode, look big enough to actually play and it seems like it has as many features as some electric keyboards. It includes features like dual keyboards for the right and left hands, soft and sustain pedals/keys, multiple instrument types, a drum track accompaniment, and what looks like a lot of other useful features. I'm sure we're already tired of hearing this oft-used phrase, but in this case size matters. You should be able to slide your fingers along the virtual ivories on the iPad's launch day.
NewerTech releases the iFolio luxury iPad case
With just a few days to go before we can actually get our hands on an iPad, Newer Technology Inc., better known to us as NewerTech, has introduced quite a fancy custom handcrafted Brazilian leather protective carrying case for the iPad. It's made in the US and comes in either black or red at an introductory price of US $99.99 (down from the MSRP of $129.99), for shipment on April 5th. It seems to be built like a battleship and is backed with a lifetime warranty. It comes with a double stitched leather handle and a shoulder strap that extends from 24" to 48". The left side, sports a 7" X 10" hard backed document sleeve and two taffeta lined pockets so you won't mar whatever you decide to put in them. The right side features 4 elastic, non-marring leather restraining straps which give you enough room to hold an iPad that's already in a silicone case. Belt and suspenders might be overkill, but can you really be too safe? Probably not, since there's also a hard shell sewn in, surrounded by soft padding and a heavy duty nylon zipper to keep it closed. The only online seller of the case so far seems to be our friends at Other World Computing. I can see one of these in my future.
iPad launch day: what you need to know
Have you heard? The iPad is launching this Saturday, April 3rd. After centuries of anticipation, Apple is returning to the tablet space after its ill-fated Newton, and while many have brushed off the iPad as a big iPhone, its retail approach is dramatically different. Follow with us after the break for a full breakdown of everything you need to know about getting your own "magical" tablet. Want more info? Check out our complete guide to everything iPad! You won't be disappointed, we swear.
Apple store calling to confirm iPad orders
Just five minutes ago I got a call from the Apple Store at the Walt Whitman Shopping Mall in Huntington Station Long Island, NY, confirming that I would be picking up my new iPad on Saturday. We agreed that it was for the 64GB Wi-Fi model. I was told that pre-orders would only be available for pickup until 3 pm, and was asked when I expected to swing by and pick it up. 9 am sounded good to me and to the store rep. This leads me, you and probably everyone else in the world to question how supply is going to meet demand. With my local Best Buy possibly getting 15 units, and Apple Store pre-sale estimates rising as fast as Apple stock, my crystal ball shows a lot of unhappy campers come Saturday night. But I won't be one of them, and presumably, pre-orders are covered, as long as you come in during the appropriate time. Did anyone else get the same confirmation call?
Woz to buy two iPads
Newsweek chatted with one Steve Wozniak the week before the iPad launch, and unsurprisingly, he's going all-in on the new device, and planning on picking up (at least) two, one WiFi and one 3G. He's ordered them up online already, but he says he'll still be stopping by an Apple Store on Friday evening, to "wait in line, just for fun." What a guy. He actually says he didn't think the iPad was for him, since he already had an iPhone, but he says that after thinking about it, he really is excited about the bigger screen and browsing. He also is sure that it will be popular with students and even people who aren't necessarily computer literate. "The iPad simplifies things," he says wisely. "It's like a restart. We all say we want things to be simpler. All of a sudden we have this simple thing." Sounds good. When the iPhone launched, Woz was at the San Jose Apple Store, we believe, so if you're planning on camping out in line there this weekend, keep your eyes open for a jolly computer designer carrying more gadgets than you can count.
