Apple Has Likely Abandoned 'iPad Ultra' Plans

[MacRazySwe]

I think the iPad as a product-line was most fun when $499-$599 got you the latest, brand new, top-of-the-range model.

Nowadays you need to pony up $1000 and I'd honestly much rather spend that money on a laptop. I bought the iPad Pro when it was new and It didn't add any more value (to me) than the base iPad, so I will most likely lean that way when it's time to renew...

 

[Dirk Pieters]

The iPad Pro is too good. I’m on a mini now but my last Pro model was the 2019 13” model. That’s a fantastic device and still works.

I’m sure the majority of people hold on to iPads (Pro) for waaay longer then they hold on to iPhones.

 

[chachawpi]

This is bad news for consumers because it means no iPad Ultra for the majority of us who have now transitioned to iPadOS from macOS as our primary computing platform for ultimate productivity.

lol, is this actually a thing?

 

[Halmahc]

I don’t get the point in describing iPad Pro sales as “weak” if it was projected to sell 6.7 million units in a year. How do you reconcile that with MacBook Neo which was also projected to sell around 6 million in a year(even before that estimate was increased due to demand), and that product is considered a “success”?
What kind of duality is that considering the iPad Pro cost averagely more that twice the MacBook Neo.

 

[jon9091]

Just give me a 15” iPad Pro and I’ll buy it. I don’t need to fold it, wad it into a ball, or have it levitate.
Also a way to quit all open apps would be nice.

 

[canadianreader]

It's already super fragmented just focus on 3 models iPad Mini, iPad and iPad Pro.

 

[maruyama]

I don’t want an iPad Ultra; I want an iPad Duo.

Let me use it as an iPad in my lounge chair and then let me switch to macOS when I connect a keyboard and mouse.

The way Apple should implement this (macOS hypervisor running a low level iPadOS VM) would allow for instant switching, which would be way more Apple-like than dual booting.

 

[AlexESP]

I wouldn't be surprised if iPadOS is a big reason why sales are declining. The hardware is soo good, but the software? oof. Even with all the latest iPadOS improvements, it's still buggy and tough to use (when using the magic trackpad)

I don’t think it has such a direct impact on sales, but iPadOS quality has been declining, yes.

It was (and still is) a great OS, but Apple has been trying to force macOS features and UI that no one (outside the tech journalists bubble) asked for. The great thing about iPadOS is that it’s not macOS.

 

[one more]

This is why they won’t put a proper refresh rate panel on the iPad Air. That and possibly the speakers are the only remaining differentiator and that’s not enough to justify the insane price.

Well, OLED screens are meant to come to Air in 2027. The new Pro screens are already excellent.

The speakers? My 11” iPad Pro (M5) speakers sound quieter than those of my previous Air 5, probably due to the slimmer chassis.

FaceTime on iPad Pro is way better than TouchID on Air, though. Amazing convenience.

 

[BC2009]

iPad Pro models are wonderful, but hard to stomach the price plus the price of all the accessories unless you are making daily use of all those features. the Air is kinda a sweet spot for many folks right now.

only thing i don’t like about my Air is the crappy touch id button is way less reliable than the home buttons of yesteryear. face ID would be ideal. hard to foot the cash for that feature, but i have considered picking up the previous gen pro at a discount to basically get an Air++ since Air usually has the previous gen chip anyway.

 

[AlexESP]

I don’t get the point in describing iPad Pro sales as “weak” if it was projected to sell 6.7 million units in a year. How do you reconcile that with MacBook Neo which was also projected to sell around 6 million in a year(even before that estimate was increased due to demand), and that product is considered a “success”?
What kind of duality is that considering the iPad Pro cost averagely more that twice the MacBook Neo.

You would expect that people who write about Apple and are “experts” would understand the context, and could judge sales numbers correctly. But no, they get carried away by the narrative and are fast to define sales as “weak” if they don’t like the iPad.

 

[dandyryan]

just give it macOS. it's ridiculous at this point when the Neo with an iPhone chip is running it.
iPadOS is a flop and is never going to be the laptop replacement they so desperately want it to be.

 

[chachawpi]

just give it macOS. it's ridiculous at this point when the Neo with an iPhone chip is running it.
iPadOS is a flop and is never going to be the laptop replacement they so desperately want it to be.

Yeah, I don't know what the use case is for an iPad Pro.

 

[dumastudetto]

lol, is this actually a thing?

Yes there's a very long thread in the iPad forum where we discuss switching to iPad as our main computer.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

I wouldn't be surprised if iPadOS is a big reason why sales are declining. The hardware is soo good, but the software? oof. Even with all the latest iPadOS improvements, it's still buggy and tough to use (when using the magic trackpad)

They lost me completely with all the available gestures. These days it feels like pulling down from the screen in every angle does something. And when I’m finally onboard again a new version comes out and they change things. Slide-over worked fine. Then it was gone. Then it came back.

Feels like a full time job keeping up with iPadOS.

This urge to ship something new every year isn’t doing them any favours. I wonder how many developers at Apple wish they had more time to really polish it all into something finished and working, instead of just having to throw unfinished code over the wall.

 

[I7guy]

The iPad Pro seems to be a success, but I wonder what Apple was thinking with a foldable iPad. I happen to like the features and what not. The iPad Pro m5 is amazing.

 

[klasma]

I dont understand the concept of a foldable ipad. What are we gaining from this?

I think the idea is to be able to have a significantly larger than 13” tablet (the rumor was 20”) that you can still transport in a smaller briefcase or backpack.

I’d be interested in a tablet of that size (if non-foldable), but it wouldn’t really be mobile anymore.

 

[Rogifan]

I hope Apple doesn’t kill the iPad Pro. I love my 13”.

 

[chachawpi]

Yes there's a very long thread in the iPad forum where we discuss switching to iPad as our main computer.

Interesting. I've been in the IT field for well over 20 years and have never heard this come up at any organization I've worked with.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

I don’t want an iPad Ultra; I want an iPad Duo.

Let me use it as an iPad in my lounge chair and then let me switch to macOS when I connect a keyboard and mouse.

The way Apple should implement this (macOS hypervisor running a low level iPadOS VM) would allow for instant switching, which would be way more Apple-like than dual booting.

Apple - being a business - would rather you’d buy both a Mac and an iPad.

Offering a single device to do both would cut into their profits.

 

[one more]

I agree that the current iPad lineup is confusing, as Pro is now slimmer than Air. Apple could slim down their current iPad offerings by blending Air and Pro lines, pricing this new iPad in between. With iPad Pro currently starting at $999 and Air at $599, they could sell it starting from $799, for example. Then we will have an iPad Mini, an entry level iPad and this high endish iPad.

 

[batman75]

I wouldn't be surprised if iPadOS is a big reason why sales are declining. The hardware is soo good, but the software? oof. Even with all the latest iPadOS improvements, it's still buggy and tough to use (when using the magic trackpad)

They need to somehow merge the MacOS and iPad OS to unleash the power of the iPad Pro. If it could do the things my MacBook Air does but with a touch screen, the device would be gold.

 

[erikkfi]

As an M4 iPP owner: stop being so greedy, Apple. Put an HDR display in the Air and sell it for a reasonable price.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

I don’t want an iPad Ultra; I want an iPad Duo.

Let me use it as an iPad in my lounge chair and then let me switch to macOS when I connect a keyboard and mouse.

The way Apple should implement this (macOS hypervisor running a low level iPadOS VM) would allow for instant switching, which would be way more Apple-like than dual booting.

Apple - being a business - would rather you’d buy both a Mac and an iPad.

Offering a single device to do both would cut into their profits.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

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