Apple iPad sales estimates are back in the news. Beginning in January, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty went out on a limb. She estimated Apple iPad sales for the 2010 year to be six million. The other analysts suggested around three to four million.
Next, an analyst estimating pre-orders on opening day reached over 120,000 units leading to stories that, Wintek, a supplier of early release IPS screens, may have potential delays making the touch panels. Even though Wintek publicly denied any troubles, ISuppli Corp suggested in January that LG Display and Chimei Innolux Corp are the likely companies to manufacture the screens.
The saga continues with The Korea Times reporting a few days ago that Samsung has reached a deal to manufacture LCD panels for the iPad. This $80 million deal is believed to be equivalent to 3 million display units.
Geek.com concluded and today published a statement that Apple may be preparing for sales of 13 million.
How will people use this new device?
Yesterday, ComScore released their report suggesting a mix of uses for the iPad.
Results also showed that iOwners exhibited very different characteristics and receptivity to the purchase and use of digital content than non-iOwners. 52 percent of iOwners said they were willing or very willing to pay for newspaper and magazine subscriptions specially formatted for e-readers, compared to just 22 percent of non-iOwners. Similarly, 50 percent of iOwners who also own an e-reader said they had spent at least $60 on e-books in the past three months compared to only 24 percent of non-iOwners. These findings suggest that those who are already familiar and comfortable with making digital content purchases via iTunes may have a relatively higher receptivity to making similar purchases for the iPad.
This mixture suggests the market may become spread across different lines – and – this may be why Apple iPad sales may be higher than analysts originally stated.