New iPad – 3 Reasons why Hong Kong is going crazy already!

Well here we go, it’s freakin‘ 6AM Thursday Morning and the iPad (3) was announced just 4 hours ago during the middle of the night, YET,  when I check Hong Kongs Apple Online store the only thing I see instead of delivery times is “currently unavailable“.

The iPad 3 is already sold out in Hong Kong. A quick check on other countries stores reveals that there are sometimes performance issues due to too many people looking at the new iPad videos and specs, but it’s not nearby sold out anywhere besides Hong Kong. Why?

It cant be the location, Hong Kong is as close to the Apple source birth place mother womb as no one else. Shenzen is a foot walk away, we can practically smell the fresh iPads before they get shipped overseas. But yet, we are notoriously out of stock.

Hong Kong loves Gadgets, but Apple even more

Whoever hasn’t been to Hong Kong wont understand if I say that it is totally normal to have dinner with 6 friends, of whom 5 will be spending 90% of their time looking at their iPhone while the last one is finishing up a round of Final Fantasy on his PSP. Gadgets are part of Hong Kong’s culture, electronics, phones, everything has their place in the daily life and people love to have them as early and fresh as possible.

Hong Kong loves to be first

Doesn’t matter if I actually need another iPad or not, but if i step into the MTR the next morning, and I am holding Hong Kong’s first iPad 3 in my hands, then I am King for a Day. I will  screw the interview at 1PM or my lunch appointment, I will just continue travelling on the train so I can show off my new iPad 3. Yeah, we are kind of a show-off culture here.

Hong Kong loves to make money

Apple Hong Kong Store (via www.flickr.com)

Now here we are finally arriving at the one thing, that shadows the two above easily and most likely takes up 99% of why the iPad 3 is already sold out. Lady Gaga recently had to add 3(!!!) extra concerts for Hong Kong because every single one of them sold out in mere minutes. Now if I were Lady Gaga, I wouldn’t be surprised if I step on my stage and the concert hall is actually half empty. Those tickets didn’t sell because half Hong Kong is suddenly “Lady Gaga” obsessed, that’s because the tickets reselling value sky rocketed 3 times their face value on the first day and every one jumped on the band wagon.

My Advise…

And that’s what we usually see with anything printed “Apple” on it as well. We will have the weird situation again that the Apple store is out of stock while the street shops have more than enough but for double the price. Kilometer long queues of paid (!!) people who will sell their new iPad 3s a minute after leaving the Apple Store.

So here we go, get ready for the next iPad madness in Hong Kong. (Or do it like me, order your iPad 3 in Singapore, fly over, pick it up, and still pay less than you would on Hong Kongs streets).

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