IHS market analyst notes that the iPad and iPhone are competitors of sorts
IHS iSuppli Research noted yesterday that fourth-quarter 2011 iPad sales were a bit lower than the firm had predicted and placed the blame for that shortfall largely on the shoulders of … the iPhone 4S.
Sibling rivalries can be that way.
From a press release:
“Shipments of the iPad line fell short of IHS estimates in the fourth quarter as many loyal Apple customers devoted their dollars to shiny new alternatives,” said Rhoda Alexander, senior manager, tablet and monitor research for IHS. “However, the primary alternative wasn’t the Kindle Fire-which debuted to solid sales in the fourth quarter-but Apple’s own iPhone 4S smartphone. The rollout of the iPhone 4S in October generated intense competition for Apple purchasers’ disposable income, doing more to limit iPad shipment growth than competition from the Kindle Fire and other media tablets.”
By the way, those “solid sales” of the Kindle Fire elevated Amazon ahead of Samsung and into the No. 2 spot among tablet merchants.
