iPad Market Share Falls Below 25% as Tablet Market Continues to Decline

[npmacuser5]

Back in the day a family had one computer, shared. The point, comes down to a scale of economies, and where are we willing to spend these monies. The phones are eroding the tablet sales as did the tablet erode the laptop sales. If one has deeper pockets, all four (computer, laptop, phone, tablet) are a great option. However when that is not the case, choices have to be made. For me no watch.

 

[Popeye206]

i think it's simple... Tablets have a long life span. Heck, my iPad 2 still runs okay for what I do with it. It's going to take something very compelling, or performance will be so much greater in the new iPads that I'll upgrade. I think this is where much of the market is.

However, it may change soon... I know I'm feeling the itch to finally take the plunge into an upgraded unit if the fall releases look enticing.

 

[bladerunner2000]

For serious??????

I guess you are one of the four people on the planet that haven't had the pleasure of using a tablet paired with a tablet OS yet.
Let me tell you: it's awesome!!!!
After years (decades?) of using heavy/bloated operating systems by Microsoft, using a super lightweight OS without legacy garbage & millions of lines of obsolete code, is an absolute breath of fresh air!
You should really check it out... then you may be able to relate more with people on a tech forum.
Most of us have actually experienced multiple offerings & can CLEARLY see the advantage of not running full Windows 10 on our freaking tablets, ffs. Hope this helps.

I've used iOS, I hate it. It's a joke. Doesn't even have a file browser. Why would I want one when my laptop does everything I need it to?

Tablets don't solve any problems, they create them.

 

[Iconoclysm]

i thought tablets were the future and would replace laptops?

lol mo-rons

Tablets are the future and have replaced netbooks.

 

[JackANSI]

Agreed, but the shift between a mainframe/terminal concept and owning your own computer is enormous. There isn't anywhere near that kind of difference between a laptop and a tablet.

I definitely agree/agreed with you. I was just speaking to the cyclic nature of some of this.

A good number of people I know bought one of those keyboard cases and turned their iPad into a kind of laptop anyway. Just too tempting for some of them. Most of them went back to an actual laptop after they discovered a tablet+keyboard case is still not a replacement for a laptop.

I know I couldn't survive moving away from a laptop to a tablet. I type too much, need apps that don't exist on iPad, and definitely need true multitasking (not the garbage tablet makers call "multitasking"). I also don't see a single device that could replace my laptop either now, or on 5 year horizon.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I stopped using my iPad when I got my iPhone 6 Plus. My guess is that's the direction personal computing will head. Your phone will be the hub. It'll act as a mobile device when on the go, but when you get home, it'll wirelessly connect to some sort of Cinema Display.

And on the reverse, it can sit in your bag and connect to a smartwatch when you're "really" on the go.

 

[Urban Joe]

I stopped using my iPad when I got my iPhone 6 Plus. My guess is that's the direction personal computing will head. Your phone will be the hub. It'll act as a mobile device when on the go, but when you get home, it'll wirelessly connect to some sort of Cinema Display.

Isn't that basically what the Motorola Atrix form factor was all about? I find it interesting the time it takes the market at large to adapt. Clearly technology does not exist in a vacuum and adoption/evolution is very contextual which seemingly takes longer than you would expect.

The moral of the story being that technology that's too far ahead of its day doesn't perform all that well in the marketplace. The average consumer actually prefers incremental changes that require less mental energy to adjust.

 

[Tycho24]

Or... maybe it's because Apple uses the exact same UI on a huge tablet as on a small phone.


.

Yup. That's why people aren't buying new tablets constantly... because the OS is the same as on iPhone.
Personally.... whenever I check my Windows Updates & there's more than 4 or so, I purchase a whole new PC!
Yes... I think I speak for us all when I say: you are right- minor software updates prompt huge new purchases, NOT fantastic new hardware abilities. You sir, have a COMMANDING grasp of the computing market & I'm just grateful to have been able to get sprinkled with your knowledge.

/sooooooo much sarcasm

 

[littelsquidge]

I love my iPad Air 2. Previously I had the iPad (from work) and then the iPad 3. My take on this trend is as follows (totally my opinion based solely on my experience) --

1. iPads do not get upgraded yearly
2. iPads and laptops are competing for consumer dollars and laptops are winning
3. iPads will begin to climb up again as they get more powerful, add multi tasking, and add a keyboard cover
4. Apple will need to reconcile between the iPad and the Macbook
5. Apple will need to reconcile iOS and OSX

Like MS or not, they are finally getting their act together and they are finally getting an OS that reconciles mobile and desktop. They still deploy them on subpar hardware, but they have the right idea, IMO. Apple seems to be taking the steps in the same direction but is being very careful. IMO, every step has been excellent - I love the handoff and continuity features and so far the multitasking in iOS9 is looking good. But there is a clear overlap between the iPad and the Macbook and if they release the iPad pro, the overlap will be even greater.

I am already committed to the iPad and see myself upgrading mine versus buying the Macbook. I can do that because I have an iMac that can do the heavy lifting tasks that the iPad cannot. Eventually, my hope is that I can do everything on the ipad and will not need to upgrade my iMac. I just hope Apple gets there sooner rather than later, because MS looks to be getting their act together (although the subscription approach is a bit of a non-starter for me). Google Chrome OS and Android for me is still behind.

I tend to agree. Apple have convinced themselves that they need to release a new iPad every year. Everyone is agreed that people upgrade their iPads less often than iPhones. Even iPhones only really get a massive overhaul every two years (with an 'S' upgrade in between).

So I don't see why Apple don't find a middle ground. Hunker-down and just produce a massive feature upgrade to iPads every 2 years. The watered down incremental upgrades give people much less reason to upgrade. If Apple produced a killer iPad every 2 years, I think that would be more appealing. The rumours of no iPad Air 3 this year and last year's minimal mini3 upgrade, suggest maybe Apple are doing this anyway.... After all, the Air 2 would seem to have great longevity, ahead of its time.

I also think the same is true of iOS on the iPad. I don't want to belittle the hard work Apple have done in streamlining the guts of iOS 9, but to most users, the experience of iOS 9 is going to be the same as iOS 8 (and probably even iOS 7). There needs to be an overhaul of iOS on the iPad to make it more suited to the hardware. And this could match a 2 year cycle.

 

[FieldingMellish]

I don't have a tablet and probably never will. For those that own one, it's for consuming data and there is no must have apps that are running slowly that spike a need to upgrade.

That is why Apple twiddled with a mini, a large, an air, what have you. Might as well come out with an iPad Ho-Hum.

 

[prowlmedia]

i thought tablets were the future and would replace laptops?

lol mo-rons

The irony here is you can't spell 'morons'.

To be honest everyone has one. And there is less of a turn around than with phones. I have a iPad 3 and it's still perfectly ok. My dads 2 is a bit shaky on some apps. I will probably get the next gen tho.

 

[ctdonath]

Shipped is one thing.
Used is another.

Sure, you can buy a tablet for $50. But then you'd have to use it.
Would like to see a graph of device cost vs usage; bet the "expensive" iPads are used far more than the more numerous, and easily discarded, cheap POS devices.

 

[kemal]

Still using iPad 2 with iOS 6. When I can't run an app I grab the iPad Air. Just don't like that iOS 8.

 

[Luis Mazza]

NO IPAD AIR 3 THIS YEAR.
DEAL WITH IT

 

[prowlmedia]

I still have a first generation Retina Mini 128GB LTE model. I have no desire to upgrade it and don't plan on doing so even when new iPads come out.

I actually stopped using it when I bought my 2015 15" retina MBP.

Hmm wouldn't want to haul the 15 around everywhere!

 

[bladerunner2000]

And on the reverse, it can sit in your bag and connect to a smartwatch when you're "really" on the go.

LOL, smartwatches. Those are an even bigger gimmick than tablets.

 

[prowlmedia]

NO IPAD AIR 3 THIS YEAR.
DEAL WITH IT

Er why? Course there will be. Whether or not it's a new design or not we'll have to see.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Why?

Maybe he owns thousands of dollars worth of software that doesn't run on Windows?

 

[Iconoclysm]

LOL, smartwatches. Those are an even bigger gimmick than tablets.

Gimmick, meaning something you don't need to use? I bet there were desktop users in the 90's laughing about laptops too. I have over 10 machines at home, 3 current flagship smartphones...and I love my Apple Watch. You can try to tell me it's a gimmick but I don't think you're qualified.

Should also mention that in the absence of the Apple Watch, I'd be wearing a Microsoft Band. Notifications on my wrist are incredibly useful to me.

 

[Tycho24]

I've used iOS, I hate it. It's a joke. Doesn't even have a file browser. Why would I want one when my laptop does everything I need it to?

Tablets don't solve any problems, they create them.

To each their own.

Toodles.

 

[Keebler]

I'm not surprised.

The market is saturated with iPads which, as others have pointed out, do the trick for most folks so there's no need to upgrade.

Plus, with other competitors in the market offering lower cost tablets, ppl will gravitate towards those if they can't afford an iPad - not saying that is the only reason for it as there are definitely other reasons, but it's a huge factor.

It's like vehicles - it's no wonder more Fords are on the road (for example) - they're lower cost than most vehicles out there.

If Apple wants to hit the bang - lower their iPads and more will buy.

Also, there is probably consumer confusions between the iPhone 6 Plus and the lower end Macbooks.
Those with the iPad are all somewhat similar.

Add in this supposed 'iPad Pro' and whoa...

 

[duffman9000]

That iPad Pro better be something special. It will probably approach Surface Pro 3 price territory. If it's just a bigger iPad prepare for sales to crater. Think about this: why would anyone spend around 1000 for a nice laptop and then be told what can and can't be installed / uninstalled. Apply that to a bigger more expensive iPad.

 

[H2SO4]

Apple is doooooomed. Has anybody said that yet?

 

[3N16MA]

People thought tablets would see the same growth as smartphones but the two are not direct comparisons. Many smartphones are on contract and there is an incentive to upgrade once that contract is over. Tablets like the iPad are $400+ purchases and as long as they're doing their job consumers are not going to see a reason to upgrade. The tablet boom represented a period where there was a frenzy because of the newness of the product.

 

[neutralguy]

I have an iPad Air and I got it as a gift 2 years back. Now days, I hardly look for it when i want something to be done. Instead I open up macbook pro and use it. Couple of things that is hindering the tablet market:

1. Tablets don't do anything powerful, that needs constant upgrade.
2. many of the mobile compatible websites, don't offer all the options that are available on desktop version.
3. I still have not found myself very comfortable on typing a hard glass surface without having any feedback.

 

[melendezest]

I can see how the report makes sense.

In my household, the order in which my family (of 6) reaches for devices is:

1. MBP (I have a 17 and 15 cMBP)
2. iMac 27"
3. iPhones (2ea 4s and a 5c)
4. iPad (1 and 2)

I agree with some here that the iPad as an in-between device may have worn out its welcome given the capabilities of phones.

My wife gave up her iPad 2 for a Galaxy Note 3 (when they first came out) and has never looked back. She still has it and loves it dearly.

If you don't have a laptop, I guess that the iPad could work but it just seems like it is an extraenous device (at least in in my household), and its limitations keep it from being as powerful as it could be.

As a laptop replacement, the iPad just doesn't cut it, despite initial hope that it could exist as a standalone device. Even my mother would rather use her old 1st gen white Macbook than her iPad Air. She grows frustrated with iOS's limitations constantly and runs back to the Mac.