∞ iPad pummeling everything but beer sales

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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 300x250 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.


  • Lucas Rimmer

    Could you please post links to some of the OTHER research firms, since “there are plenty more from other market research firms”?

    My Windows friends would just dismiss this article as Apple FanBoi Agitprop (they even dismiss Gartner’s work, saying that “evrybody knows that Gartner has been Apple’s cheerleader for years.”).

    So if you could elaborate a bit more, that would be really helpful.

    Thanks.

  • $300AShareMakesMeGrin>8-)

    I’ve heard claims that the Kinect is selling faster than the iPad so I’m not sure that “fastest selling gadget” record will stay intact for the iPad. Not that it really matters. The iPad at least dominates tablet sales for this year and for certain, the first quarter of next year and then the iPad 2.0 will take over. Apple will likely reduce iPad 1.0 prices and that will help boost sales alongside of the iPad 2.0. I’m glad both consumers and businesses have taken to the iPad so as to prevent other tablets from gaining immediate traction. I also hope Steve was right about consumers not necessarily preferring 7″ tablets. I’ll get a good laugh if most consumers really don’t like the slightly smaller tablets. It should be an interesting time for tablets next year and I do hope Apple’s iPad stays on top for sales by a large margin. It might help the stock start moving up a bit.

    • http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

      That last sentence combined with your name made me grin.

      In my opinion the 7″ formfactor will sell, but only if the price will shrink accordingly. From my personal point of view I get Mr. Jobs’s explanation that 7″ are to small to be useful, but there are more than enough use cases for a tablet smaller than 10″.
      [iAnal] Given a acceptable pricepoint Tablets ≥ 7″ are more likely to cannibalise sales of iPod Touches than iPads[/iAnal]

    • Joe

      Microsoft claims to have sold 2.5 M Kinect attachments in the first month:
      http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-says-Kinect-sales-steady-more-than-100000-units-per-day/1291081513

      That would exceed the iPad. IIRC, at the time of its launch, the iPad had the record for fastest launch of an electronic device, but Kinect seems to have beaten it. Of course, if you count ‘fastest selling’ by revenue, the iPad (at $499 to $829) may have beaten the Kinect ($149), so it depends on your definition of ‘fastest selling’.

      In any event, iPad sales were absolutely incredible – given all the endless articles about how it was going to fail and couldn’t do anything well.

  • http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

    The iPad still has a long way to go before it can even imagine hurting beer sales.
    Hell, if we’re to believe PeeWee Herman
    — BTW, WTF? I’m German, so the only other time I’ve heard of PeeWee was in an Eminem song —
    the iPad makes for the single greatest beer tray ever, and every teeny weeny market researcher knows what complementary products do to each other.

    Think about it.

    As for the current proclamations of doom and inadequateness: I don’t think so.
    Competing companies are only now starting to roll out or announce products *cough RIM, cough VAPORWARE, cough* that can barely compete with a nine month-old product on specs and quality AND price. Let’s see what happens when the 2nd generation iPad will be unveiled.

    I’d wager an insanely far-fetched guess and say they’ll be playing catch-up, again.

    Wait… what does this situation remind me of? … … … Nah, must’ve been nothing.

  • http://www.basilweb.net Anonymous

    Buying my iPad kept me from purchasing another MacBook. And it’s keeping me from buying a MacBook Air. I have a simple need for mobile computing: websurfin & email – all from the recliner – and on a Mac. If not for the iPad, I would have been forced to replace my aging PowerBook G4 with a MacBook. My wife is the opposite though. She uses my iPad. And bought a new MacBook Pro.

    • http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

      I was dead sure that I’d get myself an iPad once the funds are there, but then two things happened in quick succession: 1. The 11″ MacBook Air was bestowed upon us. 2. My MacBook Pro had to undergo major surgery, leaving me with 0 of 1 Macs for a month.

      I want a capable and portable computing device, but I need a second device with a desktop OS, so the MBA it will be (sooner or later-ish). For every other need, my solution is the iPhone 4. Having owned the 3G and the 3GS, I’m still amazed at how much more I regard the iPhone 4 an actual pocket computer than its predecessors.

      • http://www.basilweb.net Anonymous

        I didn’t mean to sound as if that’s my only computing. The desktop is a 27″ iMac. That’s for handling the big stuff like video editing and managing my large media library for the Apple TV. The laptops and iPad are simply above and beyond my desktop wants.

        • http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

          I figured.

          That’d be my dream setup if I may say so. But for most of the things I do the MBP (early 2008) is sufficient. So when the 11″ MBA arrives the MBP will be degraded/promoted to desktop use only.

      • Joe

        When I changed jobs, my employer kept my iPad, so I was planning to buy a new one – but now that I see the new MacBook Air, I might just go with the Air. It is clear that the lines between ‘media consumption device’ and ‘portable computer’ are pretty blurry.

  • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

    Of *course* Heineken’s safe, Jim. Apple doesn’t make commodity crap. ;)

    • fring

      +1

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Sartor/750501375 Mark Sartor

    Good article, which helps to explain further Apple’s amazing rise to be the number one electronics company in the world. I know it may not be possible, but I’d like to see Apple open up manufacturing plants here in the USA.. They would become Americas’ heroes!

    • Danielsw

      Nice thought. But that would take a lot of re-thinking on part of a lot of American workers about what sort of wages they’d be willing to work for. Is ANY job better than no job? Crucial question. Telling answers.

  • http://osxdaily.com Will

    LOL at the title