iPad ‘cannibalising’ laptop sales, US retailer says


17 Sep 2010

iPad sales had an impact on laptop sales by as much as 50pc, the head of the US retailer Best Buy has indicated.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn said internal research showed that half of potential laptop buyers bought an iPad instead of a laptop.

As a result, Best Buy said it will expand iPad distribution to all of its 1,093 US stores.

“People are willing to disproportionately spend for these devices because they are becoming so important to their lives,” Dunn said.

“We are really positioning the company to be the place where people can come and see the best of the connected world.”

Dunn also believes that iPads, Amazon Kindle e-book readers and motion-sensing gaming add-ons, such as the PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Kinect, will prove to be big sellers for Christmas.

The retailer has announced sales of $11.3bn and profits of $2454m for the second quarter.

Best Buy pushed profits up by 61pc, though sales in established stores were flat.