I think it's actually good that Apple has neglected the Mac for a while. The longer people have to wait buying a new model, the more they're willing to actually do so. There'll be more and more excitement for new Macs for sure. Think about it, there's a lot demand for that rumoured new MacBook Pro with OLED bar. I don't think people would be as excited about a new MacBook if Apple would've released it just a year after the previous model. It may not be intentional, but I see this as a pretty good marketing strategy. At the same time it is kinda sad that they haven't released any minor upgrades whatsoever.
As for the Apple Watch I don't really agree. It's a fact that the watch is doing great at this point. Sales have dropped in the past months, but that was to be expected. People are expecting a new model this September (heck, many thought Apple Watch 2 would be announced during the last WWDC), so they're currently just waiting. Even so, people get more excited about the current model thanks to the changes coming with watchOS 3. As a beta user of it, I can totally agree with those people saying that the watch will be more powerful than ever before. It's a huge upgrade in terms of speed and stability.
I do have to agree with your point about the iPad though. After iOS 9, I though Apple finally understood how important it is to make their tablet a true laptop replacement without actually replacing iOS with OS X/macOS. That's why I've had this thought that iOS 10 would come with some other major changes to make the iPad truly a powerful enterprise device, but it disappoints at that level. I am very happy with iOS 10 in general, but for both iPad and power users it just lacks at so many levels. Take the number of icons at the home screen for example. It's sad that Apple still hasn't increased the number of rows or columns with at least one, or that you cannot have widgets on the same screen as the regular lock screen etc. Apple was always about iOS taking advantage of that big canvas of a display, but only apps do this. And the new Mail and Notes app in iOS 10 do look nice with their three-pane view. But that's all. Overall, iPad isn't what it's supposed to be. Something they're gonna have to think about if they want it to at least sell a bit. Now, it is quickly becoming an iPod-like device. Less and less people are going to use it. And before you know it, the category will be gone from the top bar at Apple's website. Sad, but it looks like it's gonna be a realistic thought.
Sorry for the huuuuuge piece of text, just wanted to give you my thoughts on this whole thing.
Tl;dr:
- Neglecting Macs seems like some kind of a marketing trick to get more and more excitement about future models.
- Apple Watch isn't just a hobby in my opinion, it's way more than that, and watchOS 3 is bringing a lot improvements to the watch.
- iPad isn't what it is supposed to be. Apple calls it a laptop replacement, but it's nowhere near that. iOS needs more improvements to let the iPad take advantage of the big screen.
