The iPad Launched 14 Years Ago Today as Longest-Ever Wait for New Models Continues

[blazerunner]

Tell that to my mother & wife who use it daily for everything to Zoom calls, emails, web surfing and so on.

In other words, people for whom a laptop is completely unnecessary and is overkill.

I've said it many times before but the simplicity is what makes the iPad a damn good product.

Youre mom could do all that on her phone. And seeing how phones are so effing big now, it's not like it'd be much different from using the iPad.

What's the point of the tablet at this point when the one device you have is ALWAYS with you, does it all anyway????

 

[blazerunner]

Well isn’t that enlightening?

Here I thought my iPad worked extremely well to read/respond to emails, make/receive phone calls, visit websites to read and order products. I had no idea it isn’t.

Your phone does all that too.

 

[bejib66000]

I can't believe it's been 14 years, yet we still lack basic features such as multiple accounts/users on a single iPad. Shame on you Apple!

 

[Abazigal]

Youre mom could do all that on her phone. And seeing how phones are so effing big now, it's not like it'd be much different from using the iPad.

What's the point of the tablet at this point when the one device you have is ALWAYS with you, does it all anyway????

The screen size definitely matters for me when doing things on my 13 pro max vs my 11" iPad Pro.

Even something like reading comics on mangadex, the larger iPad screen does make a difference between being able to take everything in on one page, vs zooming everywhere on my phone because the text is so small.

It's like saying - what's the point of hooking my laptop to an external monitor? I am still going the same stuff anyways? The point is precisely that - yes, I can technically do all that on a phone, but the experience is so much better on an iPad, and isn't that the whole point? That we are willing to pay more for a better experience?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Your phone does all that too.

Just because you say it over and over and over again, does not necessarily make your point any more intelligent.
Yes, you can do internet tasks on a phone… and a tablet… and a $12,000 MacPro.
Different devices for different people at different times.
.

 

[raghu8912]

The only people waiting patiently are Apple’s shareholders and YouTubers. As it currently stands all existing models more than fulfil their role incredibly well.

so you are assuming sales of new iPads will be close to may be 1000 ?
I want to decide if i should buy Apple stock or not

 

[raghu8912]

No, it failed because it was nothing more than a glorified phone without a SIM card. There's almost no reason to buy it if you've got a smartphone.

It's also essentially a crippled laptop.. it really doesn't do anything exceptionally well.

because iPad sits in between a phone and a laptop.
it is not competing with either phone or a laptop.
it is different product category.
Apple sells more tablets than Samsung so there is a market for it, may be you don't have a need for it but looks some people want it.

 

[raghu8912]

14 years ago, Jobs said that the iPad would usher the world to the post-PC era....
... and it failed miserably since people continue to use PCs and Macs more than ever.
All thanks to the awfully limited iPad OS.
It could have killed the traditional computer but they preferred to just sell both as incomplete devices.
Good job, Tim.

iPad basically has a monopoly in tablets, what do you mean it failed ?

 

[phenste]

I agree, a lot of people made half efforts at touch both software and hardware and that’s a big part of the problem. It definitely is better for some things but not all and it was shoehorned too much.

More Mac apps are coming with the OS as Catalyst, like Messages. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed a downgrade in quality as a Mac only user, but I suppose that means it’s not too bad. Can’t miss it on Windows.

I didn’t know Messages was a Catalyst app now! (I’m sure I did at some point, I have the memory of an ant, lol) they pulled that one off decently well, if anything it only got better when I recently made the jump from Ventura to Sonoma. perhaps Apple themselves are learning to use Catalyst while still making meaningful changes so it doesn’t feel like a straight-up iOS/iPadOS port. regardless, I get the frustration with it as a whole—some apps are far better/far worse than others. for example, I wouldn’t be caught dead opening up the Home app on my MBP…

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

14 years ago, Jobs said that the iPad would usher the world to the post-PC era....
... and it failed miserably since people continue to use PCs and Macs more than ever.
All thanks to the awfully limited iPad OS.
It could have killed the traditional computer but they preferred to just sell both as incomplete devices.
Good job, Tim.

There's no way iPads would have killed the traditional computer, even if they put macOS in it.

Nothing beats a physical keyboard. Sure, you can use an attachable keyboard accessory, but now you've compromised portability. Basically, for a portable, full physical keyboard machine, nothing beats the laptop.

For high power applications, nothing beats the desktop, with it's bulky cooling solutions.

Yes, putting macOS in iPads would certainly make them far more popular, but it wouldn't kill off either desktops or laptops.

Similarly, adding a touch screen interface option into macOS is a no brainer.

However, it is obvious to me WHY they have done neither.

They won't add macOS to iPads because macOS allows sideloading, and the App Store is a HUGE revenue raiser due to the 15/30% fee Apple tacks onto every sale.

They won't add a touch screen to Macs because that would convince some iPad owners to switch to a Mac, thus lowering app store revenue.

It's all about the greed.

 

[chouseworth]

Youre mom could do all that on her phone. And seeing how phones are so effing big now, it's not like it'd be much different from using the iPad.

What's the point of the tablet at this point when the one device you have is ALWAYS with you, does it all anyway????

It gets tiresome hearing this same argument so often, wanting to apply personal preference to an entire population. Even a big iPhone does not do it all as well as an iPad for many of us. I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max and love it. But I do not enjoy spending 4-5 hours every day surfing the net and reading Kindle books on it. And yes, I really do spend 4-5 hours every day doing those things. As a retiree, it is a luxury I take full advantage of. The 11" iPad is perfect for those things.

 

[Naraxus]

Youre mom could do all that on her phone. And seeing how phones are so effing big now, it's not like it'd be much different from using the iPad.

What's the point of the tablet at this point when the one device you have is ALWAYS with you, does it all anyway????

You're absolutely right. She could.

Except for the fact that she's 80, has declining eyesight due to age and despite phones being larger these days, 12 > 6" and 12 > 9", so spending a few hours on a smaller-screen device isn't practicle nor ideal for her.

She does have a laptop and an iPhone but for for her, a laptop (my old MBA) is overkill and a smaller sceen device is uncomfortable/impracticle for her needs.

 

[return2sendai]

Bought a 1st generation iPad on launch day, and have been using iPads ever since. Bought the first IPP 12.9 and am now on the M1 iPP 12.9. The iPad's a great device.

And yeah, with the M1 there's not a lot of reason to upgrade. Maybe in a few years?

Are you my doppelgänger? I bought a G1 on launch day and have been using iPads ever since. I bought the first 12.9 and am now on the M1 12.9. The iPad‘s a great device.

But I’ve never used a keyboard/case. Always the virtual. You?

 

[TechieTaco]

I know it's cringe, but I feel like I must share.
This was a few days after launch, buying my first iPad with my friend Ryan (left).

 

[GrayFlannel]

Your phone does all that too.

While at home or in the office I prefer the luxury of using a bigger device. Since an iPhone owner having an iPad doesn’t make sense to you, this will drive you crazy. I live alone and my second home is 9000 sqft with 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms and it only gets used about three months a year. Sorry in advance.

 

[carrrrrlos]

I applaud the long wait. What’s the purpose of yearly refreshes for the consumer - beyond more sales for Apple?

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

I'm glad they're not just releasing them willy nilly year on year "just because". They should do the same for the iPhone too.

 

[whatitDOODOO]

No one would like to admit it, because of their idyllic view of Steve Jobs, but the iPad was an innovation killer for the company. And it was like that since the day it came out.

It caused more than a decade of neglect of the Mac and still to this day sits in such a weird in between mobile/computing space that's protected the company from thinking daringly about how to innovate beyond their origins as a computing company. I don't blame them for not seeing it coming, but there's only two ways to slice it: the iPad was the thing that prolonged the company's time in the spotlight, allowing Macs to have a second wind with silicon OR it was the thing that caused apple to miss out the next natural innovation of computing. Either way, it being Jobs' last big contribution is somewhat poetic.

 

[phenste]

Still going strong!View attachment 2365260

this…shouldn’t warm my heart as much as it does lol, keep that thing well-preserved, you’re clearly doin well with it! that’s an awesome functional piece of tech history

 

[seek3r]

No one would like to admit it, because of their idyllic view of Steve Jobs, but the iPad was an innovation killer for the company. And it was like that since the day it came out.

It caused more than a decade of neglect of the Mac and still to this day sits in such a weird in between mobile/computing space that's protected the company from thinking daringly about how to innovate beyond their origins as a computing company. I don't blame them for not seeing it coming, but there's only two ways to slice it: the iPad was the thing that prolonged the company's time in the spotlight, allowing Macs to have a second wind with silicon OR it was the thing that caused apple to miss out the next natural innovation of computing. Either way, it being Jobs' last big contribution is somewhat poetic.

What, exactly, is this next innovation in computing that you feel apple missed?

 

[phenste]

No one would like to admit it, because of their idyllic view of Steve Jobs, but the iPad was an innovation killer for the company. And it was like that since the day it came out.

It caused more than a decade of neglect of the Mac and still to this day sits in such a weird in between mobile/computing space that's protected the company from thinking daringly about how to innovate beyond their origins as a computing company. I don't blame them for not seeing it coming, but there's only two ways to slice it: the iPad was the thing that prolonged the company's time in the spotlight, allowing Macs to have a second wind with silicon OR it was the thing that caused apple to miss out the next natural innovation of computing. Either way, it being Jobs' last big contribution is somewhat poetic.

so…slice it the first way you described?

I don’t see the dark ages of the Mac as being due to iPad’s success—I see it as being the fault of Intel being ridiculously slow with their CPU iterations. for what it’s worth, Apple arguably designed themselves into a bit of a thermal corner (😂), obsessing over unibody aluminum MacBook designs while still using processors that generated metric f—kloads of heat, though you have to factor Intel’s market dominance into that equation. obviously, though, Apple has no one to blame but themselves for the other issues of the dark ages (aka the butterfly keyboard).

all that said, I ardently believe Apple Silicon was a long time in the making, and they knew it would breathe new life into Macs like nothing had since PPC -> Intel. I think calling iPad an “innovation killer” is a bit of a stretch, given they were using iPads the same as they were iPhones to test their earliest iterations of AS (A-series chips).

 

[wbeasley]

People whinge that phones arent exciting and not enough features worth upgrading for...

Then we get a longer timeframe between iPads and the same people complain endlessly... again.

I've had a lot of iPads. The different sizes are good for different uses.
And even the old, old ones still work and perform some tasks well enough to be of use to some relatives.

Only advantage Android tabs have is expandable storage. And slight price advantage (unless you count the slow low spec awful screen ones that should never have reached market).

 

[phenste]

For God's sake, NO.

What the iPad needs is the SAME level of capability as a Mac, while keeping the touch-based focus of its OS elements.

I REALLY don't want Apple to put a keyboard-and-mouse OS on a touch-based device.

Thus, I want full file system access, multiple accounts, the ability to resize windows (not that Stage Manager crap), and none of the mobile OS wonk, WITHOUT having to rely on a cursor; it needs to all work PERFECTLY with MY FINGER.

this really is the dream. you hit the nail on the head. I fear Apple is scared of offering things like full file system access/multiple user accounts/something better than the mess that is Stage Manager for their own fear of scaring casual users who are used to iOS from their phones. I’m hard-pressed to believe that Finder for iPadOS would be anything short of revolutionary for the platform. it feels like the Files app is a very, very half-baked attempt at that and I also want more, even if I no longer actively use my iPad Pro. I want more for the customer base that does actively use their iPad every day.

 

[Mainsail]

No one would like to admit it, because of their idyllic view of Steve Jobs, but the iPad was an innovation killer for the company. And it was like that since the day it came out.

It caused more than a decade of neglect of the Mac and still to this day sits in such a weird in between mobile/computing space that's protected the company from thinking daringly about how to innovate beyond their origins as a computing company. I don't blame them for not seeing it coming, but there's only two ways to slice it: the iPad was the thing that prolonged the company's time in the spotlight, allowing Macs to have a second wind with silicon OR it was the thing that caused apple to miss out the next natural innovation of computing. Either way, it being Jobs' last big contribution is somewhat poetic.

You really need to watch the 2010 MBA launch. Jobs refers to the iPad numerous times and how it brought innovation to the MBA. In fact, he referred to the 2010 MBA as the result of an iPad and MacBook hooking-up. Also, I would argue the 2010 MBA was Job's last big contribution. It created a whole class of ultraportable everyday computers for the average consumer.

 

[svish]

Love my iPad! iPads are wonderful devices and they last long. Looking forward to seeing the new iPad Pro and Pencil