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I feel like the tablet version of iOS should offer more than a scaled up iPhone OS. The App Store is better than android tablet App Store for sure but I feel like tablets should be more towards being a laptop than an iPhone. Things like widgets, customisation, arranging App screen, tablet specific functions and much more is needed. You still need a laptop and you still need an iPhone for Apple to bridge the gap or entire delete the need for a laptop. There is lots of additional tablet features that need to be added or improved drastically. The iPad is also like a laptop in terms of upgrade cycle. I also believe we've reached a point where the limits of hardware speed are no longer an issue and it's mostly implementation and integration of functionality with hardware.
 
Apple can pump as much as they want out of a tablet, trying to keep it above water, but it'll go under..

What more can you do to add more features than the odd speed bump, and trickling stuff out... TouchID was good, but the rest Biometic scanning and suff that will probably go on iPad as well after they come to iPhone, its all just building on top of something better we don't "need"

We want it,, but that is not a requirement we must have....unless u work for the government.
 
I don't get it. Why would you pay double the price for the same. Just for the Apple logo? You seem exactly the group Apple is targeting the last 5 years.

Because its not just that alone...... its more secure...
 
I don't get it. Why would you pay double the price for the same. Just for the Apple logo? You seem exactly the group Apple is targeting the last 5 years.

Because they are not the same.

The iPad does what I want it to do, more so than android tablets, while offering a better user experience at it.

It's a premium I am willing to pay.
 
From my end the Intel powered Windows tablets have been the better value since I got my iPad 2 back in 2011. For the asking price there are now full OS "tablet" PCs that can run both tablet style and full power desktop apps. If you don't want Windows there are even now Linux distributions that can handle the touch interface (kind of), if you're so inclined.

Back in 2010 I was telling people "yes, if only Apple would give me a bigger iPod touch", and they did. At the time there really wasn't a competitive device in weight/price/performance. That isn't true anymore. Apple's refusal to keep up with increases in RAM, internal storage, and external storage options has put the iPad further and further behind in value against Intel-Tablet x86-64 PCs. And frankly most of "power" use of the iPad 2 was actually running a VNC connection to a full on MacBook/MacMini. So the iPad was actually little more than a VNC screen with good touch input. I can get the same thing today out of a WinTel tablet or even Android device if so pressed.

The only thing that would make me reconsider buying back into an Apple Tablet at this point, would be a commitment to external storage support.

I'd also like to see them stop playing games with system RAM. The amount of available RAM has LONG been the longevity point for any computer device, and especially Apple computers (of any configuration). Yes they can get their OS to run on 3 Gigs where others need 4 or 6, but that just means once the CRITICAL security fixing forced updates come through there isn't any wiggle room. Those 3 Gigs of RAM will suddenly become "not enough" after just one or two "forced" OS updates (with all the additional baggage that comes along with the security fixes). And at $500+ per device, that just ain't value.

As it stands the iPad is still, after almost 7 years, a computer dependent device. Because of it's limited storage capacity and no external options, it really does need a big boy computer to pair with. Now for many they cheat themselves and think iCloud and digital downloads lets the iPad stand alone. It's false feeling. iCloud is a backbone of REAL computer servers, doing the big boy tasks that Apple will not let the iPad handle. Pick any other "tablet" OS, and it can be managed on its own without having to run to a server or personal home computer any time it gets in over its head with storage. In the case of Windows tablets, they can even handle desktop level use with Mouse and Keyboard if so pressed, and do so at a lower price. To get the same out of an iPad your on the hook for both the iPad (500) and a home PC (again 400 to 500). At that point its better value just to buy the 400 dollar Windows Tablet PC.

And to be brutal, Apple hasn't even bothered to vertically integrate the iPad very well with their own Macs. Out of the Box back in 2011, an iPad or iPad 2 should have been able to be screen and input for a headless MacMini. Now its 2017, and they still can't (out of the box) be both Screen and Input for a MacMini.
 
God, I love my ipads to death. Phones are too small for me to read or watch video on. Laptops are unnecessary for me if I'm not doing work and they don't have touch. Even if I'm doing light work, the smart keyboard is fine. Hope they don't abandon the ipads down the road.

I want a 12" non-pro ipad. Just for basic content consumption - watching videos etc as a secondary activity but I want it on a bigger screen.
 
An illustrator, I bought an iPad in 2012 as there was a promising 3rd party stylus on the horizon. I sold it after a few months when that stylus proved to be too clunky to use, and Apple was still adamantly opposed to pen input. By the time the iPad Pro + Pencil were released, I had bought a Wacom tablet PC.

I had been with the Mac for about 30 years and had an iPhone as well. Now I don't use any Apple products. I've got a Galaxy Note 4, which has Wacom tech built in.

But I am of course part of a weird little artistic niche. Apple almost went bankrupt trying to cater to us. From a consumer point of view, their products are a delight.

As useful and practical as my tablet PC has been, I would still consider an iPad Pro if iOS was enhanced with more pro features, as others have said. It also needs more pro level apps. Affinity is developing fully-featured versions of its apps for iPad Pro, which is very promising.

My tablet PC has poor battery life and is relatively heavy. So far the Surface Book has come closest to being my dream machine. I only rejected it because the Surface Pen tech is still inferior to Wacom's and Apple's offerings. This problem could be solved when Wacom finally releases its Surface-compatible G13 stylus.

(EDIT: it's been so long since I posted here that my signature still shows my old devices... Well, I still use the 7B pencil and kneadable eraser.)



From my end the Intel powered Windows tablets have been the better value since I got my iPad 2 back in 2011. For the asking price there are now full OS "tablet" PCs that can run both tablet style and full power desktop apps. If you don't want Windows there are even now Linux distributions that can handle the touch interface (kind of), if you're so inclined.

Back in 2010 I was telling people "yes, if only Apple would give me a bigger iPod touch", and they did. At the time there really wasn't a competitive device in weight/price/performance. That isn't true anymore. Apple's refusal to keep up with increases in RAM, internal storage, and external storage options has put the iPad further and further behind in value against Intel-Tablet x86-64 PCs. And frankly most of "power" use of the iPad 2 was actually running a VNC connection to a full on MacBook/MacMini. So the iPad was actually little more than a VNC screen with good touch input. I can get the same thing today out of a WinTel tablet or even Android device if so pressed.

The only thing that would make me reconsider buying back into an Apple Tablet at this point, would be a commitment to external storage support.

I'd also like to see them stop playing games with system RAM. The amount of available RAM has LONG been the longevity point for any computer device, and especially Apple computers (of any configuration). Yes they can get their OS to run on 3 Gigs where others need 4 or 6, but that just means once the CRITICAL security fixing forced updates come through there isn't any wiggle room. Those 3 Gigs of RAM will suddenly become "not enough" after just one or two "forced" OS updates (with all the additional baggage that comes along with the security fixes). And at $500+ per device, that just ain't value.

As it stands the iPad is still, after almost 7 years, a computer dependent device. Because of it's limited storage capacity and no external options, it really does need a big boy computer to pair with. Now for many they cheat themselves and think iCloud and digital downloads lets the iPad stand alone. It's false feeling. iCloud is a backbone of REAL computer servers, doing the big boy tasks that Apple will not let the iPad handle. Pick any other "tablet" OS, and it can be managed on its own without having to run to a server or personal home computer any time it gets in over its head with storage. In the case of Windows tablets, they can even handle desktop level use with Mouse and Keyboard if so pressed, and do so at a lower price. To get the same out of an iPad your on the hook for both the iPad (500) and a home PC (again 400 to 500). At that point its better value just to buy the 400 dollar Windows Tablet PC.

And to be brutal, Apple hasn't even bothered to vertically integrate the iPad very well with their own Macs. Out of the Box back in 2011, an iPad or iPad 2 should have been able to be screen and input for a headless MacMini. Now its 2017, and they still can't (out of the box) be both Screen and Input for a MacMini.
 
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Tablets are squeezed between smartphones with larger displays and notebooks with better performance and access to desktop apps.

Don't forget that notebooks are getting lighter and thinner and have touch screens as well, making the window for tablets smaller and smaller.
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I'm not saying it's the main factor, but Apple's long refresh cycle for Ipads isn't helping. Update the 12.9 and you'll get my money Apple. :)

There is simply hardly anything new to the iPad since its introduction......
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That's part of the problem. There was never a need to make iOS and macOS incompatible.

I agree, Apple created its own issue with this.
 
They simply last longer than phones. Mine is around 4-5 years old now - I honestly can't remember when I bought it and I don't see any need to replace it soon. If Apple went down the route of planned obsolescence to boost sales users would for the most part just stick with the one they had and forego any updates. If it works why change it. They'd be better off rebuilding the core of their business (computers) and preparing for the next trend so they are able to capitalise on this. Tablets are just commodity items now.
 
I love John Gruber's canned response for this "People don't upgrade tablets like they do phones". You can only say that for so many years before you lose credibility.

I love my iPad and I'd definitely upgrade every 2-3 years or so but haven't done so because iOS is holding it back. I can't justify spending $699 on the Pro when my wife & I can't have our own logins. People always say "Apple wants to sell more iDevices, so they won't do multi-user support" - Great, then why not get rid of that feature on MacOS?

Right, iOS is simply no replacement for macOS!
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They are. Apple sold twice as many iPads as they did Macs in the last quarter.

But Macs are twice as expensive.......
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I'm an ipad mini user - and I'd buy another if the new ones were any good.

But apple has decided that people who prefer the smaller form factor don't need the same features and performance as someone who likes to hold a larger device. If you need to add some horse power to drive the larger display, fine...

But there's feature and power disparity way beyond that. Why? if make no sense.

So why would I buy another "updated" device which I view as crippled for no good reason.

Don't let the tail way the dog Apple -
The reason you're selling fewer Mac mini's, iPad mini, mac Pros, etc. ISN'T because the audience base or need has evaporated - it's because you are failing to provide compelling product to those users as you focus instead on saving pennies.

Now go release that apple tv gen 5. Make it have the features the gen 4 should have had and watch that market pick up.

Yes, but an ATV5 with a web browser and an email client. It is just absurd how Apple is limiting the use of one of their best devices, just to prevent people not buying one of the other products.
 
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Knowing the industry around telco and electronics, tablets have been sold like crazy. Everyone already has one. We are in a post-tablet era.
 
Even after 13 quarters of selling less and less iPads, they still sell 10x the number of iPads compared to Macs.

How long will it take before the gap is closed? 10 iPads for 1 Mac Pro........???
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It comes down to apps. Where are the really great apps for the iPad?

Mostly, just a load of crap like angry bird, flappy bird and other nonsense. The claim to have over a million apps on the iStore but 99,9% is total rubbish.
 
Are you saying there's not a large number of people who want to buy the same overpriced device every year? Shocking.
 
I think phone and laptop sales are the same. Nobody needs a new phone/laptop/tablet every year. My iPad Mini 2 does everything I need it to, I don't want it any smaller or lighter. Same with my laptop and phone. I'd rather they released new products every three years with some real innovation rather than annually with a slightly different shape and 5% processor boost that nobody will notice.
 
I don't get it. Why would you pay double the price for the same. Just for the Apple logo? You seem exactly the group Apple is targeting the last 5 years.
I guess the premises of your statement are the issue.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time configuring things from different vendors so they would work. Then, a client of mine had a Mac, and I bought one so that I could make sure that I was giving him the service that he was paying for. There's nothing like paying someone $125/hour to look at a book/website on how to fix the issues on their Mac.

All that aside, I got an iPhone around that time (They would do Exchange Servers, so that was a plus), and then an iPad. The learning curve was much steeper (Y being amount learned, and X being time, so a steep learning curve means that you're learning a lot in a short amount of time), and after about a year, I realized that I don't have time to learn each new thing, and be efficient at what I do. Also, when I call Apple for support, it's hard for them to blame someone else when they're all Apple products.

So, the short answer to your statement is I'd rather learn it once, and be able to serve my customers than to have a hodgepodge of different "best of breed*" devices that don't talk well to each other.

*Best of breed may be actually true for that individual device, but for the customer that is using it, a Ferrari 458 may not be the best car to take the kids to school, especially with the speed bumps in the parking lot.
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Are you saying there's not a large number of people who want to buy the same overpriced device every year? Shocking.
If they really want iPad sales to improve, they'll put a voice cell chip in them.
 
It comes down to apps. Where are the really great apps for the iPad?

6ea30bb51efc43c4fbf989825646f6df.jpg


Here are the apps on my iPad. I don't need really great apps which induce a multi-orgasmic thrill ride when I use them. Just need a desire to use the iPad and the will to make it work. The form factor, battery life and ease of use certainly help too.
 
I've written six (almost seven) books on one, five of which were best-sellers in their category (the other two aren't out yet).
...
I have, in a previous post here, already said that notebooks can do more -- for example I would love it if I could edit podcasts on an iPad the way I can on my MacBook Pro -- .

Congrats on the books!
If you really want to make and edit audio podcasts, there is definitely a way to do the process entirely on iPad. You've just got to find the right app
 
But apple has decided that people who prefer the smaller form factor don't need the same features and performance as someone who likes to hold a larger device. If you need to add some horse power to drive the larger display, fine...

But there's feature and power disparity way beyond that. Why? if make no sense.

So why would I buy another "updated" device which I view as crippled for no good reason.

This could as well describe the iPhones. Users get punished for choosing the smaller device, for some reason.
 
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You should be comparing iPad trends to Mac trends, not iPhone. I the iPhone is used more and also used as a status device. People want to be seen with the latest iPhone. That doesn't really carry over as much in iPad and Mac lines. Like Macs, people are keeping their iPads longer and don't see the need to upgrade. It reflects the excellent build quality of Apple products. I'm on my 3rd iPad and waiting for the new ones to buy my 4th. I have an iPad Air 2 I love it and use it every day. I probably would still be using my iPad 4 if it hadn't been stolen. I believe you will see an iPad sales jump when the new iPads are finally released.
 
...

Here are the apps on my iPad. I don't need really great apps which induce a multi-orgasmic thrill ride when I use them. Just need a desire to use the iPad and the will to make it work. The form factor, battery life and ease of use certainly help too.

that's really pretty and all but there's no substantial difference with iPhone regarding iOS and apps. I can do all these on my iPhone 7+ while the hardware for dictation and everything is better than the hardware on my iPad.

the sole reason to use an iPad today is the screen estate, and that's convenient, but not "I'll upgrade every 2 years'-convenient.

If the iPad had the same functionality software wise as a mac, then there would be much more cannibalisation and iPad sales. (not talking about a finder here, just professional software)

It's even worse actually: I'm on the couch with my iPad and want to do some calculations, no wait there's no calculator in the widget thingie center below, I had to download one for free, with ugly advertising, or purchase one, or use search with the risk of only doing very simple calculations.
I tried to dictate a letter both on my iPad and on my iPhone. My iPhone made significantly less mistakes then my iPad!

for my own personal use, I don't need more then my iPad and iPhone, that's true. But I need professional software on my mac that doesn't exist on iPad, and than I use my iPhone, there's no need to stop in between as Apple never carved something out for iPad software wise.
 
An illustrator, I bought an iPad in 2012 as there was a promising 3rd party stylus on the horizon. I sold it after a few months when that stylus proved to be too clunky to use, and Apple was still adamantly opposed to pen input. By the time the iPad Pro + Pencil were released, I had bought a Wacom tablet PC.

I had been with the Mac for about 30 years and had an iPhone as well. Now I don't use any Apple products. I've got a Galaxy Note 4, which has Wacom tech built in.

But I am of course part of a weird little artistic niche. Apple almost went bankrupt trying to cater to us. From a consumer point of view, their products are a delight.

As useful and practical as my tablet PC has been, I would still consider an iPad Pro if iOS was enhanced with more pro features, as others have said. It also needs more pro level apps. Affinity is developing fully-featured versions of its apps for iPad Pro, which is very promising.

My tablet PC has poor battery life and is relatively heavy. So far the Surface Book has come closest to being my dream machine. I only rejected it because the Surface Pen tech is still inferior to Wacom's and Apple's offerings. This problem could be solved when Wacom finally releases its Surface-compatible G13 stylus.

(EDIT: it's been so long since I posted here that my signature still shows my old devices... Well, I still use the 7B pencil and kneadable eraser.)

I think the Wacom-Surface designed stylus is coming up soon as I've been hearing a lot about it over the last several months which shows promise. I think it was wise of Microsoft to partner up with Wacom so that the stylus can work effectively with their products. Like you, I'm an illustrator myself and use the iPad Pro, which I got through a special grant, for certain tasks but when I need to do the heavy lifting, I switch over to my 2010-11 iMac. And I still think the Surface Pro is a great product and will continue to be as time goes by which I almost got.

I may need to get a matte screen cover for the iPad Pro so I can draw more comfortably than using the smooth glass which threw me off a bit. The matte screen cover would then feel like a standard Wacom Intuos digitizer which I also have.

As for Affinity, I've heard rumors of it. If they are indeed making apps for iPad Pro, it would be excellent.

Regarding the 7B Pencil and eraser, I'm still old school as well and use the moleskine sketchbook to work out concepts and visuals.
 
that's really pretty and all but there's no substantial difference with iPhone regarding iOS and apps. I can do all these on my iPhone 7+ while the hardware for dictation and everything is better than the hardware on my iPad.

the sole reason to use an iPad today is the screen estate, and that's convenient, but not "I'll upgrade every 2 years'-convenient.
I am a teacher who uses his iPad in the classroom, and the apps I listed above are using for both work and leisure.

I first started with the iPad 3, then the iPad mini 2 and am now using a 9.7" iPad Pro. There's no way I am annotating on a PDF in notability on my iPhone. The screen size is simply too small, even for the 5.5" model, and it lacks Apple Pencil support anyways.

For me, the screen size really does make all that difference.

If the iPad had the same functionality software wise as a mac, then there would be much more cannibalisation and iPad sales. (not talking about a finder here, just professional software)

I for one am glad my iPad doesn't run macOS.

It's even worse actually: I'm on the couch with my iPad and want to do some calculations, no wait there's no calculator in the widget thingie center below, I had to download one for free, with ugly advertising, or purchase one, or use search with the risk of only doing very simple calculations.

I tried to dictate a letter both on my iPad and on my iPhone. My iPhone made significantly less mistakes then my iPad!
You do know that PCalc is available as a free app, right? No ads. It works in split-screen mode and even has a notification centre widget which you can use to make quick calculations, and is faster to access to boot.

All while I am watching YouTube in picture-in-picture mode courtesy of Protube app.

for my own personal use, I don't need more then my iPad and iPhone, that's true. But I need professional software on my mac that doesn't exist on iPad, and than I use my iPhone, there's no need to stop in between as Apple never carved something out for iPad software wise.

There are things I do on my Mac which I can't do on my iPad, just as there are tasks I prefer doing on my iPad over my Mac.

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I view my Apple devices in terms of convenience and ease of use, rather than software. Take email for example. Once in a while, a particularly long email makes me reach for my iMac, but otherwise, my iPad can handle most of my email needs just fine.

It's about using the right tool for the job, and for me, the iPad does represent the right tool for the majority of tasks that I do.
 
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My iPad Pro was useless till I got the keyboard for it. iOS is still meh...when it comes to productivity. Need drag n drop, finder, better multi-tasking
 
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