iPad Outpacing Macs, Froyo To Challenge iPhone

Apple is going places with iPad and iPhone OS. The company is expected to ship 24m next generation iPhone units by the end of 2010. That does not even include iPad. Considering that the company may be selling about 200,000 iPad units each and every week, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Apple to sell close to 10m iPad units (knowing that analysts have had to raise their iPad sales estimates a few times already). RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky believes that it’s possible for Apple to sell at least 8m iPad units by the end of 2010:

We believe Apple is now selling >200k iPads/week, greater than US Macs (est. 110k Macs/week) and just below US iPhone 3GS first quart (246k/week).

The iPad is well on its way to outselling Macs in the future. Can it cannibalize Mac or iPod sales? That’s what many analysts have been pointing to when faced with the above, rosy sales estimates. One has to wonder how Apple’s refusal to put Flash on iPad will affect iPad sales. While Flash is not a deal maker or breaker by itself, Apple iPad fans still want to see it on their devices.

It would be too easy if Apple had it all its way. Google has raised up the ante with Android 2.2 (Froyo). The blogosphere is now filled with tech bloggers who are saying goodebye to their iPhones and picking up Android smart-phones with “superior” mobile OS. The new Android OS does have its merits, but it is not without its flaws either. Besides, we have been here before. After every software release or major development, a few bloggers over-dramatize things. That does not mean iPhone OS is doomed by any means.

Apple does need to finally think about bringing the iPhone to other carriers. That is becoming a huge issue for iPhone fans. AT&T may be a decent wireless carrier. Regardless, consumers want to have options. AT&T has still not delivered “tethering” that it promised us quite a while ago. It’s time for Apple to move on and bring its smart-phone to as many people as possible. To those so-called experts who have said Sayonara to iPhone (to go with Froyo), right back at you!