With Apple’s iPad scheduled to go on sale on April 3, a new report indicates there may be strong pre-order demand. This could mean the iPad is on the verge of being a breakthrough product for tablet computers.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that, according to unnamed sources, pre-orders have totaled “hundreds of thousands of units,” which could also indicate that the iPad will challenge the iPhone’s phenomenal debut. However, it’s not clear if these reported pre-orders are actual sales or simply non-sale reservations for later pickups.
Arranging Content for Launch
To help drive sales, Apple is reportedly working overtime to make as many arrangements as possible for media content. This includes deals with publishers of newspapers, magazines and textbooks, as well as with TV networks and Hollywood studios.
Apparently, though, Apple is running into resistance from the print publishers, some of whom are wary of cutting into their existing revenue. The Journal said Apple is “backburnering” its negotiations with print publishers and focusing more on such media content as TV shows.
Industry analysts are generally bullish on the iPad’s prospects. For instance, Current Analysis’ Avi Greengart said he expects the iPad’s long-term sales prospects will be strong, because sales will increase as the initial price points inevitably drop.
“If these numbers from the Journal’s sources are correct,” he said, they could indicate that the market for early adopters of this new product could be “bigger than expected.”
Clear Value Propositions
The iPad, Greengart said, “is the first tablet product that has a clear set of value propositions,” so price is the main issue. He said these values include web surfing, media consumption such as movie watching, reading e-books, and access to the more than 100,000 applications available for the iPod touch, “without modification.”
In addition, he expects we’ll soon see “a huge number” of apps that…
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
