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Apple is coming off a very big week, perhaps the biggest week in the company’s 34-year history. Last Wednesday (May 26), Wall Street valued Apple at $222.12 billion, ahead of Microsoft at $219.18 billion for the first time ever, making it the world’s most valuable technology company.
Two days later, on May 28, Apple’s iPad tablet computer was met by long line-ups around that world, as it launched internationally in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, Australia and Canada. If U.S. sales are any indication – 1 million iPads were sold in the month after its April 3 launch – international sales could be huge.
Guardian Polls iPad Buyers
The Guardian polled the over 1,000 people in line outside Apple’s Regent Street store in London and identified the following trends:
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At 33 percent of buyers, the 32GB 3G version was the most popular iPad model (versus 6% for 16GB Wi-Fi; 17% for 32GB WiFi; 3% for 64GB Wi-Fi; 18% for 16GB 3G; 23% for 64GB 3G).
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3G models outsold Wi-Fi models 3-to-1 (74 percent to 26 percent).
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38 percent of buyers only used a Mac; 37 percent had both a Mac and PC; 25 percent only used a PC.
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36 percent were ages 26-39; 26 percent were 18-25; 11 percent were over 55; 27 percent were under 18 or 40-55.
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92 percent were male; 8 percent were female.
Kindle, Kobo Apps Follow International iPad Launch
“With the Apple iPad’s international launch on Friday, consumers worldwide gained access to Amazon.com’s Kindle app and Kobo’s e-reader,” wrote Lance Whitney of CNET News (May 28).
Amazon’s free Kindle app – which lets users download and read e-books from Amazon.com without Kindle hardware – is now available to all countries where the iPad is offered, Amazon said.
Also on May 28, Kobo announced its free iPad app would be available in Canada, the U.K. and Australia. “The Kobo app includes five free e-books, while Kobo’s e-book store offers more than two million titles, both free and for purchase,” wrote Whitney.
NY Times Looks at iPad Alternatives
Back at the peak of U.S. iPad hype (April 11), the New York Times’ Ashlee Vance and Nick Bilton examined how Apple competitors were attempting to answer with tablet PCs (also called slate computers) of their own.
“Google is soon expected to begin selling its version of a slate computer, while Nokia is planning to enter the digital book market through a slate-cum-e-reader as well,” they wrote.
“Microsoft is flirting with the idea of selling its own version of a slate, joining traditional computer companies like Hewlett-Packard (see HP Multitouch at 2010 CES) that have already committed to such products.”
- newsletter@iQmetrix.com
* To read more about the Apple iPad, Netbooks and Tablet PCs, check out the following articles from iQmetrix News & Views:
Will the Apple iPad be the Hottest Device of 2010?
Everyone's Talking About Apple's New iPad
Netbooks and Tablets: Expanding Markets for Wireless Retailers Tablet PCs: The Darling of 2010 CES |