iPad rapidly replacing iPod as people's first Apple product

Remember those times when the iPod used to create so much excitement in the entire neighborhood just because it was an Apple product? Well, apparently, times have changed. According to a report titled “Apple Ecosystem Study” by market research firm NPD, the more-recent iPad is slowly replacing the age-old iPod as the average household’s first Apple product. The report investigates into what kinds of consumers are buying which kind of products and why. Considering the fact that the ubiquitous iPod is considered the grandfather of all Apple products, the fact that the iPad is already eclipsing it despite being launched only recently, clearly shows the success of the iPad in appealing to its target demographic.

Although Apple’s tablet offering is certainly popular among Apple fanatics and those who already own an Apple product, a growing number of households claim the iPad as their very first Apple-made device. Over 25% of iPad owners state that it is their first Apple device, as compared to 69% of American households that claim that the iPod was their first Apple device. Although the figures have a wide gap between them, NPD claims that the iPad’s trajectory is such that it may overtake the iPod in a while.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the tech giant has sold 67 million iPads till date since its release 2 years back. He adds that it took Apple 3 years to sell that many iPhones, 5 years to sell that many iPods and 24 years to sell that many Macs. These stats explain how powerful the iPad is as a product.

In the race to become best-selling product, the age-old iPod has a 10-year head start on the 2-year old iPad. However, at this rate, the iPad may overtake the iPod in total sales, in just a few years.