iPad market share has fallen from 95% at launch to 56% .....
There is simply no evidence to back up a statement like that, since Apple is the only company that reports sales in this product segment. The rest of them, perhaps not surprisingly, tell us about their shipments: i.e., we have absolutely no clue how many are sitting on shelves versus in the customers' hands.
My guess is that iPad's market share is still 95%. There is no way that anyone can disprove that! (And, trotting out some consulting firm's estimate doesn't cut it).
It seems a little unlikely, especially given the dismal economic situation, that tens of millions of people are buying a $500+ "little toy" as casually as shoes.
What seems to be happening is that more and more people are realizing that they can do the majority of what they like to do with computers on an iPad, and do it with a device that's easier to use, cheaper and vastly more portable.
I think what happened was that the relentless increase in computing horsepower had long since outstripped the average user's needs, and had become a kind of mindless spec inflation intended to drive new purchases. There you are, using your desktop or laptop to handle email, Office, web surfing and media playback, and your PC dies. Turns out it's cheaper to get the latest mega-giga whatever from Bestbuy or Walmart than get it fixed-- bingo, there's your PC market for the last few years.
Along comes the iPad, guess what? You can email, surf, watch videos and playback music just as well as with your PC. Now granted, Office is still a bit of a sticking point, by there are workarounds and its likely that MS will offer a version soon enough.
At which point it turns out these "toys" are perfectly capable of doing 99% of what 99% of people use computers for. If anything, the iPad reveals a certain vanity or hubris around computer use, in which it was possible to pretend that all those PC owners were doing really serious important adult "work" on their Very Impressive Machines, when in fact the situation was akin to most people owning huge muscle cars which they used to pick up groceries and drop off the kids at school.
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
If you would get off your high horse for a minute and actually read my post you will see that I didn't say that people "can't" use it for serious computing. I said they "won't" use it for serious computing. Why? Because many of them are not buying it as a computer, they're buying as a toy to play games on, or read eBooks, or look at their photos, or whatever. That's why it's not a post-PC device because most people are not using it as a PC. They probably already have a PC they use for whatever you use a computer for and then they use the iPad for entertainment. Personally I don't really give a s*** what people use it for.
The point of my response to your post above is that I think you're both underestimating what people are using their iPads for and overestimating what they used their PCs for. Sometimes I get the impression that when people talk about "real work" they mean some kind of heavy duty coding or rendering off the latest Pixar movie or modeling the currents currents at the center of a star.
My impression is that email, Office, web browsing, games, and media playback comprises the vast majority of what most people do with a PC. But maybe there's some kind of residual notion that because you could do much more sophisticated things with computer (even though you pretty much never do) that makes a device that actually can't do those things a "toy"? For my money the huge success of the iPad suggests that Apple has matched the tool to the job pretty well.
.... but my experience at Best Buy is that the iPads are always up and running and available for playing with, whereas the Android tablets are frequently turned-off, frozen or otherwise malfunctioning.
Couldn't agree more! The Androids are always just sitting there.... dead. And nobody even stopping to stare at them, while there's always one or two folks playing with an iPad.
Can't tell you how many times I too have seen that!
iPad market share has fallen from 95% at launch to 56% today, so while it's still the dominant tablet I don't think Apple can be complacent. The iPad is by far the best tablet on the market and yet is only has 56% market share. Clearly the other tablets have some market traction which is only going to increase as more brands release competitor models. Having said all that Apple still makes a lot of money from a small market share with the iPhone because market share does not directly correlate to profit share. I think Apple would be happy if the iPad had 25% market share but raked in 70% of the profits.
Those numbers are misleading. In order to get there, they had to include stuff like the Kindle Fire - which is not affecting Apple's sales.
If you look at Apple's share of the market they're actively competing for, the percentage will be much higher. For example, the best selling 10" tablets were the Xoom, Tab, and Touchpad (albeit at a greatly reduced price). None of them sold more than a tiny fraction of iPad's numbers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunks
The software is still at fault for not accurately communicating functionality to the user. Microsoft Office is a huge offender in this regard. Even the "help" section is hopelessly convoluted.
Convoluted? How about worthless? I don't think I've EVER gotten a useful answer from Office's help section. After a lot of failed attempts, I don't even try any more - I go straight to a web search.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
How considerate of you.
Don't you just love used Christmas presents?
I'd be happy to take a used iPad 2 as a Christmas present. Do you want to give me one?
... that's what's so predictable about you. You try hard to be something you're not, and you're not very good at hiding it.
Yes, you're correct. I'm predictably consistent, and predictably civil towards other posters. I predictably avoid personal insults or vague accusations. I predictably have sources when I claim something and predictably support my views. So why is that something you take so personally, getting so irritated that you feel a need to pull out the insult card rather than having an intelligent exchange?
Many of us are just know-it-alls posting on a forum and convinced our views are the only correct ones. Some of us know-it-alls (and I admit I'm one as my wife will remind me) just handle correction better when it's pointed out that this time we didn't-know-it-all.
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
So, are the dozens and dozens of companies and government departments handing iPads out to their employees just handing out toys? When did they start that?!
Don't compare people buying iPads to those degenerates buying Nikes and stabbing each other while waiting on line and rioting like a bunch of animals.
And your theory as to why people buy iPads is also wrong. iPads are not selling well simply because they're trendy or because it's the hottest gadget. iPads kills all other tablets on the market, regardless of the specs.
Does the iPad morph into a robot like one of those transformers toys and blast the competitors with its ray guns? Wow I must have missed that in the keynote. I gotta get one now.
Yes, you're correct. I'm predictably consistent, and predictably civil towards other posters. I predictably avoid personal insults or vague accusations. I predictably have sources when I claim something and predictably support my views. So why is that something you take so personally, getting so irritated that you feel a need to pull out the insult card rather than having an intelligent exchange?
Many of us are just know-it-alls posting on a forum and convinced our views are the only correct ones. Some of us know-it-alls (and I admit I'm one as my wife will remind me) just handle correction better when it's pointed out that this time we didn't-know-it-all.
Yep, you certainly are right about smug, self-satisfied "know-it-alls".
Yep, you certainly are right about smug, self-satisfied "know-it-alls".
We agree on that.
See. That's a good start. We both recognize our know-it-all tendencies. I'm guessing that's why it seems to become personal sometimes. Insults are kinda childish and I'm sure we can do better than resort to them.
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
Because its a very versatile product. Yes there are plenty of iPads used solely to play games but most are being used to do the basic tasks they use their computer for; email, Facebook, twitter, eBay, Craigslist, etc....
The point of my response to your post above is that I think you're both underestimating what people are using their iPads for and overestimating what they used their PCs for. Sometimes I get the impression that when people talk about "real work" they mean some kind of heavy duty coding or rendering off the latest Pixar movie or modeling the currents currents at the center of a star.
My impression is that email, Office, web browsing, games, and media playback comprises the vast majority of what most people do with a PC. But maybe there's some kind of residual notion that because you could do much more sophisticated things with computer (even though you pretty much never do) that makes a device that actually can't do those things a "toy"? For my money the huge success of the iPad suggests that Apple has matched the tool to the job pretty well.
I agree with your last point, I think Apple have hit the nail on the head with the iPad. I use mine while I'm sitting in the living room relaxing. I use it to surf the web, read personal emails, read eBooks and play a few games mostly. In contrast I use my Mac to run my business. Nothing to heavy but I wouldn't use the iPad to do that kind of stuff.
I don't think I'm all that unique in the way that I use my iPad. Maybe "toy" is juvenile - it's an entertainment device shall we say. Which as you say is probably what most people use their computers at home for anyway but it?s nice to wind up all the radical fanbois on here once in a while. It stops them howling at the moon instead.
I'm not sure having less stock in stores makes the most business sense. There might be a completely valid rhyme and reason that I'm not seeing... but, by definition, I'm not seeing it.
online orders are locked in sales. So they can ship based on actual orders and not guesswork. Fewer cases of selling out of a model only to have someone burn a unit by buying what wasn't what they really wanted to return it later.
Stores don't have unlimited amounts of space in their stock rooms. They can't magically make more room to hold the stock even just for one or two days. If they can manage, for example, 2000 iPads that is what they will get. If 1800 of those are online orders for in store pickup, that means there's only space for 200 walkins and that is what they will be sent. Not 2000 for walkins and find room for the other 1800.
And they know based on the iPhone and the iPad 2 that folks will wait. They aren't going to run to get the new samsung whatever simply because the launch sold out.
Plus fewer in stores for walk ins means less stock for reseller to try to game. which is still a win.
I've posted this before, so might as well post it again. The upgrade on this model, the new iPad, will be almost the entire installed use of the iPad 1 and the iPad 2. The iPad 1 hangers on will have been waiting for the typical two cycle upgrade, the iPad 2 users will be impressed by the screen.
I read - on an online forum - about a massive "drop" in iPad 2 prices. There has been a drop but on eBay UK the average lowest price is £297, although I can see someone selling one for £400. Good luck with that one.
The cost of an upgrade - new Screen, LTE ( if it matters in the UK), faster graphics etc. - is £200.
There is no economic reason for the iPad 2 holders to not upgrade. Surely this upgrade is worth £200 ( less for people who sold a few weeks ago). This is doubling of the upgrade cycle, it's reduced to one rather than two years. The iPad 1 is selling at about £200, so a mere £300 to get a new one. ( all of these are the lowest entry model but the pattern is the same throughout the line).
So a 90% upgrade cycle.
And the old iPads? If not sold, handed to family. Will, mostly, stay in use. They will be the new upgraders to the next iPad. Coming later this year.
EDIT: I mislead. Those prices were not averages but the from price on eBay. £297 is the lowest price on ebay for the 16GB model iPad2 and £200 is the lowest price for the iPad 1.
It seems a little unlikely, especially given the dismal economic situation, that tens of millions of people are buying a $500+ "little toy" as casually as shoes.
What seems to be happening is that more and more people are realizing that they can do the majority of what they like to do with computers on an iPad, and do it with a device that's easier to use, cheaper and vastly more portable.
The haters over at c|net are absolutely livid over the positive iPad coverage there. In fact they are livid that c|net covers Apple at all and some are "threatening" to boycott c|net if the Apple coverage isn't dialed back significantly. Yes, that's how delusional they are. They cannot accept the fact that Apple exists let alone that Apple is now dominating the tech universe.
The real irony is that the haters are encouraging the coverage by reading and commenting on he articles. Because it isn't really about Apple dominating the tech universe. It's about page hits. Websites make money off hits. Lover or hater doesn't matter, you still increased the counter. Anti android folks tend to ignore those articles, but Apple loversa nd haters are hitting the Apple articles. So when your cash is from hits, which subject are you going to go with. Apple of course
Comments
iPad market share has fallen from 95% at launch to 56% .....
There is simply no evidence to back up a statement like that, since Apple is the only company that reports sales in this product segment. The rest of them, perhaps not surprisingly, tell us about their shipments: i.e., we have absolutely no clue how many are sitting on shelves versus in the customers' hands.
My guess is that iPad's market share is still 95%. There is no way that anyone can disprove that! (And, trotting out some consulting firm's estimate doesn't cut it).
It seems a little unlikely, especially given the dismal economic situation, that tens of millions of people are buying a $500+ "little toy" as casually as shoes.
What seems to be happening is that more and more people are realizing that they can do the majority of what they like to do with computers on an iPad, and do it with a device that's easier to use, cheaper and vastly more portable.
I think what happened was that the relentless increase in computing horsepower had long since outstripped the average user's needs, and had become a kind of mindless spec inflation intended to drive new purchases. There you are, using your desktop or laptop to handle email, Office, web surfing and media playback, and your PC dies. Turns out it's cheaper to get the latest mega-giga whatever from Bestbuy or Walmart than get it fixed-- bingo, there's your PC market for the last few years.
Along comes the iPad, guess what? You can email, surf, watch videos and playback music just as well as with your PC. Now granted, Office is still a bit of a sticking point, by there are workarounds and its likely that MS will offer a version soon enough.
At which point it turns out these "toys" are perfectly capable of doing 99% of what 99% of people use computers for. If anything, the iPad reveals a certain vanity or hubris around computer use, in which it was possible to pretend that all those PC owners were doing really serious important adult "work" on their Very Impressive Machines, when in fact the situation was akin to most people owning huge muscle cars which they used to pick up groceries and drop off the kids at school.
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
If you would get off your high horse for a minute and actually read my post you will see that I didn't say that people "can't" use it for serious computing. I said they "won't" use it for serious computing. Why? Because many of them are not buying it as a computer, they're buying as a toy to play games on, or read eBooks, or look at their photos, or whatever. That's why it's not a post-PC device because most people are not using it as a PC. They probably already have a PC they use for whatever you use a computer for and then they use the iPad for entertainment. Personally I don't really give a s*** what people use it for.
The point of my response to your post above is that I think you're both underestimating what people are using their iPads for and overestimating what they used their PCs for. Sometimes I get the impression that when people talk about "real work" they mean some kind of heavy duty coding or rendering off the latest Pixar movie or modeling the currents currents at the center of a star.
My impression is that email, Office, web browsing, games, and media playback comprises the vast majority of what most people do with a PC. But maybe there's some kind of residual notion that because you could do much more sophisticated things with computer (even though you pretty much never do) that makes a device that actually can't do those things a "toy"? For my money the huge success of the iPad suggests that Apple has matched the tool to the job pretty well.
.... but my experience at Best Buy is that the iPads are always up and running and available for playing with, whereas the Android tablets are frequently turned-off, frozen or otherwise malfunctioning.
Couldn't agree more! The Androids are always just sitting there.... dead. And nobody even stopping to stare at them, while there's always one or two folks playing with an iPad.
Can't tell you how many times I too have seen that!
iPad market share has fallen from 95% at launch to 56% today, so while it's still the dominant tablet I don't think Apple can be complacent. The iPad is by far the best tablet on the market and yet is only has 56% market share. Clearly the other tablets have some market traction which is only going to increase as more brands release competitor models. Having said all that Apple still makes a lot of money from a small market share with the iPhone because market share does not directly correlate to profit share. I think Apple would be happy if the iPad had 25% market share but raked in 70% of the profits.
Those numbers are misleading. In order to get there, they had to include stuff like the Kindle Fire - which is not affecting Apple's sales.
If you look at Apple's share of the market they're actively competing for, the percentage will be much higher. For example, the best selling 10" tablets were the Xoom, Tab, and Touchpad (albeit at a greatly reduced price). None of them sold more than a tiny fraction of iPad's numbers.
The software is still at fault for not accurately communicating functionality to the user. Microsoft Office is a huge offender in this regard. Even the "help" section is hopelessly convoluted.
Convoluted? How about worthless? I don't think I've EVER gotten a useful answer from Office's help section. After a lot of failed attempts, I don't even try any more - I go straight to a web search.
How considerate of you.
Don't you just love used Christmas presents?
I'd be happy to take a used iPad 2 as a Christmas present. Do you want to give me one?
... that's what's so predictable about you. You try hard to be something you're not, and you're not very good at hiding it.
Yes, you're correct. I'm predictably consistent, and predictably civil towards other posters. I predictably avoid personal insults or vague accusations. I predictably have sources when I claim something and predictably support my views. So why is that something you take so personally, getting so irritated that you feel a need to pull out the insult card rather than having an intelligent exchange?
Many of us are just know-it-alls posting on a forum and convinced our views are the only correct ones. Some of us know-it-alls (and I admit I'm one as my wife will remind me) just handle correction better when it's pointed out that this time we didn't-know-it-all.
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
By that logic any PC running games for little kids is a toy. The iPad can do a lot of things, why would they limit it?
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
So, are the dozens and dozens of companies and government departments handing iPads out to their employees just handing out toys? When did they start that?!
Don't compare people buying iPads to those degenerates buying Nikes and stabbing each other while waiting on line and rioting like a bunch of animals.
And your theory as to why people buy iPads is also wrong. iPads are not selling well simply because they're trendy or because it's the hottest gadget. iPads kills all other tablets on the market, regardless of the specs.
Does the iPad morph into a robot like one of those transformers toys and blast the competitors with its ray guns? Wow I must have missed that in the keynote. I gotta get one now.
Yes, you're correct. I'm predictably consistent, and predictably civil towards other posters. I predictably avoid personal insults or vague accusations. I predictably have sources when I claim something and predictably support my views. So why is that something you take so personally, getting so irritated that you feel a need to pull out the insult card rather than having an intelligent exchange?
Many of us are just know-it-alls posting on a forum and convinced our views are the only correct ones. Some of us know-it-alls (and I admit I'm one as my wife will remind me) just handle correction better when it's pointed out that this time we didn't-know-it-all.
Yep, you certainly are right about smug, self-satisfied "know-it-alls".
We agree on that.
Yep, you certainly are right about smug, self-satisfied "know-it-alls".
We agree on that.
See. That's a good start. We both recognize our know-it-all tendencies. I'm guessing that's why it seems to become personal sometimes. Insults are kinda childish and I'm sure we can do better than resort to them.
I'm cool and over it.
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
Because its a very versatile product. Yes there are plenty of iPads used solely to play games but most are being used to do the basic tasks they use their computer for; email, Facebook, twitter, eBay, Craigslist, etc....
Ok answer this question please..
If it's not a toy why do they show small children using it in Apple's TV advertising for the iPad?
You can even buy it at Toys R Us.
Because they are learning? What a stupid observation.
The point of my response to your post above is that I think you're both underestimating what people are using their iPads for and overestimating what they used their PCs for. Sometimes I get the impression that when people talk about "real work" they mean some kind of heavy duty coding or rendering off the latest Pixar movie or modeling the currents currents at the center of a star.
My impression is that email, Office, web browsing, games, and media playback comprises the vast majority of what most people do with a PC. But maybe there's some kind of residual notion that because you could do much more sophisticated things with computer (even though you pretty much never do) that makes a device that actually can't do those things a "toy"? For my money the huge success of the iPad suggests that Apple has matched the tool to the job pretty well.
I agree with your last point, I think Apple have hit the nail on the head with the iPad. I use mine while I'm sitting in the living room relaxing. I use it to surf the web, read personal emails, read eBooks and play a few games mostly. In contrast I use my Mac to run my business. Nothing to heavy but I wouldn't use the iPad to do that kind of stuff.
I don't think I'm all that unique in the way that I use my iPad. Maybe "toy" is juvenile - it's an entertainment device shall we say. Which as you say is probably what most people use their computers at home for anyway but it?s nice to wind up all the radical fanbois on here once in a while. It stops them howling at the moon instead.
I'm not sure having less stock in stores makes the most business sense. There might be a completely valid rhyme and reason that I'm not seeing... but, by definition, I'm not seeing it.
online orders are locked in sales. So they can ship based on actual orders and not guesswork. Fewer cases of selling out of a model only to have someone burn a unit by buying what wasn't what they really wanted to return it later.
Stores don't have unlimited amounts of space in their stock rooms. They can't magically make more room to hold the stock even just for one or two days. If they can manage, for example, 2000 iPads that is what they will get. If 1800 of those are online orders for in store pickup, that means there's only space for 200 walkins and that is what they will be sent. Not 2000 for walkins and find room for the other 1800.
And they know based on the iPhone and the iPad 2 that folks will wait. They aren't going to run to get the new samsung whatever simply because the launch sold out.
Plus fewer in stores for walk ins means less stock for reseller to try to game. which is still a win.
I'm sure others can think of more reasons
NOT!!!!
I read - on an online forum - about a massive "drop" in iPad 2 prices. There has been a drop but on eBay UK the average lowest price is £297, although I can see someone selling one for £400. Good luck with that one.
The cost of an upgrade - new Screen, LTE ( if it matters in the UK), faster graphics etc. - is £200.
There is no economic reason for the iPad 2 holders to not upgrade. Surely this upgrade is worth £200 ( less for people who sold a few weeks ago). This is doubling of the upgrade cycle, it's reduced to one rather than two years. The iPad 1 is selling at about £200, so a mere £300 to get a new one. ( all of these are the lowest entry model but the pattern is the same throughout the line).
So a 90% upgrade cycle.
And the old iPads? If not sold, handed to family. Will, mostly, stay in use. They will be the new upgraders to the next iPad. Coming later this year.
EDIT: I mislead. Those prices were not averages but the from price on eBay. £297 is the lowest price on ebay for the 16GB model iPad2 and £200 is the lowest price for the iPad 1.
It seems a little unlikely, especially given the dismal economic situation, that tens of millions of people are buying a $500+ "little toy" as casually as shoes.
What seems to be happening is that more and more people are realizing that they can do the majority of what they like to do with computers on an iPad, and do it with a device that's easier to use, cheaper and vastly more portable.
Well said.
The haters over at c|net are absolutely livid over the positive iPad coverage there. In fact they are livid that c|net covers Apple at all and some are "threatening" to boycott c|net if the Apple coverage isn't dialed back significantly. Yes, that's how delusional they are. They cannot accept the fact that Apple exists let alone that Apple is now dominating the tech universe.
The real irony is that the haters are encouraging the coverage by reading and commenting on he articles. Because it isn't really about Apple dominating the tech universe. It's about page hits. Websites make money off hits. Lover or hater doesn't matter, you still increased the counter. Anti android folks tend to ignore those articles, but Apple loversa nd haters are hitting the Apple articles. So when your cash is from hits, which subject are you going to go with. Apple of course
I know everyone (Apple & Media) is saying that the iPad will deliver on March 16, but UPS is scheduling my delivery for March 12.cri.
won't happen. Apple has contracts for the shipments to be held until the 16th