iPad soars, Tablet PC snores… maybe
With all the buzz over iPad pre-sales figures (120,000-150,000), I decided to check it against last year’s Tablet PC figures. Turning out to be more problematic than I thought.
It should come as little surprise that Tablet PC sales figures aren’t followed that closely, but I’m finding one million from one analyst and 3 to 4 million from another. No way to know whether they’re counting strictly Windows-based Tablet PCs or lumping others in there but the wildly disparate figures indicate how little anyone was paying attention.
I also dug up this little tidbit from 2005: “In the years to come, experts expect a significant sales increase, the value of this market leaping from $1.2 billion in 2004 to $5.4 billion in 2009, In-Stat announced.” Not bad if that 4M figure holds up, but pretty far off if it’s only 1M. I can only hope tablet sales tracking will improve now that people are watching the iPad.
Average TPC prices are well above $1000 (my guess is $1500+). There is no way you can compare that to something that costs average of $600~700. It’s apples to oranges.
Just look at XBox360 vs PS3. PS3 never recovered from it’s $550 average price vs 360′s $400 in the first year. And that was rather close in price.
I want an orange or least a tangerine. One apple and you should see a doctor with a nice white coat that has self-cuddling sleves.
I was hoping that the iPad would bring down the price of PC tablet convertibles – has not yet (down-under in OZ)
IF the tablet PCs are marketed right,
the iPad user base could be tapped to
step up to a full function PC tablet,
(if people like the iPad enough)
The vast majority of iPad users will never want a Tablet PC.
Why won’t the iPad user want a more advanced device
if they like the iPad?
The problem with the Tablet PC platform isn’t bad marketing… it’s the lack of marketing and a bad price point. Convertibles need to come to the $1000-$1500 range, period… enough of this $1700-3000 nonsense. Drop the price and advertise the heck out of it!
Price… price… price…
As of today, there is no slate that can compete with the ipad.
So… apple brings a limited slate tablet 3 years later, and still no competence at all.
(at least from a $ point of view)
I dont understand… they have 3 years… hp… late, MS… late, any other significant manufacturer… late.
that´s how you lose the entire market and make ipad a success.