Apple Has Likely Abandoned 'iPad Ultra' Plans

[Devyn89]

I’m not surprised. The iPad Pro, while amazing in my opinion, is not a good value, especially if want the keyboard and pencil. The form factor also limits the full capabilities of the M5 chip due to thermal constraints. I have and love my iPad Pro so it’s a great product for me but I get why it doesn’t sell well.

 

[Moukee]

Not every device type needs to be available in every price range. The Pro has gotten so expensive that very few people bother (this forum isn't representative). They should simplify the lineup by getting rid of the Pro, giving the base model some love (laminated display, Pencil magnetic charging), and make the Air the premium option with an OLED display and the Pro speaker setup. Charge a bit more for it, done. Then add a "mini" size to either the base model or the Air, or both, and get rid of the separate mini.

 

[Halmahc]

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.

Exactly. I find it perplexing when different standards are applied to products through descriptions like “success”, “disappointing”, “weak”, etc which has no bearing on the facts.
As if it wasn’t this same platform that reported on stories of the iPad Pro accounting for about half of all iPad sales is some years. It’s fascinating how the narrative shifts based on what is being discussed.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

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)

More likely, just like with Macs, as lower end devices offer more of the performance of higher end ones, people gravitate to those. iPads still sell in unit numbers 2 to 3 times more than Macs and that’s probably not going to change anytime soon.

 

[adamlbiscuit]

The top end of the iPad line and the MacBook Air/Pro line have been stepping on one another's toes for a long time now. The MacBook Neo adds another wrinkle to that, as does the overall cost of an iPad if you want to use it as a laptop replacement (keyboard add ons, etc).

I don't think an Ultra model would help to alleviate that situation, and given how much it'll likely cost to make, I understand the trepidation.

I say this as someone who has two iPads and two Macs, each with different use cases - I benefit from the value of each product category, and would never want one to 'replace' the other, but I also understand that I am not most people.

 

[lapstags]

I love my m4 iPad Pro but it’s not a laptop replacement it’s an entertainment device that can serve as a computer in limited ways. Apple needs to go all in on the entertainment aspect. Make it the most powerful gaming handheld on the market, give it the vapor chamber, and bring actual optimized games to the platform. I’m talking call of duty, 2k, madden etc

 

[contacos]

my guess- iPad Pro sales are probably sluggish since the iPad Airs stated getting M-chips and come in 13” size.

Yeah I don't even see the point of the Pro honestly. Most apps are optimized for the weakest current iPad anyway and iPad Air is already running on M chips nowadays like you said

 

[mukiex]

I have an iPad Pro. I love my iPad Pro.

But Apple needs to stop acting like everyone has a few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pocket.

The Vision Pro bombed, even more than they expected for a "development" device.

The Mac Pro bombed, on account of being a $7,000 machine you couldn't upgrade that got outperformed inside of a year, every year.

You can't sell a thousand dollar toy, make traditional gaming on that toy a dumpster fire to try investing in, and expect having "Pro" in the name to improve its sales.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

They are losing out to the Fire Tablet due to pricing.

 

[StoneJack]

iPad Pro is absolute waste of money *I have one 13 inch M2. I bought it only because it was secondhand and I exchanged for it my Air M1

 

[kitt9000]

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)

Agree with this! I can use my ipad pro with its wonderful OLED display for 90% of my daily personal and work reasons, but man for that price I do wish I wouldnt have to eye that $600 Macbook neo on top of that just to get a proper desktop OS.

I still often carry a surface pro with 5g which does 100% of my work but without as strong entertainment factor. If I had to choose one (need 5g for sure), I would choose the Surface pro 100%.

 

[subjonas]

So the flagship products might have been:

AirPod Ultra
Watch Ultra
iPhone Ultra
iPad Ultra
MacBook Ultra
... and
Mac Studio?
Edit- And Vision Pro?

 

[ginkobiloba]

Hey Apple : Make an iPad that runs MacOs as well . Call it Ultra. Profit.

You’re welcome.

 

[Royksöpp]

The whole concept of an Ultra device is utter nonsense. It's the same products with the same functionality, only more bells and whistles. The only product worthy of the name is the M series Ultra Chips. Even the Apple Watch Ultra could have gotten away with the Pro branding.

 

[Harddrive]

I like the iPad Pros but when you configure the cost of the pad,keyboard and pencil you are in MacBook Air price range and a lot of people will choose the Air unless they are specifically looking for a Pad or already have the Air or MBP.

 

[mblm85]

The iPad Pro: warp drive on a skate board

 

[Radon87000]

The iPad being deprioritised is bad news for the segment as a whole because the Android tablet market is dismal and if Apple kills the iPad, it essentially nukes the entire category. The iPad still has a space as a convenient entertainment device in my view.

Holding the iPad is like a holding a sheet of paper. No foldable or phone replicates that feeling.

 

[bluecoast]

Why would you buy an iPad Pro when it has trouble doing pro things?

It doesn't even have multi user logins. The MacBook Neo does - at half the price.

If Apple seriously upgrade iPadOS, then serious sales will likely follow.

But having said that - the Air is probably premium enough for most people and the IPP seems doomed to be a niche product - the Mac Pro of the iPad line.

 

[Harddrive]

The iPad Pro excels screen quality and if you like drawing or painting on a very mobile device nothing else comes close as was stated it is a great device for taking notes and consuming audio video especially looking at 4k Nat Geo.

 

[innerproduct]

I see exactly one use case for ipads and that is drawing-like activity. And for that a massive ultra ipad such use makes sense. Maybe perhaps as a configurable input device for music as well. Cool gadget.
Personally though I think that I am converging on a desktop computer + a decent phone. Never use my ipad pro except for drawing (some) and my mbp is always docked to my ASD monitor.
Since the iphone clearly could run mac os I would prefer if i could dock that to an external screen for some basic tasks.
Maybe the iphone fold will be able to run at least ipad os ? That makes sense to me.

 

[Radon87000]

Why do people keep comparing iPad Pro to the Neo and the iPad Air? The display and SOC inside the iPad Pro blows them away.

 

[Octavius8]

I want a regular iPad Pro, but the price is extremely unreasonable.
120hz display for that price is beyond reason. Normal iPad should have already a nice display!, not the mediocre tech from 8 years ago that it still has!.

 

[joshwithachance]

iPad Ultra? The Pro is already peak hardware…

 

[snipr125]

Yes everyones points are valid about the point of the ipad pro m4/m5, yes they are expensive but once you buy it and the MKB they are just fantastic to use, pure cutting edge tech at its finest, the best tablet on the market period.

 

[TechRemarker]

iPad Pro sale issues are of their own making however, not a lack of customer demand. Hardware is amazing, but held back by the software as they and everyone knows. iPadOS itself and the restrictions and rules that make it not sustainable for devs to build native software on the platform that is needed for pros. Devs either skipped supporting it or did and then eventually abandoned it after noting in blog posts the reason why it wasn't sustainable due to Apple limitations. Some of those are for performance, some security, and others for maintaining Apple's profits. Since Apple hasn't budged on any of that over the years, other than in places where forced to by a government a bit, I assume they decide the downsides for Apple as a whole aren't worth the gains of increase iPad Pro sales, which would still be relatively niche compared to things like the iPhone.

They may have decided it makes more sense to have macOS get touch support and then put on a more iPad like device than the bigger changes it would take to make iPadOS as powerful as macOS. Time will tell.