Does anyone know how much the iPad will cost when it's launched in the UK next month?

Too much.

Unless you're a fanboi of course (which is likely if you're asking), in which case surprisingly little given how wonderfully designed it is.

Thanks, very useful.

Not a fanboi, just putting together a bid proposal to buy some for work.

Dunno but as a shareholder in the company which designed the graphics processor in them then please buy shedloads 🙂

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/03/08/ipad-uk-price-leaked-by-play-com/

£700 … ?!

So, it's like a Macbook, but not as good and almost the same price.

ipad? Don't be silly.

You don't want any of those, you need the epad!

Have one on pre-order in the states. US price + VAT + UK shipping. HMRC have declared no import duty on them.

£700 … ?!

So, it's like a Macbook, but not as good and almost the same price.

except the article linked above showed it starting at 499 but potentially lower.

dougal more info please?

except the article linked above showed it starting at 499 but potentially lower.

okay, fine. 🙄 £500. You could get one these instead http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=n0056402&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

The base model starts at $499, the 3g 16gb model starts at $629 but is not available until end of April. Do you really want these for work not sure what you can do on them with such little memory.

You could get one these instead http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=n0056402&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

If that's your thing, you could get one of these:

The whole point behind buying an iPad is that it's not a fracking netbook or laptop, particularly not a cruddy Windows one. I've got a laptop, and it's useless for doing the sort of things that the iPad is designed specifically to be good at. For those who think the iPad's expensive, the HP copy is reported to be more expensive, and won't be as good, because it won't have the App Store.

ianpinder – I have a friend who is sending me one, but several companies such as bundlebox.com will order one for you and deal with the import hassles etc.

Here is the official statement they received from HMRC regarding the import duty: http://bundletech.com/blog/2010/03/no-import-duty-on-the-ipad/

Which? have a writeup on the total costs: http://gadgetynews.com/get-apple-ipad-in-uk-before-anyone-else-without-leaving-the-country/

Pricing is probably pretty close to what we'd pay anyway, but you get one early so you can have fun pulling it out in the train etc (for testing apps actually).

Also worth noting is that Apple honour the warranty on mobile devices worldwide. So should (when!) something goes wrong, it's not problem getting it sorted out locally.

The ipad is duty free for import so you can just purchase yourself.

If you want a tablet PC, why not look at the alternatives. They'll be better specced, more easily supported and cheaper than Apple's "one application at a time" glossy overpriced tablet offering.

Apple Corporation's uber expensive products are predominantly for the fashion conscious. You really don't need them other than to make a personal statement about yourself.

Apple Corporation's uber expensive products are predominantly for the fashion conscious. You really don't need them other than to make a personal statement about yourself.

PISH – but an argument for another thread.

Not taking the p1ss question follows

Why do you want an ipad and what are you going to do with it that a laptop wont?

and it's useless for doing the sort of things that the iPad is designed specifically to be good at.

Such as?

I hereby predict that half the haters will have an ipad (or something very similar) within a year or two.

I find the iPad an interesting concept but I'm not sure what I'd actually use it for.

I hereby predict that half the haters will have an ipad (or something very similar) within a year or two.

I'm not a hater, I own a lot of Apple stuff. I just can't see anything which the iPad does, which other devices cannot already do better and cheaper.

It's an ebook reader with crap battery life, or its a movie player with a small screen, or it's an ipod touch except not portable, or a web browser except without flash and without a keyboard (and the same price as a macbook!)

Spongebob – do you have a link to some alternatives.

I'm a big Apple fan and have been using them for over twenty years (and yes I have an iPhone!), but I can't see the point of the iPad – apart from giving the makers of fancy covers an even bigger market!

I was speaking to someone who know about these things, and he reckons ipads have a potentailly huge market amongst older people who didn't engage with the first wave of personal computing.

I think if it supports flash, regardless if its the best system websites still use it, and you can run multiple apps at the same time then it will sell well

Tablet PCs are damn awkward to use. That's why the iPad is "less than" a Tablet PC. The reduction is deliberate, it's about creating an OS and software platform that's based around the Tablet format, rather than creating a PC that's had it's keyboard and mouse hacked off and an undersized screen added. Need a proper PC or Mac, buy one, don't buy an iPad, and definitely don't but a PC shoved into a tablet shape.

ianpinder – if the ipad takes off, it will help kill off flash – which will be a good thing.

And why on earth would anyone want to run more than one app at a time? I can't do that on my PS3 and it's never seemed a limitation.

Lot of good points on the iPad made on this blog:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/01/31/ten-myth-of-apples-ipad-1-its-just-a-big-ipod-touch/

I am probably buying an iPad but the arguments listed on the above listed blog are simply nonsense. Actually if I didn't know what I wanted an iPad for after reading the 10 points on that blog I'd never bother with one.

if the ipad takes off, it will help kill off flash – which will be a good thing.

That's about the only reason I think they're a good thing. As to the idea of them (or something very similar) being a big mass market seller – you're having a laugh aren't you? Unless of course by something very similar you mean something with a proper keyboard, a bigger screen and a better battery life – in which case I've already got one.

That's about the only reason I think they're a good thing.

well, I agree, but in the meantime sites do use flash and the iPad can't.

Still haven't heard any convincing use-cases for them…

It's a SuperNewton

It's not for u geeks, it's for people like my mum who don't do computers or anything complicated.

What I like is it's pushing the tablet principle, so with windows 7 & the amount of companies making PC tablets it could be good all round.

I reckon sometime this year there will be a nice rugged tablet that will run CAD. At that point I will take the plunge and buy one (never had a laptop) and hopefully it'll be a nice easy to use product that will last me years. So in a way, thank you apple.

ooOOoo has a very valid point. It took the iPod to get others to innovate on portable music players, it took the iPhone to push the smartphones past the RIM obsessed businessmen it will probably take an iPad to see tablets becoming actually useful. So all good.

aracer – the point is that it isn't a laptop sans keyboard. It's a different thing.

Everyone has had an ipad in virtually every science fiction film and now its here – what's not to like 😉

Seriously though, if you can't imagine schools making use of them, or doctors having patient notes on them, architects showing clients plans on them, etc. then surely that's just because you can't imagine things not being just like they are now?

'Only' 16GB? So what, data lives elsewhere. Quite possibly the processing power lives elsewhere too and you need to think of the ipad as a client device.

Who needs a 'proper' computer anyway?

in the meantime sites do use flash and the iPad can't.

Likewise the iPhone, but I don't personally recall that being a problem.