iPad Culture in Australia

At the end of June, 2014, it was announced that Android, with devices such as the S series, the Nexus, and the Tab, had outstripped sales of Apple devices. This might sound like bad news for Apple, but the truth is that Apple had led the way in Australia for many years. Also, sales of Apple products were still on the rise, as Apple, and the iPad in particular, have dominated here for many years.

Apple are still selling millions of their iPads and their iPhones, and although Android have taken the lead in terms of individual products sold, Apple still make more money from sales than anyone else. This is because iPads are at the very head of the market, with only a handful of devices at the same price point as the iPad, and many others costing significantly less, sometimes half as much. The iPad sales actually slowed in 2014, with half a million less iPads being sold than were sold at the same time the previous year. There are still millions of these devices being sold every year though, which is a huge figure considering that the population of Australia is just about 23 million.

So why is the iPad so popular here? Why is it that they led the way for so many years, outselling all other devices that used the Android operating system, and only just falling behind? Simply put, Aussies love these device as much as the rest of the world, as the sales in Australia basically mirror the sales in every other country. Apple are geniuses when it comes to marketing and to creating a product that everyone feels they need. This is done through viral marketing, through endorsements and through product placement, which Apple are better at than anyone else. iPads are used in everything from sports punditry, to films, TV series and more. The majority of them can be seen in major US films and TV series, but as these have spread around the world, popular in all English speaking countries, that means that Aussies see them just as much as Americans do.

Apple are seen to be the best. This means that they can set their price high and know that their customers will never question it. It means they will always be seen as being better and more reliable than their many competitors, and that’s why Apple dominate in Australia and elsewhere.

Tablets in very are popular here for any reasons, but mobility is and always has been key. Aussies don’t spend a lot of time indoors, they like to get out and about, take a trip to the seaside, watch the local football or rugby game. This is a nation that loves the great outdoors, of which there is a lot to love, and one that also likes to relax. They’ll have a hard time taking their desktop or laptop out with them, but with iPads and iPhones they can surf the web wherever they are, they can chat with their Facebook friends as they unwind on the beach, they can play Farmville as they drink a cold beer in the bar and they can gamble on their favorite casino as they take a stroll around the park.

Gambling is key to the popularity of these devices, with online casinos being one of the most commonly visited sites for adult tablet owners in Australia. Gambling has always been rooted in Australian life, with slot machines (known as “pokies) in pubs and clubs and with casinos located in the biggest towns and cities. iPads give gamblers something they have never had before, the ability to gamble wherever they are, with everything from blackjack and roulette to all of the latest pokies available in their hands.

Sites like Royal Vegas Casino and Platinum Play, for instance, have seen a huge increase of mobile players joining up to their website in the last year, and this number is growing exponentially. The astute sites saw this rise as soon as it began, creating mobile versions of their casinos and ensuring they worked just as well as their main casinos and in some ways better. Those casinos, like the two mentioned above, are now reaping the rewards, and some reports suggest that there are now more users playing these sites through mobile devices than through desktops and laptops, something that would have seemed implausible as little as a couple of years ago.

iPads aren’t the only reason for this and the availability of 3G and 4G, along with cheap mobile data contracts, has also helped greatly. This means that you don’t need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to play on these casinos, you can turn on your iPad, boot up the app and begin playing. The only requirement is that you’re in a 3G or 4G area, which pretty much covers most major cities and towns in countries around the world.

The iPad may be lagging behind other devices in the last year or so, but Australia is a country that has always embraced this device and one that currently contributes a large share to Apple’s wealth, and that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.