Declining iPads sales have been a point of concern for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s investors, but a closer look at the numbers all is not lost for the Cupertino-based company. Sales have been on a downward trend for the past three consecutive quarters, but Apple still controls a huge market share in the space.
IPads Superior Sales
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) just reported that it generated a total of $903 million on Surface Pro in the last quarter. At a price target of $1000 per device, the company could only have sold a total of 0.9 million units. Assuming that Microsoft’s Surface Pro sales came from the $499 model the company could, on the other hand, have sold a total of 1.8 million units.
Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL), on the other hand, which is the only company that provides actual numbers of devices sales sold a total of 12.3 million iPads during the same period despite being on a downward trend. The big question at the moment is whether Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) controls up to 80% of the entire shrinking iPads market. There is already talk that Apple should install a wireless keyboard on iPads as one of the ways of competing directly against tablets and laptops.
IPad-Mac Debate
The only missing piece for iPads is the fact that iOS user interface building block is not keyboard friendly. Addition of more accessories to an iPad such as cursor would essentially transform it to a Mac that currently commands small margins. Mac sales have been improving compared to iPads eliciting the debate as to whether it is high time to make the iPad look more of a Mac.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has gained a reputation over the years for its prowess in genre-shifting waiting to see its next strategy on how it plans to improve on iPad sales. It will also be interesting to see whether Apple will let nature dictate iPads course as users continue to gravitate towards the Mac.
