U.S. tablet sales, excluding iPad sales, totaled more than 1.2 million units sold from January through October and brought in $415 million in revenue at retail, according to leading market research company The NPD Group’s monthly Connected Handhelds Report.
Total tablet industry sales, for both hardware and accessories, brought in nearly $700 million.
Tablet hardware sales accelerated throughout the year with each quarter performing better than the prior quarter. Third quarter sales were two times that of second quarter sales and second quarter sales were three times better than first quarter.
MacDailyNews Take: For comparison, during the same period, January through October 2011, Apple sold 25.06 million iPads at an average selling of $600, bringing in $12.636 billion, with a “B,” at retail during which, for long periods, iPad supply was severely constrained with daily lineups at Apple Retail Stores for many weeks.
“If you look at the tablet market without Apple there are a number of high-profile brands vying for that number two spot,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD, in the press release. “According to NPD’s Consumer Tracking Service, 76 percent of consumers who purchased a non-Apple tablet didn’t even consider the iPad, an indication that a large group of consumers are looking for alternatives, and an opportunity for the rest of the market to grow their business.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, puleeze. The sales “increase” was due to a spike caused by frenzied bottom-feeders as they fed on failed products (HP’s defunct TouchPad being the prime example) that were liquidated during the quarter at significant losses. Not taking these iPad-inflicted liquidations into account is a failure in NPD’s “analysis” of the pretend iPad market. The reason why HP’s dead-end TouchPad “outsold” all of the other poor-selling fake iPads in the U.S. is precisely because they were liquidated in a $99 end-of-life fire sale.
“The market is filled with long-time PC and phone brands as well as low-cost entrants,” stated Baker. “With a limited amount of shelf space and challenges in overcoming the iPad’s first mover strength, not all brands will be successful.”
MacDailyNews Take: That much, at least, is correct.
Top 5 U.S. Tablet Brands (excluding Apple) Retail Sales Jan-Oct 2011
Source: The NPD Group, Inc.
Related articles:
There is no tablet market: Why consumer experiences matter – September 6, 2011
HP’s $99 TouchPad fire-sale burns Apple’s iPad foes – August 31, 2011
There is no tablet market, only an iPad market – August 24, 2011
Apple’s iPad, iPhone take victory laps – August 21, 2011
More blood on Apple iPhone’s and iPad’s touchscreens: HP discontinues webOS phones, tablets – August 18, 2011
As Apple iPads sell like hotcakes, mountains of unsold tablets pile up in channel – August 15, 2011