Tablets are the most popular item on shopper’s holiday list, says a new research note from Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White. Numbers from the Consumer Electronics Association show that 39% of those shopping for consumer electronics during the Black Friday weekend were looking to purchase a tablet.
With Apple’s new iPad Air and Retina iPad mini having hit the market in recent weeks, Apple is well-positioned to take advantage of the surge in tablet interest, although the company has been struggling hard to ramp up production on the Retina iPad mini to meet holiday shopping demand.
White says the supplies for Apple’s own retail stores continue to improve, however 64 GB and 128 GB cellular models remain in tight supply.
Based on our survey across 38 Apple Retail Stores in the U.S. market, all Wi-Fi only models for both the iPad mini with Retina Display and first-generation iPad mini are readily available. Regarding Wi-Fi + Cellular models for the iPad mini with Retina Display, 64GB and 128GB models have very limited stock, while 16GB models are plentiful. For example, 47% of the Apple Retail Stores that we surveyed sold out the iPad mini with Retina Display 128GB models and 42% sold out 64GB models, while only 29% sold out 32GB models and 3% sold out 16GB models.
Availability of Wi-Fi only models of the Retina iPad mini remain stronger than cellular-capable models. Apple’s online store shows shipping estimates of 5-10 business days for all models.
