Apple Continues to Sell the iPad 2 Because Customers Are Still Buying ItSome observers may have wondered why Apple would continue to sell the iPad 2 for $399 after announcing the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini on Tuesday. The answer, according to new research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, is because customers are still buying the two-year old tablet. The iPad 2 accounted for some 22 percent of iPad sales in the September quarter, down significantly from prior quarters, but it appears there is still more than enough demand for a cheaper, full-size iPad, particularly for the education sector. "Despite this quarter including back-to-school sales, the iPad 2, which accounted for a third of sales for the prior six months, seems to have started to show some age, after several strong quarters," said Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "Yet, the iPad Mini continued its relative share in the past few quarters, as customers seem to continue to like it as a low-price tablet alternative."The full-size iPad 4 remained the most popular iPad in the quarter, accounting for nearly half of total sales in the U.S., while CIRP says the iPad mini tallied about a third of sales. Apple's new iPad lineup sees the older iPad mini starting at $299, the new Retina iPad mini and the full-size iPad 2 available for $399, and the new iPad air beginning at $499. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Tesla Motors Hires Doug Field, Apple's VP of Mac Hardware Engineering, to Lead New Vehicle Development • Chat-Like OS X Email App 'Unibox' Now Available in Mac App Store • Vine Updated With Video Editing Options, Draft Saving • TiVo Updates iOS App with Out of Home Streaming and Downloading for Roamio Boxes • Adobe Flash Player Now Sandboxed in Safari on OS X Mavericks • Recent Slingbox Devices Updated with Support for AirPlay and Apple TV • Wi-LAN Loses Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Apple • Logic Pro X Updated with Support for GarageBand 10 Project Files
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/24/apple-continues-to-sell-the-ipad-2-because-customers-are-still-buying-it/
