Ipad Users Set To Trade Up To New Model

By Author: Steve Deiters
Total Articles: 18
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Apple's official launch of the iPad 2 sent ripples through the market, especially for users of the company's original groundbreaking tablet. Owners of the first iPad dumped their devices in droves shortly after Apple's announcement, getting ready to purchase the iPad 2 when it is released to the public on March 11.

Boston-based buy-back company Gazelle said it experienced record numbers of iPad owners selling back their devices just hours after Apple CEO Steve Jobs got off the stage at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. That, according to Kristina Kennedy, Gazelle's director of brand and communications,is a good sign the iPad 2 will enjoy strong sales.

"It was a perfect storm, in part because of the short time between the announcement and availability," she said..

Gazelle buys used electronics from consumers, including everything from smartphones and laptops to video game consoles, according to Computerworld. The company then resells the items through its eBay storefront or to sites such as Overstock.com. Gazelle may even sell devices to wholesalers.

Kennedy said Gazelle had never experienced ...
... a rush to sell devices similar to what it saw on March 2, when Apple held its press event to announce the new iPad.

The previous record was set this past summer with another Apple device - the iPhone 4. But even then, the number of users who quickly sold their iPhone 3GS when the iPhone 4 was announced was nowhere near the amount that dropped the original iPad.

"Last summer, we only did about 1,200 iPhones the day of the [iPhone 4] announcement," Kennedy told Computerworld. "We had more than 2,000 iPads in just over an hour Wednesday. This was our biggest trade-in for a single product ever."

Prior to the Apple announcement, Gazelle was paying out $365 for a 16 gigabyte iPad. But the consumer rush, coupled with Apple slashing original iPad prices by $100, dropped Gazelle's payout to $300 in the afternoon following the launch.

In typical Apple fashion, the company made a splash in announcing its next-generation device. But, on top of the announcement, the fact that Jobs attended the event also made headlines. A regular presenter or new Apple technology, some had questioned whether Jobs, who has been on medical leave from the company since January, would be well enough to show off the iPad 2.

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