Sales shocker
Apple has been tipped to sell more iPads than Macs in 2011, as one analyst has dubbed them ‘Macs for the masses'.
According to unofficial Apple blog, Apple Insider, Gene Munster, a prominent analyst with Piper Jaffray, has said he believes Apple's successful tablet will outsell the Mac next year.
He is believed to have previously predicted that Apple would sell around 14.5m iPads in 2011, but has now upped his estimate to a staggering 21m units.
"We believe the iPad represents a meaningful product category for Apple as a secondary computing device for those who already have a primary computer, a primary device for those who could not previously afford a Mac, and the first Apple product that will be a success in the enterprise. We see the iPad as the Mac for the masses," he reportedly said.
Munster said his prediction is based on three factors: International rollout, a boost in supply and distribution channels plus an increase in use in the enterprise sector.
He reportedly believes Apple's decision to sell its tablet in more retail stores, such as Best Buy will help drive sales, with rumours a deal with US super chain Target is pretty close.
The recent launch of the iPad in China and 5 Latin American countries is also expected to significantly boost sales figures. Munster said the tablet is more likely to be used as a ‘primary computing device' in such ‘price-sensitive markets,' as people who could not previously afford to buy a Mac scramble to get their hands on the latest Apple kit.
Interestingly Munster also reportedly thinks the iPad could potentially net its largest percentage of sales from enterprise customers, as Apple has already said over half of Fortune 100 companies are testing or using the tablet.
Despite a plethora of tablets expected to flood the market at any second, he reportedly believes that Apple will dominate 94 percent of the worldwide tablet market by the end of this year, with iPads accounting for an enormous 10.7m of the 11.3tablets sold this year.
Although many people have trashed Android's current potential as a tablet os, Munster is said to believe that Android 3.0, or Gingerbread, could become Apple's biggest tablet os rival.
