One other fascinating number out of today’s Apple earnings call shows that the slide in iPad sales appears to have been halted. The entire tablet sector had been weak for the past several years, and unit sales of the iPad were indicative of the condition of the entire tablet market. This last quarter, though, iPad sales jumped 27 percent over the previous quarter and 1 percent over the same quarter in 2017.
The revenue numbers for iPad were down slightly year over year (-5 percent), which could be the result of the 2018 iPad’s lower entry price point. At $329 for a 32GB unit that supports Apple Pencil ($299 for educational purchases), it’s no surprise that the iPad sales numbers climbed so steeply between the second and third fiscal quarters.
June quarter sales of iPads were unusually high in China, and Luca Maestri noted that the majority of iPad purchasers were new to iPad. Enterprise purchases are growing significantly, with Maestri mentioning that iPads are being used in businesses as varied as railroads, financial services, and automotive sales.
