Apple Sibling Rivalry: iPad's Toughest Competition in Q4 Was the iPhone

Apple Sibling Rivalry: iPad's Toughest Competition in Q4 Was the iPhone

Amazon's Kindle Fire has certainly proved a strong contender in the tablet market, but the iPad is still winning in that arena. For Apple's fourth quarter, though, the iPad's stiffest competition was actually its sibling, the iPhone.
In the last three months of 2011, Apple shipped 15.4 million iPads and iPad 2s, according to IHS. During that same period, Apple slipped from 64% of the global media market to 57%.
"Shipments of the iPad line fell short of IHS estimates in the fourth quarter as many loyal Apple customers devoted their dollars to shiny new alternatives," said Rhoda Alexander, IHS senior manager of tablet and monitor research. "However, the primary alternative wasn't the Kindle Fire—which debuted to solid sales in the fourth quarter—but Apple's own iPhone 4S smartphone. The rollout of the iPhone 4S in October generated intense competition for Apple purchasers' disposable income, doing more to limit iPad shipment growth than competition from the Kindle Fire and other media tablets."
Did you purchase a tablet or smartphone in late 2011? Which devices did you choose?