Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty today issued a note claiming evidence that the whole notebook industry is shrinking due to the iPad. She pointed to NPD data from August which showed retail notebook sales having declined year-over-year for the first time. Notebook sales had started falling rapidly in April, when the iPad first shipped.
The researcher also referenced Best Buy chief Brian Dunn’s observation that the iPad had cut his notebook sales in half, although the Apple device had ultimately led the portable computing category to an increase at the retailer.
Intel has been conservative with performance in the netbook category and has seen relatively little gain over two years. Then again it coulb be the climate of the economy.
No matter the effect, Huberty expected tablets to have a deeper impact over time. Wider iPad distribution as well as the launches such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab may produce a “tablet cannibalization” effect that leads some to skip on notebook purchases, she theorized.
Update
Best Buy CEO, Brian Dunn, says his remarks “were not an accurate depiction of what we’re currently seeing.” Click here for the rest of the story.
