Reports have been circulating that the iPad mini has been taking away from sales of the full-sized iPad, but a new study by Morgan Stanley and AlphaWise found that this isn’t necessarily the case. The survey found that nearly half — 47 percent, to be precise — of iPad mini buyers are actually new customers.
The survey included more than 1,000 U.S. consumers and analyst Katy Huberty said that although iPad mini sales are cannibalizing some full-size iPad sales, concerns over this trend have been “overblown.” According to the survey, the iPad mini has accounted for 34 percent of planned iPad purchases, making the smaller iPad a “key demand driver” for the platform.
The poll also indicated that the iPad mini is attracting slightly less new users than the full-size 9.7-inch iPad: 47 percent of iPad mini buyers said they were new to the platform, but 56 percent of full-size iPad buyers said they were also new. As a result, Huberty said these numbers mean that the cannibalization risk that Apple faces with the iPad mini is “manageable.” Apparently ten percent is the magical difference that is the determining factor of whether or not one device is the cannibal of the cannibalized.
The survey also shows that Apple’s tablet base grew the fastest out of any company and its shipment share stayed flat at 50 percent. The survey also found again that Apple has the strongest retention rate in the industry, with 81 percent of iPad owners saying they would stick with Apple.
Of those who were polled who said they own a Kindle Fire, 7 percent said they planned to switch to an iPad, and 2 percent of Samsung tablet owners said they’ll buy an Apple tablet. Thirty-six percent of those who didn’t own a tablet said they are planning to buy an iPad.
