AAPL vendio 3 millones de iPads a pesar de la tormenta durante el fin de semana. Mucho mas de lo esperado, no tuvieron suficientes para satisfacer la demanda.
Los analistas esperaban que vendiera de 1 millon a 1 millon y medio.
Apple Sells 3 Million IPads Amid Storm-Hit Weekend Tablet Debut
By Adam Satariano - Nov 5, 2012 8:36 AM ET
Apple Inc. (AAPL) said it sold 3 million units of its iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad during the debut weekend, saying demand for the smaller version of its tablet outstripped supply.
“Demand for iPad mini exceeded the initial supply and while many of the pre-orders have been shipped to customers, some are scheduled to be shipped later this month,” Cupertino, California-based Apple said today in a statement.
Apple began selling the 7.9-inch tablet in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries on Nov. 2, ramping up an effort to fend off competition in the market for tablets, which NPD DisplaySearch predicts will more than double to $162 billion by 2017. Amazon.com Inc., Google Inc. (GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are vying for share with their own version of tablet computers.
Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos. (PJC), said the company would sell 1 million to 1.5 million. Walter Piecyk of BTIG Research said the company needed to sell 3 million units of the iPad mini to demonstrate adequate demand.
New Yorkers looking to buy the latest iPad had fewer stores to shop in after Hurricane Sandy resulted in power blackouts and hobbled transportation. Apple closed two of its five New York stores as well as some in New Jersey because of the damage. Even so, the 5th Avenue store sold out within a few hours after almost 600 customers lined up, according to Brian White, an analyst at Topeka Capital Markets.
Wi-Fi Only
People who ordered online are experiencing delays. Shipments for the iPad mini are held up about two weeks, according to Apple’s website. The company doesn’t report orders made from the website until they are delivered, according to regulatory filings.
The first models on sale worked only with a Wi-Fi wireless connection, with versions that connect to the data networks of phone carriers coming about two weeks later, Apple said. The iPad mini costs $329 to $529 for the Wi-Fi model, and as much as $659 for models that connect to data networks.
Piecyk of BTIG said Apple should have sold 3 million “at a minimum,” given the price and number of markets where it’s available.
Apple also released an updated version of that bigger iPad on Nov. 2. The 9.7-inch model comes with a more advanced chip set and prices start at $499.
To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at
asatariano1@bloomberg.net