The iPad needs a home screen, my events for today, tomorrow, ... Configurable "glances" for the apps you want a quick overview from.
That appears to be well beyond Apple's current software development skills.
The iPad needs a home screen, my events for today, tomorrow, ... Configurable "glances" for the apps you want a quick overview from.
So you are describing many Android tablets and the Microsoft Surface line, etc.
They are relatively cheaper, have multi connectors, pen inputs, expandability, storage expansion, more...
So if Apple killed the device because it didn't include their competitor's features, why are they the category leader? Shouldn't Microsoft be absolutely crushing Apple here? Shouldn't Samsung tablets dominate?
That said, I agree on the price point for the lowest storage levels is poor. Apple should never have continued producing 16GB as their base models.
From a business perspective it doesn't make sense for Apple to cannibalize their MacBook line by making the iPad basically a cheaper MacBook by giving it OS X.Yet Microsoft are selling more and more surfaces! Apple were so arrogant blatantly refusing to release an "all in one" and now the inevitable is happening.
It's this simple... People Want The Power Of A Full OS WITH a touch screen!!
The iPad is great for web browsing and watching Netflix in bed etc but outside of the few things a larger screened iPhone provides, which lets face it, is what an iPad is, people would rather just use their iPhone because it can do pretty much everything an iPad can do, and when all is said and done they can put it in their pocket, take it anywhere, make phone calls, take decent pictures, and more.
For people to want to share their iPhone's workload, the device has to do it all, which is why nine out of ten people on these very forums say the prefect set up for them is an iPhone and a MacBook or an iPhone and an iMac... And I agree, a full OS can do all the things an iPhone, and by extension, an iPad, can't do!
But here's the problem with the Mac lineup... It's stuck in the past! Ok the components get refreshed, but where's the innovation outside of an obsession with how thin they are? Point and click has its uses (mainly for professionals) but outside of that it's becoming outdated! Apple as well as others have tried to refresh its functionality with trackpads, gestures and larger trackpads, which has helped but not cured how old it's starting to feel... I keep reading articles about how more and more people are using their smart phones. A persons phone is become like an additional limb, people are fused with them... And what is the main input method of a smart phone? It's touch screen! Does that not tell you something obvious... There is no way I am paying that kind of money for a premium computer that doesn't even offer me the natural, quick and easy input that my phone offers!
The Microsoft Surface type devices are the future and Apple is paying heavily because it refuses to see it!
Don't get me wrong though, Microsoft have done a terrible job at a two in one software solution with awkward little UI buttons etc and it just doesn't work well on a touchscreen, but that's where Apple could revolutionise... Which is what I was expecting from the iPad pro... A lite weight fully touch optimised OS X with just enough left out that people who really need a Mac would still buy one!
But what did we get... An even bigger iPhone. Omg, are Apple really that slow? Keep iOS for the iPhone as it was intended Apple. If you want to save the iPad you know what you have to do.
I have an iPad 2 and there is no reason to upgrade. Would like an iPad pro, but price has to come down.
Well, first, that wasn't what you said in your original post. You said:
And my point was that cars too are a baked product with a reasonable long lifespan in a saturated market. Almost everyone who wants a car has one, or at least has access to one. Yet car sales generally keep increasing over time. Even more, cars are an average 25x more expensive than the most expensive Air2.
I agree that the iPad updates are not compelling -- I said so in a post before yours. But that is a different argument than people don't buy iPads because they last long. Cars, with proper care, can last 8 years or longer. But that never stopped consumers from trading in every 3 years to get the latest design or newest features.
Apple killed this device with such shortsighted and outdated price point and storage, no innovation in input method (Apple pen too little too late) and no expandability (a single lightning connector limits potential drastically), $500/16GB for 5 straight years, really?
Samsung 14% World wide.. Seriously
I dont know anyone who has a samsung tablet and never ever seen anyone using one. In which part of the world do people buy these Samsung tablets? All i see is iPads
I suspect a similar fate would have happened to the iPhone by now if every had to $650-$850 cash every time they wanted to upgrade.
I do admire what Microsoft did, but as an AAPL shareholder, I don't want Apple to do the same thing.You have to admire what MS did with the Surface lineup. It took them a couple versions to get it right but the SP4 is a great device.
How is that surprising since there is a rumor of a new Ipad coming up
Samsung 14% World wide.. Seriously
I dont know anyone who has a samsung tablet and never ever seen anyone using one. In which part of the world do people buy these Samsung tablets? All i see is iPads
I have all iPad 1,2 and 3, mini2 and they are keep going strong.
OS is good and hardware is also good enough. Tablets seem just not made for annual revamp.
In our household, family members use those iPads, but when they read Facebook and so on in their beds and etc, iPhones are used most. Which means that in general, tablets are not so mobile or personal as phones and yet are to reach level of sophistication of notebooks. Surface is fine but I can't see a Windows tablet for casual use.
Thats again leads to question, what is most compelling feature for iPads? Apple made a right step in creating Pro version, but still its not enough, I think. Pro is too expensive and when it get that amount of casual use, it won't justify the cost. Artists will buy it, but even their number is limited and they got no limitless budgets. But if Air and mini support Pencil, I will buy both Pencil and new iPads. If not, no.
IMHO, Apple has some keys to reinvigorating the iPad line.
Hardware: support Pencil across the whole line of all iPads. This is absolute requirement for any new iPad to be sold, IMHO.
Pricing: make 32 or 64 GB the starting baseline storage (otherwise with 16 GB there is not much apps or photos to use the iPad itself). Reduce Pencil prices. For iPad line, you have to sacrifice some margins for more sales, thats the right case. Make iPad Pro, Pencil and keyboard Case bundle cheaper.
Software wise: drastically revamp iPad user interface. It was OK for first iPad to have same icon lines as iPhones because it was new model. After 5 years, its intolerable and straight lazy. There is no vision for iPad and its shown by its outdated GUI look and I don't mean 3D touch. If watches and AppleTV have different interface, why iPads still look like big iPhones? Are they iPhones? No. So why the large desktop like empty spaces are not utilized? Why we can't still customize the Home view, resize icons of apps we use most, or have larger Watch and Calendar icons, with dynamic information? Or Email notifications on desktop? Or live Safari pages on desktop? Or live Stocks and Weather big-sized icons, allowing for easy information access? Why we can't still use our own custom keyboard layout (for me, its biggest obstacle in using iPads as freely as macs for which I can make my own custom keyboard layout. Notes app on iPad also can be remade and rethought. Generally, it just shows lack of vision and understanding of inherent features of iPad. Its falling sales show that iPads are failing in being a true necessity and its worrisome news for Apple. iPad OS is really stagnating last 3 years and only recently we some changes, inspired by bigger iPhones. But iPad OS must be really forked and made into something better.
Think about possibilities and various scenarios of joint use of iPads wit macs, iPhones and even AppleTV.
For me, these are true features that are needed to make iPads truly specific and unique products.
I have all iPad 1,2 and 3, mini2 and they are keep going strong.
OS is good and hardware is also good enough. Tablets seem just not made for annual revamp.
In our household, family members use those iPads, but when they read Facebook and so on in their beds and etc, iPhones are used most. Which means that in general, tablets are not so mobile or personal as phones and yet are to reach level of sophistication of notebooks. Surface is fine but I can't see a Windows tablet for casual use.
Thats again leads to question, what is most compelling feature for iPads? Apple made a right step in creating Pro version, but still its not enough, I think. Pro is too expensive and when it get that amount of casual use, it won't justify the cost. Artists will buy it, but even their number is limited and they got no limitless budgets. But if Air and mini support Pencil, I will buy both Pencil and new iPads. If not, no.
IMHO, Apple has some keys to reinvigorating the iPad line.
Hardware: support Pencil across the whole line of all iPads. This is absolute requirement for any new iPad to be sold, IMHO.
Pricing: make 32 or 64 GB the starting baseline storage (otherwise with 16 GB there is not much apps or photos to use the iPad itself). Reduce Pencil prices. For iPad line, you have to sacrifice some margins for more sales, thats the right case. Make iPad Pro, Pencil and keyboard Case bundle cheaper.
Software wise: drastically revamp iPad user interface. It was OK for first iPad to have same icon lines as iPhones because it was new model. After 5 years, its intolerable and straight lazy. There is no vision for iPad and its shown by its outdated GUI look and I don't mean 3D touch. If watches and AppleTV have different interface, why iPads still look like big iPhones? Are they iPhones? No. So why the large desktop like empty spaces are not utilized? Why we can't still customize the Home view, resize icons of apps we use most, or have larger Watch and Calendar icons, with dynamic information? Or Email notifications on desktop? Or live Safari pages on desktop? Or live Stocks and Weather big-sized icons, allowing for easy information access? Why we can't still use our own custom keyboard layout (for me, its biggest obstacle in using iPads as freely as macs for which I can make my own custom keyboard layout. Notes app on iPad also can be remade and rethought. Generally, it just shows lack of vision and understanding of inherent features of iPad. Its falling sales show that iPads are failing in being a true necessity and its worrisome news for Apple. iPad OS is really stagnating last 3 years and only recently we some changes, inspired by bigger iPhones. But iPad OS must be really forked and made into something better.
Think about possibilities and various scenarios of joint use of iPads wit macs, iPhones and even AppleTV.
For me, these are true features that are needed to make iPads truly specific and unique products.
You raise good points, but I don't think this is the case with iPads, when you have iPhone 6+ and chromebooks competing with iPads, you have to differentiate iPads much more from the other product categories.
To me the most obvious example of how horribly Apple has lost vision in the iPad line is education: schools are selling iPads and getting chromebooks Honestly up to last year if I were shopping for a tech device for school I'd skip the iPad, there is nothing in the world I want more than replacing pen/paper with pen/tablet, and the iPad line was failing horribly at it until iPad pro, but even iPad pro is too little too late and it's not even aimed at education.
Apple just lost vision for this line.
True.Yes it is, but so far that hasn't exactly happened. This trend didn't occur over night and Apple has continued to see its iPAd sales erode. So far we have only gotten a tablet that borrowed heavily from Microsoft's Surface Pro. While is a nice product the iPad Pro isn't exactly mind blowing since MS already did it.
Well, first, that wasn't what you said in your original post. You said:
And my point was that cars too are a baked product with a reasonable long lifespan in a saturated market. Almost everyone who wants a car has one, or at least has access to one. Yet car sales generally keep increasing over time. Even more, cars are an average 25x more expensive than the most expensive Air2.
I agree that the iPad updates are not compelling -- I said so in a post before yours. But that is a different argument than people don't buy iPads because they last long. Cars, with proper care, can last 8 years or longer. But that never stopped consumers from trading in every 3 years to get the latest design or newest features.
Yes, but even so, it took MS 3 tries to get it right. The SP3 is a great tablet and I really like it. the Sp4 is even better, but it seems MS stumbled out of the gate with it.Microsoft's Surface is what happens when a "common sense" idea of a hybrid is brought to fruition. In theory it should've been the dream device. In practice, not so much.