While we wait for the new iPad to officially take the stage in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook has just taken the opportunity to rattle off some impressive numbers for the company’s iOS devices. The company has sold a total of 315 million iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches, with a full 62 million of those iOS-powered devices being sold in Q4 2011 alone.
It seems as though 2011 was a banner year for iOS hardware too — of the 315 million devices sold in total, 172 million of those post-PC units were sold in 2011. With the new iPad just waiting in the wings, it’ll be interesting to see how much more traction Apple will be able to eke out in the tablet space.
These three product lines alone accounted for 76% of Apple’s Q4 2011 revenue, and a quite a bit of Apple’s big Q4 performance can be pegged on the iPad’s popularity. According to Cook, 15.4 million iPads were sold during that quarter, which eclipses the sales performance of nearly every other major PC manufacturer during that same time period.
Though their iOS business means big bucks for Apple, it’s unlikely that they will be giving up their consumer computer business any time soon. Rather, with updates like Mountain Lion on the horizon, they’re looking to bridge the gap between a more traditional computing experience and a new, more mobile one.
It’s certainly a savvy move on their part — Apple can start off slow by roping people into their ecosystem with their portfolio of mobile iOS devices, and bring them deeper into the fold by reducing the friction between iOS and their desktop operating system. A person who was content with an iPod Touch may be more likely to consider a Mac for their next computer purchase if the lines between the experience the know and the experience their computer brings starts to blur.