Apple's Lead in Tablet Market Share Shrinks as Consumer Satisfaction Slips Slightly

[bawbac]

forgot about that. But I agree with you. its kind of a pain when you have many tabs opened.

Many tabs?
I can make Safari crash almost on demand.
Go to Facebook using Safari and load your page.
Now start scrolling through your timeline.
As the page loads more info as you scroll, you will hit a point where Safari will CRASH because it doesn't have enough memory.

I know, "Dude, use the FB app. You're using the iPad wrong..."

This happens on other webpages as well that are heavy on resources like nbcnews.

What's also annoying is the iPad apps crash so frequently that it reminds me of the days of Windows 3.1 and frequent blue screens but since the "crash" is quick, people are quick to dismiss it.

 

[Robstevo]

For all the power it has , the operating system itself is just a stretched out iPhone, they really do need to implement more features to take advantage of the larger screen size

 

[Dekema2]

I notice RCA is on the list. Lol! I remember an old TV tube I had from them. What's next, Zenith?

Other than that share is slipping because the iPad hasn't changed much.

 

[Keirasplace]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Apple continues to rank among the world's top tablet manufacturers both in customer satisfaction and shipments, according to reports released today by J.D Power and IDC, although the company is showing some signs of weakness as lower-cost competitors gain momentum and consumers look for more innovation in Apple's tablet lineup. Apple fell slightly behind Amazon in J.D. Power's semiannual customer satisfaction survey, while the company's lead in worldwide tablet shipping volume continues to shrink.

ImageWorldwide tablet shipments in 3Q14 in millions of units (Source: IDC)​

According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, Apple remains the global tablet market leader, despite a 12.8 percent decline in quarterly shipments year-over-year. Apple shipped 12.3 million units in Q3 2014, edging out both Samsung, which shipped 9.9 million units, and coming in well ahead of Asus, which climbed to the number three spot with 3.5 million units shipped.

ImageApple's iPad shipments (red) and share of worldwide tablet shipments (blue) for 2Q11-3Q14 (Source: IDC)​

Apple's market share is projected to increase in Q4 2014 due to the introduction of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, but the jump will likely be tempered as more consumers hold onto their existing tablets for a longer period. IDC also predicts iPad shipments will continue to be eclipsed by the popularity of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.While Apple remains first in market share, the company lost its number one spot in the latest J.D. Power tablet satisfaction study. Apple scored 824, taking the number two slot behind Amazon and its inexpensive line of Fire tablets. Samsung took the third slot, trailing the two market leaders with a score of 821. J.D. Power measures satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale using five criteria which include performance, ease of operation, feature set, styling/design and cost.

ImageJ.D. Power 2014 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study--Volume 2​

Apple had reclaimed the top spot in J.D. Power's survey earlier this year after losing it to Samsung in the late 2013 rankings.

Apple now is offering its most expansive phone and tablet lineup to date, selling both older iPhone and iPad models, along with the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, the Touch ID-enabled iPad mini 3 and the slimmer and faster iPad Air 2. Apple's ecosystem will expand again with the early 2015 debut of the Apple Watch, the company's first entry into the exploding wearables market.

Article Link: Apple's Lead in Tablet Market Share Shrinks as Consumer Satisfaction Slips Slightly

Big surprise there... 90% of tablets shipped are 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the Ipad... Same as in phones. It was surprising Apple was still on top.

Considering that Samsung's sales were proven invented in court on only Apple releases real sales number, where on earth do they take those numbers?

Anyway, big duh on that. And in 5 years 80% of tablets will be Android crapware while Apple with dominate the top end. Like in phones.

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Many tabs?
I can make Safari crash almost on demand.
Go to Facebook using Safari and load your page.
Now start scrolling through your timeline.
As the page loads more info as you scroll, you will hit a point where Safari will CRASH because it doesn't have enough memory.

I know, "Dude, use the FB app. You're using the iPad wrong..."

This happens on other webpages as well that are heavy on resources like nbcnews.

What's also annoying is the iPad apps crash so frequently that it reminds me of the days of Windows 3.1 and frequent blue screens but since the "crash" is quick, people are quick to dismiss it.

Funny,, I can't see it... So, I guess I'm "wrong" and your right hey! Don't bother replying, cause I'Ve read your other crud..

 

[bawbac]

I worked at a telecom (now defunct) where we got the highest JD Power customer satisfaction rating, their little trophy, and bragging rights in all the trade rags.

The thing is, these surveys are sponsored (we sponsored this particular one) and the sponsor gets to provide a list of customers they want surveyed. So of course we provided only our A-list customers. Who knows where the customers for the competition came from. I'm not saying these surveys aren't valuable, but they don't tell the whole story in my opinion.

Just keep in mind that this post is speculation in hopes of debunking a survey that shows the iPad on the decline.

Funny that when surveys are in favor of the iPad that those surveys are solid!!!...right....

 

[zeram1]

RCA makes tablets??

Not only that, but also "there's still an RCA"?

 

[bawbac]

Funny,, I can't see it... So, I guess I'm "wrong" and your right hey! Don't bother replying, cause I'Ve read your other crud..

The level of intelligence in this post is zero.
How's the core taste in there?

 

[2457282]

If you are correct about the absence of a keyboard cover hurting the iPad, then surely they've lost sales to Microsoft. And yet, Microsoft doesn't even make the chart - they are somewhere in the "Others" category I guess. MS *must* sell their own keyboard because, unlike Apple, they don't have 3rd-party companies chomping at the bit to sell iPad accessories. Apple has no reason to sell their own iPad keyboard, and in fact, it's better they don't. Keeps accessory makers happy.

Also, have you tried using the split-screen multitasking on Samsung tablets? It only works with Samsung-made apps, which are junk. It over-promises and WAY under-delivers. That being said, if you see where Apple went with "Extensions" in iOS 8, it's clear that they are trying to make it easier for apps to talk to each other. Whether that means they'll have some way for an app to open a window on top of another app or next to it remains to be seen.

ASUS (#3) makes the Vivo Tab - a windows tablet.
Lenovo (#4) makes several windows tablets.

Not sure what you are refering to in saying they are in the other category -- Only Samsung has gone exclusive to Android.

And leaks have show that Apple is indeed working on providing true multitasking.

So your argument is not holding water. I stand by mine.

 

[rsocal]

I worked at a telecom (now defunct) where we got the highest JD Power customer satisfaction rating, their little trophy, and bragging rights in all the trade rags.

The thing is, these surveys are sponsored (we sponsored this particular one) and the sponsor gets to provide a list of customers they want surveyed. So of course we provided only our A-list customers. Who knows where the customers for the competition came from. I'm not saying these surveys aren't valuable, but they don't tell the whole story in my opinion.

Surveys never do tell the whole story, a lot of them are what you just stated, or worse!

I've seen first hand as well, not only do some give a list of people to survey, the questions themselves, can be suspect.

It's to hard to explain one particular situation I'm all to familiar with. Insurance companies, and their preferred collision shop surveys. But this is another topic not meant for MR.

Let's just say surveys, while a very good thing, can be very biased or fake.

Yelp, is a complete disaster, and this coming from a 2 Five Star rated shop owner!

 

[rGiskard]

Please step out of the forums or techie sections of the internet and realize that what you wrote does not apply to most of consumer market. Most people that aren't techies just use the iPad or any tablet for what it offers. They aren't saying iOS 7/8 sucks and decide not to buy an iPad.

Totally agree - mostly. The only tech that most people scrutinize is the display. I believe at buying time they also consider the look of the GUI, but tbh I don't know what the general public's opinion is of the new look. I suppose they like it since it's being copied by Apple's competitors...

 

[mtneer]

My guess is IOS 9 will fix that.

Actually.. keeping with MR tradition.. it will always be iOS 9.1 to fix everything

 

[britboyj]

It may be anecdote, but I've never seen anyone with a Kindle tablet keep using it long enough to form an opinion. I'm sure the militant anti-Apple folks are all about them, but I can't help but think that's a lot of loud voices.

 

[Tech198]

Apple's doin' good

Everyone likes iPads.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

Time for some serious (bug-free) iOS innovation to match the power of the new iPads. The power of the A6X and A7 have hardly been taxed with the operating system, much less the power of the A8X.

 

[RockSpider]

I have bought a new ipad air 2 only because Best Buy gave me $260 trade in for my ipad 2. I not excited about it and it feels so much cheaper than my old one just because the old one withstood so much abuse with no signs of wear and tear. The new one feels cheap.

I was going to buy the Air 2 and that's the way it felt to me, cheap, as well as the screen being no better and the sound worse.

 

[lowercaseperson]

I bought an iPad gen 1 and then an Air last year - only bought the air because I could trade in my gen 1 and get the air for an extra $100....and the gen 1 was essentially useless.

I won't, absolutely won't, buy another iPad until it is something other than a big iPhone (love my 6). Something HAS to distinguish the two. The iPad, no matter how light it is, will still be heavier and bulkier than an iPhone with little benefit for MOST activities. It is too cumbersome and limited to do real work or be a real...gaming device.

I would consider buying another iPad *IF*:
1. It became a legitimate gaming system (yes I mean competing with real gaming systems - I know it won't happen anytime soon).
2. It was a legitimate (albeit slower) computer replacement (which would require a massive iOS update).

The biggest problem is iOS. It's good enough for a phone (could be much better) - but way to limited for something trying to replace a computer. I would hope it's fixed by iOS10 - but honestly I think it will be 4-5 years before it's what I think it should be.

 

[Glassed Silver]

GOOD.

Obviously they need stuff like this before they listen to legitimate customer feedback.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[paul4339]

That last chart (U.S. Satisfaction study) is based on a 1000 point scale.
So the diff between the best (Amazon) and avg is 7 points out of 1000. Basically it's telling me that there's almost no difference between the satisfactory rating of Amazon, Apple or Samsung tablets.

.

 

[dumastudetto]

No, But A8X and 2 GB RAM is nothing more than last years A7 and 1GB RAM. Yes they are improvements. But there are no justifications for these improvements. A8X - what for? This year, there was nothing that really pushed the Concept of the iPad forward imo.

People are waiting for more profound improvements, like split-screen multitasking or even pen input.

It is a smoother experience and the doubling of RAM appears to addressed some issues too - so it is a nice upgrade.

I have to admit, I have asked myself the same question - how much of a benefit am I actually getting from all this new tech? Gamers probably really do benefit from all of it, but I am not one of them. I would like more to to be done on the software side specifically targeting tablets - but I'm not sure what is it that I actually want. I'm not sure split screen apps is something I desperately want, and pen input definitely doesn't appeal to me.

I'm pretty sure Apple is thinking about these questions - how can we do more to enhance the tablet experience, what can we add, change, improve on. Just because they haven't done anything yet, it doesn't mean they aren't seeking answers to similar questions internally. When the time is right and they hit on the right ideas that make for an incredible experience, they'll unveil that technology to us and we'll all love them again.

Unlike their competitors, Apple isn't just going to throw a bunch of half-baked ideas out there, give people a terrible experience, and then hope to make it all better for everyone in a few years time.

 

[duervo]

This was bound to happen. However I think that at least to me, the biggest downfall of the iPad is the software. That is where Apple really needs to innovate. iOS 9 needs to be huge. Split screen Multitasking, widgets, etc. all need to be a focus for the iPads.

Multiuser support is the top item on my wish list. It would effectively negate the need to have one tablet for the adult(s) in the household, and one tablet for the children. Don't see Apple ever adding it though, as it would most likely contribute to even less iPad sales over time.

That last chart (U.S. Satisfaction study) is based on a 1000 point scale.
So the diff between the best (Amazon) and avg is 7 points out of 1000. Basically it's telling me that there's almost no difference between the satisfactory rating of Amazon, Apple or Samsung tablets.

.

Agreed. I also didn't see mention of any margin of error, which is always there in any statistical report. So this means that effectively, it's a three-way tie for first place as far as I'm concerned.

 

[SuperMatt]

ASUS (#3) makes the Vivo Tab - a windows tablet.
Lenovo (#4) makes several windows tablets.

These are NOT the MS surface. You argued that the MS Surface with its Microsoft-supplied keyboard is hurting Apple. Asus and Lenovo have nothing to do with that.

----------

That last chart (U.S. Satisfaction study) is based on a 1000 point scale.
So the diff between the best (Amazon) and avg is 7 points out of 1000. Basically it's telling me that there's almost no difference between the satisfactory rating of Amazon, Apple or Samsung tablets.

.

Amazon tablets are junk. Everybody who has used one knows it. How the heck did they win this survey?

 

[JacobC1983]

Maybe if my iPhone 6 plus and iPad air apps quit crashing I wouldn't be seriously considering a Surface Pro 3 for my next tablet.

 

[Mackinjosh]

I have a feeling that many cheaper tablets are bought and played with for the first few days (perhaps a couple of weeks) and then end up going untouched for large chunks of time.

As opposed to really stupidly overpriced tablets that get purchased, used for a few days then get never touched again.

 

[thebeans]

Perfect...

If you are all about screaming "THATS NEEEEWWWWWW" then you don't really understand how Apple works at all. They don't care about making the most flashy "features" on their devices. They want them to work great and be extremely useful. The iPad Air 2 is a perfect example. Fastest tablet you can buy, and also the thinnest, and also the best camera hardware and software on any tablet. If you want the best tablet, there is only 1 choice. Sorry it doesn't have lasers or holograms.

^^^THIS!! You said it perfectly!!

 

[kettle]

cheap behaviour from a premium company smells bad - very bad.

Tim Cook seems to always be focused on customer satisfaction. That's what he always seems proudest of at Apple events. I wonder what he'll think about losing the top spot to Amazon.

I think one of keys is to under-promise and over-deliver (as with Apple Pay). There's been more Apple hype lately (ex: the iOS 8 update and continuity) that haven't lived up to its promise.

yeah, customer satisfaction.

I *upgrade* to 10.10 and it hobbles my mac (mid 2012 retina MBP)

the most basic example is the scrolling picture frame gallery screensaver - using the same directory of jpeg files now needs the same hardware to run with fans full blast.

It's the cynical misuse of loyal customers trust by the Apple Sales & Marketing that are spoiling what was once the reward of buying Apple hardware and software.