iPads not killing off PCs… yet

Nicole Kobie October 4, 2010

Apple’s iPad isn’t about to kill off the PC market, according to a study from the NPD Group.

In the three months after its launch, Apple sold three million iPads, and is expected to ship double that by the end of the year, as rival manufacturers such as Samsung start shipping their own tablets.

Most iPad sales are likely to be incremental additional technology devices in the home, rather than a one-for-one replacement of a planned purchase

The stats from NPD showed only 13% of iPad owners picked up the Apple tablet instead of a desktop or laptop computer.

More iPad buyers opted for the device instead of an eBook reader, with 24% upgrading to the tablet instead of buying a device such as Amazon’s Kindle.

“Early adopters, like iPad owners, follow a traditional pattern of consumer behaviour; they purchase products because they want them, not because they need them,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD.

Pressure ahead?

However, as the device grows in popularity and becomes more of a mainstream product and less of an early adopter pick, other device formats such as netbooks and laptops might start to feel pressure, he predicted.

“Until then, however, most iPad sales are likely to be incremental additional technology devices in the home, rather than a one-for-one replacement of a planned purchase,” he noted.

NPD found the tablet computers were being used to watch YouTube videos, movies and TV, as well as read eBooks. “That type of iPad usage behaviour is a dagger at the heart of the usage model for netbooks and secondary notebook computers,” said Baker, noting consumers felt “warm and cuddly” about their iPads, and spent a fifth of their time using them while curled up in bed.

NPD also revealed that many iPad owners were Apple buyers already, with 48% owning a Mac computer of some sort and 38% owning an iPhone.