Apple still dominates mobile sales on Black Friday

Mobile devices are going to be a hot holiday gift item. That seems like a given, considering the number of gadgets and operating systems that have been released over the last few months just in time for the shopping season. However, despite the options, it looks like Apple is still on top.

Several first hand accounts of the traffic and purchasing statistics from Apple and Microsoft Stores are being conveyed – and reports show Microsoft still has a ways to go to challenge Apple.

Each year, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster and a team goes to Mall of America to examine traffic at the Apple and Microsoft stores. According to the report, Apple Stores continued their dominance despite the latest devices from Microsoft.

The Windows provider saw 47 percent less foot traffic than Apple. On top of that, shoppers bought 17.2 items per hour at the Apple Store compared to only 3.5 items per hour from Microsoft – none of those being the heavily publicized Surface Tablet. Meanwhile, Apple was selling 11 iPads an hour.

IT solution provider blog The VAR Guy also held a similar experiment on Black Friday where he spent time spot checking a Microsoft Store. According to a recent blog post, the new devices attracted few testers and even fewer buyers.

“During this one-hour store visit, The VAR Guy saw only three customers check out Windows Phone 8 devices, which are prominently displayed at the front of the store,” reads the post. “Imagine that: The busiest shopping day of the year. On Microsoft’s home turf. And nobody was really giving Microsoft’s smartphone strategy a look. Ouch.”

While this is a small sample size and the Windows Phone 8 and Surface Tablet are still young, it does show that the pressure is on for Microsoft. IT consulting firms can ensure that businesses that are looking to incorporate these devices do so successfully.