'Amazing' Demand May Have Fueled Sales of Up to 1 Million iPad 2s
Launch day at Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan (Source: BGR) Fortune provides a
nice summary of feedback from research analysts regarding the iPad 2 launch weekend in the United States, with the analysts weighing in with sales estimates ranging from 500,000 up to one million units.
Most analysts were cautious, fearing perhaps that whatever they wrote would soon be overtaken by an Apple (AAPL) press release. Most, like Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, stuck with 500,000 units. But Baird's William Power estimated that Apple sold "roughly 1 million" the first weekend, Wedbush's Scott Sutherland "wouldn't be surprised" by that number and Global Equities Trip Chowdhry thought Apple "may have sold" three times as many iPad 2s as iPad 1s its first weekend, which amounts to the same thing.
Launch supplies of the iPad 2 were obviously concentrated at Apple's own retail stores, where the longest lines were also seen. Headcounts at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan ranged from 1,200 to as high as 3,000 customers. Meanwhile, third-party retailers such as Best Buy with smaller stocks typically saw units sell out in just a matter of minutes at their stores.
For its part, Apple has yet to announce specific iPad 2 sales figures, although a spokesperson did issue a statement to The Loop calling demand "amazing".
"Demand for the next generation iPad 2 has been amazing," Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller, told The Loop. "We are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible."
Apple should be restocking iPad 2 units at its retail stores on a nearly-daily basis, but the timing of those shipments is unknown and potential customers may find lines as other shoppers seek to bypass the 3-4 week wait now in place for new online orders.
Popular Stories
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the "Capture Button." Codenamed "Project Nova," the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower - where the mmWave cutout...
Apple could be preparing to release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, based on a new report by DigiTimes. In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, the Taiwan-based outlet forecasts an uptick in Apple's share of the market owing to orders for a "small-size" iPad in the fourth quarter. From the report (see bold): In the...
Apple today released macOS 14 Sonoma, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS Sonoma has been in beta testing for several months, and it is compatible with the 2019 and later iMac, the iMac Pro, the 2018 and later Mac mini, the 2018 and later MacBook Pro, the 2019 and later Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio. The macOS Sonoma update can be downloaded for free on...