The iPad may not be cannibalizing Mac sales, but it’s putting the smackdown on the entire PC market — and not just networks, UBS analyst Maynard Um told clients in a note today — as reported by “All Things D” (http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100908/forget-netbooks-ipad-cannibalizing-entire-pc-industry/?mod=ATD_rss).
“Sales of traditional notebooks appear to be feeling pressure from the iPad, causing a scramble by vendors to launch iPad-like tablets,” Um says. “We believe that a majority of this impact is occurring on the lower end of PC sales as the iPad is priced close enough to this range that it becomes attractive to consumers looking to make purchases within this segment. We are not sold that the iPad is purely cannibalizing PC sales, as the functionality of the iPad can not yet fully match the functionality of notebook PC’s. However, consumers who purchase iPads may be more willing to delay purchases and upgrades of existing PC’s.”
He expects this trend to continue into 2011.