Apple May Sell 600,000 IPad 2s in Debut, Outpacing First Model
Apple Inc. (AAPL) may sell 600,000 of the second version of the iPad when it debuts this weekend, extending the device's lead in a crowding market. — The iPad 2 goes on sale on Apple's website at 4 a.m. New York time …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple's first tablet established a high launch benchmark, with more than 300,000 units sold on its first day and two million sold in under 60 days. That makes the reported iPad 2 debut estimate a test of whether Apple can accelerate an already proven product line rather than merely repeat its first launch.
Apple has opened iPad 2 ordering with two-to-three-week delivery estimates, while its March 11 release intensifies pressure on Motorola's Xoom. A report the prior week that Apple was preparing 12 million iPad 2 shipments for the spring adds a supply-scale backdrop, though the 600,000-unit debut figure remains unconfirmed.
First-order effects
- Apple's online buyers face a two-to-three-week delivery window, concentrating immediate availability in launch-day channels and extending demand beyond the first weekend.
- Motorola's Xoom faces sharper pressure as Apple brings its updated tablet to market against evidence of strong iPad launch demand.
Second-order effects
- A debut above the original iPad's first-day sales would raise the volume benchmark for tablet rivals in a market the report describes as crowding, making launch execution and product availability more consequential.
- Apple's reported spring shipment plans and online delivery backlog put its fulfillment capacity at the center of the iPad 2 rollout rather than treating the launch as a one-day retail event.
Third-order effects
- If successive iPad launches continue to outpace the first model, the tablet market is likely to organize around Apple's ability to convert demand into large-scale shipments, forcing challengers to compete for attention before their products reach broad availability.
The trend: The iPad 2 launch is an early sign that tablet competition is shifting from proving consumer interest to matching the scale, timing, and distribution of the category leader.