Apple sold millions of original iPads in just a year, an impressive feat by any standard. The tablet form was a totally new type of device for most of those buyers, who realized it fit the way they lived. While it may have been considered a fad in the beginning, one of the statistics coming to light about the iPad 2 launch puts that notion to rest once and for all. Of the hundreds of thousands of iPad 2 devices sold in just a day or two, 70 percent of those are reported to be to new buyers.
That number is significant, as it proves that a tablet is what lots of consumers want. While those upgrading from the original iPad could be written off as Apple fanboys, and detractors certainly will, the number of new buyers plainly indicates that is not the case. People want tablets, and that is not going away any time soon. That is why the competition is rushing to market with tablets. Whether they can compete with the iPad 2 is another thing.