iPad Seen as 'Weakest Link' in Stagnating Tablet Market

[peterdevries]

Analysts, folks.

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It is too bad that Apple is plagued by so many bad analysts and that the general sentiment is now as what I quoted.

I have done a fair bit of analyst work on the diabetes sector, and when it is done correctly it can be enormously effective and accurate. We don't make things up and good analyst work requires countless hours of investigation, calls and calculations.

 

[s2mikey]

I'm one of these people. I was very much looking forward to upgrading to the Air 2 but due to vibrate-gate I opted to stick with iPad 2 for a while longer. Most of the apps I need still work.
However I'm getting an iPad Mini 2 next week which will have iOS 8 and will allow me to install the latest apps. Not sure if I'm going to want to update to iPad Air 3 or future iterations in a hurry after I buy the Mini. Depends on what Apple has to offer. I'd still like to upgrade, thus have a Mini and an Air, but we'll see.

No doubt that some of the recent issues reported that plague the latest Air 2 have caused some to skip the upgrade. Like you and me and lots of others. Heck, I never update my devices this quickly but the Air 2 intrigued me enough to consider it. Then.... I made the mistake of turning the volume up to about a third of the way while trying to type on the demo unit at Best Buy. Uh oh. FAIL.

Probably not something they'll fix with the next ipad either so guess what? I'll be skipping another generation too. Oh well. My Air does work great so whatever.

 

[Ugg]

This is directly related to people keeping their ipads longer. Tons of people are still using the ipad 2 with no desire to upgrade.

I have a 3, it's four years old next month. I see absolutely no reason to upgrade although I would like a mini for camping.

 

[Billy95Tech]

I know lots of people find their iPads to be productive tools. It just didn't work for me.

When i get ipad Air 2(or 3) i will use it to edit/make my Youtube videos.

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iPad: The "magical" tablet crippled by iOS.

Apple was right in thinking a desktop operating system isn't right for a tablet, but iOS isn't the answer either. It need an OS all of its own, as powerful as OS X but with a touch-friendly interface.

Apple won't put OS X on the Ipad.

The IOS itself needs to have features multi window/split sceen for the Ipad especially for the 9.7 inch Ipad.


The good thing is with the A8X chip which is very powerful there will be lot more powerful/more full blown apps coming out for Ipads in the future.


I really hope they keep IOS on the ipad and improve it because there are lots of Ipad users who don't want OS X on there Ipads!!

I think it is the way to go to try to keep and improve IOS on the Ipads especially for the 9.7 inch Ipad!

 

[Billy95Tech]

Doesn't help that the iPad has become boring.

Why do you say the Ipad has become boring?

They are not boring i really like Ipads, they are great and i will buy one in the future. and i'm sure lots of people agree with me.

And when i go on holidays i always see people with Ipads in public like in hotels, bars lots more.

 

[sracer]

Why do you say the Ipad has become boring?

They are not boring i really like Ipads, they are great and i will buy one in the future. and i'm sure lots of people agree with me.

And when i go on holidays i always see people with Ipads in public like in a hotel,bars lots more.

Part of the "boredom" might be rooted in the limitations inherent in iOS and the iPad hardware. Developers have done some amazing things within those limitations, but those kind of innovations in software have slowed down as they have basically maxed out what can be done.

IMO, for there to be another cycle of software innovation, a fundamental change in the OS (like support for Bluetooth mice and wider range of USB devices, multi-window) or hardware (active digitizer, larger size, ports) is required.

 

[Billy95Tech]

So IDC says that 67% of the tablet sold/shipped is based on Android. In my experience, I have hardly seen anyone using Android based tablet.

The same!

When i go on holidays i always see people with Ipads(most of the time) and sometimes Android tablets in public like in hotels, bars lots more.

 

[sracer]

So IDC says that 67% of the tablet sold/shipped is based on Android. In my experience, I have hardly seen anyone using Android based tablet.

That's because their punishment for buying an Android tablet is to be grounded...they're not allowed to leave the house.

 

[rekhyt]

For me iOS was too limited, so I ditched my iPad3 and bought a 13" rMBP. It's a bit heavier and a LOT more useful.

I know lots of people find their iPads to be productive tools. It just didn't work for me.

Why not both?

I use my iPad as a consumption device.

 

[mi7chy]

My iPad has been collecting dust ever since I got the Thinkpad Helix2 with fanless Core M that's priced equivalent to iPad Air 2 but significantly more capable and versatile. Can run full Chrome with proper ad blocker and have two dozen plus tabs opened without reload while running Office, Gimp2 to utilize Wacom pen and other productivity software in true multi-window.

 

[technosix]

Now that the novelty has waned there's a lot of people that simply don't want a tablet of any brand.

That's especially true within a huge group of my friends that are into sports, working out, and pushing to maintain optimum fitness just like I am. We have so much fun outdoors and value our health as a very high priority we'd rather not be inside during the weekends.

My iPads see some limited use, but nothing like before Apple finally wised up and built the larger iPhones we have today. I prefer my iPhone 6 Plus over my iPads any day. For a larger screen yet light and handy I prefer my 13" MBA by far.

 

[sigmadog]

Why not both?

I use my iPad as a consumption device.

I'm trying to simplify my gadget-verse. Having a laptop that does everything I wanted to do with my iPad AND also serves as a productivity tool is the answer for me.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I think what is happening is that the life cycle of the iPad has gotten a LOT longer--especially starting with the iPad Air and 2nd-generation iPad mini with 1 GB of RAM. As such, apart from adding more RAM and the recent addition of 802.11ac Wi-Fi support, there's really not that much that Apple can do to improve the iPad itself.

I do agree it is a fabulous media consumption device, especially since the switch to Retina Display touchscreen makes using a book reading app like iBooks or the Amazon Kindle app very viable.

 

[anthorumor]

Yeah, maybe if they added the A8X into the iPad Mini and made it 6mm thin, that would lure people away from cheaper but more powerful (on paper) Android tablets.

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I have a 3, it's four years old next month. I see absolutely no reason to upgrade although I would like a mini for camping.

Do it - I'm retiring my iPad 3 because it's too heavy. The screen size isn't all that different for the sake of portability and the best part about my iPad 3 is its high resell value. Try saying that to Android tablets.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I don't see myself ever buying another ipad. I already have a large screen phone, i don't need to carry another device with a phone OS with me. So i bought a Surface Pro, it replaced my laptop, it's way more powerful than an ipad (4GB RAM, i5 cpu, proper OS with proper software, not $0.99 fart "apps" lol, i can run PS or LIghtroom, etc).

I'll consider another iPad when they release one with bigger screen and Mac OS.

You can run Photoshop and Lightroom on an iPad.

 

[Max(IT)]

No doubt that some of the recent issues reported that plague the latest Air 2 have caused some to skip the upgrade. Like you and me and lots of others. Heck, I never update my devices this quickly but the Air 2 intrigued me enough to consider it. Then.... I made the mistake of turning the volume up to about a third of the way while trying to type on the demo unit at Best Buy. Uh oh. FAIL.

Probably not something they'll fix with the next ipad either so guess what? I'll be skipping another generation too. Oh well. My Air does work great so whatever.

Issues reported only on forums like this....

The tablet' s market is saturated and stagnating. The Air 2 is one of the best, if not the best, tablet out there. But people is just looking elsewhere, and if they buy tablets, they buy cheap ones.

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I think what is happening is that the life cycle of the iPad has gotten a LOT longer--especially starting with the iPad Air and 2nd-generation iPad mini with 1 GB of RAM. As such, apart from adding more RAM and the recent addition of 802.11ac Wi-Fi support, there's really not that much that Apple can do to improve the iPad itself.

I do agree it is a fabulous media consumption device, especially since the switch to Retina Display touchscreen makes using a book reading app like iBooks or the Amazon Kindle app very viable.

I think that, added to the fact that bigger phones sometimes can replace tablets for some jobs, is the main reason for the stagnating market.
As of today I just don't feel the need to change my iPad air, and I had similar feelings when it was the time to change my iPad 4 (but the new form factor helped a lot).

 

[s2mikey]

Issues reported only on forums like this....

The tablet' s market is saturated and stagnating. The Air 2 is one of the best, if not the best, tablet out there. But people is just looking elsewhere, and if they buy tablets, they buy cheap one.

Nope, most major reviews also mention vibration issues. That's fine if you wish to ignore the reports from all kinds of sources and forums and claim it's a MacRumors only thing. Whatevs. Try google.

I do agree with you though that the market is stagnating and there are a lot of choices out there. Keeping what you have is also a very common choice which adds to the falling sales numbers.

 

[mi7chy]

You can run Photoshop and Lightroom on an iPad.

Mobile versions are stripped down toys with limited file sizes and are crash prone.

 

[Billy95Tech]

Mobile versions are stripped down toys with limited file sizes and are crash prone.

Yes they are stripped down to a certain extent but they are still usefull/helpful so they are NOT toys.

And you say they are crash prone i agree with you if you run Photoshop on a 100 euros basic tablet but on a 300-900 euros Ipad and Android tablet then i disagree.

 

[NATO]

I don't see myself ever buying another ipad. I already have a large screen phone, i don't need to carry another device with a phone OS with me. So i bought a Surface Pro, it replaced my laptop, it's way more powerful than an ipad (4GB RAM, i5 cpu, proper OS with proper software, not $0.99 fart "apps" lol, i can run PS or LIghtroom, etc).

I'll consider another iPad when they release one with bigger screen and Mac OS.

Actually, this reflects how I feel about the iPad (despite being the iPad's biggest fan up until this point). To me the Surface Pro 3 really does merge what I want from a tablet and a laptop and it moves between those two roles seamlessly.

I use it in work like a laptop but at home it's in pure tablet mode.

 

[Traverse]

I also have an iPad third-gen. I hesitate to call it a "great product", though. It is woefully underpowered considering it has to drive a ton more pixels than the iPad 2 did. Since I put iOS 7 on it (and continuing with iOS 8), the third-gen iPad hardware has struggled so badly that when I'm scrolling through web pages in Safari, it looks like I'm using a $99 Android tablet as opposed to the iPad I paid almost $700 for.

That purchase left a bad taste in my mouth. I know the iPad models since have not been shown the door by Apple as quickly as the third-gen iPad was. However, over the last year or so, I've just used it to stream Netflix and the like because doing anything else with it can be frustrating.

I've decided that when I need to do anything productive, I'll use my iPhone 6 and my MacBook Pro. Since I don't seem to have any use for an iPad beyond consuming media at this point, I don't expect to upgrade it anytime soon, if ever.

I agree. I need a middle ground product between my 15" rMBP and my iPhone 6 for grad schoo. I'm debating between the iPad Air 3 or the new rMB.

I currently use an iPad 3 with a keyboard cover. Apple burned me bad on the iPad 3. 3 months after my purchase they came out with the iPad 4 and iOS 8 lags on everything, espcially Safari (which is my most used app).

It can't even open and close apps without stuttering.

 

[sracer]

I agree. I need a middle ground product between my 15" rMBP and my iPhone 6 for grad schoo. I'm debating between the iPad Air 3 or the new rMB.

I currently use an iPad 3 with a keyboard cover. Apple burned me bad on the iPad 3. 3 months after my purchase they came out with the iPad 4 and iOS 8 lags on everything, espcially Safari (which is my most used app).

It can't even open and close apps without stuttering.

Since you've been burned, are you considering a non-iOS tablet? I haven't been too pleased myself with how poorly my iPad 4 performs with iOS 8.

The iPad 4 was released on November 2, 2012
I purchased my iPad 4 in March 2013. (except for the 1st gen iPad which I bought on day-1, I generally wait 3 months for product bugs to shake out)

iOS 8 was released on September 17, 2014

That gave me 18 months of reasonable performance (14 months of great performance with iOS 6, and the remainder acceptable under iOS 7) With iOS 8, it became poor.

I will be thinking long and hard before I pay a premium for an iPad that is only going to give me 18 months of acceptable performance. I have Android tablets that have been far cheaper and maintained the same level of performance 2+ years later.

Of course that might all evaporate if Apple produces an iPad Pro with the features that I'm looking for. ....and so it goes.

 

[Traverse]

Since you've been burned, are you considering a non-iOS tablet? I haven't been too pleased myself with how poorly my iPad 4 performs with iOS 8.

Short Response:
I'm starting to lean away from an iOS tablet. iOS limitations can be irksome and Apple's seems to decrease performance more than increase features and capabilities. Right now I'm looking at the new retina MacBook as I want a more portable device than my 15" rMBP. I don't know if you've tried Windows 10, but it looks really promising which makes me think about a Surface Pro. The issue is I'm heavily invested in Apple's ecosystem and while I can work Windows in, it won't be as seamless. I'm debating whether I want to give up the tablet form factor, and whether to go Windows or OS X. And even if an iPad Pro is released, I'm not sure I want to gamble on another first gen iPad device.



Forgive this long response, but I'm trying to answer honestly.
Your situations parallels mine. I got my iPad 3 in June 2012. In September 2014 Apple released iOS 7 and I got a noticeable drop in performance, but I (bitterly) adapted. iOS 8 made it dramatically worse; embarrassingly slow. This iPad cost me $856 in total and I am angry that I got burned in just 15 months.

I, like you, am hesitant to pay a premium for another iPad. Their functionality has evolved very little, but performance has dropped significantly. I don't like how cutthroat Apple is about iOS adoption. You can stay on your current iOS, but unlike OS X you will NOT receive any support unless your device is on it's capped OS; think of all the people who were forced to jump from iOS 6 to 7 because of that network security issue. Also, Apple really pushes developers to update there apps and many that I use tend to drop support for older OSes fast.

I need (want) a device that falls between my 15" docked desktop and my iPhone. Right now that's an iPad 3 with a keyboard cover. I bought an Air 2, but was underwhelmed and returned it. Honestly, I'm looking at the new Retina MacBook. I realize it's priced high with that new product tax, but it fits my needs well and I need it now for graduate school so I'd be willing to buy it. Others on this forum call it an "iPad with a keyboard," but with increased functionality. That's exactly what I want. I've had a few occasions where i still had to bring my 15" rMBP to campus because the iPad was incapable of doing the task I needed of it. Couple that with iOS' pitiful keyboard support, bugs, and frustrating oversights and my once most used device category is looking like it's about to be axed. I do like the iPad and will keep the iPad 3 around for occasional games, but as far as investing a lot into it? I'm doubtful. Once I graduate I may buy a cheaper rMini just for a few iOS games or just get an iPhone 7 Plus.

I still vastly prefer OS X to Windows for a variety of reasons, but Windows 10 addresses many of those issues I had and looks to be a wonderful release. That has me considering a Surface Pro. The thing is, I'm invested heavily in Apple's ecosystem. From big things like OS X-only apps to little thinks like iCloud Reading Lists. I can work a Windows machine in, but I'm debating whether I want to. For example, a key use of this new device will be writing and I'll have to repurchase some apps like Scrivener. Not a huge deal, but one worth considering.

Honestly, I'm considering the new Retina MacBook. Yes, it is priced high because it's new. Yes, it "only" has the performance of a 2013 MBA, but for a casual office use and we browsing it's perfect. The biggest thing I'll do with this system is write. You mentioned in another thread (I think it was you, forgive me if I'm wrong) that you preferred the chicklet style keyboards Apple uses. I do too. I had to use an old mechanical keyboard for a few hours last week and found it much more fatiguing than Apple's offerings. As long as the new MB's keyboard isn't an issue (I don't think it will be), this will be a great device. I'm just waiting for in depth reviews before I make a purchase.

I'm going to wait until at least WWDC before I make a purchase so I can see where iOS is going. I just don't know if I want to give up that tablet form factor which can be very valuable, but I also don't want to wait for an iPad Pro that may never materialize (I'm more skeptical on it now with the new MB). Also, I bought the "new" iPad and got burned and I'm not sure I want to buy the first gen iPad Pro. With the new MB, there isn't really that much new aside from an already used Core M processor. An iPad Pro will have a larger screen and (supposedly) greater functionality and I'm very hesitant to buy that in the first release. I also don't want to wait 1.5 years for a device I need now-ish.


*Whew* Sorry. Was that too long?

It was a simple question, but one that involves many variables.

 

[Max(IT)]

Since you've been burned, are you considering a non-iOS tablet? I haven't been too pleased myself with how poorly my iPad 4 performs with iOS 8.

The iPad 4 was released on November 2, 2012
I purchased my iPad 4 in March 2013. (except for the 1st gen iPad which I bought on day-1, I generally wait 3 months for product bugs to shake out)

iOS 8 was released on September 17, 2014

That gave me 18 months of reasonable performance (14 months of great performance with iOS 6, and the remainder acceptable under iOS 7) With iOS 8, it became poor.

I will be thinking long and hard before I pay a premium for an iPad that is only going to give me 18 months of acceptable performance. I have Android tablets that have been far cheaper and maintained the same level of performance 2+ years later.

Of course that might all evaporate if Apple produces an iPad Pro with the features that I'm looking for. ....and so it goes.

I can't see any performance hit using iOS 8.2 on iPad 4.
On iPad 2 is barely acceptable, but on the iPad 4 it's fast.

 

[sracer]

I can't see any performance hit using iOS 8.2 on iPad 4.
On iPad 2 is barely acceptable, but on the iPad 4 it's fast.

Good to hear that it is working well for you. I've tried a variety of things including reinstalling from scratch. Maybe there are slight differences in the hardware (maybe a bank of defective RAM) that cause it to react differently than others.

Like the answer to the question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know why the same gen/model iPads behave differently with the same version of iOS.