Apple Remaining 'Conservative' Over Upcoming Sales of iPad Pro

[V.K.]

I know my friend is buying one. I would consider an iMac and iPad Pro setup...I just wish the keyboard and pencil came bundled for that price. I can't drop $800 for the iPad then another $250 for the assessories to make it "pro."

an included pencil might possibly make sense but not everybody wants a keyboard.

Sounds more like they are announcing the product's lackluster sales before they actually sell.

The iPad Pro, surprise-surprise, will not be a game changer, major seller, or special bon-bon for the entire tech market. It is definitely an expensive niche product only a few need or can utilize (aside from screen size). 99% of the market are fine with an iPad Air.

oh, did Apple announce anything? this is a Digitimes rumor for crying out loud. or are you seriously suggesting that Apple leaked that info to Digitimes? and in any case this is the easiest prediction to make. Ipad pro is obviously a niche product. Apple might sell a few million of them a year and that's all they are aiming for.

I'm hoping to use one for uni myself. I have an iPad Air but the lack of third party stylus' that work with the apps I use make it hard to use sometimes. Especially when I see MS surface users writing on ther slides in lectures with proper palm rejection while I attempt to hover my palm over the screen whilst I write. The screen size will be great too.. I'm just afraid of the price in Australia as our dollar is so bad at the moment! And I won't even utilise the extra processing power.. Oh well, let's see how we go!

This target market for ipad pro is rarely talked about (Apple is certainly never emphasized it) but IMO it has much bigger potential in terms of numbers than, say, artists and graphic designers. current ipads are terrible for taking lecture notes but ipad pro should be great. Price can be a big issue of course. We'll see.

 

[Keane16]

Given apple's recent pricing, this thing will cost at least $1060 in Canada (base model) and depending on where you live, you may pay up to 13% tax on top of that. Who in their right mind would spend that money on a device that only runs mobile apps?

I'd love an Air sized device with the Pen functionality for note keeping (running Evernote for personal and OneNote for work) - looking forward to seeing some good OCR functionality added to iPad apps. The price isn't an issue for business use if it helps you do your day job more efficiently, and ultimately saves you time/money. However the Pro is just too big for liking.

For home users - you're right Apple's own smaller devices and those of competitors make much more sense.

Also what is a "mobile app". I always see it more as touch vs pointer driven. And both have use cases. For home use the only time I need a pointer is when managing my huge photo library, all other tasks are now done on my iPad (office, SSH, file management plus all basic tasks like browsing, email and social media - my MacBook Pro sees less and less use each year). I've no doubt if the Pencil is as good as early reports say it is then we will start seeing the feature set of graphics editors on the iPad Pro improving nicely.

Long way to go, but interesting to see where it ends up.

 

[dysamoria]

Sales are down because most people that want and can afford one have them already. What Wall Street idiot thinks it's sensible for people to buy the same expensive electronic device repeatedly, every damned year?? Wall Street is a bunch of selfish, greedy, ignorant psychos. Companies should make product and sell it as consumers buy it, not constantly fret over all this pushing forced upgrades and sales numbers prediction BS. Public ownership is a huge mistake. What a massive distraction from the whole point of a business. Businesses should pay attention to their business, not Wall Street BS. The quality of the product and the treatment of the customers are the things that should matter.

I went into an Apple Store to buy an iPad Air 2 when they first came out. Demoing the ugly buggy-ass iOS 7 at an Apple store put me off buying an iPad Air 2. Apple has themselves and their product to blame for that loss of sale, not some magical "tablet market slump".

The Apple Pencil should have an eraser end on it, but I'm still interested in trying it and the iPad Pro. I spend way too much time on a tiny iPhone 4 and I would love to see the iPad Pro replace Wacom's overly expensive and low resolution Cintique. So I'll be demoing these products ASAP. I wonder if Apple will get a sale to me this time, or if iOS 9 loses them that sale like iOS 7 did. I'll put up with the hideous look of the GUI but not crashing and poor UI behavior.

 

[Enri.Ro]

It would be better to offer iPad Pro with OS X Capitan, this is a stupid product.

 

[maxsix]

From the introduction of the first iPhone until now, Apple has enjoyed the "Steve Jobs Effect."

They build an excellent product in the iPhone, send the worlds best Hype Master & Salesman Out On Stage, he whips the crowd into a buying frenzy, record breaking sales is the result.

A super narcissistic individual who spent years cleverly building Pro-Apple relations with highly influential writers at some of the worlds high profile newspapers and web sites like Walt Mossberg at the Wall St Journal, David Pogue of the New York Times, to name but two of a dozen or so.

Steve gave them silent exclusive advance access to products first, before launch in exchange for them writing gushing glowing reviews declaring Apples latest product pure genius, a must have. This formula was brilliant and got Apple noticed Globally years ago.

Hiring a world renown New York based ad agency to blast the praises of Apple Globally ... Steve knew exactly what he was doing. His greatest true strength wasn't understanding technology although he did, Woz handled making the products great while Steve was the pitchman. Cunning and Aggressive Steve knew Smoke and Mirrors Sales. He _drove_ Apple to the top.

Fast forward to today, where Apple was greeted by the Hard Slap Of Reality. Still reeling behind the scenes, they're stunned at the "eh who cares?" attitude towards Apple Watch.

The huge attention world wide, created solely by Apples money and cunning manipulation. Not by the potential customers. Because of the millions and millions of dollars spent on hyping the Watch as only Apple could do, did it seem like a more exciting product than it actually is.

The marketing plan worked...partially... Successfully whipping the dedicated "I have my wallet ready" "take my money already" types.... those responses only seen in Apple forums.

Elsewhere in main stream public places, people where too busy enjoying life focused on other things. First notice of an Apple Watch advertisement was met with "eh, so what?" reception.

Certainly not a flop and certainly not a blockbuster product, now Apples invincible confidence is rattled... Bad. They hide it well yet their very cautious approach with their new tablet is proof positive that Apples previously superior to the peasants attitude has taken a heavy hit.

Perhaps Apple has noticed that they aren't as special as they believe.

 

[convergent]

I think that Microsoft's new Surface Book is what should have been done with the iPad Pro. I believe this will be a niche product that will sell more in Mac sales numbers than iOS device sales numbers. A hybrid like Microsoft did I think would have been more of a home run product. We'll have to wait and see how the market responds.

 

[KPOM]

It depends on your perspective. Apple sells 4-5 million Macs per quarter. If they sell 1-2 million iPad Pros per quarter, that's pretty significant. Remember, this is priced at the same level as the MacBook Air.

 

[KPOM]

I think that Microsoft's new Surface Book is what should have been done with the iPad Pro. I believe this will be a niche product that will sell more in Mac sales numbers than iOS device sales numbers. A hybrid like Microsoft did I think would have been more of a home run product. We'll have to wait and see how the market responds.

It's hard to say. Hybrids haven't really taken off, and the Surface Book is very expensive. Everyone talks about the $1499 model, but that is with a 128GB SSD and integrated GPU. If you want 256GB or 512GB you need to jump up to the pricier models.

While there is merit in a combined tablet/notebook, the Mac is a niche platform. It makes more sense to me for Apple to build up iOS's capabilities rather than try to merge OS X and iOS the way Microsoft has done with Windows 10 and Windows Mobile.

 

[KPOM]

Too expensive.

iPad sales are down for 2 reasons.

1. You don't need to replace them yearly.
2. Competition is crushing them in price.

Reason #1 is more important. Tablet sales in general are pretty low.

 

[KPOM]

I went into an Apple Store to buy an iPad Air 2 when they first came out. Demoing the ugly buggy-ass iOS 7 at an Apple store put me off buying an iPad Air 2. Apple has themselves and their product to blame for that loss of sale, not some magical "tablet market slump".

The Air 2 debuted with iOS 8.

I expect that the Air 3 will support the Apple Pencil. Apple seems to have adjusted their product renewal cycle for the iPad to reflect a longer, more Mac-like replacement cycle.

 

[mrob44]

I make a solid portion of my income as a fiction writer, and I've been working off a 2011 11" Macbook Air. When I saw the iPad Pro announcement I was pretty excited because of the keyboard and larger screen (that gorgeous screen, if you believe those who've seen it) and I think the multitasking and split-view in iOS 9 will compliment the screen well.
Microsoft seems to be prepping Office for the iPad to be a solid attempt at re-creating the full desktop version. There's a huge part of me who really wants to give this thing a try as my mobile work machine (writing, email, web, social), but when I look at the price of the iPad, Keyboard, and the pencil (because I just think it's cool) I'm pushing the price of the 12" Macbook and 13 MacBook pro. It just seems like an incredibly blurry line when it comes to what you're paying for with this thing. You can't compare the dollars spent to the specs of the device, because that'll point you right to the laptops every time. So, the question: What makes the iPad Pro the choice over spending a few more bucks for a laptop? Is it the iOS 9 experience? The form factor?

It's weird, I really want this thing, but I'm not sure why?

 

[nunes013]

an included pencil might possibly make sense but not everybody wants a keyboard.

No, but they could do a bundle with all three and give the buyer a little discount if they buy everything up front. If its $1050 for the intro model, pencil and keyboard all together, maybe say $900 if you buy all three up front.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

No, but they could do a bundle with all three and give the buyer a little discount if they buy everything up front. If its $1050 for the intro model, pencil and keyboard all together, maybe say $900 if you buy all three up front.

Keyboard is $169, Pencil is $99. Why would they take $150 off the price of the bundle? "Everybody who buys the keyboard gets a free Pencil" would be just $99 off. "Everybody who buys a Pencil gets the keyboard for $19???" Not likely. Apple doesn't undercut the value of its products like that.

If this is truly aimed at the corporate market, such bundles are pointless. The corporate market will buy exactly what they need to implement their "vision" - most likely either keyboard or Pencil, not both, and many corporate applications will only need the touch screen.

 

[newhorizons]

Apple needs to wake up and release full OSX Tablet . the same hardware of Macbook Air .

This thing is a JOKE for $1200

 

[benjitek]

If you don't mind the invention of screen wobble, or silver backlit keys that are hard to read -- the Surface Book is an attractive option.

 

[KPOM]

Apple needs to wake up and release full OSX Tablet . the same hardware of Macbook Air .

This thing is a JOKE for $1200

What advantage would that give them in the enterprise? Windows hybrid tablets make sense because there is a lot of software for Windows. However, OS X is a niche, and there is more software for iOS. They could build out iOS (make a partially accessible file system, build support for peripherals, etc.) but I don't see much value in running full blown OS X. It would need to run Intel and the battery life would be just like the Surface Book in tablet mode unless they ran it using a Core M like the MacBook. It would then lose compatibility with iOS or be forced into emulation mode.

 

[nunes013]

Keyboard is $169, Pencil is $99. Why would they take $150 off the price of the bundle? "Everybody who buys the keyboard gets a free Pencil" would be just $99 off. "Everybody who buys a Pencil gets the keyboard for $19???" Not likely. Apple doesn't undercut the value of its products like that.

If this is truly aimed at the corporate market, such bundles are pointless. The corporate market will buy exactly what they need to implement their "vision" - most likely either keyboard or Pencil, not both, and many corporate applications will only need the touch screen.

Sorry I thought the keyboard was $150 and I didn't do my math right. And I wasn't thinking cooperate. Im thinking more on the terms of education and people buying this for college or people who freelance professionally. Idk to me it seems very expensive with everything. Im still on the fence with what I think. I see both positive and negative.

 

[newhorizons]

What advantage would that give them in the enterprise? Windows hybrid tablets make sense because there is a lot of software for Windows. However, OS X is a niche, and there is more software for iOS. They could build out iOS (make a partially accessible file system, build support for peripherals, etc.) but I don't see much value in running full blown OS X. It would need to run Intel and the battery life would be just like the Surface Book in tablet mode unless they ran it using a Core M like the MacBook. It would then lose compatibility with iOS or be forced into emulation mode.

Who told you OSX has no software for enterprise ?

Office 2016 is there , All Auto Desk software are there , Sketching software , Photoshop , etc

and Those need REAL CPU at least i7 with 8 to 16G of RAM

IPAD is a TOY .

and I hate Windows , especially on Tablets.

 

[newhorizons]

If you don't mind the invention of screen wobble, or silver backlit keys that are hard to read -- the Surface Book is an attractive option.

Sadly , Windows OS is never an attractive option .

I will never go back to windows . and I hope that Apple releases a MacTablet , a real powerful OSX Tablet.

 

[KPOM]

Who told you OSX has no software for enterprise ?

Office 2016 is there , All Auto Desk software are there , Sketching software , Photoshop , etc

and Those need REAL CPU at least i7 with 8 to 16G of RAM

IPAD is a TOY .

and I hate Windows , especially on Tablets.

Version of many of those exist for iOS. Maybe Apple can push the developers to improve the functionality.

I never said there is no enterprise software for OS X. It's just that Mac is a niche market and doesn't have as compelling a software library.

If Apple produced a Surface Book equivalent with 8-16GB of RAM and an i7 it would have 2.5 hour battery life in tablet mode and cost $2700 just like the Surface Book. It would also require a total rewrite of OS X and would have many of the same drawbacks as Windows 10. The problem is that neither OS X nor Windows were written to be touch operating systems, and most of the software was written assuming mouse/trackpad and keyboard support. It would be like Windows 8 all over again.

ARM is up to the level of the Core M and low-end i5 now. Give it a couple years and it will be powerful enough to build some really compelling desktop apps, provided Apple opens up iOS. Better to push for that than hope for a Mac Tablet. It is isn't happening.

 

[canesalato]

Too expensive.

I'm in the market to replace an iPad 3 Retina. It's really sluggish now.

How the hell is the year old iPad Air 2 still $500 for the entry level 16gb.

iPad sales are down for 2 reasons.

1. You don't need to replace them yearly.
2. Competition is crushing them in price.

and in features

 

[newhorizons]

Version of many of those exist for iOS. Maybe Apple can push the developers to improve the functionality.

If Apple produced a Surface Book equivalent with 8-16GB of RAM and an i7 it would have 2.5 hour battery life in tablet mode and cost $2700 just like the Surface Book.

It would also require a total rewrite of OS X and would have many of the same drawbacks as Windows 10. The problem is that neither OS X nor Windows were written to be touch operating systems, and most of the software was written assuming mouse/trackpad and keyboard support. It would be like Windows 8 all over again.

ARM is up to the level of the Core M and low-end i5 now. Give it a couple years and it will be powerful enough to build some really compelling desktop apps, provided Apple opens up iOS. Better to push for that than hope for a Mac Tablet. It is isn't happening.

lol .. are you joking ?

First , The software I mentioned need more processing power than a mobile CPU/GPU

second , a Mactablet would be the same specs of 13 inch Macbook Air with at least 9-12 hours battery life.

and it will start at $999 for 4G/128G SSD/i5 low option.

as for optimized for touch ? easy , they can port IOS and make it run on X86 CPU and put it on top of OSX GUI , the touch optimized OS is ready they have it.

 

[KPOM]

lol .. are you joking ?

First , The software I mentioned need more processing power than a mobile CPU/GPU

second , a Mactablet would be the same specs of 13 inch Macbook Air with at least 9-12 hours battery life.

and it will start at $999 for 4G/128G SSD/i5 low option.

So you want a Mac Tablet with a 1366x768 TFT display?

Or do you want a Mac Surface Pro 4, which is $1299 with 8GB and 256GB? At $999 you are talking 4GB RAM 128GB, slow core i5 and only 9 hours if you play simple videos. In other words, a "toy" by your standards. That's with a pen but no keyboard. And it would have a clunky Apple take on Windows 10.

Look at the benchmarks. The A9 performs as well as the Core M and the A9X will approach the Core i5.

 

[69650]

Too expensive.

I'm in the market to replace an iPad 3 Retina. It's really sluggish now.

How the hell is the year old iPad Air 2 still $500 for the entry level 16gb.

iPad sales are down for 2 reasons.

1. You don't need to replace them yearly.
2. Competition is crushing them in price.

iPad sales are down primarily because sales of all tablets are down so the iPad is just following a general trend.

 

[wizard]

It is a very niche product but even so I would expect more that 2.5 million sold upon debut world wide. I suspect something is fishy here with the numbers, maybe misleading on purpose. The worst thing you can do as a manufacture is not have enough product for Christmas sales.

At least they're aware this is a somewhat niche product and won't be a mainstream success like the iPad and iPad mini. Success or failure is all about the expectations you set. People don't call the Mac Pro a failure based on its low sales numbers because they never expected it to sell in large volumes. I'm not sure precisely where to position the iPad Pro in terms of niche-ness though.

At this point I'm not convinced that it is for me, in fact I'm pissed off that Apple didn't upgrade the Air variant. However this device is unique enough that I fully expect strong sales in the first few months. There is a enough graphic artists types world wide to flood Apple with demand at debut.

One thing seems obvious to me however: the product itself could have mainstream appeal, it's ultimately its price tag that will limit demand.

The price tag is a bit stiff. However this really looks like a high performance device (measured in many ways) that will have appeal to a wide audience.

If the iPad Pro was say $649, with the keyboard case and pencil at $99 and $49 respectively, I could totally see it sell in large amounts.

Past the Christmas season you certainly have the potential for a huge drop in sales. This due more to the nasty state of the economy more than anything. This might drive down prices a bit. The problem is we don't really know how advanced the technology is in these devices to really judge them cost wise. It is sort of like the new Mac Book, yes it is expensive but it is also a technology power house. When we see equivalent hardware from other manufactures we will have a better idea as to how outwardly expensive the iPad Pro is.