Apple has sold over 3 million iPads in less than 3 months. It is already making an impact on people’s online habits. Online web based magazine viewing from desktops has gone from a few minutes a month 
with magazines like Vanityfair.com at 2.1 minutes per month and 3.8 minutes per month at GQ.com (according to comScore) to over 60 minutes per monthon a Apple iPad for the online magazine Wired. This is due to Wired Magazine developing a well thought out iPad app and according to John Gapper from the Financial Times Blog
“it is the way that it re-imagines the entire magazine format by integrating words, data, graphics, photos and video into a seamless blend. It is also – in contrast to others – intuitive to navigate. Even the advertisements, complete with videos, seem interesting“.
The Wired Magazine iPad app is an example of industry best practice and sets a high bar in terms of offering a great reader experience.
So what are some trends that have emerged over the last 3 months since the Apple iPad went on sale in March.
1. It is creating a drop in Netbook sales
Netbook sales growth is declining for the first time ever with April figures dropping by 13%
2. iPad Internet Usage is closer to traditional PC’s
The viewing is not like smart phones such as the iPhone, Android and Blackberry where the top internet usage on an Apple iPhone at 18% compared to the iPad usage at 41%.
3. iPad is on schedule to be the the most popular mobile devices in history
The projected sales of 16 million units in the first 12 months (Morgan Stanley Research)
Source for the 3 charts businessinsider.com
4. iPad is becoming a ‘Gaming‘ platform
It is not only being used for productivity or media consumption with 4 of the top four paid appsbeing entertainment offerings including
- Scrabble for iPads
- Plants vs Zombies HD
- Flight Control HD
- Sketchbook Pro
5. People are willing to pay more for an iPad app than an iPhone app
This is due to the optimized user experience and convenience on the move, with iPad gaming apps averaging $3.52. Also 1% of iPad apps are charging a monthly subscription rather than a one off fee. If these trends continue you could see increased monetization of the web with people willing to pay for a better user experience on a portable platform due to its convenience.
What are your primary uses for your Apple iPad?
Written by Jeff Bullas
