It looks like Apple has another hit on its hands as pre-orders for the new iPad are "off the charts"
During the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, Apple sold an astonishing 15.4 million iPads, setting an all-time sales record in the process. With Apple’s new iPad (no, it’s not called the iPad 3) set to launch this Friday on March 16, it’s entirely likely that Apple will make that 15.4 million quarterly sales figure look like child’s play by the time 2012 comes to an end.
Why am I so confident?
Well, besides the fact that the tablet space is a relatively new market that Apple single handedly owns, demand for Apple’s new iPad is, according to Apple “off the charts.”
An Apple spokesperson relayed the following to the USA Today yesterday,
Customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts and the quantity available for pre-order has been purchased. Customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date.
Word that Apple’s initial supply of iPads available for online order had been exhausted first surfaced late last week when the shipping time for new orders slipped from March 16 to March 19. Then later this weekend, estimated shipping times for Apple’s new tablet increased to 2-3 weeks.
Last year, in the wake of the iPad 2 release, you might remember that Apple couldn’t manufacture enough iPads to satiate consumer demand, prompting Tim Cook to call the situation the “mother of all backlogs.”
Recently, a report surfaced claiming that Apple’s upcoming iPad supply might be a little thin due to yields on the device’s Retina Display. We haven’t heard anything about that since so we’re inclined to believe it was nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor. Either way, we’ll have a better grasp on Apple’s ability to meet iPad demand this Friday.
As for analyst expectations, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to investors on Monday that Apple may sell more than 1 million iPads on Friday alone.
Though the New York Times may have initially called the latest iPad upgrades “modest”, consumers apparently don’t agree. The addition of a 1080p camera, faster graphics, 4G LTE support, and of course, the Retina Display seem to be much more than “modest.”
I haven’t had the pleasure of taking the new iPad for a test drive just yet, but those who have are absolutely gushing over the device’s Retina Display.
And why wouldn’t they?
When the iPhone 4 was released, I remember noticing a huge difference in image quality while comparing a third-generation iPod Touch to the iPhone 4 and its Retina Display. This difference in image quality between the iPad and iPad 2 will likely be much more appreciable on the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen.
And so with initial supply of pre-order iPads already sold out, Apple will undoubtedly tighten its grip on a market it already owns, leaving leaving competitors ever scrambling to compete.
Lastly, if you want to get your hands on Apple’s newest iPad as soon as possible, you might wanna start queuing up in line by Thursday afternoon.
