The numbers are in after Apple's quarterly report and the iPad is not where it should be.
In the quarter ending in June, Apple had shipped 13.2 million iPads, about eight percent short of what the company recorded in the previous year and lagging behind Wall Street forecasts of at least 14 million. The number of iPads sold is still nothing to sneeze at but total sales also fell short of Wall Street expectations for the second consecutive quarter, although it accounted for 15 percent of Apple's revenues.
Four years ago, Apple was responsible for bringing tablet usage to the forefront when it released the first iteration of the iPad. The company has sold 225 million units since then and Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, is pleased. The iPad may have failed to live up to expectations this quarter but it is at a point beyond anyone at Apple could have imagined at the time of the tablet's launch. Cook is also confident that there is still a lot of room for growth for the tablet category, saying Apple still has big plans for the iPad.
"What's most important to us is that customers are enjoying their iPads and using them heavily. In a survey conducted in May by Changewave, iPad Air registered a 98 percent customer satisfaction rate, while iPad mini with Retina display received an astonishing 100 percent customer satisfaction rate," adds Cook. A survey of those planning to buy tablets within 90 days also show more than half are planning to go with an iPad.
The partnership with IBM seeks the creation of secure business apps that will highlight Apple's hardware and services alongside IBM's expertise with business software. Apple already has a presence in 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 93 percent in the Global 500 list so it's not like corporate businesses haven't noticed the iPad. However, a deeper look into the business market reveals that penetration for tablet devices is only at 20 percent, while notebooks are enjoying more at over 60 percent.
This shows Apple has a lot of ground to cover and this interest in tapping into the business market is one of the reasons behind the company's partnership with IBM. Analysts believe Apple will stand to benefit more from the partnership but Cook says there is no competition, only mutual realization of the importance of the customer.
