Analyst: Apple’s iPad is not the cause of sluggish PC sales

Millions of people snapped up the iPad over the past year as PC sales have simultaneously trended downward. Is there a correlation? Are more consumers ditching the traditional monitor, tower and keyboard combo for the compact simplicity of Apple’s ubiquitous tablet?

No, says the NPD Group. But another product may be to blame.

Based on the research firm’s utilitarian “Apple iPad Owner Study II report,” PC sales were barely affected by the release of the iPad: Just 14% of the tablet’s early adopters said they declined a PC purchase as a result. Moreover, that figure dipped to 12% over the holidays, says the study.

So, what exactly is hurting PC sales then? Stephen Baker, the Vice President of Industry Analysis at NPD, has a theory.

“The explosion of computer sales when Windows 7 launched, as well as the huge increase in netbook sales at that time, are much more to blame for weak consumer PC sales growth than the iPad,” said Baker. “The over $500 Windows consumer notebooks market is where PC sales have been impacted the most, with a 25 percent decline from October 2010 to March 2011.”

The group claims that Windows-powered notebooks under $500 experienced a 21% jump over the past six months, earning it the top spot in the notebook market.

The study also found that all those iPad sales were just icing on the cake for the market’s bottom line, as 75% of iPad buyers told the NPD they weren’t even looking for a new PC or notebook anyway.

“Overall,”  said Baker, “it appears that the vast majority of iPad purchases to-date have been incremental to the consumer technology industry.”

The iPad 2 was released on March 11th and quickly outperformed its predecessor, selling around one million units in its opening weekend. For reference, the original unit took four weeks to reach that same goal. Recent quality and supply issues, however, have led to a predicted shipment shortfall throughout the year.

Would you buy a tablet or notebook over a new PC if it was between one or the other? Maybe you already made that choice? Let us know in the comment section.