It's nearly here...
With less than 24 hours until the New Zealand launch of arguably the most highly anticipated piece of gadgetry since the iPhone, we still have no sign of any retailers putting their hands up and actually confirming that they’ll be stocking it and how many they’ve got. Which leaves those dying to get their hands on one with a bit of dilema: where to queue and where to avoid?
Well, we’ve tried to tease information out of people all day long, but we’ve had little-to-no success. The Apple Silence Machine is working well in New Zealand, it would seem! Here’s the little that we have got:
Earlier today, Paul Brislen of Vodafone tweeted the follow to @Polarbearfarm who was asking whether Voda would be selling the iPad themselves:
that’s right… got to go to Magnum or Dick or JB or similar for the box. ^PB
We asked Paul if this was insider knowledge or an educated guess, but he didn’t reply. I hope we haven’t upset him! (You can take it right, Paul?!)
MagnumMac is quite obviously going to be selling it given that they’re the strongest retail presence for Apple products in NZ, but it hasn’t been confirmed. Their website doesn’t even mention it, but we know that at least one poor soul is camped out there right now waiting to get their hands on a unit, and we’re sure the nice folks at MagnumMac would have tipped him off if he were wasting his time.
We reached out to Dick Smith’s but they wouldn’t comment. There are rumours flying around that some of their stores will carry them on launch day, but numbers are unknown.
JB Hifi interestingly has a placeholder page on their website for ‘iPad and iPad Accessories’ which then tells you that ‘no stores match your query’, so it’s a safe bet that they’ll be on their shelves at some point but it’s unclear when.
We called some Harvey Norman stores to try to tease some details out of their sales team but nobody we spoke to knew anything about it at all (or at least that’s what they were telling us). Their website returns no results for the term ‘iPad’, but we’ve reached out to their Twittering folk and will let you know if they reply.
Noel Leeming is much the same deal – no mention of it on their website, nobody at any stores claiming to know anything, and no Twitter presence whatsoever bar a couple of accounts in their name that tweeted one thing each at some point in time and then evidently gave up.
It’s a safe bet that the usual Apple resellers in New Zealand will get the device, but it’s impossible to know who will get it when, and in what quantities. Given that dilemma, what will be your gamble? Where will you queue up tomorrow and what will you do if the doors open and there’s zero stock? Perhaps you’re planning to buy from Apple direct? Hit the comments and share your game plans (and any juicy tips you may have, too!).
I got mine in Oz the week they were released and they were available (when in stock) The main places were:
JB
Disk Smith
Harvey Norman – so it’s not beyond the realm of logic to suggest that most places that sell Apple stuff will sell iPads……
I got mine from David jones for goodness sake!
(cosmo has made 16 comments)
How ’bout just buying it online tonight at apple.com/nz?
(wackymacky has made 3 comments)
It was tweeted a few hours ago as an announcement from Vodafone:
RT @vodafoneNZdata: iPads will be sold tomorrow through MagnumMac, Ubertech, JBHiFi, HarveyNorman, Dick Smith, Noel Leeming, StudentIT.
(camtab has made 468 comments)
Actually just on the Twitter post, its a little bit odd as http://twitter.com/publicaddress has it as a RT and it comes up on my @vodafoneNZ via the Iphone Twitter client but when you go to @VodafoneNZ and/or @vodafoneNZdata there is no longer the twitter post. Me thinks it was a mistake that they have retracted but still holds true? @publicaddress still has it there (3 hours ago)
(camtab has made 468 comments)
camtab wrote:
Too many Vodafone twitter accounts to keep track of!!
(cosmo has made 16 comments)
A hint in this article perhaps: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/3944393/Double-whammy-from-Apple
” The Dick Smith store in Wellington’s Featherston St said it would open one hour earlier tomorrow, at 8am, but would not confirm it would sell iPads. ”
(BigBadFun has made 21 comments)
Via stuff.co.nz http://tinyurl.com/38xjdta (just to back up the randomly disappearing twitter feed):
Hamish Sansom, head of Mobile Data at Vodafone NZ, said via Twitter that iPads will be sold tomorrow through MagnumMac, Ubertech, JBHiFi, HarveyNorman, Dick Smith, Noel Leeming, StudentIT.
(camtab has made 468 comments)
im waiting till maybe DEC
im going to get a Iphone4 when it comes out
and maybe save up for a Ipad
(kiwiboi22 has made 57 comments)
I might see if there is an interest free deal (which there might not be) or just buy it from apple direct. It would be cool if they opened apple retail stores here!
(richboy247 has made 17 comments)
@ richboy247:
would be great if they did open a apple store here
the got a few in aus
why not set one up in AKL, or even CHC
(kiwiboi22 has made 57 comments)
richboy247 wrote:
Unfortunately the Harvey Norman 48 months interest free deal is a no go as it excludes Apple products which is pretty normal. I’d suspect it’s because of the margins in the product and the cost of finance.
(Topes has made 66 comments)
@ Topes: Just saw an ad on TV for 30 months interest free at Noel Leeming and they made a point of saying it included Apple products so that could be the go!
@ Steve: Yeah I just saw that too…. multitasking
(Daniel Burgess has made 613 comments)
dan/steve
you guys getting a Ipad 2moro?
were do you think they might be seeling them in chc?
(kiwiboi22 has made 57 comments)
@ kiwiboi22: We have one for the site already. I would say MagnumMac will have them for sure, maybe Harvey Norman on Moorhouse Ave and DSE in Riccarton…… they are the biggest three that are most likely to have it tomorrow, others probably to follow, just guessing though.
(Daniel Burgess has made 613 comments)
Apparently the small print on the ad says excludes apple iPad. At least it confirms one retailer!
Well, I can tell you that we will not have them tomorrow.. There has not been any official announcement to the majority of the dealer channel in NZ.. And we have been a dealer for 13 years.
Regards
Daniel
Totally Mac
http://www.totallymac.com
(totallymac.com has made 2 comments)
@ totallymac.com: Wow really — that seems a little rough. How much notice would you normally get from Apple for something like a new Mac being made available to you?
0 minutes. We find out about new hardware at the same time as everybody else. I know a lot of people don’t believe this, but it is the truth.
In saying that, once announced we usually have access to the product at the same time as other resellers. Clearly this is not the case tomorrow.. so I’m a little grumpy (Understatement)
As far as we know, there is no NZ iPad release tomorrow.
Daniel
(totallymac.com has made 2 comments)
@ totallymac.com: Wow… That seems really weird. Well I hope it’s worth the wait when you get it and you’re able to shift a ton of them. Thanks so much for dropping by and don’t be a stranger!