iPad Mini Sales Overtaking iPad Sales Faster Than Apple Expected

I have 100% ditched my full size iPad. I am so in love with my mini.

I was so scared buying the mini. However, it goes with me everywhere. I have replaced my phone, iPod, and full size iPad. My iPad replaced about 80% of my computer.

The full sized iPad is a truck...

MacRumors said:

Sales of the iPad mini are cannibalizing sales of the iPad, according to a report from NPD DisplaySearch. January shipments of tablet panels between 7 and 9 inches eclipsed shipments of larger panels, indicating an unexpected shift in consumer preference for a smaller form factor tablet.

Click to expand...

Or is it preference for a more afordable tablet (form factor incidental)?

I still prefer the full sized iPad. Just make it thinner and lighter and remove the edges on the sides

Cost

I don't think it has anything to do with size. I think it's cost. If you give people both options at the same price people are going to go with the iPad 4. Now thats obvious but if you made the iPad mini $50 less they'd still get the iPad 4. It's cost and it's a new apple product. Most non-apple users think of their products as super expensive so when something comes on the market they can afford then they'll jump on the boat. I'm not sold on this being a permanent trend.

Where is this data being sourced from since Apple doesn't break out sales between full sized iPad and the mini? Are these just estimates and checks within the supply chain?

Also did Apple provide an ASP for the iPad in their last conference call? I know they did with the iPhone and the number barely dropped which indicated the mix of phone sales probably wasn't weighted to the 4/4S.

Just speculation on my part, but I suspect that the smaller size is much less a factor than people just wanting a lower price.

Gunny011 said:

"iPad mini won't sell" they said, "iPad Mini will be a flop" they said...

Click to expand...

It's not that it wouldn't sell, it's that the combination of price and specs arguably isn't competitive enough and it risks Amazon and others bringing apple's tablet market share way down. I know this is just anecdote, but I know a number of people who have bought other small tablets ($199) instead of an iPad or a mini. And sure, Apple is still bringing in the profits, but how long before their tablet market share goes the way of their phone market share?

Apple will need to up specs, drop prices, or both, and fairly soon.

I am buying an iPad mini

LOVE my iPad, but I am buying an iPad mini for travelling.
The smaller, lighter form factor will be a much better fit for travelling overseas for 2 months.

The old one will ( temporarily ) get left for the kids so they can use it for FaceTime chats with us while we are away.

Now just waiting to see when the next iteration will be released along with the next iPhone as I will update that while I am at it.

eiuro said:

I don't think it has anything to do with size. I think it's cost. If you give people both options at the same price people are going to go with the iPad 4. Now thats obvious but if you made the iPad mini $50 less they'd still get the iPad 4. It's cost and it's a new apple product. Most non-apple users think of their products as super expensive so when something comes on the market they can afford then they'll jump on the boat. I'm not sold on this being a permanent trend.

Click to expand...

I am stunned that people think it's all about price, when for many (most, all?) it is all about size. If you offered me an iPad 4 and an iPad mini at the same price, I would choose the mini. If you charged more for the mini than an iPad 4, I would still choose the mini. I'm not alone, this forum is filled with so many stories of people who have both the bigger iPad and the mini and yet they prefer the mini - understand this: it's all about size. This price thing is a way to look at the world very simplistically while ignoring the fact size to you doesn't matter as it does to lots of others of us - we're not all the same.

The current retina ipad is chunky, makes me miss the ipad 2. I think the weight difference makes the ipad mini more attractive than the screen size. When you pick up an ipad mini, it feels like the weight a tablet should be to hold comfortably.

As we noted in December, Apple had planned to sell 40M iPad minis (7.9") and 60M iPads (9.7") in 2013. However, the reality seems to be the reverse, as the iPad mini has been more popular than the iPad. We now understand that Apple may be planning to sell 55M iPad minis (7.9") and 33M iPads (9.7") in 2013.

Click to expand...

Where is NPD getting this information from? I doubt they've spoken to any one at Apple.

MacRumors said:

indicating an unexpected shift in consumer preference for a smaller form factor tablet.

Click to expand...

I can't see any evidence supporting this assertion. What on earth is this statement being based on?

----------

WilliamLondon said:

I am stunned that people think it's all about price, when for many (most, all?) it is all about size.

Click to expand...

You're claiming that most or all people are choosing iPad mini not because of price but on size? Based on what?

I love my iPad Mini. I'm buying girlfriend one. I can't get it away from her now! It fits perfectly in here purse and she uses it as a phone with the Magic Jack app! Tablets are the future of personal computing

extricated said:

Or is it preference for a more afordable tablet (form factor incidental)?

Click to expand...

^^ This.

I got an iPad Mini as a gift from my boss, and at first I thought it was a waste of money, but I fell in love with the thing after using it the first day. It just feels like the perfect size and weight. I can actually type on it without feeling like I am stretching my thumbs, and I feel like it's light enough where it doesn't feel too heavy to use for long periods of time. And even though it's not a retina display, it still looks much better than the iPad 2. I can't wait to see what a retina display looks like on this device and if it will be noticeable enough to even warrant upgrading.

My full size iPad is collecting dust. I only use my mini now. Price is also a big factor in this as well I think.

milo said:

And sure, Apple is still bringing in the profits, but how long before their tablet market share goes the way of their phone market share?

Click to expand...

Maybe Apple doesn't care about market share. Let's see what happened since Apple's phone market share went down:

Apple has already demonstrated that you can excite developers even if you don't have the highest number on the market share chart.

You can also make the most money despite not being on top of the market share chart.

And there are plenty of accessories for iPhones even if they don't have the most market share.

So... what exactly is the desire to have the most market share?

SlCKB0Y said:

I can't see any evidence supporting this assertion. What on earth is this statement being based on?

----------



You're claiming that most or all people are choosing iPad mini not because of price but on size? Based on what?

Click to expand...

How many people around here have said they prefer the larger iPad but bought the mini because it was cheaper? I'd love to see what the full size iPad sales are compared to the mini when it gets the mini's form factor and is thinner and lighter.

shanmugam said:

make it lighter, then full size iPad and Mini will split the share.

For longer period of use I go with iPad 4 and for games and simpler stuff i use the iPad mini.

Click to expand...

I think this is a bit of a one-off, because the Mini is a new product and lots of sales that would have been second iPads went to Mini instead. In the future there will be a Mini replacement cycle and a iPad replacement cycle, and if Apple is smart they will alternate periods where one has a major upgrade and the other has a minor upgrade so as not to stress the supply chain for any one component.

Put a phone in it and call it a day.

I seem to recall Steve Jobs downplaying a smaller iPad as bad news. How ironic.

I'm just waiting for a Retina version to use one as a home theater remote/coffee table surfer, although I'd prefer a slightly lower price ($199 would be great for a non-retina version; maybe they'll have a sale on the previous model at that time).

likemyorbs said:

I still prefer the full sized iPad. Just make it thinner and lighter and remove the edges on the sides

Click to expand...

I'm with you. A lighter, smaller 10" iPad would be great.

Stella said:

Didn't SJ say something about people not wanting smaller tablets and the full sized iPad?

Click to expand...

Yes it's the world upside down, reading all the hundreds of posts around here the last two years of people mocking smaller tablets...until the ipad mini.

But I thought nobody would buy this POS and will buy Nexus 7 instead?

Michael Scrip said:

Maybe Apple doesn't care about market share.

Click to expand...

That only works to a point. If market share gets too low, sales and profits drop. Apple is still making a great profit, but the question is looking forward, how long will that last?

Just look at Apple's stock price, compared to the high of $700 it was at not that long ago.