Apple Shipped More Tablets Than Samsung and Amazon Did Combined Last Quarter

[Shanghaichica]

Yes they’re being used, as far as my own experience goes. I bought an iPad for myself but for my wife and parents I’ve bought 4 Android tablets.

They get used much more than my iPad though I do have more devices in general to choose between.

Since they aren’t in the Apple ecosystem the benefits of iPad mean nothing to them so it’s not worth the premium. The combined cost of all their tablets is less than my single iPad.

I suspect Android tablets get used more often than iPads. No one’s buying Android tablets to look cool. No one’s upgrading them every year to show off. They get bought to get used.

My kids certainly use their fire tablets. I think the android tablets get used a lot outside of the US, which is where most of them are likely sold.

I think people in America, Europe etc have largely moved past the age of tablet discovery. The time when people bought a tablet for the novelty factor and put it in a drawer for years. People who buy tablets today in these places are likely upgrading for older devices and have a use case for them.

 

[polyphenol]

I had the same decision to make and went with the air plus the magic keyboard. For the current capabilities of iPadOS I felt the Pro was overpowered for the money and the savings covered the keyboard, which I love. I figure at the point when iPadOS can actually take advantage of heavier hardware, thunderbolt, etc this iPad will be at least a couple years old and I can consider upgrading.

And I have to say I’m loving the Air, performance is great and I prefer touchID to faceID anyway so that’s a bonus.

I think I have decided to go the other way - a refurb iPad Pro 11" with 256 rather than an Air. The 64 GB of the Air is possibly too little, and the cost of a 256 Air jumps too high for "just" an Air (in my view). I also much desire the 600 nits of the Pro over the 500 nits of the Air.

 

[seek3r]

I think I have decided to go the other way - a refurb iPad Pro 11" with 256 rather than an Air. The 64 GB of the Air is possibly too little, and the cost of a 256 Air jumps too high for "just" an Air (in my view). I also much desire the 600 nits of the Pro over the 500 nits of the Air.

To each their own, make the decision that works best for you

 

[TonnyM]

Apple hugely stepped up iPad game recently. It’s more and more laptop and PC alternative depending on individual needs.

 

[Khedron]

Apple hugely stepped up iPad game recently. It’s more and more laptop and PC alternative depending on individual needs.

Complete nonsense.

iPad is more like a massive phone than a laptop.

It’s nowhere close to replacing laptops or PCs unless your requirements are so trivial that you didn’t really need them in the first place.

 

[I7guy]

Complete nonsense.

iPad is more like a massive phone than a laptop.

It’s nowhere close to replacing laptops or PCs unless your requirements are so trivial that you didn’t really need them in the first place.

Seems like there could be tens of millions or more who have “trivial requirements.”

 

[polyphenol]

To each their own, make the decision that works best for you

£689 for a refurb 256 Pro cellular vs. £729 for a new 256 Air wifi. (I haven't seen any refurb Airs recently.)

I've already got a keyboard and pencil available.

 

[snipr125]

Ipads are really now the defacto choice when anyone is considering to buy a tablet. Since all of the ipad range has moved over to 6 core bionic chips at a minimum, they have gotten even better, matching and even surpassing performance over full on core i5/i7 laptops. Even hardcore Android phone users generally have an ipad, thats how good they are.

 

[jimbobb24]

Tablets are very 2013, still can’t find a use for an iPad, not even watching youtube.

You don’t know how to watch YouTube on your iPad? It’s super easy.

 

[snipr125]

I think I have decided to go the other way - a refurb iPad Pro 11" with 256 rather than an Air. The 64 GB of the Air is possibly too little, and the cost of a 256 Air jumps too high for "just" an Air (in my view). I also much desire the 600 nits of the Pro over the 500 nits of the Air.

That's fair, but I presume that refurb Pro 11 is the 2020 version with the 3 year old A12Z chip, and not the M1. Me personally I prefer the new and more efficient A14 bionic in the Air 4. The A12Z is still plenty powerful of course, and you get the pro-motion screen etc.

 

[polyphenol]

That's fair, but I presume that refurb Pro 11 is the 2020 version with the 3 year old A12Z chip, and not the M1. Me personally I prefer the new and more efficient A14 bionic in the Air 4. The A12Z is still plenty powerful of course, and you get the pro-motion screen etc.

Yes - true it is A12Z - that is the balance of cost/benefit I had to draw. I couldn't justify £230 more for an M1 and a bit more memory. Why - that's almost half the price of my refurb M1 mini!

 

[bollman]

You don’t know how to watch YouTube on your iPad? It’s super easy.

It’s super difficult!
Why on earth would you want to hold a huge ipad to watch videos?
My 15” MBP does a great job at showing videos, and it stays upright all on its own, it’s like magic!

 

[bollman]

Then I guess it’s settled: you don’t need a tablet!

I’m glad we could all be here with you today, on this momentous day! I know that I’ll be telling my grandkids about it someday!

Yet, so many of the iPads we buy at work end up in the hands of kids. Their parents use them for ”work” a month or two, and then realize that it’s top much of a hassle to drag around a laptop AND an iPad, and their kids gets a new toy.

 

[I7guy]

Yet, so many of the iPads we buy at work end up in the hands of kids. Their parents use them for ”work” a month or two, and then realize that it’s top much of a hassle to drag around a laptop AND an iPad, and their kids gets a new toy.

Do you have a citation for that observation? Or is that an anecdotal observation? I know many families where the iPad is shared with the kids, but at the same time haven’t seen parents give up on the iPad at least en masse and not saying it never happens. In life everything happens.

 

[bollman]

Do you have a citation for that observation? Or is that an anecdotal observation? I know many families where the iPad is shared with the kids, but at the same time haven’t seen parents give up on the iPad at least en masse and not saying it never happens. In life everything happens.

I do.
I work at a uni (IT) and it is very common that researchers use ”excess grants” to buy an iPad, yet I never see anyone using them.
The ones I’ve asked have all admitted that it was given to their kids since they found it too cumbersome to carry both an MacBook and an iPad.

 

[I7guy]

I do.
I work at a uni (IT) and it is very common that researchers use ”excess grants” to buy an iPad, yet I never see anyone using them.
The ones I’ve asked have all admitted that it was given to their kids since they found it too cumbersome to carry both an MacBook and an iPad.

Okay so the observations are anecdotal and dont apply to the “universe at large” where there are tens of millions of iPads bought.

 

[I7guy]

It’s super difficult!
Why on earth would you want to hold a huge ipad to watch videos?
My 15” MBP does a great job at showing videos, and it stays upright all on its own, it’s like magic!

It’s super easy to watch videos on the iPad. We don’t hold an iPad: 1) the iPad Pro has the magic keyboard and 2) if we take the iPad off the magic keyboard we have an inexpensive foam iPad holder.

Much better than using a mac.

 

[I7guy]

Okay so the observations are anecdotal and dont apply to the “universe at large” where there are tens of millions of iPads bought.

I just reread the original post. Thanks for clarifying the universe us your workplace. The iPad as a sole computer isn’t for everyone as the Mac as the sole computer isn’t for everyone. YMMV and if you have a spare iPad send it my way…it will get good use.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Almost. Until you need to do something that only a traditional computer can do. My iPad mini got stuck in a boot loop after it tried to auto update to iPad OS 14.7. I had to connect it to my Mac and do a restore via iTunes.

The Post-PC era never meant that PCs should not exist. It just means that, again, for many (not all) of us, the need for owning a PC is moot.

Granted, in the scenario you present you were able to solve it on your own. However, similar scenarios occur for "real" PCs as well. There's many a time I had to lug my gigantic 27" iMac to the Apple store for a problem or five.

At least now, if I must go to the Apple Store for a fix, the "lugging" is FAR less annoying.

FWIW, I still own (and love) that old truck (it's a 2011 model). But it stays in the garage 99.9999% of the time (I do keep it updated, and my fam uses it sometimes when they're not on their own iPhones or iPads).

 

[bollman]

I just reread the original post. Thanks for clarifying the universe us your workplace. The iPad as a sole computer isn’t for everyone as the Mac as the sole computer isn’t for everyone. YMMV and if you have a spare iPad send it my way…it will get good use.

When the iPad was released in 2010, everyone flashed their iPads in meetings. Can’t remember when I last saw anyone use an iPad.
Been to JNUC quite a few times. I think there are more Windows PC in the audience than iPads.
Watching youtube or any other video on a 3:4 screen is just bad.
I actually have an iPad Pro. It’s now affixed to the kitchen wall to be used for recepies, but most of the time it’s easier to just use your phone.
I gave my sons iPad away, he never used it. Why go fetch an oversized phone when you have a phone in your pocket?
I know there are lots of iPads sold. I wonder how many are ”single use only”. I know we have a couple of hundred of them for exams, with just one ”exam-app” on them. Also, we have a bunch just used for lecture hall control. Only one app on them too, totally locked down.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

iPad is more like a massive phone than a laptop.

That's one, but very limited, way of looking at it.

It’s nowhere close to replacing laptops or PCs unless your requirements are so trivial that you didn’t really need them in the first place.

Exactly. My needs do not require a PC/Mac at all.

I can watch, record, edit, and share videos, use, share, and maintain document, movie, and photo databases, access and control remote "real" PCs, check email, send texts, surf the Net, shop, bank, game, create and record my own music, run home automation, on and on and on.

You know, trivial stuff.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I do.
I work at a uni (IT) and it is very common that researchers use ”excess grants” to buy an iPad, yet I never see anyone using them.
The ones I’ve asked have all admitted that it was given to their kids since they found it too cumbersome to carry both an MacBook and an iPad.

Well, when you need a truck a car just won't do, right?

That doesn't mean cars shouldn't exist, or that everyone needs a truck.

Previously, as an aircraft mechanic, an iPad with all our tech manuals was the perfect device, replacing the 60lb paper manual toolbox we had to check out and in every time we had a job on the flightline. Not every job has a computer at its center.

Now that I'm in IT, I use a (company-issued) laptop for work (I have no choice).

For literally EVERYTHING ELSE computer-related, I use an iPad (or iPhone).

 

[I7guy]

When the iPad was released in 2010, everyone flashed their iPads in meetings. Can’t remember when I last saw anyone use an iPad.
Been to JNUC quite a few times. I think there are more Windows PC in the audience than iPads.
Watching youtube or any other video on a 3:4 screen is just bad.
I actually have an iPad Pro. It’s now affixed to the kitchen wall to be used for recepies, but most of the time it’s easier to just use your phone.
I gave my sons iPad away, he never used it. Why go fetch an oversized phone when you have a phone in your pocket?
I know there are lots of iPads sold. I wonder how many are ”single use only”. I know we have a couple of hundred of them for exams, with just one ”exam-app” on them. Also, we have a bunch just used for lecture hall control. Only one app on them too, totally locked down.

I don’t know how many iPads are “single use”. I bought my better half an iPad Pro with the magic keyboard. For most of the work it replaced a surface pro. Yes, we still have to use windows occasionally.

However working for a university are different use cases than corporate America, airlines, etc.

I know there is sentiment an iPhone is an oversized iPod and an iPad is an oversized iPhone….but that sentiment to me misses the mark of why Apple products are popular.

 

[falainber]

As the table in the article shows, Apple continues losing market share in tablets.

 

[I7guy]

As the table in the article shows, Apple continues losing market share in tablets.

You’re correct of course.

Next year Apple might lose .1% market share.

With the number of units shipped and far more than Samsung…market share is about the most meaningless metric out there, imo.