
Apple Selling More iPads Than Macs - AndrewWarner
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100520/apple-selling-more-ipads-than-macs/
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jlgosse
I'm not even going to read the article and just tell you all that an iPad is
like 1/3 - 1/4 the price of a Mac, so in that alone we should conclude that
it'll sell more.

Not only that, there isn't really a competitor to the iPad, whereas I can go
out and buy 2-3 laptops for the price of a Mac.

Finally, for most situations, I can imagine the following happening:

Customer: Yes, I'm looking for a computer. Apple Store Guy: Okay great! What
will you need it for? Customer: Um, checking my Facebook and Twitter, doing
some email, and playing some games? Apple Store Guy: Okay, well you can get
our entry-level touch-screen toy of the future, known as the iPad, for $499.
Or, you can get a Mac for anywhere between $1500 and $3000. Customer: OMFG
_drool_ iPad please!

The customer just saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, and now has a
fun way to check email.

Case closed.

~~~
cpr
Good point, but careful not to exaggerate: 13" MBPs and 21" iMacs start at
$1200, and Mac Minis can be had for $600 if you already have a monitor or a
large-format TV.

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wmf
I think "pent-up demand" says it all; it's not interesting to compare the
launch of a new product category against an existing one.

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symesc
Sorry, but I disagree.

It is interesting.

It is interesting because it is a new product category and it is selling like
crazy. Truly new categories of personal computing devices don't happen very
often at all. Desktop, laptop, mobile phone, netbook, touch screen mobile
phone . . . now this. There's the history of product categories for 30 years.
Chrome OS may change that again.

It is also interesting because when a consumer has only so much budget for new
computing devices. Their choices matter, not only to Apple but to competitors.

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astine
Well tablets aren't 'truly new.' (Neither were netbooks for that matter.) The
iPad just happens to be the first one with wide appeal.

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barrkel
This is mysterious to me. I have an iPad, but I think it's a toy. Probably the
best use case is airplane entertainment.

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mechanical_fish
You can't understand why people would line up out the door to pay money for
toys?

Have you ever heard of George Lucas? [1]

Do we need to send you on a remedial field trip to the local mall on the day
after Thanksgiving?

\---

[1] I'll bet that over the course of my lifetime my family has paid George
Lucas far more than the cost of an iPad, for fewer hours of enjoyment. I've
probably spent half an iPad's worth on Lucasfilm movie tickets alone.

~~~
barrkel
But it's a toy whose novelty wears off really quickly, I find. I have one here
on my desk, but I haven't used it (apart than to verify the UK's app store is
up and running) with any seriousness in around two weeks.

~~~
pohl
_I have one here on my desk_

That may be the issue. Put it on your nightstand or an end-table by a
frequently-used chair or couch. Or your kitchen counter when you're cooking.
Or at the kitchen table when you're having breakfast.

~~~
abstractbill
This, more than anything, is the real reason I don't want an iPad. I tell
people it can't replace my laptop, and they reply that I should find _other_
activities where I might be able to fit in a little more screen time ;)

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gnaritas
> I tell people it can't replace my laptop

It's not supposed to replace your laptop. It's meant for those times or places
when the laptop is too cumbersome. Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those
situations are plentiful.

~~~
abstractbill
_Anyone who has a laptop can tell you those situations are plentiful._

You are empirically wrong: I am a counterexample. I do not have any use-cases
that aren't covered by a laptop and a smartphone.

~~~
gnaritas
A counter example does not disprove a trend. Most people have plenty of
situation where using a laptop is uncomfortable. I don't want it on my lap and
I don't like the discomfort of leaning forward or turning to the side. Tablets
are perfect for just holding in the hand while relaxing in a favorite chair
and reading the news, something many including myself do daily. Laptops suck
for this.

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dgregd
This is a great example of well executed idea. As we all know the tablet idea
isn't a new one. But Apple is first to execute it well.

That's why bare ideas aren't worth too much.

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axod
Apple have die hard fans. If Apple release a computer with a circular screen,
they'd sell a ton. That doesn't mean it'll translate to widespread adoption
though.

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catch23
Their die hard fans didn't really help the Apple TV much unfortunately.

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listic
Why, they sold 6.6 million according to Wikipedia. This is not bat, is it?
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV>)

~~~
catch23
Still pretty poor, considering it's been around longer than the iPhone has.
The Palm Pre was considered a failure and it sold more units than the Apple TV
did in its first year.

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Mentat_Enki
This just in: Apple ALSO selling more iPods and iPhones than Macs! Compelling!
After the break: the shocking story of a Bear who shits in the woods, and is
the Space Pope REALLY reptilian? Back after this...

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brk
Yes, but few people would say an iPod or an iPhone is a credible alternative
to a computer.

I have a 3G iPad, I am frequently picking it up to do casual computing tasks
(web, email, entertainment) that I would have ordinarily sat down at my desk
for, or grabbed my laptop (MBP) off the desk for.

I like the fact that I can use the iPad on and off all day. It comes alive
almost instantly, yet doesn't drain its battery after a couple of hours of use
and idling.

The iPad is, to me, one of the first well-executed PC alternatives to come out
in about as long as I can remember. I've also had netbooks (EEE 701), various
smart phones, PDAs, computers tethered to TV's and other "alternative
computing" devices throughout the years. None of them have ever really felt
like viable products for me.

~~~
Mentat_Enki
You've missed the admittedly rather subtle point I was trying to make, and
have assumed I meant that iPods and iPhones were 'credible alternatives to a
computer'.

The reason for my sarcastic, annoyed comment is the continual shock and
disbelief that a low-cost product that completely freaking nails its intended
target is outselling the recently-antiquated paradigm that is the personal
computer.

People have been pining for this sort of device in their little black hearts
for decades (if you want insight into the zeitgeist of a society, examine
their art & culture for their hopes and dreams. Case in point: the Star Trek
PADD, etc. Who could possibly NOT want one of those ;) ), and as such the
"pent-up demand" comes to me as no surprise.

The iPad won't be the only one of its breed to surface in the near-future, but
you can damn well better believe it will always be one of the best if not THE
best-of-breed. In fact, I contend that these devices aren't "well-executed PC
alternatives" so much as well-executed PC REPLACEMENTS. We may end up seeing
the "personal computer" as we know it relegated back to the days of the
concept of a "workstation", reserved only for those that need the on-site
computing power, and the 'cloud' on the horizon seems make this even more
certain.

Yes there have been other tablets. Yes there will be other tablets. "It's not
the hardware, stupid!" (It's the interaction model that makes it so
successful, and why Apple is miles ahead of everyone else in this respect, and
will most likely remain so for the near term.)

Sorry for the rant, and of course nothing personal, just don't like the
flavour of other people's words in my mouth and felt like my point was
misinterpreted.

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thewileyone
I think a relevant question to ask is, has Apple just replaced one market for
another with a lower profit margin?

