The original iPad's huge sales figures over its first weekend of release made clear that Apple's tablet was a hit.
Since then, the iPad has gone on to become the dominant tablet computer on the market. You get a true picture of how dominant it is when you see how many have been sold, and how quickly those sales have grown. But the news isn't all good, as we'll see.
Apple releases these figures periodically (usually around its quarterly financial reports).
This list tracks the dates and totals of Apple's announcements of iPad sales (sales figures are cumulative sales all time, not for a specific period) and is approximate.
Cumulative iPad Sales, All Time
| Date | Event | Total Sales |
|---|---|---|
| March 21, 2016 | 308 million | |
| March 21, 2016 | 9.7-inch iPad Pro announced | |
| November 11, 2015 | iPad Pro released | |
| September 9, 2015 | 4th gen. iPad mini released | |
| January 2015 | 250 million | |
| October 22, 2014 | iPad Air 2 released | |
| October 22, 2014 | 3rd gen. iPad mini released | |
| October 16, 2014 | 225 million | |
| June 2, 2014 | 200 million | |
| November 12, 2013 | 2nd gen. iPad mini released | |
| November 1, 2013 | iPad Air released | |
| October 22, 2013 | 170 million | |
| November 2, 2012 | 4th gen. iPad released | |
| November 2, 2012 | 1st gen. iPad mini released | |
| September 21, 2012 | 84 million | |
| April 2012 | 67 million | |
| March 16, 2012 | 3rd gen. iPad released | |
| January 2012 | 50 million | |
| October 2011 | 32 million | |
| June 2011 | 25 million | |
| March 2011 | 19 million | |
| March 11, 2011 | iPad 2 released | |
| January 18, 2011 | 14.8 million | |
| September 2010 | 7.5 million | |
| July 21, 2010 | 3.27 million | |
| May 31, 2010 | 2 million | |
| May 3, 2010 | 1 million | |
| April 5, 2010 | 300,000 | |
| April 3, 2010 | Original iPad Released |
The iPad Sales Slump
While the iPad has sold a staggering quarter-billion units all time, there's been much discussion recently about the slumping sales of tablet computers overall and the iPad in particular. In the roughly two years between April 2012 and June 2014, Apple sold more than 130 million iPads. In the year and a half since then, the company has sold about 50 million units.
Fifty million iPads sold is still a huge number, but it's clear that iPad sales—and sales of tablets overall—are slowing down. There are a number of likely explanations for this, but some of the most common include:
- Smartphones—As smartphones get bigger—remember, the iPhone 6S Plus has a 5.5-inch screen; that's not far from the iPad mini's 7-inch screen—the need for tablets is less clear
- Upgrade Cycles—Many people upgrade their smartphones every 1-3 years. It appears that tablet upgrade cycles are much longer than that
- Competition From Laptops—As laptops become smaller and lighter, and sometimes cheaper, the need for tablets in some settings has become less clear.
The Great Big Hope: iPad Pro
In an attempt to combat this sales slump, Apple released the iPad Pro in Nov.
2015. The iPad Pro sports a 12.9-inch screen and a much higher price tag, a combination which Apple hopes will open or grow markets for the tablet (artists, industry, healthcare) and generate more money.
Whether the iPad Pro is enough to reverse the iPad's sales slide remains to be seen. Check this page periodically for updates to the sales figures above and the iPad's overall outlook.
