The iPad has sold millions since its launch in April, which Microsoft says is nothing compared to Kinect’s future success.
Microsoft is either setting itself up for a huge amount of success with Kinect, or an embarrassing failure. The device’s creative director and number one cheerleader Kudo Tsunoda is predicting sales that will beat out even the popular iPad.
Though the company line states that Kinect will sell 3 million, Tsunoda thinks it’ll also flat out beat Apple’s almost-a-laptop. “The pre-orders have been really strong,” he said in an interview with Gamasutra. “As far as what we’re looking at for holiday, this is going to be stuff that’ll blow away any of the sales you’ve seen with iPad.”
The iPad, released on April 3, sold 300,000 units on the first day and has been moving around 1 million units per month since. The Xbox 360 system itself sold around 350,000 last month.
For Kinect to beat the iPad, and to “blow it away” no less, it’ll have to triple those numbers. Even with its unexpectedly high price tag of $150, Microsoft thinks Kinect will burst onto the scene.
“The Xbox 360 is already selling better than the Wii and Sony right now,” Tsunoda continued. “Kinect’s really just going to boost that to a whole new level.”
What strikes me most is the pure confidence, and dare I say arrogance on Tsuoda’s and Microsoft’s part. You don’t make statements like this unless you know something. If pre-orders are really strong enough to support claims that Kinect will sell more than 1 million units per month, all I can say is that Justin Bieber must have done his job.
Source: Gamasutra
