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Apple Sold Fewer iPads Year Over Year for 13th Straight Quarter as Tablet Market Shrinks to Five-Year Low

KSpider said:
We have 6 iPads in the house, not one of them is less than 2-3 years old. They don't need to be upgraded like phones.
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I would argue that phones really don't need to be upgraded every year either. It's kind of silly. But I hear you. I'm still using an iPad mini 2. Want to upgrade to a Pro, but will wait for the next update.

I remember back in the 90s when all there was were desktops and laptops. You wouldn't really feel compelled to upgrade your desktops for 5-7 years and your laptops 3-5 years. It's strange to feel the need to upgrade every year.
 
As a toy, an iPad is great. As a productivity too for me, it is alright since it has limitations because either you need some extra peripherals (costly ones too) and more power (x86 and Windows do more) since I can multi-task a lot more efficiently.
 
Give me a reason to upgrade. Quite simple. I have an Air 2 for almost 3 years now and my wife has a mini 2. No reason I've seen to upgrade other than screen size/pencil support for the 12.9 inch model. Everyone has their own needs, I get that. But Apple really needs to start changing the game and advancing this tablets in terms of what they can do if they want to revive this declining sales issue. Start with, I don't know, an iOS that is tailored for the Pro devices to make them actually PRO. Utilize that 12.9 inch display for crying out loud and stop having so much wasted space!

I could go on and on....
 
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Well I think it's simple. Tablets (and the iPad in particular, with devices like the Surface Pro possibly being the exception) have failed to replace real computers for doing actual work. As such they still have a place for "content consumption", but the vast majority of people who have use for an iPad and can afford one already has one that's good enough for what they need it for. iOS on the iPad needs a massive rework to make the iPad an actual professional device. I think a lot of people have turned back to laptops as their on the go device and are more likely to spend money on a quality laptop than an iPad.
 
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Adding further tablet capabilities to iOS is fine, but will be pointless if people don't then go ahead and create the apps.
 
gotluck said:
waiting to buy the next ipad mini - make one apple!
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I'd buy a new mini every year if they released one, even with just a minor spec bump or a new color lol. It's the best overall gaming platform/size for me, and I actually have two I use regularly. One for different countries so I can get it on soft launches and the other as my "main."

The great thing about iPads is people love them so I can give or sell my old ones to friends and family and they appreciate it.
 
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I think the demand is there but it’s spread out over a much longer period of time with iPads. I’m one of those eagerly waiting for the rumoured 10.5 inch iPad Pro. And I’m an iPad 2 user like jkichline.

I’ve had that tablet since the day it came out and it’s served me well. And still works okay these days for a lot of what I do on an iPad. It’s somewhat laggy but functional. I certainly don’t consider my iPad a pro device and won’t consider a new one in that context (I leave all my pro work - mainly involving Adobe CC/Final Cut X to my late 2009 i7 iMac which I plan to refresh this year with an iMac Pro), but I think it has a ton of great apps and uses, at least for me:

iBooks - I use my iPad as a book reader a lot and this serves me well.
Final Draft Writer - kind of amazing that you can write scripts on the iPad these days.
Scrivener - I go back and forth from Scrivener on my desktop to my iPad and it works great. I use it to take notes in meetings on a weekly basis (I can type faster on it than some people can with a keyboard), I use it to organize my projects and do paper edits (for short training documentaries). It’s pretty damn powerful.
ForScore - I use my tablet as a sheet music viewer and I would consider this app “pro” sheet music software for all the features it has.
AirVideoHD - I stream my videos a lot, converting live from my computer anywhere I have a signal or WiFi
SplashtopHD - remote access my desktop
Pixelmator - for photo editing. The things you can do these days with something like Pixelmator on an iPad is pretty impressive
Paper - for sketching out visual ideas/models/diagrams quickly in work meetings

With DropBox and iCloud Drive integration with my work computer and home computer, there’s actually a lot of power using my iPad. Not to mention it’s got some fun things to fiddle around and a wealth of the kind of games I like (board games, Monument Valley, Kingdom Rush, even Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic now). Plus all the standard integration between Apple devices, the ability to control my home lights, and a battery life that still impresses the crap out of me, especially compared to my iPhone 6 which had **** battery life to begin with and is even ******** now.

I really think there’s a cycle of people out there who will eventually upgrade, but the iPads have been so efficient/great in general that there’s been little reason to before.

I don’t even really *need* an iPad Pro - my iPad 2 could do most of what I want these days - but I feel like it’s a good time to upgrade to eliminate any lagginess, get a slightly bigger screen for displaying sheet music, better sketching with Pencil, some split-screen capabilities, Handoff/Continuity, etc.

I would however, LOVE for a refresh of iOS where we have better access to file system management. That would definitely open the potential of the iPad a lot. I’ve definitely felt the “walled garden” constraints a lot more in the past few years with iOS.
 
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Abazigal said:
Technology simply doesn't improve fast enough to justify an annual refresh cycle for the iPad, nor are people rushing to upgrade their tablets every 2 years the same way they do with smartphones either. Expect Apple to refresh their iPads once every 1.5 to 2 years moving forward.
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Technology has moved forward but Apple refuse to update it with it. Second gen touch ID? OLED displays? No bezel design? A proper OS which is not just a giant iPhone?
 
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As others have said, I think the issue is that the devices just work for a longer period of time. I love having the latest and greatest technology but even I haven't updated because I don't see the point.

I do use my iPad for almost everything and my computer is turned on only a couple times a week (if that) now. However, every year Apple makes the hardware that much better and faster, but the OS simply does not leverage it. iOS still does the same things now that it did a few years ago (a few minor things like split view aside, but even that largely works on older (not oldest) hardware). We need Apple to make some strong improvements to usability on the iPad. Cut/copy/paste for example is brutal, still. Also, let's fix some of the stupid little bugs that are annoying--I can't understand why the "paste" icon in the toolbar above the keyboard is greyed out until I focus (for a second time) on a web site text field. Little things like that should just work but they don't. Also improve auto correct. This post took twice as long to write as it should have because I had to re-type so many words it "guessed" incorrectly.

Edit: The fact that they've dramatically increased the price of new hardware only serves to limit purchases more since the increased price doesn't get a person any additional functionality than the older iPad a person purchased "new" for a lower cost a few years prior.
 
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I use my (3 year old) iPad daily but I don't see any reason to upgrade it.

It's a limited device, but the limitations are mostly inherent in the form factor and secondarily in the OS. Getting a new iPad won't change either. So I use it for what it does well, and leave it at that.
 
SoN1NjA said:
I need my custom fonts in Word
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You can definitely load custom fonts onto the iPad (and iPhone). Whether or not an application uses them is another story. I know it's not the same but Pages, for example, will allow you to use custom fonts. I assume many applications will as well.

I do it manually by base64 encoding the file and dropping the "text" into an XML/text file that's setup as a configuration profile. But you can do it with the Apple Configurator (free, requires macOS) or I think there are third-party apps in the App Store that let you do this.
 
I still have Gen 4 iPad. I stopped using it heavily when I got my iPhone 5. I'm fine reading, checking websites etc. on it.

My wife got iPad Pro 12". I love it. Love the pencil. My 2008 MacBook Pro finally died. I desperately wanted to use a iPad Pro 12" as a replacement. But it wouldn't let me do things I need to do daily, like interact with Facebook Ads Manager. Cut and paste for writing is difficult. So, as much as I loved it, I couldn't make it work for work. So I got a new 2015 MacBook Pro 13" on Best Buy for a smoking $1100. Less than the iPad Pro with keyboard and pencil. It was a no brainer -- even though my heart wanted to go with the iPad.

They simply must make the OS more robust or its a non starter in my world for something as simple as managing and creating Facebook ads.
 
iOS needs more features that differentiate it on a tablet versus a phone. iOS 9 had new features for the iPad, but iOS 10 offered almost nothing unique for a tablet. I own an iPad Pro 9.6 and a Surface Pro 3. The iPad Pro cannot compete with the SP3 for productivity tasks.

I use the iPad a lot, as it does have its advantages too, but the main advantage it has when compared to the SP3 (besides battery life) is that with a silicon case and smart cover I don't have to be as careful with the iPad.
 
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An iPad is a professional device. Let me explain. I work and am a professional.
Would I use the iPad to create a long detailed document that needs annotations? No
Would I use the iPad to create complex dynamic multi-media projects that needed side-by-side viewing of source material? No.
Would I use the iPad to create complex spreadsheets with conditional formatting? No.
I use my iPad to update data in those complex spreadsheets with conditional formatting.
I use my iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard to type my notes in meetings. I take photos of whiteboard drawings and add them to my notes for work.
I use my iPad to scan receipts and compile them into reimbursement reports when traveling for work. I send them by email on the iPad to my admin assistant.
I use the iPad to fill out PDF forms that i get related to work.
I use the iPad to view my calendar events for work when going from meeting to meeting.
Since I do use the iPad for work as a professional, the device is a Pro. It boils down to what your creativity and needs are.
 
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Radon87000 said:
Technology has moved forward but Apple refuse to update it with it. Second gen touch ID? OLED displays? No bezel design? A proper OS which is not just a giant iPhone?
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The bezels are petty small already and I would argue the iPad has specific features such as picture in picture and split apps.

What is does need, or IOS in general is multi user support.
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maramok said:
Everything on the iPad feels like a workaround. iOS is fine for Phones but on the iPad the features should scale with screen size. So the iPad 'Pro' should be equivalent or better then entry level macbook in terms of features.
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For serious tasks yes, but its great for consumption.
 
CrystalQuest76 said:
Keep using that device you have. The more you use it the better the "Return on Investment" you get. Which is as it should be.
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Agree with you on that. But it is getting a little more frustrating to use with each iOS update. It's still tolerable of course right now but for how much longer? Anyways, I will be handing it over to my son when I do finally upgrade so I will most certainly be getting the most bang for my buck.
 
The problem is the iPad updates are not so significant. I have an iPad 4th and update to the Pro 12.9. I love it and honestly will keep it for many years until there is really something significant that warrants pay for it. Also the iPad iOS gotta be different than the iPhone. Some sort of file structure folders too. Right now I use for entertainment. Honest I can't do serious work on it as graphic designer.
 
CrystalQuest76 said:
If you are using a Mac you can mount your iCloud drive on to your desktop. You can then drag media files to what ever directory you create in iClound. You can then view those multimedia files on your iOS device. If you are using windows you can open iCloud in your browser and upload files that way. No need to use iTunes.
Directions are here: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21250?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US
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What if I want offline access to this media? Also does media in iCloud Drive show up in the Music and TV apps? Can you use iCloud music library outside of iTunes?
 
That's because Apple tablets are so good that you don't have to upgrade them every year. You can buy an iPad Air 2 right now, and still be good for a couple of years. And, that tablet came out in 2014. Not THAT much has changed from the Air 2 to 2017. I still think the iPad needs its own iPad OS. It's just a blown up iOS at this point.
 
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