Microsoft Kinect has been with us in the UK for 6 days now and 12 in the US. It’s clearly doing very well as Microsoft have revealed that it’s already past the 1 million sold mark which is an amazing achievement, and very well deserved.
A lot of blogs and internet types on Twitter are running with the following comparison:
iPhone = 74 days to 1,000,000 sold
iPad = 28 days to 1,000,000 sold
Kinect = 10 days to 1,000,000 sold
To me, this is a completely pointless comparison. Not only do these items sit in different areas of technology but there is also a significant price difference:
Kinect = £130
iPad = £429
At almost 3.5 x the cost, it’s hardly surprising that the iPad sales went a little slower is it? Plus Kinect is an add-on for the best selling console in the world which gives it a huge, ready (and easy) to engage sales base.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think Kinect is brilliant, I’m a huge fan of Microsoft and think most things Apple do are evil, but I don’t think these comparisons serve anybody well. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they negatively affect Microsoft as it makes them seem desperate to “beat” Apple, enough to use pointless data such as this. The kicker is that it’s nothing to do with Microsoft, it’s not Redmond putting these out but various bloggers and tech sites on the net…however Steve B et al will be on the end of negative effect on consumer mindshare.
Realistically, the only comparison that is anywhere near worthwhile is Kinect’s performance against Playstation Move…and I’m sure it will always win 
Cloudy with a chance of Licensing 