Channel in the dark over iPad

Puzzling: Apple partners remain in the dark over when they can begin selling the iPad

With the UK launch of Apple’s iPad little more than a month away, the vendor’s channel has seemingly been left in the dark as to when it can take stock of the product.

Last week Apple confirmed a US launch date of 5 April, with the product set to hit the UK before the end of next month. Details of which outlets it will be available through were not disclosed.

But sources have indicated to CRN that Apple stores and a select band of hand-picked Premium Resellers (APRs) will be the first to benefit. Distri­butors, Authorised and non-authorised resellers may not get their hands on the much-vaunted tablet PC until some time later.

Demo machines are set to be present in Apple stores by the end of this month. But Apple partners CRN spoke with confirmed they had not received any guidance on when they could take stock or start promoting the iPad.

One source told CRN this was “an example of Apple trying to control the channel”.
“Non-authorised resellers are loose cannons as far as Apple is concerned,” added the source.

Distributors Ingram Micro and Westcoast declined to comment, while Computers Unlimited and Computer 2000 were unavailable, as was Apple.

Earlier this month ChangeWave Research polled more than 3,000 consumers and found two in five of those planning to buy an e-reader would opt for an iPad.
Jeremy Davies, co-founder of research firm Context, predicted the iPad would “fly off the shelves”.

“There are people who are frustrated with their iPhones and others buying netbooks that do not want to get into the vagaries of operating systems,” he said. “I think this is a category of product that will do really well.”

Apple's channel relations suffered another blow last week when VAR Bear IT hit back at Apple after being stripped of its Authorised Reseller status. Managing director Mark Lambert claimed Apple had been uncommunicative since giving his firm the badge two years ago. He added that promised marketing funds had never materialised.

“It was all words and no action,” he said. “They left us to our own devices and all we received were emails saying that we had not hit our targets. People were not spending money and we were surviving on support sales. But Apple was meant to be helping us sell.”

Robert Peckham, Mac channel director for the Techno­logy Channels Association, sympathised with Bear IT.

“Apple’s primary focus is retail,” he said. “It is not that interested in Authorised resellers that are not specialising or selling into areas that Apple itself cannot service.”