Apple selling 1.2 million iPads per month, rate could double by holidays

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Monthly sales of Apple's new iPad device have been rising steadily over the past several months, prompting the electronics maker to adopt a second supplier of 9.7-inch display panels in anticipation of strong fourth quarter sales that could top 6 million.



According to Taiwanese market sources, Samsung electronics will join LG Display as a supplier of the iPads LCD panels next month, with estimated monthly shipments expected to fall in the range of 300,000 to 500,000 per month.



The move comes amid a sharp uptick in iPad sales over the past 60 days that coincided with Apple's international launch of the device, which began ramping last month and broadened availability into Europe and parts of Asia.



The Cupertino-based company is now producing 1.2 million iPads each month, up from 800,000-900,000 units in May, 700,000 units in April, 470,000 units in March, and 300,000 in February.



Researchers for DigiTimes believe iPad sales may further increase twofold to 2.5 million units per month by the time the holidays roll around. By then, Apple will have released iOS 4 for iPad, delivering features such as multi-tasking and a unified mailbox.



It's estimated that Apple pays between $80 and $90 to its suppliers for each of the iPad's 9.7-inch display panels.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 60
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    It will be an epic fail ... oh wait a minute!
  • Reply 2 of 60
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    This was obvious in January.
  • Reply 3 of 60
    noirdesirnoirdesir Posts: 1,027member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    The Cupertino-based company is now shipping 1.2 million iPads each month, up from 800,000-900,000 units in May, 700,000 units in April, 470,000 units in March, and 300,000 in February.



    Oh, really? Producing maybe, but not shipping as in 'shipping to customers'.



    Edit: Ok, people have trouble understanding my subtle high-lighting of the February and March number. My 'Oh, really?' ONLY refers to numbers for February and March. The report literally claimed that Apple was shipping 300 000 iPads in February. But they obviously did not ship them to customers in February as the iPad went only on sale 1 April. Any numbers for February can only refer to production, not sales.
  • Reply 4 of 60
    emulatoremulator Posts: 251member
    Just shows customers don't care if they purchase a semi-obsolete (retina? 512MB? cameras?) product.
  • Reply 5 of 60
    elbelb Posts: 6member
    ...and they would sell EVEN MORE if they would just put a front facing camera on the iPad. They'd double sales of the predicted double sales....
  • Reply 6 of 60
    ltmpltmp Posts: 204member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noirdesir View Post


    Oh, really? Producing maybe, but not shipping as in 'shipping to customers'.



    What makes you think they'd be producing more than they sell?
  • Reply 7 of 60
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elb View Post


    ...and they would sell EVEN MORE if they would just put a front facing camera on the iPad. They'd double sales of the predicted double sales....



    The problem with doubling sales is twofold.



    I had to wait three weeks for my iPad (should get it early next week) so increased demand would have mean longer lines. Striking while the iron is hot is very much apropos here. If there was any longer of a delay in shipping to customers, some may get frustrated and turn away.



    The other aspect is that one doesn't come out with the most superb product ever at launch.
  • Reply 8 of 60
    Why are there no American companies able to male these displays at a comparable price? Looks like an awful lot of business coming their way...can't believe we can't be competitive. Is it solely the low wage/hour in these other countries? That is going to end in 20 years or so when their living standards begin to approach more Western levels. Who will build electronics THEN? Monkeys? Dogs? Mr. Asimov's robots?
  • Reply 9 of 60
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LTMP View Post


    What makes you think they'd be producing more than they sell?



    Channel stuffing to impress financial analysts on Wall Street.



    I don't think this applies to the iPad. If they were channel stuffing, I wouldn't have had to wait 3 weeks for mine.
  • Reply 10 of 60
    g77g77 Posts: 4member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by emulator View Post


    Just shows customers don't care if they purchase a semi-obsolete (retina? 512MB? cameras?) product.



    You would need something around 2400×1600 resolution for retina displey on iPad. This is not technically feasible now, and it wont be for some time.



    Youre right with 512 MB RAM.



    For camera - yes it would be nice, but most people dont care.
  • Reply 11 of 60
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by luckylindy View Post


    Why are there no American companies able to male these displays at a comparable price? Looks like an awful lot of business coming their way...can't believe we can't be competitive. Is it solely the low wage/hour in these other countries? That is going to end in 20 years or so when their living standards begin to approach more Western levels. Who will build electronics THEN? Monkeys? Dogs? Mr. Asimov's robots?



    ... because they can make more profit by charging customers the same price but lowering costs through cheap labour and lax environmental and safety standards. That means more profit for the ownership classes. It's not rocket science.



    Again, that's why all their trained minions in academia and think tanks are constantly poo-pooing the idea of import tariffs with cries of falling skies and widespread devastation... if that doesn't work, then they tug at a person's more liberal heartstring. "By using import tariffs you are keeping the poor Chinese on the farm and subjected to filth and disease. Trade is lifting them from poverty..." What they fail to add is that we're keeping them impovrished in the cities with no other means of support.



    They also try to use this idea of "competition". It's dubious. If you have two gas stations and your competitor raises their gas rates you'd think that you would be better off keeping your lower prices, but the problem is that with interchangeable products it doesn't always work because people choose where they buy items not just on price. Therefore, an increase of pricing by a competitor actually can represent lost profit for yourself. And that's a key point in understanding what REALLY drives inflation. It's not wages or input costs anymore. It's greed. The only reason why prices have any downward pressure is due to lower incomes (adjusted for inflation, a man today makes $800 *less* than his middle class father 30 years ago and the father didn't have to go into substantial debt to get a middle class education either since the father likely didn't need more than high school) and PR to convince the masses to create the illusion that people are actually winners when they're actually on the losing end.



    Even if you wanted to be a moral actor in the corporate sphere, you're f**ked. To put it mildly. All it takes is one unscrupulous operator to force the entire industry to operate in a similar manner because if you don't, shareholders bawk, you lose marketshare, and higher prices in this world are a hard sell. Apple has bucked the trend here for the most part, but I also think a lot of Apple's success is due to the fact that it's competition has been so abyssmal.
  • Reply 12 of 60
    We got a 3G iPad and my housemate is using it more and more. Last night took it to bed to watch TV. Can't pry it out of hands. I hardly ever get a chance to touch it. Yes even in infantile Rev A state, it's gonna sell sell sell.
  • Reply 13 of 60
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by G77 View Post


    You would need something around 2400×1600 resolution for retina displey on iPad. This is not technically feasible now, and it wont be for some time.



    Youre right with 512 MB RAM.



    For camera - yes it would be nice, but most people dont care.



    They'll eventually have 512 MB of RAM - and probably go to multiple cores at the same time. The only question is whether they'll do it before the Holidays or wait until the 1 year anniversary.



    I'd guess the latter given how well it is selling and the iPhone 'once a year, like clockwork' release schedule.
  • Reply 14 of 60
    g77g77 Posts: 4member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    They'll eventually have 512 MB of RAM - and probably go to multiple cores at the same time. The only question is whether they'll do it before the Holidays or wait until the 1 year anniversary.



    I'd guess the latter given how well it is selling and the iPhone 'once a year, like clockwork' release schedule.



    Of course they will. But its a pity that they havent already. 512 MB is something everybody can use... especially in safari...
  • Reply 15 of 60
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by G77 View Post


    Of course they will. But its a pity that they havent already. 512 MB is something everybody can use... especially in safari...



    Probably, but there was undoubtedly a reason. Note that the iPhone 4 with the same processor has 512 MB just a few months later, so it probably isn't a cost issue. I'm guessing that it's simply a timing issue - that 512 MB wasn't available in that form factor in time for the April launch.



    No problem for me - when they have 512 MB and multicore, I'll give my current one to my daughter and get a new one.
  • Reply 16 of 60
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Probably, but there was undoubtedly a reason. Note that the iPhone 4 with the same processor has 512 MB just a few months later, so it probably isn't a cost issue. I'm guessing that it's simply a timing issue - that 512 MB wasn't available in that form factor in time for the April launch.



    No problem for me - when they have 512 MB and multicore, I'll give my current one to my daughter and get a new one.



    My guess is that it WAS a cost issue... there are far fewer form factor restrictions on the iPad form than the iPhone form. My guess is that next year's revision will get a Gig of RAM and all the new features except a 300dpi screen. A 9" 300+dpi screen would just be too expensive.



    Personally, I'm looking forward to iOS4 on the iPad... it'll be like getting a whole new device mid-year.
  • Reply 17 of 60
    Really looking forward to the second generation iPad. Like with the 2nd gen iPhone Touch, I"m expecting substantive improvements.
  • Reply 18 of 60
    hattighattig Posts: 860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    My guess is that it WAS a cost issue... there are far fewer form factor restrictions on the iPad form than the iPhone form. My guess is that next year's revision will get a Gig of RAM and all the new features except a 300dpi screen. A 9" 300+dpi screen would just be too expensive.



    Personally, I'm looking forward to iOS4 on the iPad... it'll be like getting a whole new device mid-year.



    To be fair, an iPad is used a bit further away than an iPhone screen so the DPI doesn't have to be as high to still be a "retina display". I expect something around 250dpi should suffice.



    I don't expect the next iPad to have a 250dpi display though, but maybe something around 200dpi (up from 130dpi now) (1600x1200 maybe). I also expect it to have a dual core ARM Cortex A9 CPU and even better graphics (will be needed for the higher resolution). It'll probably come with 512MB of RAM though!
  • Reply 19 of 60
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by G77 View Post


    You would need something around 2400×1600 resolution for retina displey on iPad. This is not technically feasible now, and it wont be for some time.



    Youre right with 512 MB RAM.



    For camera - yes it would be nice, but most people dont care.



    The camera would be nice, but its not all that practical. A front facing would be more useful than a rear facing! Plus I rarely take it with me when I leave the house.
  • Reply 20 of 60
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JakeBarnes View Post


    Really looking forward to the second generation iPad. Like with the 2nd gen iPhone Touch, I"m expecting substantive improvements.



    You probably mean 4th generation iPod touch.
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