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Apple released its fiscal third quarter earnings results earlier this week, confirming that it sold 9.95 million iPads from early March through late June. iPad shipments have now declined for ten consecutive quarters, but the lineup continues to outsell all Samsung, Amazon, and Microsoft tablets combined.

iPad-Surface-Samsung.jpg

Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce has released new quarterly data that shows Samsung, Amazon, and Microsoft shipped an estimated 6 million, 2.2 million, and 700,000 units respectively for a combined total of 9.5 million, amounting to roughly 450,000 fewer tablets than the number of iPads sold.

Despite the shipment decline, reflective of a continued slowdown in the broader tablet market, Apple's tablet revenue increased for the first time in ten quarters due to the iPad Pro's higher average selling price. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599, whereas the iPad Air 2 started at $499, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is priced from $799.

In terms of shipments, however, TrendForce says the iPad Air 2 was the key driver:
"The lack of changes in appearance and high prices work against the iPad Pro series. Consumers do not see these devices as a good bargain. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro maintained strong sales momentum for two quarters, while the 9.7-inch model lost its luster after just one quarter since its release. On the whole, the Pro series did not help expand iPad shipments in the second quarter as expected. The overall sales were instead sustained by iPad Air 2, which captured consumers' interest with its reduced price tag."
Worldwide tablet shipments in the June quarter totaled an estimated 33.54 million units, representing a quarterly drop of 4.8 percent and a year-on-year decline of 8.8 percent. Lenovo, Huawei, and ASUS were also among the top six vendors, with estimated shipments of 2.4 million, 2.2 million, and 800,000 tablets respectively.

With no new iPads models anticipated in the immediate future, TrendForce estimates Apple's tablet sales will drop to 9.2 million sequentially.

Article Link: iPad Continues to Outsell Samsung, Amazon, and Microsoft Tablets Combined
 
In which case, you probably didn't need one in the first place.
Who actually needed an iPad? I have two that rarely get used. I also have an N7 and a Tab 8. Both used equally as little as my iPads. Neither Apple, Samsung, nor Google cared if I needed their products, they just wanted them sold. Mission accomplished. Forward looking, I don't see a tablet in my future. Not that my anecdote is indicative of the larger market, but I personally think tablet peak has already occurred.
 
I love my 12" iPad Pro. I use it everyday to watch TV, read books and magazines, surf the net, play scrabble...
I'm debating if I should get one or a mini I like the portability of a mini but love the huge screen for movies and web browsing. Which one should I get? And should I wait for a pro 2?
 
Who actually needed an iPad? I have two that rarely get used. I also have an N7 and a Tab 8. Both used equally as little as my iPads. Neither Apple, Samsung, nor Google cared if I needed their products, they just wanted them sold. Mission accomplished. Forward looking, I don't see a tablet in my future. Not that my anecdote is indicative of the larger market, but I personally think tablet peak has already occurred.

Agreed, I think very few people really "need one." I like mine and use it daily, but it's really only for Netflix/Hulu/etc. in bed. I can't see tablets, beyond something like the Surface, being a big selling item for much longer as smartphones get bigger and bigger.
 
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I bought my iPad Mini and I use it everyday to surf the internet, write, take notes, read books, check social media, watch movies, play the occasional game, video chat, check and respond to email, review photos for work and clients, etc. The list just keeps going. I've starting using it more at work. I love the split screen feature even on the Mini.

I find myself using it more and more for most of my everyday and the computer is the one collecting more dust. I still need my computer though.
 
This doesn't surprise me.

The iPad Air 2 is a great tablet, and better value than either iPad Pro. The main two weaknesses are poor battery life and no mute button.
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My iPad is on the shelf collecting dust.

I love my iPad. One of the best computers Apple has ever made. I've owned iPads since the day they arrived in May 2010.
 
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The 12.9" iPad Pro + Pencil is easily one of my all-time favorite devices. The performance you get using fairly high-end programs like Pixelmator is incredible. No lag even with tons of layers and super-high resolution.
 
Agreed, I think very few people really "need one." I like mine and use it daily, but it's really only for Netflix/Hulu/etc. in bed. I can't see tablets, beyond something like the Surface, being a big selling item for much longer as smartphones get bigger and bigger.

I wonder why "need" is a point that needs to be made in general. There's nothing wrong with the fact that a lot of uses for iPads are entertainment. That also happens to be 90% of my computing-related devices at home, and probably a large number of the features of an iPhone.

Smartphones have a maximum size, or they would just be tablets anyway. It's true that some people don't need anything larger than a 6 inch touch device, but for me the 9.7" iPad is a great compromise between portability and capability. Then again, I also enjoy my 27" 5k iMac even though desktops aren't a big seller anymore due to the popularity of laptops...
 
The iPad Air 2 is a great tablet, and better value than either iPad Pro. The main two weaknesses are poor battery life and no mute button.

No, it's not, the Pro might be $200 more, but has a better CPU, better screen, supports the Apple Pencil and starts at 32GB.

If you use a $400 iPad for 2 years, that's $200 per year, if you use a $600 iPad for 3 years, that's also $200 per year, but you'll be more satisfied with the more expensive one, no doubt.
 
Who actually needed an iPad? I have two that rarely get used. I also have an N7 and a Tab 8. Both used equally as little as my iPads. Neither Apple, Samsung, nor Google cared if I needed their products, they just wanted them sold. Mission accomplished. Forward looking, I don't see a tablet in my future. Not that my anecdote is indicative of the larger market, but I personally think tablet peak has already occurred.
I believe that you will never need a tablet, so long as you have/use a laptop or computer. No one needs to have multiple devices to accomplish the same tasks.

The problem had been that you can't take your computer with you, so they developed a laptop. The laptop was too heavy and bulky so they created the tablet.

The problem is that instead of people giving up one for the other, they buy them all, because one never completely replaced the other.

I keep saying that my next computer will likely be the big ipad with the keyboard cover. I don't really need a computer or a laptop at this point. I continue to wait, however, because the ipad is still not 100% a laptop replacement the way Tim says it is. When his rhetoric becomes real, I will take the plunge. Until then, my 2012 iMac is doing just fine.
 
No, that's a fact. The iPad hardware combined with superior optimized Apps makes the iPad far better than all the other junk out there.

Sounds like a fanboy speaking but Zou are definitely right. I had both Android and iOS phones and tablets in the last 2 years and while android phones can be considered on a similar level, the iPad remains VASTLY superior.

I compared:

Galaxy s7 edge vs iphone6s plus
Ipad air 2 vs galaxy tab s2
 
To each their own and everyone's usage needs are unique. For me at least anyway, the iPad completely replaced any need I had for a laptop over 4 years ago now.
 
No, it's not, the Pro might be $200 more, but has a better CPU, better screen, supports the Apple Pencil and starts at 32GB.

If you use a $400 iPad for 2 years, that's $200 per year, if you use a $600 iPad for 3 years, that's also $200 per year, but you'll be more satisfied with the more expensive one, no doubt.

What a silly argument.

You might as well say that you could use a $10,000 iPad for 50 years, but that's also $200 per year. Guess you'll be more satisfied with that one because it's more expensive.
 
Well done. This is a nod to the idea nobody wants to or needs to be carrying around extra junk like detachable keyboards screens etc.

"Nobody"?? That's ridiculous. Of course there are people who want a keyboard. That's why there are so many keyboards available for the iPad.

It's no different than the people who want a pen. Tons of those available, too. Even Apple recognized that desire and brought out their own.

That said, even stock iPads are great. I have one in each bed and bathroom. (So I don't have to carry one around - grin.)
 
The problem had been that you can't take your computer with you, so they developed a laptop. The laptop was too heavy and bulky so they created the tablet.

The problem is that instead of people giving up one for the other, they buy them all, because one never completely replaced the other.

No they created the Macbook Air. As thin and light as an iPad with the full power of a computer.
 
Who actually needed an iPad? I have two that rarely get used. I also have an N7 and a Tab 8. Both used equally as little as my iPads. Neither Apple, Samsung, nor Google cared if I needed their products, they just wanted them sold. Mission accomplished. Forward looking, I don't see a tablet in my future. Not that my anecdote is indicative of the larger market, but I personally think tablet peak has already occurred.
lol you needed 4 tablets to realize you don't need a tablet...
 
Agreed, I think very few people really "need one." I like mine and use it daily, but it's really only for Netflix/Hulu/etc. in bed. I can't see tablets, beyond something like the Surface, being a big selling item for much longer as smartphones get bigger and bigger.

As someone who has switched to iPad for most of my computing, it makes me wonder if these comments come from people who haven't tried an iPad Air 2 or Pro. The RAM improvement has made all the difference in making this a real computer. It is the most versatile, portable, and powerful computer I've ever used, not bogged down with legacy junk. It is frustrating to use my MacBook now – a similar feeling to what it was like trying a Windows computer after switching to a Mac.
 
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