Piper Jaffray
analyst and Apple aficionado Gene Munster has weighed in with his iPad 2 launch prognostications. Munster is predicting that the tablet, which will be available nationwide this Friday, will see sales of 5.5 million units in its opening quarter. By comparison, the iPhone 4 sold roughly 8.4 million units during its opening quarter and the original iPad sold around 3.27 million units. “Generally, the length of the lines at Apple retail stores on launch day have been a helpful early indication of demand,” quips the analyst. “However, factors like online pre-orders, simultaneous international launches, weather, timing in the day and the day of the week can all impact a consumer’s willingness to go stand in line, but may not necessarily be indicative of immediate purchase intentions.” For these reasons, Munster believes that lines at retail locations selling the iPad 2 will not be as long as those from previous Apple device launches. Friday is the day, who’s buying an iPad Deuce?
