14 DAY TRIAL // Back in September 2015 when Apple officially took the wraps off the iPad Pro, many accused the company of copying Microsoft and its Surface tablet, as the device came with support for a detachable keyboard that made it more of a productivity device.
But according to new statistics provided by research firm IDC, the new iPad Pro has managed to outsell the Surface tablet in the fourth quarter of 2015, thus showing that demand for hybrid devices which can be used as both a tablet and a laptop is on the rise.
iPad Pro versus Surface Pro
Apple sold a total of 2 million iPad Pro units during the quarter while sales of Microsoft’s Surface reached 1.6 million and posted an increase of 29 percent year over year.
"This quarter was unique as we had new detachables in the market from all three of the major platform players," said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers.
"Despite lukewarm reviews, the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as it was the top selling detachable, surpassing notable entries from Microsoft and other PC vendors. It's also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft. However, Google's recent foray into this space has been rather lackluster as the Android platform will require a lot more refinement to achieve any measurable success."
But despite the impressive iPad Pro sales, it’s not all just milk and honey for Apple. The Cupertino-based company’s tablet business dropped 24.8 percent year over year, so the new Pro model only managed to slow down this decline.
On the other hand, Microsoft Surface is on the rise and better sales are achieved with every new quarter, with the company hard at work on new models that are expected to be launched later this year. The Surface Pro is already selling better than the standard Surface 3, but at the same time, the Surface Book laptop is also experiencing unexpected success.