iPad 2 completely sold out in many locations worldwide

By: Aseem Gaurav, March 29, 2011 (New Delhi)

You heard it right. Apple’s highly coveted tablet, the iPad 2, which went on sale in 25 countries on March 25 appears to be selling faster than freshly baked pancakes. Adding to the news that iPad 2 was quickly gone out of stock in London, now there are reports that the tablet is already sold out in countries like Germany, France, Canada and Spain.

In London, supplies were all sold out on March 26 at the Apple stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden, just one day after it went on sale.

Though there was no confirmation from Apple, but the company recently said: "The demand for the next generation iPad 2 has been amazing. We are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible."

A report published in the Telegraph UK said they were not able to find a retail location with an iPad 2 in stock.

On the other hand, many shoppers blame Apple for not anticipating the demand and thus turning away many fans empty handed – some who had queued for over 50 hours to get the device.

But then there is some sound piece of advice from retail store employees who recommend that iPad fans reserve the device online so they can pick it up in-store when it becomes available.

As the recent quake in Japan begins to affect Apple’s supply of components, the supply shortages of iPad 2 devices are expected to deepen further.

"While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we've changed the game again with iPad 2," Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, has earlier said. "We're experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the U.S., and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone's patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

The massive success of iPad 2 has prompted many rival manufacturers to capitalize on the growing demand for computer tablets by offering their own. Samsung Electronics Corp. launched the Galaxy Tab in Canada last November, Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. will bring its Xoom tablet to Canadians in early April and Canada’s own Research In Motion Ltd. will begin selling its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to Canadians on April 19. There will be more than 50 iPad rivals expected to hit store shelves this year.

In Asia, the iPad 2 will be officially available in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and many other countries in April, with sales delayed in Japan.

iPad 2: Top 5 problems that users are facing

By: Aseem Gaurav, March 25, 2011 (New Delhi)

The iPad 2 has an incremental upgrade over its extremely popular predecessor. It's a little thinner, a little lighter, has got powerful processor along with two cameras. These are all notable improvements, but if you haven’t still bought an iPad and want to look at all aspects of the Apple’s latest computer tablet before making a purchase decision, then read on!

Wi-Fi issues

Some users have complained about the iPad 2's Wi-Fi radio. Just like the original iPad, the newer version seems to have trouble staying connected on wireless networks. Some users claim that they have to stand close to a router to obtain a signal.

Backlight 'bleeding'

Some early iPad 2 customers have noticed that the blacklight "bleeds" from behind the LCD panel. The problem has been reported by some users who say while viewing dark images, the light leaks alongside the edges of the screen.

Yellow tint on screen

Some users have voiced their concerns over a yellow tint on the iPad 2's display. Experts say the yellow discoloration on the screen is likely temporary and is expected to disappear after some days of usage, as was evident in the case of iPhone 4 when it was first released.

Microphone distortion (with 3G models)

It appears to be that a WiFi-only unit recorded better-quality sound than a unit with WiFi and 3G. Further the GSM 3G model's audio to be slightly preferable to that of the CDMA model.

FaceTime freezing

As iPadfanzz reported in its earlier posts, users sometime face FaceTime video chat freeze problem. Users wrote that FaceTime sometime show a frozen image from a previous video chat session – even after restarting the app. According to them the problem rectifies itself when switching the device off and then back on.