Apple iPad to harm notebook sales in 2011
The Apple iPad has sold in good numbers for a new product this year. But next year could see it explode in popularity, with notebook sales dropping as a result.
Apple released the iPad in the U.S. on April 3, and it immediately gained a positive response from consumers. Millions of units were sold in the first few months, and then the iPad went international, being launched in a host of other countries.
Strong first-year sales were always to be expected, but it’s 2011 which will be the true test of the iPad’s staying power. This is mainly because 2011 will be when the mainstream will need to buy into the iPad for it to maintain its momentum, with most Apple enthusiasts with money to spare surely having already bought their iPad. Unless they’re hanging on for the iPad 2, of course, which we all know will be a vast improvement.
Then there are the host of other tablets joining the fray, with virtually all major tech manufacturers lining up their own tablet intended to compete with the iPad.
A research note from UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um suggests Apple will have a good year, and it’ll be at the expense low-end PCs:
Sales of traditional notebooks appear to be feeling pressure from the iPad, causing a scramble by vendors to launch iPad-like tablets. We believe that a majority of this impact is occurring on the lower end of PC sales as the iPad is priced close enough to this range that it becomes attractive to consumers looking to make purchases within this segment.
The tablet form factor, and the iPad in particular, has virtually killed off the netbook market already. And if Um is correct then even cheaper notebooks could be dragged into the mix as well. Which is no doubt why the same manufacturers currently producing notebooks and desktops are clamoring to release their own tablets.
The big question now is which rival tablet, if any, will be able to steal market share from the iPad? At this stage I wouldn’t feel confident putting my money on any of the runners and riders. There are too many to choose from, and until they actually hit the streets it’s hard to know which will actually
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September 10th, 2010
The drop in cost of low end laptops is what killed Netbooks. The biggest reason Netbooks sales exploded was low cost while remaining capable of delivering a good enough level of performance.
Once low end laptops hit the market and smartphones became capable of decent browsing there was little need for Netbooks.
The tablet that will deliver true laptop replacing experiences hasn’t hit the market yet. When it does you’ll see sales explode. There are a lot people waiting for one who think the iPad is too limited and won’t be stealing any iPad sales because they aren’t considering it in the first place.
November 19th, 2010
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February 8th, 2011
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