Piper Jaffray: 70 Percent of iPad 2 Users Are New

Written by Dave Courbanou 1
March 15, 2011

Here's a little stat that has carries a lot of weight: 70 percent of iPad 2 users are new, meaning they didn't own an original iPad. That's a staggering figure for the post-PC world, especially when you consider that the 70 percent represents not only a huge new base of iPad customers, but also a huge wave of adoption in general.

Here’s a little stat that has carries a lot of weight: 70 percent of iPad 2 users are new, meaning they didn’t own an original iPad. That’s a staggering figure for the post-PC world, especially when you consider that the 70 percent represents not only a huge new base of iPad customers, but also a huge wave of adoption in general. There are implications here that reach into the post-PC world we’ve been so fond of talking about.

A tip of the hat goes to CNN Fortune for reporting on some primary information from Gene Munster‘s team at Piper Jaffray, which physically walked the iPad 2 lines in New York City and Minneapolis and interviewed 236 buyers. Of course, 236 buyers isn’t exactly a cross-section of America, but it’s a decent poll considering the lines were likely 500+ people deep in those locations.

So why 70 percent? I could think of a few reasons: familiar environment, familiar apps, a user already in the Apple ecosystem with iTunes or iPhone and a hoard of people who held out for the camera. That 70 percent also represents people who weren’t phased by Android tablet offerings (but could just as well be enamored with Apple).

Consider, if you will, the base of users who are chomping at the bit for Android tablet. They’re not likely to be mom and dad. Honeycomb isn’t something that people are instantly familiar with, either. For a non-techie, even the layout can been intimidating. There also isn’t an easily accessible library of tablet-optimized applications on the Google Marketplace. And on top of all that, the ‘poster boy’ for Honeycomb tablets — the Motorola Xoom — is pricey by comparison.

But there are further implications beyond Apple taking the tablet prize.

That 70 percent represents a group of people who are confident enough in the usefulness of a device that they’re happy to plunk down at least $499 and be on their merry way. That should be a wake-up call to a lot of other industries looking for some secret sauce. It’s not just about Apple’s mojo, it’s about making something that does something and does it well. It’s about presenting a use case that appeals to everyone. It’s about making something that is innovative and paradigm-changing but not alienating.

Consider, if you will, that very few commercials for iPhone and iPad contenders show a user doing something fun. Just look at the latest iPad commercials versus the latest commercials for the Motorola Xoom, or Samsung Galaxy. They’re full of abstractions (Xoom turns you into a space capsule! But what have I learned about the device?), flashy graphics or unreasonable use cases (are you really going to take your 7-inch Galaxy Tab out to look up wine in the grocery store?).

Meanwhile, Apple carries on, its commercials simply showing app after app. Surely there’s at least one featured that will intrigue each member of the family watching the spot.

It’s not magic. It’s just common sense.

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