Best Buy: iPad Cuts into Laptop Sales by 50 Percent
Best Buy: iPad Cuts into Laptop Sales by 50 Percent
Posted 09/17/2010 at 11:02am
| by Paul Lilly
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Hate the iPad because it doesn't do Flash. Curse Apple's magical device for the lack of ubiquitous connectivity, like USB and HDMI. Hurl insults at the iPad because it's a giant iPod (that's oversimplifying, but let's keep hating), costs more than a netbook but lacks a physical keyboard, doesn't have a microSD card slot, or simply because it's Apple. Fair enough, but one thing you can't do is deny its impact on laptop PC sales, not if Best Buy's numbers are correct.
Talking with The Wall Street Journal, Best Buy Chief Executive, Brian Dunn, claims that internal estimates peg the iPad as cannibalizing laptop sales by as much as 50 percent. That's a remarkable, if not shocking figure. We're not so much surprised that the iPad is chewing into notebook sales, but that it could be replacing half of all laptops is staggering.
As Wired points out, Mac sales continue to grow every quarter, so most of that figure probably represents Windows market share. But should Microsoft be worried? That remains to be seen. The tablet market is still essentially a one-man show, and once Windows-based slates start shipping, we have to imagine that some of those folks picking up a tablet instead of a laptop will gravitate towards Windows devices.
In any event, does Best Buy's internal figure surprise you?
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snapple00
September 19, 2010 at 12:20am
When will Best Buy finally go out of business?! I feel like its sooo close, they just need a little push over the edge.
I will forever hate Best Buy ever since I was 15 and they wouldn't let me buy a parental advisory CD, and when I brought my mom in the store they still wouldn't sell it to me or us.
I am going to have a huge party the day they have to close up shop. Its like they don't even try. They sit around all day thinking how they can annoy the customer the most and have a horrible selection of everything.
On topic, I could see how iPads would crack into laptop sales. Everyone I know doesn't do shit with their computer except check facebook. Thats it. I think iPads can do that, though I'm not sure. Most people are super lazy, and need things dumbed down. Apple is in that business.
riopato
September 17, 2010 at 10:56pm
had an episode titled "Numbers" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62rkSS6Y_7Y. It's a good show to remeber when reading uninformative results such as this. Did you know there are people who's main job is to make up questions in surveys that trick people into giving the answers that the survey wants? They call it reverse double talk! My question that points out the BULLSHIT of this report, What are they comparing the sales to come up with this result? Last year's when ipads didn't exist? are macbooks included or excluded with this result? is this comparison based on combined sales of multiple laptops against the iPad or just the ones that are at the same price point? none of this information is included to this brain fart.
Paraphrasing the show "Numbers don't lie, people who make them up do"
Markitzero
September 17, 2010 at 8:25pm
I will not buy any apple product like the ipad. I will buy a netbook before I ever buy a ipad or ipod.
Fecal Face
September 17, 2010 at 2:26pm
I can't see how anybody would buy an iPad, or any tablet running a phone OS over a laptop. Laptops have much more power and storage capacity, usually a better screen resolution too, for relatively the same price. Really the only thing the iPad has over an average laptop is a shiny touch screen.
I hope I don't offend anyone when I say this, but every single person I know that owns a mac knows absolutely nothing about computers. Someone who buys an iPad over a laptop would probably fall into that category IMO, unless they like big shiny touchscreens, and have $500 sitting around.
In that case, go ahead. It's your $500. I'd rather own a laptop that can play games, run MS office, and have nearly quadruple the storage capacity, for relatively the same price.
riopato
September 17, 2010 at 9:29pm
I worked with them and we are in the advertising industry. It wasn't very helpful to have it and techy or not, they couldn't use it for work. These people are dedicated mac users and 2 out of the 4 replaced their iPhones with a blackberry and 1 replaced it with a nokia smartphone. The one who kept it is in fact very computer literate but hardly makes any calls with it and can never use it when he's at home since service in his area is horrible. Anyone who needs to get in touch with him has to call him on his landline and forget it if he steps out of his house. We all live in nyc by the way. He mainly uses it for email and texting but don't expect him to respond right away.
Glycerin
September 17, 2010 at 7:09pm
"but every single person I know that owns a mac knows absolutely nothing about computers."
THANK YOU. That's what I've been trying to say! It's nice to see those words coming from someone else. The only people I know that have a Mac know nothing about PCs, and don't care to. I've tried to say that people who buy Macintosh's are just simple minded in terms of technology, but I just get called a hater and stupid. Doesn't matter to me, I've only owned PCs, am a PC tech and have been subscribing to MaxPC for over a decade :)
And the people who buy an iPad over a laptop are just plain stupid. I don't really care if it offends anyone, because it's true.
I completely agree with ya Fecal Face, I'd rather has something that can play games, run an office suite, has way more storage capacity, USB ports, VGA out, a much larger screen, you get the point.
big_montana
September 17, 2010 at 11:31am
It does not surprise me that Best Buy's laptop sales are down, as they carry a very poor selection to begin with. When I am in the market for a notebook, I purchase from eitehr MicroCenter or online, not from WorstBuy who has the worst selection going. So, just becasue their sales are down does not mean that iPads are the responsible party. iPads cannot do half of what a Windows or Linux based laptop can do, and thats teh point, if someone is in the market for a laptop, it is for productivity reason, not entertainment purposes, which is all the iPad is, an entertainment device.
riopato
September 17, 2010 at 10:11pm
When it comes to purchasing a laptop. BestBuy wouldn't be the first place I'd be looking to get the best deal let alone a place to check out it's selection. Unfortunately fry's and Microcenter isn't everywhere but Bestbuy is. There's at least 4 Bestbuys in manhattan alone and they all sell the same crap!
Here's where iPad succeeds, though since Apple dictates the iPad's retail price and there is no other selection (or competion) making it "stand out" compared to the other look a likes. it makes uninformed consumers think they're getting something better. Add that to the blatant lies in Apple's commercials and news media you are going to grab people's attention. P.T Barnum said it best, "there's a sucker born every minute". If you are an uninformed consumer looking at a decent selection of laptops and then you see this shiny thing that doesn't look like any other laptop, but is promoted as one, what are you going to buy?
I really have no problem with the ipad. They're nice looking toys. I have a problem with the way it's being promoted as. It's not a laptop, laptops runs a real operating systems like windows or unix based os (even mac os if you know how to hack it). It's not even a Tablet computer, tablet computers also run real os mostly windows os Tablet edition (or Vista and Win 7). It is in fact an expanded version of the iphone os aka ios. That's like saying the kindle or nook is a tablet computer. It's not! it has more features than the iphone but Apple can make a wall size version of it and it still is an ios. But it's not a computer! Nokia's latest smartphones that has touch and symbian os, are they phones or are they mini tablet computers? Android phones why aren't they call mini tablets? Because they aren't tablets!
I hope a company will finally come out with a real tablet computer soon runnning a real operating system! I don't care if it's windows 7, memeo, or even mac osx! As long as people stop associating the iPad as a computer. Next thing you'll hear is that Apple TV is the new HTPC! HAH!!!
thesmilies
September 17, 2010 at 11:28am
If you're dumb enough to go get a computer from Best Buy you probably only need the computing power equal to an iPad anyway.
Silencer
September 18, 2010 at 4:48am
Kinda what I'm thinking. Smart PC shoppers usually buy elsewhere.
mtbulldog58
September 17, 2010 at 11:20am
I just had to buy a new laptop and I went to Best Buy to check it out. When I looked around they had low power notebooks that would not do what I want, or that had bad resolution.
So ya for the low power stuff that they had a ipad is not a huge drop in what they can do and seems to be the reason that they cant sell notebooks.
aviaggio
September 17, 2010 at 11:16am
The notion is absolutely ridiculous. The iPad is not a replacement for a notebook. Anyone in the market for a notebook isn't going to look at the iPad and go "hey, for the same amount of money I can get this thing that uses a phone OS and won't run any of my programs -- yeah, let's get it".
Just because notebook sales are down doesn't mean it's due to people buying something else. Maybe it's just cause people are broke and don't have any money? Y'know, the crappy economy thingy that's been going on?
riopato
September 17, 2010 at 10:19pm
This economy sucks! Leave it to Apple to take advantage of it and promoting a product that no one really needs by labeling it as a notebook replacement. Because who wants to buy another distraction device?
Trendecide
September 17, 2010 at 1:00pm
Have to agree that the statement is BS... or am I the only only one who doesn't know a soul who owns an iPad... hell I've never even seen one yet.
The economy's in the toilet at the moment... of course PC sales are down. Real estate and auto sales are down too.
Blues22475
September 17, 2010 at 12:46pm
Also Notebook sales is down in general so I don't see how this statement is true.
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