New iPad Stock Runs Out Fast; Pre-Orders Delayed

The Apple iPad (version 3) is slated for release this Friday, March 16, 2012; however, Apple fans may be disappointed to learn that there are already reports of inventory shortages.

As a result, many North American pre-orders placed through Apple's online store won't actually ship until at least three days later than expected. (Source: yahoo.com)

Apple Fails to Anticipate Heavy Demand

This isn't the first time Apple has encountered significant launch date inventory shortages.

When the iPad 2 was initially released last year, in many U.S. locations it sold out on day one. That forced Apple to adjust its shipping delays from a day or two to several days and finally to two to three weeks.

At the time, Apple executive Tim Cook referred to the problem as the "mother of all backlogs," and characterized the demand for the iPad 2 as "staggering".

Despite the lurid language, however, folks expecting to get their hands on the new device within its first few days of availability were not satisfied. (Source: computerworld.com)

There's no doubt, then, that consumers will be even more frustrated with Apple for failing to learn from its past mistakes.

It seems clear that Apple has not produced enough inventory of the new iPad (which the company has refused to call "iPad 3") in preparation for Friday's launch.

With the new device boasting a significant resolution upgrade and a number of other handy features, it's hard to imagine Apple was so far off on its sales expectations.

North Americans Lucky, Relatively Speaking

Not everyone will be affected by the delay, however. Some North American consumers have already received emails telling them their iPad orders have shipped, and should arrive by the original launch date.

This has been the case for most people who ordered shortly after the device went up for pre-order.

Others will have to wait varying amounts of time. It now appears that Apple customers outside the U.S. and Canada are going to be the most frustrated.

Australians, for example, won't get the new iPad until March 22. European techies face two to three week shipping delays, while Hong Kong's online store simply notes that the device is currently unavailable. (Source: computerworld.com)