iPad Demand Surges as Apple Strengthens Grip on Tablet Market

[jdawgnoonan]

My experience has been the opposite. For my wife's dental practice, I wholly preferred the Surface Pro for its flexibility, ability to install desktop apps, and the innovative Type cover, but we ultimately deployed iPads because they were simpler for staff and patients to use and had better battery life.

I am sure that it depends on the use case and the apps that are needed.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I have a confession to make. I still don't know what is the killer app or use case for an ipad.
I've been using iPads since the very first version. Since then I've had two or three at the same time (basic ipads, ipad minis, ipad pros) and always replacing them every two to three years.

At the moment I have an ipad pro M1 with keyboard and pen, and basic iPad with keyboard. I've given my ipad minis to my daughter and wife. I like to have them refreshed so I don't fall under the curve - that is, if I finally would figure a killer use case for a tablet.

I still have not found any real use for any ipad that a larger iphone or a macbook wouldn't do as well (or even better).

For notes taking I'm using remarkable tablets (recommended!) with a much better battery performance, better form factor(s) and more suitable displays (like kindle, works in sunlight without backlight). Current versions even have colors supported. Or then just a basic old fashioned notebook will suffice.

I don't draw so the pencil is pretty useless. Macbooks have better keyboards (forget the butterfly) than ipads.

My ipad use has mostly been for
1) an expensive netflix display
2) doomscrolling interest forums
3) wondering what's the cause of battery drain on an ipad pro. If it's not connected to a charger, the battery is almost always empty.
4) trying to look cool in gen x cafes. Though a macbook would work better for this.
5) well, nothing really

Since the ipad pro is both heavy and rather bulky (with the keyboard), and the battery don't last, compared to macbook air there's really not that much to save when walking "lightly". iphone is usually better for this.

Any ideas?

If you still can’t find any real use case for using the iPad, why have you continued to buy them year after year? That is completely illogical behavior and something you need to address, instead of asking people here to find a “killer app” and meaningful use so you can justify your illogical actions in your mind.

 

[snipr125]

I used to laugh at the Ads by Apple pushing the iPad as a laptop/computer, even just the notion of it. Then I got the iPad Air 4th Gen with MKB on release day... and it quickly took over as my main laptop from my 2015 MBP, especially for Office admin tasks. Now I have the iPP M4 with MKB which is just incredible to use on iPad OS 26, that I really cant see when I will upgrade my MBP as I don't really do any kind of intensive dev work like I did at University.

 

[iamgalt]

Hmm I'm not so sure. I think the general trend is a march away from tablets back to laptops as many of the benefits the iPad had (such as better battery, instant on, lightweight, no fan) are wiped out with modern ARM chips. In fact today a MacBook Air gets double the battery of an iPad. You also have the market being further squeezed by larger phones.

Personally I think Apple needs to reimagine the iPad as an ultra lightweight laptop/phone companion, a magic piece of paper which is used as a second screen, to draw on, to read, to watch tv where it makes sense and then put away, maybe it even folds, or magnetically attaches to your laptop when not in use. I think this represents a better function for the device rather than adding keyboard cases and trying to turn it into a laptop. Treat the iPad as an accessory to the core devices which are the iPhone and MacBook.

I'd love to see some real experience driven innovation here rather than trudging out spec updates of the Air, the Pro, the base every year.

You're note sure? The trend the article is talking about isn't a hypothesis based on what they are seeing people doing in their social circles, it's based off the sales numbers that clearly show more people are buying tablets, or at least they did this year. You may not agree with that move, and that's fine, but it's not an opinion to debate.

Personally, I think seeing an iPad as only an accessory is a niche market. I use an iPad as my daily driver, only switching to my desktop for a few tasks (CAD work, working from home). I think there are more people out there in this category than you may think. They may not all need ipad pros, but there is a market for them too.

Great, experienced based innovations don't happen every year. Look at any tech hardware upgrades; 98% of them are just spec upgrades. There have been some great innovations over the years on iPad. Screen resolution, brightness, battery life, camera quality, face ID, M series chips, etc.

 

[Circa1984]

Who, in their right mind buys a tablet other than an iPad? Apple has one at every price point. So why opt for a slow, buggy Android POS?

 

[Siliconguy]

Personally I think Apple needs to reimagine the iPad as an ultra lightweight laptop/phone companion, a magic piece of paper which is used as a second screen, to draw on, to read, to watch tv where it makes sense and then put away,

Not a bad notion.

On the same idea if they turned on the phone functions in the cellular version I could ditch the phone entirely. I wouldn't bother changing now as both the phone and the iPad are nearly new. The phone is too big to slip into a shirt pocket but too small to be able to read easily. It very seldom leaves the house.

When it does leave the house the iPad would fit into the saddlebags just as well as the phone.

 

[Siliconguy]

I have a confession to make. I still don't know what is the killer app or use case for an ipad.
I've been using iPads since the very first version. Since then I've had two or three at the same time (basic ipads, ipad minis, ipad pros) and always replacing them every two to three years.

At the moment I have an ipad pro M1 with keyboard and pen, and basic iPad with keyboard. I've given my ipad minis to my daughter and wife. I like to have them refreshed so I don't fall under the curve - that is, if I finally would figure a killer use case for a tablet.

I still have not found any real use for any ipad that a larger iphone or a macbook wouldn't do as well (or even better).

For notes taking I'm using remarkable tablets (recommended!) with a much better battery performance, better form factor(s) and more suitable displays (like kindle, works in sunlight without backlight). Current versions even have colors supported. Or then just a basic old fashioned notebook will suffice.

I don't draw so the pencil is pretty useless. Macbooks have better keyboards (forget the butterfly) than ipads.

My ipad use has mostly been for
1) an expensive netflix display
2) doomscrolling interest forums
3) wondering what's the cause of battery drain on an ipad pro. If it's not connected to a charger, the battery is almost always empty.
4) trying to look cool in gen x cafes. Though a macbook would work better for this.
5) well, nothing really

Since the ipad pro is both heavy and rather bulky (with the keyboard), and the battery don't last, compared to macbook air there's really not that much to save when walking "lightly". iphone is usually better for this.

Any ideas?

Reading and as you put it doomscrolling, or in general reading news and so forth. The phone screens are too small, period.

I can't do either nearly so comfortably on the sofa with the laptop. I can't hold the laptop with one hand either, at least not for long. The laptop's camera is pointed the wrong way for my most frequent use. And I often use the iPad as a reference book while working on the laptop and occasionally on the desktop as well. (Two screens on the desk leaves too little room for everything else.)

The laptop on my lap has to be at a very specific distances I can use the middle lens of the glasses. The iPad can be held close enough to use the bottom lens and that is more convenient and a little easier to read. I can lean back and read the iPad, if I lean back reading the laptop is at the limit of sharp focus. (Presbyopia is very annoying.)

I don't watch movies on the laptop or the iPad, and I don't hang out at cafes of any variety.

As I said before, if I could make and receive phone calls and texts on a cellular iPad I would ditch the phone entirely.

 

[grammatica]

iPad and Mac remain my favorite products. iPhone is boring.

 

[AppleIsEveryWhere]

IPad OS 26 changed everything, more Mac users will definitely go for iPad

 

[deathnite]

Apple was a key contributor to the market's late-year growth. Omdia says that Apple shipped 19.6 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 16.5% year-over-year increase. The firm said this performance was driven by strong demand for the 11th-generation iPad and the M5 iPad Pro.

The M5 iPad Pro finally convinced me to upgrade from an iPad Pro 10.5 (2017). This is what happens when you make a great product.
When I got the iPad Pro 10.5 in 2017 I wasn't expecting it to last this long, next year it would have been 10 years.
It was a good decision going with the 256GB model at that time, because the base 64GB model wouldn't have been enough by today's standards.
With M5 I chose the 11" 512GB 12GB RAM, got it new for a good deal in January for €980 ($1155), while the stores in my country typically sell this model for around €1350 and lowest I could buy was Amazon.de for €1200.

I initially wanted to get the M4, but since we knew the M5 was getting 12GB RAM and WiFi 7, I decided to wait, this will last more long term than the M4 with 8GB RAM. 2× faster read/write speeds on the internal SSD is also great and it supports external displays at 4K 120Hz and Adaptive Sync. I have a 4K 144Hz monitor that also has USB-C display input, so this is amazing, it transforms the iPad into a console when connected to an external monitor and paired with a controller. Can also be used as a backup computer when connected to an external display and paired with a mouse and keyboard. I'm glad I don't have to revert back to 60Hz when using the external display.

Now the last device left for me to upgrade is the Apple Watch, which I'm still on S4, hopefully S12 this year will be worth it.

 

[whelmedjedi]

As expected. I bought a samsung tablet because it was cheap and doing same job, after 10 months, it’s usb c port is broken inside. With normal usage! That would and did never happened with any of my apple devices. Buy apple, use forever. Thats it. Much cheaper in long term. Besides, you dont have to deal with companies for repairs. Apple offers repairs and replacements for free (if you have no fault) and in any country! Regardless where you bought the product.. I love you apple.

 

[svish]

Good for Apple. For me buying a tablet means getting an iPad only. Software implementation plays a huge role and I am not happy with Android on a tablet. Very happy with my cellular 11" M4 iPad Pro.

 

[Ctrlos]

Why do you prefer a pixel over an iPhone? I’m just wondering because I’ve been wanting to try a pixel for a while but still on the fence. Thanks

I prefer the photo processing as well as the look and feel of Android which just gets out of the way when using your phone.

 

[marcing86]

Tablets aren’t great for gaming. Without a dedicated controller, gaming is limited, and with it a tablet is inconvenient.

Playing Civ VII with an Apple Pencil is great.

 

[Abazigal]

I have a confession to make. I still don't know what is the killer app or use case for an ipad.

I feel the iPad is an incredibly personal device, and what makes it "tick" will differ from user to user.

For me, the iPad excels in being everything that my laptop is not. Here are some examples.

1) Teaching in class - the apps I typically use are notability, powerpoint, the camera app, quizizz, chrome (for web-based apps). As my iPad is mirrored to an Apple TV, this frees me up to move around in class and monitor what my students are doing. In this regard, the iPad is far thinner and lighter than a conventional laptop. It still sports far better battery life than any intel-based windows laptop, is faster to unlock and apps are better optimised for touch.

Unless I know I will be needing my school laptop for some very specific task that can't be done from the iPad in class, it stays at my workstation.

2) It's a bigger iPod touch. I guess that as I age, I prefer performing more tasks on a larger display. And I do a lot of reading on my iPad, from social media (Mastodon, Reddit, Discord, Tapatalk) to reviewing teaching material (notability, files, notes, mindnode) to other work-related stuff (mail, safari, even messaging).

3) I find that the iPad excels at card games and tactical, turn-based board games. Examples include Slay the Spire, Lords of Waterdeep, Warhammer Quest (when the game was still around), Shadow Era (no longer play nowadays). For touch-based, Battleheart Legacy. I do also have a game controller and though few, titles like Grimvalor show what is possible on the iPad when the developer makes full use of its hardware. For example, I have Grimvalor on both my iPad Pro and my Nintendo switch, and performance is night and day. The iPad has a larger, more gorgeous display, better specs and promotion. This translates to smoother performance, faster loading times and more fluid and responsive gameplay overall. It's just a better experience all around.

4) It's a nice second display when I am working on my laptop. Sometimes, it streams YouTube or Twitch. Sometimes, it has content open that I refer to. Sometimes, I refer to my worksheet solutions and play something on as background noise while I mark.

The iPad is just this versatile slab of glass that becomes whatever I want it to be (within limits). It was the case back when I picked up my first iPad on 2012, it is still the case today.

Why pick the iPad over android alternatives? For me, it comes down to ecosystem and apps. My last iPad Pro was the A12x version that lasted my 6 years. Maybe there's a cheaper alternative out there, but I will argue that it's precisely because I opted for the high-end model back in 2018 that allowed me to hold on to my current iPad for as long as I did (ie: it pays off in the long run). May as well go for the best while I am at it.

 

[seek3r]

As a Pixel/iPad user I can safely say an iPad is the best Google tablet you can buy.

I got burned by the Pixel C years ago.

Fantastic hardware that they supported with updates for all of 2 years (and bear in mine this was a first party google tablet, their flagship at the time). Absolutely absurd.

Got a couple more years out of it from CyanogenMod (now LineageOS) before I retired it for an iPad. Will never buy an Android tablet again.

The only saving grace for my Pixel C buy is I got it much cheaper than retail with a developer discount, I would have been even more pissed about the crappy OS support if I’d paid full price. Folks who bought it at the normal retail price must have been livid.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

Probably best for the EU to move on and source all of their tablets from that wildly successful EU based tablet making company.

What was the name of it again? I’m sure it’s bound to show Apple how tablets should be made AND how App Stores should be run.

 

[TFrank2]

Who, in their right mind buys a tablet other than an iPad? Apple has one at every price point. So why opt for a slow, buggy Android POS?

Agreed. I’ve yet to come across a different device that would seriously sway me to purchase it over an iPad. We use a whole array of Surface devices at work and while close, I still view those differently than a true tablet.

 

[burgman]

Not a bad notion.

On the same idea if they turned on the phone functions in the cellular version I could ditch the phone entirely. I wouldn't bother changing now as both the phone and the iPad are nearly new. The phone is too big to slip into a shirt pocket but too small to be able to read easily. It very seldom leaves the house.

When it does leave the house the iPad would fit into the saddlebags just as well as the phone.

I guess you don't get outdoors much. in situations where a murse isn't ideal Or have huge cargo pants pockets.

 

[Ctrlos]

I guess you don't get outdoors much. in situations where a murse isn't ideal Or have huge cargo pants pockets.

An iPad Mini and an Apple Watch would suffice for 99% oif situations.

 

[Radon87000]

Not when they use phone processors in their full-size “pro” tablets.

Or run inferior Apps that don’t even take full advantage of the larger screen/processing power.

The OS in the iPad is not powerful enough nor are there any tablet use cases for that powerful M5 chip so its a moot point. If you are using the tablet as an entertainment device or for reading books, taking notes or basically any tablet stuff the Samsung device is superior to the Apple one

 

[I7guy]

The OS in the iPad is not powerful enough nor are there any tablet use cases for that powerful M5 chip so its a moot point. If you are using the tablet as an entertainment device or for reading books, taking notes or basically any tablet stuff the Samsung device is superior to the Apple one

If I wanted a Samsung tablet I would have bought one. I did buy an iPad Pro m5 though.

 

[lapstags]

Controllers attached to the tablet, or the tablet mounted somewhere as a display? To be honest, I would find either inconvenient.

1.Buy a folio case
2. Prop up the iPad
3. Buy and connect the controller
4. Game.



I don't see how it's so inconvenient.

 

[teh_hunterer]

None of the ARM laptops has the simplicity of an iPad. As long as you are dealing with windows or Mac it will never be as simple or effortless as an iPad.

"Effortless" really depends on what you're doing. If you're doing simple stuff then yeah the ease of use and lack of friction is great, but as soon as you try to do anything involved it can all become far more difficult than a Mac.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I game on my tablet with a controller almost daily

What games are you playing? Controller based games are pretty much always better played on other (and usually cheaper) platforms.