Flagship Model Takes Greater Share in a Crowded iPad Market
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners released analysis of the results from its research on Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for the calendar quarter that ended December 31, 2013. This analysis features the first findings about consumer trends for US sales of the new iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display models, which launched in November 2013.
CIRP analyzed the launch of the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display models, and finds that the iPad Air took a comparable share of total sales in the quarter relative to the iPad with Retina in the year-ago quarter (December 2012).
The flagship iPad Air accounted for 41% of total iPad sales in the quarter, compared to 43% for the iPad with Retina in the October-December 2012 quarter. The two iPad Mini models (original and Retina) together account for 41% of iPad sales in the quarter, compared to 30% for the iPad Mini in the year-ago quarter (see table).
CIRP bases its findings on its survey of 500 US Apple customers that purchased an iPad, iPhone, or Mac in the US in October-December 2013. These results bode well for the new iPad models. The new iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display together account for well over half of all iPad sales in the quarter, even though they were available only for two months. iPad Air sold especially well given that Apple has three other iPad models for sale.
Apple continues to sell the legacy iPad 2, which had 5% of iPad sales. Apple sold the iPad with Retina display for about one month of the quarter, accounting for 13% of sales, until Apple replaced with the iPad Air. Apple managed to shift significant sales to its higher-priced models. For the past year, the legacy iPad 2 grabbed from one-quarter to one-third of iPad sales. Along with the trend toward sale of models with larger storage capacities, Apple should see higher iPad average selling prices, with iPad 2 at only 5% of total sales and iPad mini sales split between the original model and the new iPad mini with Retina display.
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