Ondrej Holzman Recent financial results confirmed an unfortunate trend that Apple still hasn't managed to kick-start iPad sales again. While iPhones are constantly breaking records and are the clear driving force of the company, iPads are falling quarter after quarter. One reason is that users don't need a new tablet nearly as often.
Since 2010, Apple has introduced a dozen iPads, when the first iPad was followed by other generations, later with the iPad Air and a smaller variant in the form of the iPad mini. But even though the latest iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 4 are great pieces of hardware and have the best technology Apple has, it leaves users cold.
Latest company survey Localytics showed, that the iPad 2 remains the most popular iPad even after more than four years on the market. The collected data comes from more than 50 million iPads, of which one fifth were iPad 2s and 18 percent were iPad minis. Both are more than three years old devices.
The iPad Air, which was a rather crucial turning point in the life of the original iPad, finished just behind them with 17 percent. However, the latest iPad Air 2 and iPad mini occupy just 9 percent and 0,3 percent of the market, respectively. The very first iPad from 2010 captured three percent.
The above data only confirms the long-term trend that iPads do not follow a cycle similar to that of iPhones, where users often replace their phones once every two years, sometimes even after a single year. Users do not have such a need for iPads, for example due to the fact that even a device that is several years old is enough for them in terms of performance and also that older iPads tend to be significantly cheaper. The secondary market works much better here.
Apple is aware of this situation, but so far it has not been able to find a recipe to push the latest iPads to end customers. New features, such as a faster processor, improved cameras or a thinner body, are not appreciated by people as much as with iPhones, where endless queues stand for new models every year.
There can be several reasons. The purchase of a new iPhone is often associated with a contract with the operator, which ends after a year or two, which is not the case with the iPad. Many users also use the iPhone more often than the iPad, so they are willing to invest in it more often, moreover, hardware innovations tend to be more noticeable on the phone compared to previous generations than on tablets.
With iPhones, for example, it is known that the camera is improved every year, and higher operating memory with a faster processor will allow even smoother use. But the iPad often lies at home and is only used for content consumption, i.e. browsing the Internet, watching videos, reading books or occasionally playing games. At such a moment, the user does not need the most powerful chips and the thinnest bodies at all. Especially when he doesn't have to carry the iPad anywhere and only works with it on the couch or in bed.
The unfortunate trend should now be corrected by the iPad Pro, which will start selling on Wednesday. At least that's the plan of Apple, which believes that the biggest iPad in history will appeal to a large part of users and that sales and profits from the tablet division will go up.
It will definitely be at least an iPad, which Apple has not yet had in its offer. Anyone who so desires a tablet with a large, almost thirteen-inch screen and enormous performance, which will make it no problem to turn on the most demanding graphics tools and generally finally use iPads for essential content creation, should reach for the iPad Pro.
At the same time, the large iPad will be much more expensive than the smaller iPads, price-wise it will attack MacBook Airs and in more expensive configurations (mainly with surcharges for Smart Keyboard or Apple Pencil) even MacBook Pros, so if it succeeds with users, Apple will also get more money. More generally, however, it will be more important for him to be able to generate more interest in iPads as such and to be able to continue their development in the future.
The next quarter should tell about the success or failure of the iPad Pro.
Isn't it mainly because the iPad 2 was bought in very large quantities for schools and the like? That's why there are still so many of them. So I myself still own the first iPad, if only in a drawer. I'd like to get a newer one, but I'm afraid it would end up like the first one over time.
I'm not surprised at all.
I have an iPad2 myself and I don't intend to buy another one. I got an iPhone 6Splus instead. As a compromise, so that I no longer have to drag the iPad anywhere.
Cannibalizing its own products has never been taboo at Apple. They are not afraid of it, and thanks to it, they also grow.
Bullshit farts. The iPad is basically useless. Like any tablet. As long as Apple had a visionary 3,5-inch and then 4-inch iPhone, where you can cover 20 percent of the display with two fingers, iPads were still being sold. Now, when you finally have fairly normal diagonals, not even a dog can reach for a tablet. Who would bother with that. I have a Note 3. I was considering a tablet. I always rejected it. Poor portable junk. My mobile phone is enough for most things. Where I don't have enough, I use a laptop.
I had an iPad 4, but after buying an iPhone 6 Plus, I gave it away in my family, I no longer needed it for anything. As long as I had the iPhone 5, I used it daily.
I don't know until my iPad replaces my computer so I have no reason to buy a 3rd device. I have a 13 inch MacBook pro and a 6S plus so I see no reason why I should pay 20k for an ipad air2 that will have connectivity and have more than 16gb. I'd rather split the money between these two devices or buy an AW. I consider iOS 9 a big step forward, but until they add more features like picture in picture support for images, more applications for multitasking (which would be useful to create desktops like on a mac), accounts, etc. and equip the ipad with 3D touch and give it six iPhone design.