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Another Report Claims No iPad Air 3 Launching in Near Future
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I'm in the market for a new Macbook Pro but I'm going to wait. I'd kind of like to see a newly designed Macbook Pro w/Retina and a bezeless "infinity" screen. Knowing Apple they'll probably come up with a nice design for new Macbook Pro Retinas, but they'll gimp it by removing most of the ports.
I would say he already has. With the latest set of iPhones outselling Samsung's smartphones. So much so that Samsung is not only copying the iPhone 6 Plus but they are doing everything they can to steal back Apple's customers.
The same with mac's but they are updated yearly.
Tablets have become a mature market, the initial boom is over and now sales are settling for Apple and every manufacturer. Notice the only 'growth' is coming from companies making dirt cheap tablets or 'giving them away' at carrier stores.
There really isn't much Apple can do to bring increase sales again short of lowering prices (which isn't happening). They can't do some OS X hybrid type thing like some are asking for as it would cannibalize Mac sales. The rumored iPad Pro isn't going to change the overall trend either. Between tablets, laptops, and smartphones, tablets are the least essential of all of these devices. Then the issue with businesses and schools who use iPads, the iPad 2s that they purchased years ago are enough to get the job done. No need to upgrade to a new model when the iPad 2 does a fine job at serving as a POS system for your restaurant.
With iPads sales will continue to decline until they flatline at a certain point which will become the normal for them going forward. There will be small upticks or downticks but sales will remain at a flat, stable level once the normal level is realized. iPads will never again be a category that continuously grows YoY like the iPhone does.
There really isn't much Apple can do to bring increase sales again short of lowering prices (which isn't happening). They can't do some OS X hybrid type thing like some are asking for as it would cannibalize Mac sales. The rumored iPad Pro isn't going to change the overall trend either. Between tablets, laptops, and smartphones, tablets are the least essential of all of these devices. Then the issue with businesses and schools who use iPads, the iPad 2s that they purchased years ago are enough to get the job done. No need to upgrade to a new model when the iPad 2 does a fine job at serving as a POS system for your restaurant.
With iPads sales will continue to decline until they flatline at a certain point which will become the normal for them going forward. There will be small upticks or downticks but sales will remain at a flat, stable level once the normal level is realized. iPads will never again be a category that continuously grows YoY like the iPhone does.
However, text entry requires a cursor (to indicate the text insertion point and to set the boundaries of text selection) even in an otherwise pure touch-oriented UI. iOS 9 tries to provide a trackpad-like experience by allowing the virtual keyboard to be used like a trackpad (that is how it is described, I have not tried it out myself).
You can also buy a $729 iPad mini and the replacement still only costs $250. The $250 fee is modelled on how repair costs are priced. For once unless the actual part that is responsible for the price differences between different iPad models (storage or cellular radio) is broken, there obviously shouldn't be a price difference for the repair between different models (best example for this is the screen). And even if the storage or cellular radio were the problem, the cost of these to Apple is much smaller than the price increase it charges, again resulting in actual repair costs that don't differ much between different models.
The overall result is that repairing the same issue might not be worth it given the overall value of the device. I've just had the same issue with my car where a non-engine related component broke. The advice whether it was worth repairing it depended on which engine my car had (ie, the overall value of the car), despite the component repair cost being completely independent of the engine.
The big question for Apple is what to do if the same trend begins with the iPhone. Now that subsidized phones are going away, more people will keep their iPhones an extra year or two than they would've in the past. Especially given how powerful they have become. If the iPhone 6s comes with 2GB RAM, it will be a viable phone for at least the next 3 years. A lot more people upgrading to that iPhone will probably hold on to it for a period of 3 years+ deciding to wait for the iPhone 8 or 8s instead of the 7s. A lot of the Android switchers who got the iPhone 6/6 Plus may decide that without the availability of a subsidized plan, a cheaper Android phone may be the better option. Eventually, Apple will have to lower their prices.
And given the total tablet sales, a very significant portion of them also use a tablet as well.
If you are talking about niche uses, the ones you listed for desktops certainly fit that description.
Which is 85% of non-work related time spent on computing devices (if we include handheld gaming into your 'gadget' category). If we add image management and editing, that might get up to 90%.
You mean, nobody is actually using any of the tablets they own because they have absolutely no use for them?
On top of being a (secondary) touch interface a tablet is also a (secondary) viewing device. Viewing is actually the most important usage of tablets, from browsing the web, reading emails, watching movies, viewing images to showing musical scores.
http://winsupersite.com/mobile-devices/will-smartphone-subsidy-changes-slow-down-upgrade-cycle
There is a lot of speculation phones will follow tablet/pc market trends where the upgrade cycle and slow down, this is trouble for hardware makers and that includes Apple.
Why do you think Apple is attempting to quickly roll out services?
Smartphones will continue to sell regularly, because somehow they manage to make the planned obsolescence so tight, that people are okay to upgrade every two years or so.
Which is not the case for computer, because computers are supposed to be powerful enough so they're usable for a few years.
Tablets however are SO USELESS, as you said being a viewing touchable interface, that people usually buy ONE tablet, then realise that it's not portable enough like a smartphone, but it's not powerful enough to do work on it either: it is just a gadget.
And this is why the tablet sales are declining, people are no upgrading because most of them don't see the use and other people are past the initial fad and are not intrigued anymore. Tablet have a place as viewing accessory, but it doesn't interest lots of people, until it becomes an actual writing, drawing, sketching device, now it becomes interesting, or someone releases a very good hybrid, and Laptop screens will become tablet worthy of use.
This could easily be true. At some point you get to the point where the hardware has matured to the point where it equals or exceeds what most people need it to do. Diminishing hardware gains prompt service or use changes (ApplePay, health services and home automation services, for example).
It will also be interesting to see whether the trend away from subsidized plans has any effect on the upgrade cycle.
I think that key for Apple is something that has been rumored, to make the iPad(s) more powerful. Although you can do "real" work on an iPad now a more powerful iPad would open the door for more powerful, useful for creatives and business. And, no, I don't think OS X on the iPad makes any sense.
Tell me again, what element in my smartphone was obsolete after two years that wasn't obsolete in my tablet? A few people might physically trash their phones within two years, but the vast majority don't.
For the past 15 years I have upgraded my computer every three years. For the past seven years, I have upgraded my smartphone every two years. Yes that is a clear difference, but hardly an earth-shattering one. In comparison, my first tablet was replaced after two years, my second one after three years.
You make it sound as if nobody is upgrading and most have given up using their tablets because they see no use in them. Which you know is not true but claiming so somehow must give you some satisfaction (otherwise you wouldn't do so).
Most individuals don't own two computers, but there is still a significant number of people that do. A tablet serves as secondary computing device in a similar way. And a tablet by definition is a device used without a keyboard and pointing device, otherwise it isn't tablet but a laptop with a removable keyboard. A tablet is a device that can be used easily without a flat surface whereas a keyboard requires a flat surface (using a laptop without a table is PITA).
The wife's galaxy tab s tablet has a on-screen keyboard with cursor arrows.. Pretty neat really to get. That blinking cursor in the right place.., plus it has a tab key..
Unless I'm mistaken, the iPad has sold more in the first five years of its life than the iPhone did in its first five years.
The iPad had a head start due to the success of the iPhone, but it still seems like early days to give a long term prognosis. And its sales, whilst falling precipitously, are still very impressive: over 10 million a quarter is not too shoddy.
How long has the Mac been going? Were people predicting Apple computer sales to be flatlining in 1981?
Have any effect?
That's putting it mildly. I think it will have a huge effect, and it's already started. iPhone 6 sales have already dropped off faster than in previous years, suggesting that the upgrade cycle is not being sustained. This will accelerate greatly over the 6s iteration, I fear.
Your thinking is flawed. how is an ipad a toy by itself? ipad has handoff, works with mac seamlessly, and what about iphone sales? runs ios, the same thing, but has wild sales.
Well the interface must be made for it and there must be a pointer. Otherwise it doesn't work. In particular selecting text with the mouse and copy paste and with apps with th external keyboard and mouse need to work fine.
I LOVE my iPad's screen size, I kind of prefer the 4:3 ratio as I grew up with TVs like that and movies/shows like that. Widescreen is cool if done right, but I like the iPad the way it is: Portable, powerful, and unapologetically beautiful. 
I still want the Air 3 though. Darn it Apple, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Screw the supposed "iPad Pro."
Kal.
I still want the Air 3 though. Darn it Apple, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Screw the supposed "iPad Pro."
Kal.
just spitballing here, but how can widescreen be done wrong, isn't it all 16,9 ratio .. . 4,3 ratio is fine for browsing etc, but all movies are made wide screen so unless u like black bars or the edges cropped off , then 4,3 is rubbish for watching films..I LOVE my iPad's screen size, I kind of prefer the 4:3 ratio as I grew up with TVs like that and movies/shows like that. Widescreen is cool if done right, but I like the iPad the way it is: Portable, powerful, and unapologetically beautiful.
I still want the Air 3 though. Darn it Apple, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Screw the supposed "iPad Pro."
Kal.