Even Professional Analysts Aren’t Sure How Many iPads Apple Sold Last Quarter

By

iPad Sales Estimates

As a publicly traded company, Apple submits its financial reports every quarter to let their investors know how well the company is doing. However, Apple is under no obligation to share specific financial results about each of the individual products it sells, data that it is still trying to protect via the court in the Apple v Samsung case in Northern California.

However, rabid interest in the specifics continues unabated. In a survey reported today, CNN Money asked 61 Apple analysts, 31 from Wall Street and 30 independent analysts, what their estimates were for specific device sales in the quarter that just ended on September 29, 2012. Turns out, the analysts estimates were all over the place when it came to predicting the number of iPads sold.

When averaged out, the Wall Street analysts put iPad sales at a little under 17.6 million units, while the independent analysts called it at 19.23 million units, a figure that is 9% higher. Even within the two groups, there were highly disparate numbers being bandied about, with a low of 14.8 million being submitted by both a Wall Street analyst as well as an independent. Two independents submitted the high estimate of 23 million.

Averaged across both groups, the analysts estimate comes out to about 18.38 million units sold, with a median of 18.13 million units.

What does this all mean? Well, until Apple reports its own sales numbers on the 25th of this month, not a whole lot. Except that Apple most likely sold a giant truckload of iPads in the last quarter.

Source: CNN Money

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.