Laptop sales have halved, thanks to iPad, says Best Buy CEO

Best Buy CEO Brian Dun is claiming that the iPad has taken up to 50 percent of sales from laptops, as more and more people are buying gadgets, rather than high-dollar items.

The iPad is a success. Sure, we have known that for a while — ever since the doors opened the first morning that it was released and people were ripping other people’s fingers off to get a hold of one — but the iPad now appears to be such a success that it is making people turn away from more conventional forms of technology in favor of Apple’s tablet.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Best Buy CEO Brian Dun claimed that the iPad has cannibalized sales from PC based laptops by as much as 50 percent.

“People are willing to disproportionately spend for these devices because they are becoming so important to their lives,” Dun said. “We are really positioning the company to be the place where people can come and see the best of the connected world.”

As the holiday season approaches, Best Buy will continue to heavily stock the iPad, as well as other mobile gadgets, including a wide selection of smartphones and the Amazon Kindle. Best Buy also has plans to create an area in most of its stores to set up demos for the Microsoft Kinect and the Sony Move, as well as other video game accessories, further putting an emphasis on gadgets rather than larger ticket items such as 3D TVs, which have seen a large decline in sales from last year.

“It’s a very different environment now,” Stephen Baker, the chief electronics analyst for NPD said. “The real cool stuff now will be the tablets, e-readers and probably the higher-end digital cameras.”