Apple’s mini iPad will fly off the shelves in South Africa says The Notebook Company

There has been a lot of pre-launch hype with regards to Apple’s mini iPad – as
there was with the Apple iPhone5. Much of the excitement – when the products
were actually launched – had already dissipated due to all the pre-press hype.
Nonetheless, these two products are sure to fly off the shelves around the world,
re-affirming Apple as the number one technology company in the world.

This is according to Christopher Riley, MD of local notebook and accessories
retailer, The Notebook Company – and a big supplier of Apple products.

Riley said said his company will be selling the iPad mini at between R5000 – R8
000, with stocks accepted to arrive in early November.

“The Apple iPhone 5s have been flying off our shelves and we have been battling
to keep up with the demand – and we are expecting no less of the Apple mini
iPad,” he said.

Riley noted that there would still, however, be a sustained market for the iPad 3
and iPad2s. “Demand has muted somewhat, but they are still stalwart sellers.”

Commenting further, Riley said the 7-inch mini iPad from Apple is viewed by
many market watchers as an attempt by the technology giant to combat – and
“beat-out” – competitors in the fast-exploding 7 inch tablet market.

“It is war out there,” said Riley, “but Apple still has a keen edge. Right now the
company has the Midas Touch and although they are allowing more hype to
permeate the market prior to launches – something they did not do in the past –
their products seem to be hitting the right buttons with users. Apple is just the
product users want.

Acer sales are up at The Notebook Company – is Acer making a comeback?

Sales of Acer laptops are enjoying a resurgence at The Notebook Company,  one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of notebooks and accessories – an occurrence that seems to be in synch with the launch of the company’s i5 dual core range.

Said Christopher Riley, managing director of The Notebook Company: “Acer seemed to have fallen off the radar screen some four years ago – well, certainly at our company, in terms of sales. But they appear to be back with a vengeance and are now giving the other ranges we offer a run for their money. This is since the company launched its i5 range.

“This might be a recovery strategy on their part, because the Acer Core i5 is hitting the market at $999 – and seems to be proving incredibly popular. It is currently giving our Apple range a run for its money,” said Riley.

Apple iPhone 5 shortage creates concern

What appears to be an increasing shortage of the Apple iPhone 5 is spooking Apple investors according to a recent article in the New York Times, with this shortage expected to substantially affect landed prices of the new units in South Africa.

Said Christopher Riley, managing director of The Notebook Company, one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of notebooks and accessories: “We went through sustained shortages of the last two Apple iPads – which had a marked impact on prices locally – and now the iPhone 5 is facing the same obstacles.”

The iPhone 5 is causing quite a stir – perhaps more than was anticipated – and the big question is whether or not end users will pay the premiums they are now facing due to the stock shortages, or whether they will, rather, opt for other smart phones.

”If users vote with their feet, this will have a certain impact on Apple’s revenue from the iPhone 5,” said Riley.

Commenting further, he said that if the stock shortage does affect orders for Apple’s iPhone 5, it is likely that the company’s revenue stream will, however, be significantly augmented with sales of its mini iPad.

“Apple’s less expensive iPad – the mini iPad – is expected to be launched in the next few weeks. Some market watchers believe this unit will hit the tarmac running with sales more than making up for any drag on revenue caused by the stock shortage for the iPhone 5,” said Riley.

But, as they say, time will tell.

Spike in sale of the top end i5 and i7 laptops

The Notebook Company, one of the country’s leading suppliers of notebooks and accessories, said there has been a spike in the sale of the top end Intel Core i5 and i 7 laptops during the past two months, posing the question whether or not this trend suggests that users are replacing their desktops with more powerful laptops – or whether it is evidence that increasingly mobile users are opting for more powerful laptops rather than tablets.

This is according to  Christopher Riley, CEO of  The Notebook Company – which also manages the Laptop.co.za and Notebook.co.za online retail sites.

“iPads are undoubtedly maintaining their popularity – and the Apple iPads are still, by far, our top sellers. But we are definitely seeing a spike in the sale of top end laptops, which is an interesting occurrence. It will be interesting to see how long this trend lasts. But our clients are certainly investing increasingly in more powerful laptops – particularly the i 5 and i 7.”

In the meanwhile Apple is reportedly getting ready to announce its iPad Mini. Word in the press is that Asian suppliers have started production on the 7.85 inch tablet, with Apple possibly sending out invitations as soon as the 10^th of October for the event – which has been pencil-marked for the 17^thOctober.

Riley believes that due to the fact that Apple is announcing such a slew of products this year – including the Mini Pad and the new i Phone 5 – there is likely to be  a “modicum of cannibalism of Apple sales”.

But while some market commentators might think that Apple is introducing too many new products too soon, Riley believes the move is giving users more options, and is likely to increase the allure of the company – from an investment point of view – rather than decrease it.

The Notebook Company - the first to sell the Apple iPhone 5 in SA?

The Notebook Company, one of the country’s leading suppliers of notebooks and accessories – said it is already taking orders for Apple’s new iPhone 5, saying sales could have a “material impact” on fourth quarter revenue for the company.

This was confirmed by  Christopher Riley, CEO of  The Notebook Company – which also manages theLaptop.co.za and Notebook.co.za online retail sites.

“We are already selling iPhones and we expect them to fly off the shelves.”  While the company is already taking orders for the iPhone, Riley said stock would be arriving in the first week of October, adding that prices would range from R11 000 – R14 000.

Riley said he expects the iPhone 5 to be well-received by local end users, saying that Apple has managed to make an “incredible phone even better”.

“There is no doubt about it, Apple has a jump on its competitors when it comes to the gee-whiz technology appeal. They are just pushing the right creativity buttons as far as users are concerned,” said Riley.

The iPhone 5 is slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 4 – which holds the title as the world’s most popular smart phone. But the new i phone 5 is said to be very light and thin - and is made of ultra-strong aluminum alloy with glass inlays.

“It is a feature-rich and attractive phone,” said Riley. “Inch-for-inch and gram-for-gram, it is going to be hard to beat – like its predecessor was.”

And the winner is – the Apple iPad

The iPad tablet from Apple is still the most popular tablet on the market – by far – and even the iPad 1 is on the wish list of some consumers before other new releases from Apple competitors, such as Samsung, Acer, HTC and Google.

This is according to Christopher Riley, CEO of laptop and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – which manages the Laptop.co.za and Notebook.co.za online retail sites.

Recent research shows that there is actually a low level of consumer consideration and expectation levels for a non-Apple brand, with more than 75% of ‘hot prospects’ (respondents that are keen to get a tablet) considering purchasing an iPad 2- and a further three in five people expecting to get one.

“Interestingly,” said Riley, “the next most popular tablets are actually out-of-date – and that would be the original iPad, the iPad 1, and the Samsung Galaxy tab. Both tablets scored a yes vote of just over 10% of those polled, who are  expecting to buy one”

According to research conducted by YouGov other tablet competitors – like HTC, Blackberry and Acer – do even worse.

While 77% of those ‘hot prospects’ polled appear keen to purchase an iPad 2, just 3% of these ‘hot prospects ‘expect to get a HTC, 2% a Blackberry, and only 1% an Acer.

Riley said sales of Apple iPads have accounted for 40% of his company’s total revenue so far this year. “Two years ago – before the Apple iPad arrived – Apple sales were more or less a blimp on our sales sheets.”

The Notebook Company launches tabletZ.co.za Online Retail Site to grow tablet sales

   

Notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – which manages Laptop.co.za and Notebook.co.za online retail sites – is to launch tabletZ.co.za site as part of a plan to capture more of the tablet market.

Christopher Riley, CEO of The Notebook Company, said tablet sales now account for the lion’s share of the company’s revenue, with Apple’s popular iPads leading the revenue stakes by “a long way”.

“The Notebook Company took ownership of the Notebook.co.za online site in 1997 when thin laptops were referred to as notebooks, similar to now when thin Laptops are called ultrabooks.  We then took ownership of the Laptop.co.za site during 2008 and started managing it in parallel with Notebook.co.za.

“For the past year we have been looking for the right online name to take our tablet business further – with some cyber squatters wanting up to R250 000 for some appropriately named domains. We thought long and hard before coming up with the name tabletZ.co.za – and it is now our new online name for tablets. Who knows, maybe we might release some tabletZ branded tablets in the future. ” Riley quipped.