Apple managed to sell a lot of iOS devices over the last three months. But iPad sales are still declining. They are down 17.6 percent to 14 million compared to 17 million in Q3 — a bit more than expected. Analysts expected at least 15.55 million units, and sometimes more. Apple missed on those sales.
Last year, Apple sold 11.12 million iPads in Q4. It’s still a 25.9 percent increase year over year. Overall, Apple barely managed to beat the estimates.
Comparatively, in Q4 2011, iPad sales increased by 166 percent year over year. Those sales were above street expectations.
The company just released the fourth generation iPad. And of course, there is the iPad mini. Those devices are going to be released a little bit more than a month after the ending of Q4 on September 29. It will help the sales in Q1 2013. We could expect a new sales record for the iPad in the next quarter.
Over the last quarter, many competitors unveiled and released tablets. The smaller form factor and the price attracted many customers, though many needed iPad screen repair after the first shipments had malfunctioning screens. Among those tablets, we can name the Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.
The iPad is still a young product. When it was first released, even though tablet computers existed already, it was a big opportunity for Apple. Now that many people have bought one, the adoption rate is slowing down.
The iPad mini and its lower price tag will certainly help putting the device in the hands of new customers.
