Apple sold more than 9 million iPad units during the past quarter, representing a 20% drop year-over-year. But since iPad sales have continued to drop this year, investors are turning their attention to Apple’s bread and butter, the iPhone, and not discussing the tablet. Tim Cook took offence to that during yesterday’s earnings call and pointed to the important role the iPad plays in attracting new customers to the Apple ecosystem (via AppleInsider).
Cook informed investors that the iPad drives a huge number of first-time Apple customers, particularly in emerging markets. For example, in China, 40% of those buying an iPad had never owned an Apple device before, the Apple CEO highlighted, adding that for 68% of iPad buyers it was their very first tablet.
Customer satisfaction is off the charts for the iPad Air 2, at 97%, according to a recent study published by ChangeWave, CFO Luca Maestri added. Furthermore, corporate buyer satisfaction stands at 95% for the iPad.
Next month, Apple will launch the iPad Pro, which will target business customers. A potential use case mentioned by Maestri is the new Bloomberg professional app, which allows more than 325,000 financial professionals to access market data and trading tools.
The launch date of the iPad Pro is still unknown, although some whispers hint at November 19. According to a fresh rumour from Apple’s supply chain, the company took a rather conservative approach with the new tablet, ordering less than 2.5 million units for the holiday season.
