It’s really amazing that the iPad still has a few detractors, considering everything it’s accomplished in the short time it’s been around.
[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]Some pundits have come up with some clever (and not so clever) ways the iPad should be updated — or as they put it “fixed.” I look at a lot of this as people wanting to hear themselves talk and trying to look smart.
Are there things the iPad could have? Sure, and it probably will in the next version or two.
Apple released the iPad in April and since then it has taken the market by storm. Not just its own tablet market, but other markets too.
Despite the fact that some people said the iPad would have no effect on the netbook, it clearly has. A report released in September showed that the iPad was the choice of consumers over a netbook.
That’s not the only report to come to the same conclusion — there are plenty more from other market research firms.
So the iPad is killing the netbook, but what else has it taken on? How about the e-reader market and the Amazon Kindle.
A study released last week shows that the Kindle’s market share fell 15 percent to 47 percent between August 1 and November 8. In that same time, the iPad’s share rose 16 percent to 32 percent.
That’s the netbook and the Kindle, but surely the iPad couldn’t affect the PC market — not so fast.
Just last week market research firm Gartner lowered its outlook for worldwide PC shipments for 2010, citing the iPad as the cause.
“These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer demand, due in no small part to growing user interest in media tablets such as the iPad,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “Over the longer term, media tablets are expected to displace around 10 percent of PC units by 2014.”
Apple’s iPad also earned the distinction of being the fastest selling gadget ever. EVER. Pretty remarkable.
The only thing I haven’t seen the iPad take down are beer sales. It’s still early, but I think Heineken may be safe for now.