The war between Adobe (ADBE) and Apple (AAPL) over the latter’s refusal to integrate flash technology in its iPhone and iPad products is still heating up – but there’s no sign that it’s taking a toll on Apple’s red-hot iPhone and iPad.
In Apple’s March quarter, it crushed Wall-Street analysts’ expectations by selling an incredible 8.7 million iPhones, up 131% year-over-year.
The iPad has also seen strong early sales, crossing the 1-million unit sales mark in 28 days – a number that would have been far higher if not for the limited supply and slow geographical rollout.
And what I just noticed today is that iPads are actually selling for a premium on Amazon.com.
Amazon itself does not stock the Apple iPad. However, third-party sellers have gotten their hands on them, possibly buying them at Apple retail stores to sell them at a profit.
This isn’t at all unusual for hot consumer-electronics products. For example, the Nintendo Wii was selling at a huge premium on eBay (EBAY) and Craig’s List after its 2006 launch.
As of Friday May 14th, the 16 gigabyte Wifi-only model is selling for $599 and up, while the 64 gig version starts at $799.99.
These are $100 premiums over Apple’s own selling prices, even though it’s unclear whether Apple will honor the warranties on devices sold through nontraditional channels.
That doesn’t seem to matter to iPad-seekers though – both the 16 and 64-gigabyte iPads are clocking in the top 15 position on Amazon’s computer and accessories best-seller list.
The verdict – Apple’s products are so strong that consumers just don’t care about the lack of Flash compatibility in Apple’s mobile devices.
The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding looks like a big fat pile of cash for Apple.
Disclosure: long AAPL
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