Demand for Apple's iPad helps online computer sales increase 25 percent
Online sales of computer hardware increased 25 percent year over year in the first 47 days of the 2010 holiday shopping season, thanks in part to the popularity of Apple's iPad.
The iPad was singled out in a new report released Sunday from comScore. The research firm found that $27.46 billion has been spent online in the current holiday season, led by computer hardware as the top-growing category from 2009.
"Purchases of handheld devices (such as Apple iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers drove much of the growth," the report said.
Computer hardware grew 25 percent in 2010, outpacing consumer electronics, which grew 22 percent. Books and magazines saw 21 percent growth year over year, while computer software (excluding games) grew 16 percent.
Actual iPad sales for the holiday season likely won't be revealed until Apple reveals its quarterly earnings in January. The company sold 4.19 million iPads in its previous fiscal quarter, and expectations are even higher during the holiday quarter, as Apple has expanded retail availability of its touchscreen tablet.
comScore said that the increase in 2010 holiday sales was greatly aided by the promotional "Free Shipping Day" held by many online retailers. On that special event alone held Dec. 17, online sales were $942 million.
"Free Shipping Day punctuated an exceptional week in which consumers spent more than $5.5 billion online, representing a 14-percent increase from last year,? said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.
"While no individual days during the week surpassed $1 billion in spending, we saw strength throughout the week beginning with Green Monday and ending with Free Shipping Day on Friday. At this late juncture in the online holiday season, we have likely already witnessed the peak spending day of the year, which means that Cyber Monday should emerge as the season?s heaviest online spending day for the first time in history."
The iPad was singled out in a new report released Sunday from comScore. The research firm found that $27.46 billion has been spent online in the current holiday season, led by computer hardware as the top-growing category from 2009.
"Purchases of handheld devices (such as Apple iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers drove much of the growth," the report said.
Computer hardware grew 25 percent in 2010, outpacing consumer electronics, which grew 22 percent. Books and magazines saw 21 percent growth year over year, while computer software (excluding games) grew 16 percent.
Actual iPad sales for the holiday season likely won't be revealed until Apple reveals its quarterly earnings in January. The company sold 4.19 million iPads in its previous fiscal quarter, and expectations are even higher during the holiday quarter, as Apple has expanded retail availability of its touchscreen tablet.
comScore said that the increase in 2010 holiday sales was greatly aided by the promotional "Free Shipping Day" held by many online retailers. On that special event alone held Dec. 17, online sales were $942 million.
"Free Shipping Day punctuated an exceptional week in which consumers spent more than $5.5 billion online, representing a 14-percent increase from last year,? said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.
"While no individual days during the week surpassed $1 billion in spending, we saw strength throughout the week beginning with Green Monday and ending with Free Shipping Day on Friday. At this late juncture in the online holiday season, we have likely already witnessed the peak spending day of the year, which means that Cyber Monday should emerge as the season?s heaviest online spending day for the first time in history."
Comments
I wonder where all those folks who dismissed iPad as '....it's just a big iPod Touch' are now.
Licking their wounds!
this cannot be true... didn't you hear that the iPad isn't a computer and cannot be counted as computer sells... because if it did, it would make Apple the number 1 Computer seller in the US and number 3 worldwide, so none of the companies that keep track of this stuff will count it as a computer... so why can they count it this way?
Because Ballmer said it was a computer?
In all seriousness I think that may go down as one of the biggest CEO interview gaffes of the past year... he screwed up by publicly admitting the iPad is a PC in a very big way.
I wonder where all those folks who dismissed iPad as '....it's just a big iPod Touch' are now.
THE iPAD IS NOT A PC !!!!!! It is just that simple.
you can use it to
- browse the web
- read and write emails
- build spreadsheets
- write papers
- print
- multitask
- play games
- buy and run apps
- edit photos
- draw
- build and run presentations
- keep notes and to do lists
- play music
- watch movies
- remotely manage servers
you can also attach a keyboard.
other than programming, which most people don't do, what does a PC do that you can't do on an iPad? And don't list things that would also mean a MacBook Air isn't a PC.
THE iPAD IS NOT A PC !!!!!! It is just that simple.
YOU ARE NOT AN IPAD USER !!!!!! It is just that simple.
you can use it to
- browse the web
- read and write emails
- build spreadsheets
- write papers
- print
- multitask
- play games
- buy and run apps
- edit photos
- draw
- build and run presentations
- keep notes and to do lists
- play music
- watch movies
- remotely manage servers
you can also attach a keyboard.
other than programming, which most people don't do, what does a PC do that you can't do on an iPad? And don't list things that would also mean a MacBook Air isn't a PC.
And you share over 98% of your DNA with a chimp. Distinctions do matter.
Listing similarities doesn't make the iPad a "PC". That doesn't mean the iPad is inherently better or worse than a PC, just different.
I think as the world moves further toward mobile computing the "PC sales" charts will become irrelevant beyond looking at shipments of "PC components". One could even argue that we have already reached that point.
this cannot be true... didn't you hear that the iPad isn't a computer and cannot be counted as computer sells... because if it did, it would make Apple the number 1 Computer seller in the US and number 3 worldwide, so none of the companies that keep track of this stuff will count it as a computer... so why can they count it this way?
Because Ballmer said it was a computer?
In all seriousness I think that may go down as one of the biggest CEO interview gaffes of the past year... he screwed up by publicly admitting the iPad is a PC in a very big way.
Yup all the major manufacturers and tons of other companies are sh**scared to have iPad under PC because it would be major pwnage by Apple.
THE iPAD IS NOT A PC !!!!!! It is just that simple.
Didn't you listen the first time? Ballmer said it was a PC.
Sent from my iPad
And you share over 98% of your DNA with a chimp. Distinctions do matter.
Listing similarities doesn't make the iPad a "PC". That doesn't mean the iPad is inherently better or worse than a PC, just different.
I think as the world moves further toward mobile computing the "PC sales" charts will become irrelevant beyond looking at shipments of "PC components". One could even argue that we have already reached that point.
They count the computers inside ATMs and cash registers as PC's too for marketshare, would you qualify those as PC's? I certainly wouldn't, yet they do. To me the iPad is more of a PC than they are, as evidenced by my post on this forum.
Sent from my iPad
THE iPAD IS NOT A PC !!!!!! It is just that simple.
You should add, .'according to your own definition'. Otherwise you are making a totally ridiculous statement. Just for example, the list of reasons many give why the iPad doesn't qualify as a PC is is equally true of most if not all 'PCs' during the 1980's.
I think the problem is many think 'PC' and see a Dell or similar in their mind's eye, a beige or grey box. They forget the actual meaning which is a 'personal computer'.
To me, it doesn't really matter. As an Apple shareholder, what matters most to me is that Apple continues to sell a ton of these things. I can be insulted all the way to the bank.
Good answer
They count the computers inside ATMs and cash registers as PC's too for marketshare, would you qualify those as PC's? I certainly wouldn't, yet they do. To me the iPad is more of a PC than they are, as evidenced by my post on this forum.
Sent from my iPad
I agree.
Sent from my ATM (kidding)
THE iPAD IS NOT A PC !!!!!! It is just that simple.
BTW If an iPad isn't a 'personal computer' what the hell is it? A calculator, a note pad, a wrist watch, a book reader?