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iPad owners using outdated devices (horror)

maxsix

maxsix

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Original poster
Jun 28, 2015
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Western Hemisphere
Here's one report on iPad relevance and model use:


"Most iPad owners are using outdated devices, and that's a disturbing trend for Apple

More people use the iPad 2 than any other iPad, according to a study by market research film, Localytics, shared by AppleInsider.

The study collected data from over 50 million iPads, and over 20% of those were the iPad 2, which was released way back in March 2011.

The second most used iPad is the iPad mini, which was released in late 2012.

To compare, only 9% of iPad owners in the study use the latest iPad Air 2 that was released in 2014, and 0.3% use the latest iPad mini 4, which came out this year."


http://www.techinsider.io/apple-ipad-2-is-most-used-ipad-2015-11
 
Boy, will things change when Apple drops support for A5 devices (at least they stopped selling those two models even though it took years). But if they don't drop support, how do they expect people to upgrade?

5.5 years of support for the iPad 2 is just crazy. The iPad 1 didn't even get 3 years of support!
 
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This shouldn't be a surprise to Apple or anyone else really. I think that most of our personal technology has gotten to the point where it is overpowered for what average consumers use it for. That's why PC sales are decreasing, because people can buy a PC and not need to replace it for several years. The same is now becoming true of tablets. If you're just using it for things like web surfing, email, and Netflix, you don't need a new one every 1 or 2 years unless you're a tech enthusiast and just like having new devices.

And to Apple's credit, they support their devices for a long time. They could encourage people to upgrade by dropping support for each model after a couple of years, but instead, every iPad model except the very first still gets the latest software updates as soon as they're available, doesn't matter if you're using an iPad 2 or an iPad Air 2. Other companies are not that nice.
 
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They're technically not "outdated" since the iPad 2 and iPad mini both support iOS 9. Name any tablet from 2011 or 2012 that will run the current version of Android for example...
 
Didn't iPad 2 get longer support when they released 4 and bumped off 3? So they were selling 2 longer than 1 and 3?
 
People are using their devices longer and not upgrading as often. Not a big surprise when you see the numbers that Apple released during their last earnings call.
 
I still use a first gen iPad. I don't use it too heavily though so I haven't felt a need to upgrade to anything new even though it hasn't gotten the latest updates for awhile.
 
The iPad 2 is very economical for enteprises purchasing a large number of them for their employees or customers, plus it is still being supported by Apple. I can believe the numbers.
 
imlovinit said:
Didn't iPad 2 get longer support when they released 4 and bumped off 3? So they were selling 2 longer than 1 and 3?
Click to expand...
Yes. In fact, they went even further and continued to sell the iPad 2 at a ridiculous $399 when the iPad Air was released (you could have gotten an iPad mini 2, with a 64-bit A7 chip AND a retina display, at the same price as an iPad 2). It wasn't until early 2014 that Apple brought back the iPad 4 as a replacement for the iPad 2.

I think the perfect opportunity for those who are still on the iPad 2 or iPad mini is here: Walmart has the iPad mini 2 for $199 for the whole month. It's crazy because it's $50 less than what Apple was selling iPad mini's for a couple of months ago.
 
sonicrobby said:
The iPad 2 is very economical for enteprises purchasing a large number of them for their employees or customers, plus it is still being supported by Apple. I can believe the numbers.
Click to expand...

Indeed. A number of schools have sets of them for classroom use.
 
joeblow7777 said:
Indeed. A number of schools have sets of them for classroom use.
Click to expand...
That is very true, however, I don't think that businesses today are still buying the iPad 2 or iPad mini when newer models are available, sometimes at lower prices. If they are, then they would not be making very wise business decisions since support for the A5 devices is most likely going to be dropped next year.
 
Andres Cantu said:
That is very true, however, I don't think that businesses today are still buying the iPad 2 or iPad mini when newer models are available, sometimes at lower prices. If they are, then they would not be making very wise business decisions since support for the A5 devices is most likely going to be dropped next year.
Click to expand...

You're right. I don't think anyone is buying those models today, but many were bought in bulk just a couple of years ago and are still in use. Probably will be for some time. Public schools typically can't afford to upgrade their hardware that often. They instead buy them with the longest warranty possible and get their money's worth.
 
joeblow7777 said:
You're right. I don't think anyone is buying those models today, but many were bought in bulk just a couple of years ago and are still in use.
Click to expand...
That definitely explains the user base for A5 devices. It's funny because I'm sure Apple thought that the iPad Air would sell better than it did when it was released, but it's their fault for keeping the A5 devices in stock and supported for so long. That was when the downward sales trend for new iPads started (and has yet to recover).

That would also explain why the iPad mini 3 was released (the iPad mini 2 was too similar to the flagship iPad from that year), and it's the same strategy for the iPad Pro: they withheld the iPad Air 3 so that it would not cannibalize the larger iPad sales.
 
This is a great illustration of how horribly misused/misunderstood the term obsolete is. Personally, only the iPad 1 I'd consider obsolete in that it no longer achieves what it was purchased for - the brief time I've spent with my OG iPad (now with an old relative), Safari is an absolute crashtastic disaster, can barely load 25% of webpages, and even then there's loads of question mark boxes. Web browsing was/is an absolute key feature of the iPad line, so yes, I'd say it qualifies as obsolete.

On these forums and any other tech forum, however, anything over 2 years old is considered obsolete. Forumites confuse speed (or lack thereof) and the inability to take advantage of the latest and greatest features as obsolescence. Ludicrous.

As much as I'd hate to swap my Air 2, 6S+ or rMBP for anything older, an iPhone 4, iPad 2 or old C2D Mac still perform the tasks for which they were bought - they'd drive me crazy though admittedly :)
 
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Apple has got to be kicking themselves right now over slow iPad sales. It's Apples fault they don't know marketing 101 when they kept selling iPad 2 up to 2014.

Example:

The consumer walks in the Apple Store (2014) and sees their iPad 2 still being sold as new....
How in the world is the salesman supposed to upgrade the person to a new iPad????
 
Yeah, I agree, especially given that price is a major factor for a lot of people.

The alarmist stories about the iPad's decline is funny when you look at the numbers though. What were those numbers again for 2014, iPad turnover $30bn, Microsofts entire turnover for the same period $86bn? It's all relative, everything Apple is a failure next to the iPhone juggernaut. Almost every company on the planet would kill for a "failing" product like the iPad.
 
Shirtin said:
Apple has got to be kicking themselves right now over slow iPad sales. It's Apples fault they don't know marketing 101 when they kept selling iPad 2 up to 2014.

Example:

The consumer walks in the Apple Store (2014) and sees their iPad 2 still being sold as new....
How in the world is the salesman supposed to upgrade the person to a new iPad????
Click to expand...
What you stated is true. The iPad 2 was pushed towards the Education and huge corporation market after its 'newness' wore off. I agree that they kept it on the market too long. They also made a lot of profit from them since the components were cheaper to make and they sold them in bulk.
 
Why should that surprise you? They're still working. People don't need to replace them every year, just like with computers.

The really surprising thing to me is how often people seem to get new iPhones.
 
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It doesn't have to be disturbing for apple if they STOP supporting the iPad 2 with updates.
 
I'm still happy with my 1st gen Mini. It's not great anymore, but you know, it's not like I'm frustrated with it. If Apple drops support, I still have like $500 worth of apps that work with it fine. Plus, it replaced my Kindle.
 
maxsix said:
Here's one report on iPad relevance and model use:


"Most iPad owners are using outdated devices, and that's a disturbing trend for Apple

More people use the iPad 2 than any other iPad, according to a study by market research film, Localytics, shared by AppleInsider.

The study collected data from over 50 million iPads, and over 20% of those were the iPad 2, which was released way back in March 2011.

The second most used iPad is the iPad mini, which was released in late 2012.

To compare, only 9% of iPad owners in the study use the latest iPad Air 2 that was released in 2014, and 0.3% use the latest iPad mini 4, which came out this year."


http://www.techinsider.io/apple-ipad-2-is-most-used-ipad-2015-11
Click to expand...

More reasons why Apple needs to push the iPad Pro out of the door with ample stock and no supply constraints?
I've owned 2 iPads:
iPad 2
iPad Mini
Hope this launch goes better than the one for the iPhone 6s and Plus . . . not to mention the Apple TV pre order fiasco (pre orders with delivery after it was available in the Apple Store).
 
Jessica Lares said:
I'm still happy with my 1st gen Mini. It's not great anymore, but you know, it's not like I'm frustrated with it. If Apple drops support, I still have like $500 worth of apps that work with it fine. Plus, it replaced my Kindle.
Click to expand...

Glad you are happy with yours. I'm ditching/selling mine and hope to get the iPad Pro, barring any shortages.
 
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