Apple Has Likely Abandoned 'iPad Ultra' Plans

[jdawgnoonan]

The last thing Apple needs to do is to make their iPad lineup even more confusing. I love my 13” M5 Pro, but man with the iPad you have to research which keyboard is correct, which pencil will work, which all is very opposite of the “Less is More” way Apple line ups used to have. Also, touch screen laptops that cost 20% more and folding phones missing high end features for camera, authentication, charging, and maybe performance depending on which chip they use sure won’t seem very “Ultra” to me. A MacBook Ultra will only make sense in my mind if it is running the “Ultra” chip. Touch laptops and folding phones just feel very “Me Too” to me. Folding screens throw overly complex and costly technology at a niche problem, and use cases for touch display laptops in the pro market are also very niche.

 

[brilliantthings]

M1 iPad Pro FTW!

 

[Bubble99]

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.

The thing is now with iPad Air having M4 chip and higher RAM I'm not surprised people are buying the iPad Air and not the iPad Pro

 

[Bubble99]

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.

I'm not sure what Apple can do other than add multi user logins to the OS. How else can you make OS more pro?

 

[Jean Claude]

Uhh .... I just watched a video on Huawei's MateBook Fold ... if Apple could perfect that type of form-factor - yes please!!! I don't get why so many folks don't understand that quite a lot of us (especially more visual/creative) LOVE using massive screens. And the current iPad Pros just aren't it.

If anything, the news they're canceling this - yet moving forward with a touchscreen MacBook - are completely backwards!! Who wants a touchscreen MacBook when your arm will tire in seconds. At least with the iPad fold you'd have the ability to use it in multiple orientations and positions, making the experience much more comfortable while lounging on the couch, or while traveling.

To me, these are just really dumb moves on Apple's part...

 

[Jean Claude]

Us musicians would've loved to have one for 2-up lead sheets and reduced page turns and but alas we'll have to make do with smaller scores.

A lot of creatives would have died for this device. I'm so tired of the pencil pushing Microsoft Office bros complaining ... "I don't get it"....

 

[Brother Cavil]

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

Bingo. The Pro is overkill on so many levels given the limitations of iPadOS, but the 13" screen was the reason to buy. Now that the Air has a 13" screen, what reason is there to buy a Pro? They are incredibly expensive and most people probably can't tell the different between a Pro and an Air in everyday use.

 

[davidcg]

Us musicians would've loved to have one for 2-up lead sheets and reduced page turns and but alas we'll have to make do with smaller scores.

I use 2 13" iPad Airs with Forscore and Cue. works very well for 2 sheets at a time

 

[ELman]

I always buy the Pro version, but I don't purchase the over priced keyboard. They are great hand me down devices for kids. You can easily get 7-8 years out of these things.

 

[serpico007]

This is probably a good time for Apple to cut down their product lines. The prices of ram and low consumer demand are good excuses to use.

 

[rhetorique]

I dont understand the concept of a foldable ipad. What are we gaining from this? It folds close like a laptop? Ok...my 11 inch m4 pro with the magic keyboard case does the same thing without bending the screen.

The Ipad needs to just go back to being an IPAD...or blend it in with the standard macbook lineup. It has to happen at some point. What more can you do with an ipad now besides the usual faster processor and cameras? Once the OLED 120hz screens hit the air and basic models their isnt much left you can do except various sizes. The entire ipad line needs revision and its not that hard. You have the Mini as your entry level for portable use...the 11 inch size for your midrange every day use, and the 13 inch for your touch screen laptop style work.

With the rumored iphone fold/ultra your going to canalbize the mini sales to some extent. Why would i want a seperate iphone and ipad when i can have both in one... so the bigger versions have to stand out and making them hybrid laptops is the only solution i can think of, and they allready are with the magic keyboard.

Outside of intentional software restrictions i dont see why my current M4 ipad pro cant run MacOS and just become a touch screen MacBook 11 inch? The only reason apple doesnt do that is because they want me to buy a 11 inch macbook air or 13 inch macbook pro as well.

but at some point, you have to blend those two items together. The macs have to get touch screens at some point and they are allready blending the mini's with the phone.

The Mini, despite its size, is the midrange option, not the entry-level one.

 

[rhetorique]

> Once the OLED 120hz screens hit the air and basic models their isnt much left you can do except various sizes.


I wonder where is the growth for Apple for the next 10 years? You could say the same about all their product lines.

 

[LeeW]

I do love my current M1 iPad Pro 12.9, and I would have upgraded but for the price tag of the current one. I can't justify 1,299. It's not about affording it; I am surrounded by about $15k of Apple products as I type this. It's the value I can't justify; it just does not offer enough for the price, in my view.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Under a different economy, this would have been a great product for high-end users. But at this time, they may not sell enough units to make sense releasing it.

 

[rhetorique]

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.

Last summer my Macbook Pro broke while I was abroad and I had to use my iPad Air for 4 days. It was the most excruciating, unproductive days in my career. Anyone who thinks they can replace their laptop with an iPad is foolish.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

I do love my current M1 iPad Pro 12.9, and I would have upgraded but for the price tag of the current one. I can't justify 1,299. It's not about affording it; I am surrounded by about $15k of Apple products as I type this. It's the value I can't justify; it just does not offer enough for the price, in my view.

That’s a weird thing to say after having spent $15k, no?

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

That's Research & Development. Some research will make it to the development stage, while other won't.
It's basically the corporate version of our own brain: we often think about several ideas and then select which one(s) we'll put in practice.

 

[rensuchan]

I fail to see the point of a folding iPad and it seems most here agree. In a world that's generally trending towards smaller and more convenient, introducing a heavier and less convenient device that costs a ridiculous amount of money doesn't seem like a recipe for success.

It's mentioned that sales of the Pro are disappointing.... The main reason I have a Pro is because it's the only way to have the top tier OLED screen in my iPad right now... and the only reason I got a 13" is because I play rhythm games better with the larger screen (rhythm games can also benefit from 120Hz).

If I didn't benefit from a bigger OLED 120Hz display I'd probably be on a 11" Air, and I imagine most people fall in that category. Most people won't benefit from the Pro unless they have specific use cases (LiDAR, wide color gamut creative work, etc.), or just want the best possible gaming experience like myself.

 

[HVDynamo]

I wonder how those iPad Pro sales would do if you could actually run a full Mac OS on it when plugged into an external screen. Probably fly off the shelves as being a really versatile piece of tech for a lot of people.

I really wish they would do this with the iPhone too. I have a Studio Display at home, it would be amazing to be able to just plug my iPhone into it and have a full MacOS on the Studio Display that I could use, and when I leave just throw it in my pocket. That would be so amazing for people like my parents too, no need for a separate computer, but just have a phone/monitor that supports USB-C for charging/display and be done with it. Could even make a little dock for it that you drop the phone in that includes a fan to blow air across the chassis to help keep it cool if you are doing more intensive stuff.

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

Last summer my Macbook Pro broke while I was abroad and I had to use my iPad Air for 4 days. It was the most excruciating, unproductive days in my career. Anyone who thinks they can replace their laptop with an iPad is foolish.

The iPad is no Mac, but it's not that bad a work tool if you master it (particularly if you have a keyboard). Of course, it's just an emergency backup, as the two devices serve different purposes. Some people in your case don't even have an iPad and are stuck with their iPhone instead (ouch).

 

[tomtad]

Apple needs a rethink of their iPad strategy. There should be just two iPads.

iPad - The affordable content consumption device and sketchbook, similar to Job's original vision. Focused on single apps but allows multitasking like it worked previously on the iPad with Split View and slide over. A series chips. LCD display (laminated). £329 for the 8 inch 'mini' and £429 for the 11 inch. Folio style keyboard/trackpad can be added for £99.

iPad Pro - The iPad that can be a computer. Works just like the regular iPad but attach a keyboard/trackpad and the interface turns into macOS. M series chips. OLED display. £799 for the 11 inch at £999 for the 13 inch. Magic Keyboard can be added for £199.


That creates two very distinct product lines and a much more compelling offer that what Apple currently have imo

 

[rosuna]

MacBook Neo is the end of the iPad Pro, which has no advantage over a laptop except the touch screen. It costs the same or more than a laptop and iPadOS is not as flexible as MacOS. We are used to an interface to be used with a mouse, not with the fingers. A touchscreen interface has no advantage when you have to add a keyboard and a trackpad anyway. It's absurd. The iPad Pro concept is dead.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

iPad Pro - The iPad that can be a computer. Works just like the regular iPad but attach a keyboard/trackpad and the interface turns into macOS. M series chips. £799 for the 11 inch at £999 for the 13 inch.

So you feel that Apple should offer a single device that runs both iPadOS and macOS for less than half the price compared to what these 2 separate devices cost now?

Why would they do that?

 

[Halmahc]

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.

But your niche claim is not supported by the numbers. It’s been reported that the iPad Pro account for about 50% of iPad sales in some years. That doesn’t sound like a niche product.

 

[GioBones]

A tablet is just plain less useful than a smartphone, so if it costs more than a smartphone, consumers aren't going to buy it. And most consumers are only interested in getting a product if it's on sale with a financing deal, in other words, through a phone carrier, and they know they can't sell premium cellular tablets either, which is why Samsung stopped even producing cellular SKUs of their most premium tablets. They simply don't sell. The mid-range is all the tablet will ever be, particularly for children.