iPad Air Receives 50% Boost in Activations Over Black Friday Weekend

Wednesday December 4, 2013 7:49 am PST by Eric Slivka
A number of retailers have noted that the iPad Air was a top seller over the Black Friday shopping weekend, and new data from Localytics indeed shows that to have been the case. Localytics, which tracks the number of new devices showing up through its analytics network of over 20,000 apps and over one billion devices, saw a 51% increase in new iPad Air devices compared to the previous weekend.

localytics_black_friday_growth
The first-generation iPad mini also performed well, seeing 28% growth compared to the previous weekend, while the iPhone 5c came in third with 26% growth. All three products were available in significant quantities for the Black Friday weekend and in many cases saw steep discounts. Products with tighter supplies and lower discounts, such as the Retina iPad mini and the iPhone 5s, unsurprisingly saw smaller spikes in activations.
According to Localytics’ data, a whopping 51% more new iPad Air devices were seen than the previous week. This is due to a combination of factors, including Apple’s promotion of giving gift cards with purchases of the iPad Air and iPad Mini (but not iPad Mini 2nd gen) devices. This, combined with a smaller base of iPad Air devices and the novelty of the iPad Air (released on November 1st) resulted in the iPad Air dominating on Black Friday weekend. Apple’s older iPad Mini model finished second, and the iPhone 5c took third.
Data from Localytics of course does not include devices purchased over the Black Friday weekend but set aside as future gifts, suggesting that the spike in sales was likely even higher than shown in the data.

While Apple's iPad Air has seen strong sales in part due to its recent introduction and dramatically thinner and lighter design, the device has also benefited from a general surge in popularity for tablets, with 39% of consumer electronics shoppers over the Black Friday weekend indicating that they planned to purchase a tablet. Given the iPad's market-leading position and plentiful supplies of the iPad Air, it is unsurprising that the device saw strong sales over the weekend.

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Tag: Localytics
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Popeye206
78 months ago
Looks like the 5c is doing better than expected? I'm surprised the 5s wasn't up more… but this is also showing growth over previous weeks, so it does not show the relationship of what is strong sellers to begin with - in other words, a 15% growth in 5s sales may be more units than a 26% growth in 5c sales.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Chupa Chupa
78 months ago
Looks like people are buying iPads for themselves & lthe Andriod devices as gifts. :D. But these #s seem pointless in that rMini "growth" was likely limited by availability. The cellular models are still constrained.
Rating: 3 Votes
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AppleScruff1
78 months ago
The Galaxy S4 had a larger increase than the iPhone 5S but that doesn't mean that it sold more units, so the same may apply to the 5C.
Rating: 3 Votes
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El Hikaru
78 months ago
iPad Air

I want the pad air, but I know I will be fine with what I already have.
Rating: 3 Votes
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bjm2660
78 months ago
I think this means that many people aren't waiting until Christmas to play with their new toys.
Rating: 2 Votes
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bbeagle
78 months ago

The $100 GC from Target (and similar deals from other retailers) probably convinced a lot of people to buy one.


Right. Get the prices closer, and people realize that Apple is the better deal.

For cheapskates, Android is the only choice.
Rating: 2 Votes
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macduke
78 months ago
I feel bad for all the people who get first-gen iPad Minis for Christmas and either can't upgrade to iOS 8, or will likely see constant crashes and lagginess on iOS 8. iOS 7 is already slow enough on these A5 chips.
Rating: 2 Votes
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AppleMark
78 months ago

With these stats (and all stats) Apple needs to look at year-over-year sales not just weekend by weekend sales.


What makes you think that they are not?

I am sure they hire people to pay close attention to every inventory shift pattern.

Be it weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.
Rating: 2 Votes
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outphase
78 months ago
The $100 GC from Target (and similar deals from other retailers) probably convinced a lot of people to buy one.
Rating: 2 Votes
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bbeagle
78 months ago

Cheapskates don't buy discounted products from Apple either, do they?

Some people buy Android because they like the freedom. Not just because it's cheap.


Cheapskates buy cheap stuff. Android is cheap. Therefore cheapskates buy Android.

Non-cheapskates have a choice what to buy. I wasn't talking about non-cheapskates. Why bring them up?

What is this 'freedom' you talk about with Android? You're locked into the Android ecosystem when you choose Android. I think you've been brainwashed. You have freedom when you don't have either. Once you choose Android vs iOS, you're then locked into using their ecosystem, and only apps available for that market. There is no iOS -> Android emulator.
Rating: 1 Votes

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