I finally, despite hating AT&T and resenting the crap out of Apple, had decided to pick up a 64GB 3g iPad yesterday to get in on the remaining opportunity to the unlimited 3g plan.
I went to the Apple store on 59th St, and upon spotting an employee blue shirt in the tumultuous sea of humanity, asked, “Where do I go when I know what I want?” — in itself an indicator of a failure of sorts for Apple, I’m sure, but not one cool enough to fix. Of course, in true don’t-let-the-customer-help-himself,-manage-his-experience Apple fashion, it depends what you want. Also in true Apple fashion, “We don’t have it, no other stores on this island have it, probably, and the best I can do for you is give you the phone numbers, so you can call them yourself.” No thanks, guys, I have your phone, and the experience using it for the same is far better than the experience you’re giving me in-person.
Here was me, owner of several iPods, an iPhone, an AppleTV, and a Mac Mini trying to buy the highest-priced item in a product line on a whim, and nobody can tell me even semi-definitively IF I CAN BUY IT TODAY?
Steve: If you insist on controlling the experience, you’ve got to get it right. You have to find a way to recognize that the savvy customer doesn’t want the velvet rope. If I’m ready to pay the premium price, and you can save the “concierge” service for those who need it, let me just find out where I can simply buy a SKU and thereby increase your margins.
Random off-the-wall conspiracy prediction: Sprint 4G iPad soon. Sprint could really use the juice, and would be willing to commit a lot to accelerate 4G roll-out, including an iPad-specific unlimited plan which would explicitly allow tethering. Sprint needs some kind of major play to become relevant, the Pre didn’t do it, and the Evo’s ultimately doomed by battery life — we can’t afford to have our phone batteries die because we had to use an access point for a while.