Apple Looking Forward to Successful iPad Holiday Season

The iPad Air has now been officially launched, and it is pretty clear that Apple hopes this new thin design will be the hit of the Holiday season. One of the best ways the company can ensure that it is indeed the most popular gadget of the winter is by having enough units available to buy. So far, it appears that Apple has put out enough units to retailers that there won’t be an official shortage. There is some discussion that the number of iPad Airs being sold could be affected by the late arrival date of the new Retina Mini.

While Apple hasn’t actually released early sales numbers for this new device, all signs point to a pretty successful run. The iPad Air is available in more countries (42 compared to 34) at the initial launch, compared to the iPad 4. The device was also made available in China at launch. That particular feature was overlooked at the launch of the iPad 4 and probably caused some real problems when it came to racking up sales.

The supply for the iPad Air seems to be good enough that lead times on the Apple website is usually sitting at 24 hours. That’s good for customers who want the device as soon as possible. It’s also good for the company because it’s not scaring customers away.

When it comes to sales, Apple is going to be helped by the fact that tablets in general are not losing any steam. A new report surfaced at the end of October that shows that tablet shipments have increased by more than 50 percent in 2013 when compared to 2012. As long as Apple can continue to make sure to have a good supply of iPad Airs available, it is certainly going to benefit from the ongoing popularity of tablets. When the new Retina display iPad Mini hits the market later this month, Apple could indeed see a very successful Holiday season.