Paradigm shift for the youth with iPads?

There has always been a race for a US 100 dollar laptop to supply the masses and the under-privileged and while this dream is not yet a reality, it appears the emergence of the iPad will, nonetheless, be playing a part in making it possible for the underprivileged and poor to have access to a computer, the Internet and unlimited knowledge.

This is according to Christopher Riley, MD of The Notebook Company, one of the country’s leading notebook and accessories retailers – and a large supplier of iPads.

“Many people are saying iPads are just too expensive and will be beyond the reach of the masses. You can pick up an iPad for as little as US 400 dollars, but this is arguably still out of the reach of many. But the easy-to-use features and the Internet capacity of iPads are nonetheless changing the world of computing. As iPads become more ubiquitous and start to replace more and more laptops, we will see prices come down – and then we may see some paradigm shifts,” said Riley.

Indeed, Apple’s iPad has had a massive impact on the local market, so much so, that retailers in South Africa have noted an increase in sales of the device, which has led to the decline in the sale of PCs and laptops. Tablets aren’t killing personal computers yet, but they are making consumers think long and hard before buying laptops.

RILEY SAID IPADS HAVE CREATED A ‘PARADIGM SHIFT’. “IPADS HAVE GALVANISED THE SHIFT TO TABLETS, WHICH ARE FAST-BECOMING THE COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTON FOR THE MASSES. INDEED, IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE INVENTION AND ARRIVAL OF THE IPAD, THE PHENOMENON OF THE TABLET WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED.”

Consulting firm Gartner recently lowered its PC shipment forecast for 2011 and 2012, saying soaring sales of tablets will result in far fewer notebook and netbook sales over the next two years than originally expected. “We expect growing consumer enthusiasm for mobile PC alternatives, such as the iPad and other media tablets, to dramatically slow mobile PC sales,” said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner.

Gartner expects tablet sales of 54 million in 2011, up from 15 million iPads sold by Apple – alone – in 2010.