Apple announced some interesting iPad numbers today during their FY 13 third quarter results conference call.

Some of the notable numbers and points relating to the iPad included:

– 14.6 million iPads sold in Q3, down from the 17 million sold in last year’s quarter. The dropoff was attributed mainly to channel issues.

– On a brighter note, Tim Cook mentioned that year-to-date iPad sales are up an impressive 48%.

– 1.1 million iPads were sold into educational institutions in the quarter – a new record.

– Cook mentioned several blue-chip enterprises, including SAP and Nuvartis, that have deployed over 20,000 iPads each.

– The iPad was Number 1 in JD Power’s tablet satisfaction survey for the second year in a row (and the only two years this survey has been run).

– Latest figures show iPad still accounts for a massive 83% of tablet web usage share.

Overall this seems like a pretty strong set of numbers for the iPad, especially considering there have been no full, new iPad releases yet this year.

The latest tablet web usage report from the Chitika ad network shows the iPad with a significantly larger share than all its rivals combined. iPad has a huge 82.4 share, while the Amzon Kindle Fire is in a distant second place with just 6.5%.

Some other notable points that this chart highlights:

– The 82% is the same number as cited by Apple at their WWDC 2013 keynote event.

– Google Nexus tablets, considered to be among the most popular 7 inch tablets, have less than a 2% share.

– Microsoft Surface tablets are at well below 1%.

A report issued this week by the Canalys market research firm shows Apple surprisingly atop the list of the world’s biggest PC makers in Q4 of 2012. The clear reason for Apple’s position is that Canalys counts tablets as computers – unlike other major research firms like IDC and Forrester.

The chart above highlights that iPads make up the vast majority of Apple PC sales. It also highlights a few more staggering iPad numbers:

– Around 1 out of every 6 computers shipped last quarter was an iPad!

– Apple sold more than twice as many iPads as Dell sold computers of any kind last quarter

– None of the leading computer manufacturers shipped as many computers total as Apple sold iPads. HP’s number is 15 million – well behind the iPad on its own at 22.9 million.

Given the iPad’s massive adoption rate in the Fortune 500, its use for a huge array of business and productivity purposes, and its amazing versatility I think it makes perfect sense to count it as a computer. It’s incredible to think that the iPad itself, and the sort of tablet it is, did not even exist just a little over 3 years ago.

Image Source: 148apps.biz

Apple has announced their Q1 financial results this afternoon. These results actually cover the last 13 weeks of last year, ending December 29, 2012. And they include some very impressive iPad numbers of course.

A few numbers and statements that have caught my attention during the call (which is still going on) are these:

– 22.9 million iPads sold last quarter.

– 1.7 iPads sold per week

– “iPad mini has been a tremendous hit”

There was also a mention of the widespread adoption and rollout of the iPad in blue-chip financial organizations and in a diverse range of government organizations both in the US and abroad.

Ever wondered how big a business the iPad would be if it was a standalone company? Me either, but Fortune today shared one analyst’s report that says it would be huge. Huge as in it would slot right in at Number 98 in the Fortune 500 – ranking higher than household names like Nike,McDonalds, and many others.

And huge as in it would be one of the largest tech companies in the US:

According to a recent report from Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi, the iPad line brought in $32 billion in sales last year — accounting for just over 60% of all tablet sales — and will grow 75% in 2013 to $46 billion. With numbers like those, Sacconaghi estimates that would make the iPad business, on its own, the 11th largest tech company.

Those are certainly some crazy, impressive numbers – but I don’t imagine Apple is looking to hive off the iPad business anytime soon.