Apple Launches New 'Everything Changes With iPad' Site

[Piggie]

I'm highly offended. I am very computer literate in every aspect including Hardware and Software. I design apps for Windows, Android, iOS, and OS X.
This is the most ignorant comment I've seen this week.

Oh I knew my comment would upset some.
But that does not stop it from being true in general terms.

You can bring forward any amount of amazing programmers who have Apple computers, and of course there will be many many thousands of such people.

That does not alter the cold hard fact that Apple do not aim or make their hardware for the "Techies" Not done so for many many years.

Apple aims their sights on the non technical customers who want something simple that just works for their simple needs from a nicely made, easy to use and understand device.
One that Apple makes many decisions for them over, what ports and peripherals it can use and all the software systems in place they should be using.

Of course there ARE amazing Apple programmers, it does not change the fact that Apple, as a bulk/general standpoint are not being sold or aimed to those people mainly.

 

[yansun]

IT's the odd man out. Third wheel.

Rather get a new computer or phone before I get an ipad. I still have the Ipad 2 and haven't used it in months.

The bigger screen is nice to have vs an iPhone, but who is really going to spend $500 just for that and carry 2 devices around every where? Or even worry about where your iPad is if you have your phone in your pocket.

Typing on it sucks. Even worse than using a phone. I find thumb typing on the phone faster.

I really think the iPad should be priced more like an accessory to the iPhone because that's what it is for me. Maybe it just needs to be a screen with only enough cpu to stream stuff from your iPHone and/or directly from the internets. IT needs to be a chromebook in other words. Those are sub-$200.

Or it needs to replace the computer and as others have said it can't do that yet and is too annoying to do that.

PLus computers, since the intro of the iPad, have stepped up and now offer nicer higher res screens, fast boot up and app launching because of ssds and are lighter than ever and don't really weigh more than an iPad with a keyboard. Thus much of the advantage the iPad briefly had over computers is gone. And then computers are much more flexible and even with 128gb storage in an Apple laptop is 8x that of an entry level Ipad. Plus you get the keyboard too. and ports! And slots maybe. etc. And Apple has made the Mac more iPad-like on the software side as well.

I mentioned Chromebooks earlier. They have to be hurting tablets. They do alot of the stuff tablets are used for and yet are much cheaper and have a keyboard. And Google manages the thing. It's always up to date and ready to go.

The iPad is a really great device for every task where you have to work with texts. Like reading Pdfs, annotate them, and so on. You can do that in the same easy way (very similar how you use a book) neither on a iPhone nor on a Mac.

 

[J.gerbes]

A very beautiful campaign.

 

[DMSWE]

I'm not sure why there is always an obsession with 'growing' sales.

The iPad isn't something you need to constantly replace. I have the Air, I'm not willing to spend $600 or so to get the Air 2 just so it will go slightly faster and have the Touch ID.

I'm sure I am among millions of happy iPad owners who are not going to rush out out buy every new version that comes out.

I do agree with your overall view on iPad replacement but for me Touch ID is an absolute game changer and a convenience that I happily paid the upgrade price for.

 

[yansun]

I do agree with your overall view on iPad replacement but for me Touch ID is an absolute game changer and a convenience that I happily paid the upgrade price for.

I doubt it is for the majority of iPad owners.

 

[s2mikey]

Not interested in the air , curious to see if there will be some sort of ios and mac os hybrid in the Pro.

Mac sales are flourishing because that is a product that globally is not nearly as close to saturation OS the iPad.

Bingo. Lots of room to grow as far as Mac penetration is concerned. The same thing will happen with them too.

Ass for the iPad, I find it to be the best experience on a tablet that you can get so I'm staying with them. However, there is little reason to. Replace it regularly as many others have mentioned. Heck, I skipped 3-4 generations between upgrades and will probably stay with that pattern. It works for me and apparently a lot of other people.

 

[Xiroteus]

Agreed. That is one thing I hate about public companies. There is always the requirement to make more and more money ever year. A steady profit is not acceptable. That is why your Facebook feed is 90% auto playing video ads now. Apple sells 499 trillion iPads this year, instead of the 500 trillion it sold last year, and "iPads sales are in decline".

It has always felt like a flawed concept. It is not sustainable forever. It is always about growing getting bigger year after year and to what end? Betting on population growth as well I imagine which is also not a good thing. I like the idea of reaching a point and then maintaining that level. It falls into the category of people never being happy with what they have and always wanting more.

More to such a point that they are too busy trying to get more to enjoy what they already have. Most of the time I hear, losing money and they really mean slightly less profit. (any company)

 

[Michael Scrip]

I'm not sure why there is always an obsession with 'growing' sales.

Agreed. That is one thing I hate about public companies. There is always the requirement to make more and more money ever year. A steady profit is not acceptable. That is why your Facebook feed is 90% auto playing video ads now. Apple sells 499 trillion iPads this year, instead of the 500 trillion it sold last year, and "iPads sales are in decline".

It has always felt like a flawed concept. It is not sustainable forever. It is always about growing getting bigger year after year and to what end? Betting on population growth as well I imagine which is also not a good thing. I like the idea of reaching a point and then maintaining that level. It falls into the category of people never being happy with what they have and always wanting more.

More to such a point that they are too busy trying to get more to enjoy what they already have. Most of the time I hear, losing money and they really mean slightly less profit. (any company)

Here's my take on all this:

If Apple has one product with declining sales year-over-year... it won't really hurt them overall. iPad sales are down... but iPhone sales are up! And the money continues rolling in.

Does Wall Street really care which products make Apple's money? I don't see why it would matter. Apple has many income streams from various products and services.

We've been here before... remember when Apple used to sell 50 million iPods a year? They certainly don't do that anymore. Where is the public outcry about that?

And don't ALL companies hit the ceiling sometime? You can't expect growth forever. There's gonna be a limit.

 

[RickInHouston]

Here's my take on all this:

If Apple has one product with declining sales year-over-year... it won't really hurt them overall. iPad sales are down... but iPhone sales are up! And the money continues rolling in.

Does Wall Street really care which products make Apple's money? I don't see why it would matter. Apple has many income streams from various products and services.

We've been here before... remember when Apple used to sell 50 million iPods a year? They certainly don't do that anymore. Where is the public outcry about that?

And don't ALL companies hit the ceiling sometime? You can't expect growth forever. There's gonna be a limit.

Wall Street worries when all (or most all) your eggs are in one basket (a phone). What if carries decide not to float the cost of a phone anymore? What if people see that android isn't as ecosystem locking? (I know what everyone wants to jump on, here, but you get the point). What if people figure out having an android phone and apple computers and tablets is fine and just works? No, apple is not doomed. They will do well, but things do come around sometimes.

 

[Keirasplace]

Wall Street worries when all (or most all) your eggs are in one basket (a phone). What if carries decide not to float the cost of a phone anymore? What if people see that android isn't as ecosystem locking? (I know what everyone wants to jump on, here, but you get the point). What if people figure out having an android phone and apple computers and tablets is fine and just works? No, apple is not doomed. They will do well, but things do come around sometimes.

If their "worries" were linked to reasons (not just a vague constant anxiety), and weren't the same they had 5 years ago, I'd respect them more. Are they anxious because Google gets all its money from searches, or Amazon from Retail, or Ford from Cars, or Exxon from oil, or whatever company from whatever main product they sell.

Let us take Amazon and its amazing PE ratio; how "wise" is Wall Street there.
You could say, well retail won't collapse, they'll always sell something, so Amazon's safe. Well, no, with their margins being eroded with ever more competition, a major downturn could hurt them big time. Not to mention that with declining margins, their chance of actually having enough profit ever (even if they controlled 100% of the market) to justify their PE ratio is IMPOSSIBLE. Yet, Wall Street says.. Hey, no sweat : we think they're AOK (sic).

 

[JPIndustrie]

Oh I knew my comment would upset some.
But that does not stop it from being true in general terms.

You can bring forward any amount of amazing programmers who have Apple computers, and of course there will be many many thousands of such people.

That does not alter the cold hard fact that Apple do not aim or make their hardware for the "Techies" Not done so for many many years.

Apple aims their sights on the non technical customers who want something simple that just works for their simple needs from a nicely made, easy to use and understand device.
One that Apple makes many decisions for them over, what ports and peripherals it can use and all the software systems in place they should be using.

Of course there ARE amazing Apple programmers, it does not change the fact that Apple, as a bulk/general standpoint are not being sold or aimed to those people mainly.

LOL LOL

You couldn't be more wrong.

Like a monolith or a very large faceless monument, lots of people make assumptions of what Apple Macintosh's can do and have always just missed the true meaning.

The whole point is to hide its extensibility from those who, not necessarily do not know how, but probably shouldn't be allowed in.

 

[FSMBP]

I assume your talking about the number of icons you can view at a given time? Because a folder can hold however many icons you want, not just nine.

Yes, I was talking about it only displaying nine icons. With a screen that big, they can show twice as much.

 

[teslo]

Let's be brutally honest here for a moment.
People who choose Apple to start with, are not going to be THE most computer literate people anyway.
I know this is going to upset many me saying it, but let's be honest with ourselves.
People who love tech, love computers, and going to be more PC based.
Apple focuses their products on the typical consumer who just wants something easy to use for their internet and social/photo work.
They've aimed at this market for years now.

I've seen many posts even here, on the tech site, where some Apple users have admitted to hardly touching their laptops since getting iPads, and this is a very tech area.

Tablets users are a subset of a subset.

I'm being very general I know and many exceptions to the rule.

I just wish Apple had more balls, and did not continually worry about one product may take sales from another product.
Or just take the tablet seriously.

it's not upsetting, it just shows how people love talking about minorities and subsets and anecdotal experiences (that so often coincide with their original biases), and sweep along as if they're a much, much larger number than they really are. you realize what you're saying? "i see a few things that back up my argument, they're not everyone i admit, but i wish that apple would cater to my needs/wants a bit more because "apple is catering to these people i described even though they are a tiny minority"... it doesn't add up.

 

[greytmom]

But it seems people are not switching from non-Apple tablets (Android largely) to iPads in the same proportion. Because non-Apple tablet sales are outperforming iPad sales, the reverse of what it true in the computer market. Meaning, longer replacement cycles cannot explain the falling iPad sales alone (unless the relative increase of non-Apple tablet sales is only due to shorter replacement cycles for non-Apple tablets.)

Which is entirely possible.

 

[Keane16]

But they seem to be more focused on rebranding over-hyped headphones and keeping free music off youtube than on actually improving their products these days.

I quite like their new headphones, vastly improved sound wise over the early Beats and well constructed. And for those that buy them the opinion seems to be that they look good too.

You seem to be more focussed on internet spin than reality.

If Apple wants iPad to become the future of computing, then they better start innovating. They need to stop making iPad simply a larger iPhone. Give iOS for iPad more features that increase productivity. The more I think about it, the more I think Microsoft's approach is right. Microsoft might not have got the execution right, but their idea is definitely right. The Surface line is getting more and more attractive to me.

I recognise the dog avatar, and I normally agree with your posts (I could be wrong about the dog and it might no be you...). But disagree with this, and the general consensus of MacRumors with regards to the iPad.

I think Apple has the iPad exactly where it wants it. Simple, easy to use, and more than enough for the majority of home users.

I think the iPad Pro rumours will turn out to be true. I too like the Surface, there's definitely a market for something more than an iPad, yet just as portable and I think a stylus will be a big part of it.

And I think this Pro will be the true "future of computing" for those that need that kind of power, and for enterprise. The IBM partenership espicially, will flourish on this new hardware.

Apple is resting on their laurels with iPad. There is nothing different between iPad Air 2 and iPad 2 other than a higher resolution display and a thinner and lighter body. Tim Cook once made fun of Android tablets sitting in drawers and being forgotten, but my iPad also sits in a drawer most of the time now.

There is a more than that in terms of difference, especially internally.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8716/apple-a8xs-gpu-gxa6850-even-better-than-i-thought

As I mentioned above I think a more Surface like offering is coming for the iPad line in the form of a Pro version. But I think the main reason Apple has waited this long is not because they can't make one, or because they're lazy/resting - it is because the performance hasn't been there.

Not much has changed in terms of ability between Surface 1 and 3. But the power has increased dramatically. More specifically performance per watt. The Surface Pro 1 and 2 had too many compromises IMO - hence the crappy sales. But the 3 is almost there (I still really dislike the keyboard - I think the new butterfly mechanism of the Retina MacBook will be a big part of any keyboard accessory Apple may release).

Apple with their SoC design are at the forefront of this space. And I think the iPad Pro will have an insane A-series ARM chip. Thin, powerful, fanless, great display, Wacom type stylus input. It'll also come out of the gate with some key pro apps.

I don't know if I will get one - as I'm a big fan of having the current iPad for 80%+ of what I do, and the MacBook Pro for the rest. But If the iPad Pro can replace the MacBook Pro's tasks then I could be sold.

I also think the iPad Pro will run iOS+ rather than a watered down OS X.

It will be interesting to watch the personal computing space develop over the next 18 months. I could be very wrong and you could be right and Apple are just resting on their laurels.

 

[PandaPunch]

Oh I knew my comment would upset some.
But that does not stop it from being true in general terms.

You can bring forward any amount of amazing programmers who have Apple computers, and of course there will be many many thousands of such people.

That does not alter the cold hard fact that Apple do not aim or make their hardware for the "Techies" Not done so for many many years.

Apple aims their sights on the non technical customers who want something simple that just works for their simple needs from a nicely made, easy to use and understand device.
One that Apple makes many decisions for them over, what ports and peripherals it can use and all the software systems in place they should be using.

Of course there ARE amazing Apple programmers, it does not change the fact that Apple, as a bulk/general standpoint are not being sold or aimed to those people mainly.

I kinda disagree with this. While it's true that Apple products are generally easier to use, they are perfectly usable by those who are tech-savvy. I'd say it just means you can get to doing what you intended to do with your new tablet/pc/phone from the moment you open the box and turn it on because you don't have to re-install Windows again or root and flash a rom to get rid of crapware or improve performance.

While I'm not a programmer, I do work on computers on the side and I'm finding myself more tempted by Apple stuff so I have less headaches. Just switching from a cheap Android phone to a Windows Phone give me less headache. And I was going to get an Android tablet, but my Android phone's massive lag and lack of updates pushed me to an iPad.

Honestly, if you are reading up on tech, and it's upsides and downsides to each other and you decide on Apple or Mircosoft stuff, then I'd say you are more computer literate than the person who makes purchase decisions based on brand and its fanboys (i.e. I hate crApple and iSheep, so I'll just buy all Google stuff! I hate Windoze and M$, so I will buy an iMac, iPad, and iPhone!!) which is sadly somewhat common.

 

[C DM]

Wall Street worries when all (or most all) your eggs are in one basket (a phone). What if carries decide not to float the cost of a phone anymore? What if people see that android isn't as ecosystem locking? (I know what everyone wants to jump on, here, but you get the point). What if people figure out having an android phone and apple computers and tablets is fine and just works? No, apple is not doomed. They will do well, but things do come around sometimes.

Happened with the iPod, but Apple handled that just fine.

 

[ZCT]

I do agree with your overall view on iPad replacement but for me Touch ID is an absolute game changer and a convenience that I happily paid the upgrade price for.

I'd like it, I'm sure I could get a couple of hundred to trade in my old one, but I just can't get excited enough about just that and a tiny bit more processing speed.

If Apple do something cool with the next version I may trade up. For now the Air is fine by me. I was promoted to buy it because of the addition of the retina display, which was a game changer for me.

----------

Oh here's some news for your sir. Maybe Apple isn't trying to market to you and maybe, just maybe, not everyone owns an iPad as of yet. You'd never make it as a business owner. Saying a company is obsessed with trying to grow the sales of a particular product is utterly ridiculous.

I have made it as a business owner in two different fields actually.

My comment was that they are still selling millions of these things. But maybe this specific market segment doesn't have an unlimited capacity. Maybe it can't just keep growing forever. And maybe selling a few million in the same quantities from one year to the next is okay.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

The novelty of a slate tablet with a touchscreen isn't sufficient anymore. People have gotten over the initial wow factor of the a touchscreen (on what is really a barely capable content consumption device) and now can see the potential, and want their expensive tablet to actually work for them in creation. Apple has nothing to offer this growing percentage of the changing, maturing market. ...which is ridiculous, since they have all the pieces on hand to do so.

Presently, an iPad makes a good "My First Computer", albeit a pricey one. They love controlling the user experience, great, but to capture the sales they're leaking to MS, Wacom, & whomever else, they need to offer some options at this point. The option of God Mode in iOS's settings, the option of a iOS or OS X model, and the option for a decent digitizer & stylus for working with any accuracy.

The iPad is my favorite thing apples done, but for what it could be, not what it is. I can't imagine owning another one as it is. It's essentially a trinket. A cute trinket for teenage girls, thanks to Ive.

Ipad will continue to lose market share until it grows up.

 

[5232152]

Amazing they keep pushing this product. Seems somewhat obsolete..

 

[C DM]

Amazing they keep pushing this product. Seems somewhat obsolete..

How so?

 

[mi7chy]

Let's be brutally honest here for a moment.
People who choose Apple to start with, are not going to be THE most computer literate people anyway.

Agreed. Even most buyers of Macs and Macbooks use them as over glorified iPads for Facebook. I know an Apple user who recently had to buy a Thinkpad since it's qualified to work with SolidWorks. Majority of professional tools only run on Windows and Linux.

 

[C DM]

Agreed. Even most buyers of Macs and Macbooks use them as over glorified iPads for Facebook. I know an Apple user who recently had to buy a Thinkpad since it's qualified to work with SolidWorks. Majority of professional tools only run on Windows and Linux.

Is majority really the case today? Or is it more just some here and there?

 

[mi7chy]

Is majority really the case today? Or is it more just some here and there?

Yes, it's the majority. All the high level engineering tools only run on Windows and Linux like SolidWorks, CATIA, OrCAD, Inventor, Pro/Engineer, etc.

 

[C DM]

Yes, it's the majority. All the high level engineering tools only run on Windows and Linux like SolidWorks, CATIA, OrCAD, Inventor, Pro/Engineer, etc.

I guess it depends on the profession.