4 ms·

Putting iPad Sales in Context

12 points by barredo 15y ago

rollypolly 15y ago
a sum of money that three years ago was a record quarterly profit is now just the blip between the (historically strong) holiday quarter and the (historically weak) January-March quarter. This is definitely the best quote. I'm wondering if Apple's mainstream-ness is going to catch up to them soon with the hipster crowd. Then again, the only other major options for consumers are Microsoft-based which are even more mainstream and corporate.
- pbhjpbhj 15y ago
  >the only other major options for consumers are Microsoft-based // Not heard of Android then? "Apple's market share in tablet segment slipped from 64 percent to 57 percent in Q4, 2011, According to the research reports from iSuppli, Amazon's Kindle with an impressive 14 percent growth in the market snagged a large share of iPad sales in Q4, 2011." (http://www.91mobiles.com/blog/10192/Apple+iPad+tablet+market+share+slumped+to+57+percent.html http://www.91mobiles.com/blog/10192/Apple+iPad+tablet+market...) "In Forrester’s analysis, Samsung has a 5 percent share; Motorola 4 percent and Acer a 3 percent share. HP’s TouchPad, now discontinued, had a 6 percent share, but that was during that series of crazy fire sales when everyone suddenly rushed to buy one." (http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/05/forrester-no-android-tablet-has-more-than-5-share-vs-ipad-how-does-amazons-kindle-fire-compare/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/05/forrester-no-android-tablet...) TechCrunch here estimates Kindle Fire to have sold 40% as many units as iPad for the "holiday quarter".
  - rollypolly 15y ago
    You're right. I wasn't thinking in terms of mobile (doh). Good catch.
helen842000 15y ago
I think another important point is that the iPad didn't replace an existing tablet in the users home. It was an entirely new genre of device. No doubt when people bought macs they probably had some kind of computer before it. Most iphone users were just replacing their previous phone, just as the first ipod users were unhappy with their 15 song capacity generic mp3 player. To gain such adoption for a tablet device that people didn't previously knew they needed - is huge! They first convinced the market they needed a tablet and second that the iPad was the right product to meet that need. Incredible!
induscreep 15y ago
So why should anyone believe analyst estimates again? Don't they base their estimates on shady equations?
- smashing 15y ago
  Not all analysis are the same, so, depending on which analyst whose business politics you buy into, its Caveat Emptor.

12 points by barredo 15y ago

a sum of money that three years ago was a record quarterly profit is now just the blip between the (historically strong) holiday quarter and the (historically weak) January-March quarter. This is definitely the best quote. I'm wondering if Apple's mainstream-ness is going to catch up to them soon with the hipster crowd. Then again, the only other major options for consumers are Microsoft-based which are even more mainstream and corporate.

pbhjpbhj 15y ago
>the only other major options for consumers are Microsoft-based // Not heard of Android then? "Apple's market share in tablet segment slipped from 64 percent to 57 percent in Q4, 2011, According to the research reports from iSuppli, Amazon's Kindle with an impressive 14 percent growth in the market snagged a large share of iPad sales in Q4, 2011." (http://www.91mobiles.com/blog/10192/Apple+iPad+tablet+market+share+slumped+to+57+percent.html http://www.91mobiles.com/blog/10192/Apple+iPad+tablet+market...) "In Forrester’s analysis, Samsung has a 5 percent share; Motorola 4 percent and Acer a 3 percent share. HP’s TouchPad, now discontinued, had a 6 percent share, but that was during that series of crazy fire sales when everyone suddenly rushed to buy one." (http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/05/forrester-no-android-tablet-has-more-than-5-share-vs-ipad-how-does-amazons-kindle-fire-compare/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/05/forrester-no-android-tablet...) TechCrunch here estimates Kindle Fire to have sold 40% as many units as iPad for the "holiday quarter".
- rollypolly 15y ago
  You're right. I wasn't thinking in terms of mobile (doh). Good catch.

helen842000 15y ago

I think another important point is that the iPad didn't replace an existing tablet in the users home. It was an entirely new genre of device. No doubt when people bought macs they probably had some kind of computer before it. Most iphone users were just replacing their previous phone, just as the first ipod users were unhappy with their 15 song capacity generic mp3 player. To gain such adoption for a tablet device that people didn't previously knew they needed - is huge! They first convinced the market they needed a tablet and second that the iPad was the right product to meet that need. Incredible!

induscreep 15y ago

So why should anyone believe analyst estimates again? Don't they base their estimates on shady equations?

smashing 15y ago
Not all analysis are the same, so, depending on which analyst whose business politics you buy into, its Caveat Emptor.