iPad Has Strong Début

Post by Sharat | April 7, 2010 | 3G, Apple, Apple Computers, Apple Mac Computers, News, Smart-Phones, Tablet | Comment

By all accounts the launch of Apple’s highly anticipated iPad was an all round success with the Cupertino California based company shifting more than 300,000 units during its first day in stores, a figure which roughly matched Wall Street expectations, and mirroring the début of the iPhone back in 2007.

Despite a strong opening weekend, Apple’s real test will come much later in the year when consumers outside of Apple’s core following size up the device.

Several questions remain unanswered, most notable among them is whether consumers will be willing to shell out US$500 or more for a gadget that falls somewhere in between a laptop and a smartphone.

For its part Apple hopes it is pioneering a new segment or class of device, and that the iPad will join the iPod and iPhone in its pantheon of successful consumer devices that drives its sales growth, as multi-media players and smartphone sales begin to moderate.

Should the iPad catch on, it will not only yield a new market for component manufacturers, but will also provide another platform for software developers and content companies to distribute their products.

For now however, only time will tell whether the device is another home run for Apple, publishers such as the New York Times though are betting that the tablet will provide a profitable transition from traditional print to digital distribution.

Apple has taken a huge gamble with the launch of a tablet, staking its formidable reputation on the 9.7-inch touch screen device, which has no other use really beyond pure media consumption.

Rivals Dell and Hewlett Packard are upping the ante, preparing to launch their offerings later in the year, crowding the market, providing consumers with a wide variety of choices and not allowing Apple to run riot virtually unopposed like it did in the MP3 player and smart-phone segment.

Many analysts believe that Apple will shift more than 1 million or more iPads during the current quarter which ends in June, with much of Wall Street basing their stock price targets on the company shifting as many as 5 million units during 2010.

Apple launched with just Wi-Fi enabled devices over the weekend, and iPads were only available in the United States. The company expects to roll out a 3G compatible tablet later this month, and will expand to nine international markets.

Apple said iPad users downloaded more than 1 million applications from the company’s App Store and more than 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day.