We all knew the iPad would be a hit. After all, it followed the coattails of the fabulously popular iPod and iPhone. But did anyone expect the iPad to be the fastest adopted electronic technology product in history? If you believe Bernstein Research, that’s exactly what it is.
CNBC’s Fast Money website has the details of Bernstein Research’s premise. According to the story, the iPad has surpassed the DVD player as the fastest adopted electronic product ever, selling a whopping 3 million units in its first 80 days. It took the DVD five years to reach that many sales. The iPad is now on pace to sell 4.5 million units per quarter – that’s 50K iPads sold each and every day!
“By any account, the iPad is a runaway success of unprecedented proportion,” says Colin McGranahan, retail analyst at Bernstein Research.
It’s outpacing the iPhone, which had phenomenal success in its own right, selling one million units in its first quarter. According to Bernstein, the iPad could generate $9 billion in sales next year, making it the fourth largest consumer electronic category (by itself), behind TVs, smart phones, and netbook computers, surpassing game consoles. Keep in mind, that’s just aggregate iPad sales, and does not count the flood of tablets that will soon join it to try to get their share. If Bernstein is right, this means the iPad alone will outsell (in terms of dollars) Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Wii game consoles, combined.
This is of particular note to broadband carriers, both wireline and wireless. Providing good broadband connectivity throughout your entire community, whether through mobile wireless or community Wi-Fi will be of increasing importance to this growing population of iPad users. They will appreciate and gravitate towards the service provider who enables the best portable broadband experience.
