Tim Cook: iPad Pro Will Replace Notebooks and Desktops for 'Many, Many People'

[Flow39]

The average person doesn't use Xcode, IDEs, or the full Adobe or MS suites. For many a desktop or laptop is used for web browsing, emailing, video, music, games, and other tasks that an iPad is plenty suited for.

Until you actually need to do some real work, like emailing and merging multiple documents to send, or even something beyond super-simple document creation. I tried to live the iPad-only life for a couple years, and it was horrible. Trying to create a spreadsheet or any type of document for that matter is a pain and doesn't offer enough for a user to actually get things done efficiently.

As far as I know, almost all "average people" use MS Office. Literally almost everyone uses it. Especially if you are a student or in business.

 

[Keirasplace]

"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people."

Well, many, many people could mean like dozens or maybe even a hundred. Thinking this large iPad is going to lead a sales surge in desktop replacements is to not have a good grasp of the market IMHO (otherwise the regular iPad wouldn't be in a sustained sales slump & Chromebook sales surging). Hopefully this is just marketing talking and not Tim really thinking this on a widescale basis.

I'll probably get one of these later in the year to replace a gen 2 iPad, but there is no chance I'd replace a desktop with it anymore than I'd replace a desktop with my iPhone.

Yes, Cooke is wrong and you are right; that's seems like totally obvious... (sic)
Not like he doesn't have an army of people running the numbers...
And IBM talking to business people well, every single minute of the day... (because that's their jobs)
I think they got a better grasp of the market than you.

People, will AGAIN, be all surprised at what going to happen here, as usual..

 

[oldmacs]

Aussie pricing is a bit too steep because of exchange rate:

iPad Pro WiFi 32GB $1249
iPad Pro WiFi 128GB $1499
iPad Pro WiFi+4G 128GB $1699

Apple iPad Pro Smart Cover $89
Apple iPad Pro Silicone Case $129
Apple iPad Pro Smart Keyboard $269
Apple Pencil $165

At those prices you've gotta ask questions about the value proposition... Macs last a lot longer than iPads. For example you can have a 2011 Macbook running quite well and with the latest software etc - The iPad 2 has been a stellar device in terms of longevity, but it started to get slow in 2014 with iOS 8 - thats 3 years in. iPads so far just have not had the longitivtiy that Macs have.

Please note.. i'm not an iPad hater. Nor an Apple hater - I've been an ardent defender of the iPad, and my iPad 2 has been my favourite tech purchase ever, but I just want to put it out there that Apple needs to do a lot of work on the iPad still.

 

[Keirasplace]

I would agree. Many people, especially the younger generation just seem to be on their phones, tablets, and other hand held devices. I can't think of many kids these days wanting to use a laptop over an iPad. I feel that future generations will be moving in this direction.

As for tim's quote about "many, many people." That could mean 10,000 people. I think that does count for many, or even 1000. We will know once numbers show for how many people buy it this week.

I think when Cooke says many, he's saying way way more than a few thousands.
They've run the use case of these things up and down for quite a while I'm sure.
The integrated hardware / software in these things is in many many cases, way more efficient than using anything else.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Great analogy. Trucks are still the best selling category of cars today.

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-auto-sales/

So if Jobs meant that one or more out of two people will need them, then he was right.

Trucks may occupy the top spots for single model sales.... but non-trucks vastly outsell trucks.

Look at how much red is on this chart. Those are the trucks.

Now look at green and yellow. Those are the non-trucks.

 

[Keirasplace]

Aussie pricing is a bit too steep because of exchange rate:

iPad Pro WiFi 32GB $1249
iPad Pro WiFi 128GB $1499
iPad Pro WiFi+4G 128GB $1699

Apple iPad Pro Smart Cover $89
Apple iPad Pro Silicone Case $129
Apple iPad Pro Smart Keyboard $269
Apple Pencil $165

Is that with VAT? Seems so.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Yes, Cooke is wrong and you are right; that's seems like totally obvious... (sic)
Not like he doesn't have an army of people running the numbers...
And IBM talking to business people well, every single minute of the day... (because that's their jobs)
I think they got a better grasp of the market than you.

People, will AGAIN, be all surprised at what going to happen here, as usual..

And, AGAIN, we'll see Apple saying how iPad Pro sales have beat all expectations (and yet never quote actual sales numbers) and all the Apple fans will file into the Apple Store and buy the latest and greatest Apple gadget because they can't help themselves. As usual...

 

[BillyMatt87]

Considering that the iPad Pro runs an essentially blown-up version of the iPhone UI (which are poorly optimized for the larger displays), I simply cannot justify replacing my iMac let alone buying one.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Really dude? Price doesn't matter? Price is the first thing people look at when buying consumer electronics. If both an iPad and a Macbook are more than enough for most people's computing needs, then they will look at price. When an iPad is much cheaper, it's a solid choice. When an iPad costs as much or more than some Macbook models, it's no longer a no-brainer.

Before, iPad was in a totally different price category than Macbooks and they weren't comparable. As of Nov 11, the iPad Pro and Macbook will in the same price category. That changes the economics of the decision greatly.

Actually the iPad is still in a totally different category. Last I checked the iPad Air and the iPad mini didn't go away. They are still great options depending upon people's needs. iPad Pro tops out at $1079 and not only does it have a better display than the MBAs it also has cellular service built into it. If you need traditional input devices in addition to the touch inputs then you can use a pencil or a keyboard for an additional cost.

The average person doesn't use Xcode, IDEs, or the full Adobe or MS suites. For many a desktop or laptop is used for web browsing, emailing, video, music, games, and other tasks that an iPad is plenty suited for.

People use google docs nowadays for many a business task. I know several large companies I worked at who use them almost exclusively for most things. Apple and Google's Office Suite offerings are more than enough for 90% of the people 95% of the time. I agree iOS needs more work to make it even better for productivity. However, I love using my iPad so much now that I really wish it could build XCode and do web dev apps. However, it's just not the use case for this product right now. I'm not expecting it to be.

 

[Keirasplace]

Really dude? Price doesn't matter? Price is the first thing people look at when buying consumer electronics. If both an iPad and a Macbook are more than enough for most people's computing needs, then they will look at price. When an iPad is much cheaper, it's a solid choice. When an iPad costs as much or more than some Macbook models, it's no longer a no-brainer.

Before, iPad was in a totally different price category than Macbooks and they weren't comparable. As of Nov 11, the iPad Pro and Macbook will in the same price category. That changes the economics of the decision greatly.

At the top of the market, purchase price is NOT the first thing. If it was, they'd buy something else than Apple.
It is a factor, but not the most important factor.
How it fits your needs is the most important factor; especially if someone is using it at all for work.

You also have to remember that if a product lasts a long time and has a high resale price, the actual costs may in fact be smaller. The main factor then is being able to finance the purchase. That's why you would finance a house instead of purchasing a piece of crap cash...

 

[Viper2005]

If it can't run bittorrent, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If it can't play World of Warcraft, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If I can't run the full, non-gimped Photoshop, it'll never replace a real Mac.

How delusional is Tim? How stupid do they think we are?

 

[furi0usbee]

This is my fear. Apple will simply stop making actual desktop class computers and we will be forced into a touch environment. I'll go back to Windows if that day ever comes I'll tell you that. Been with Mac since 2005, but haven't been high on anything Apple since 2012 with the rMBP, which I went out and bought at that time. Nothing since has even remotely made me smile. I'm hoping they would go after the cable industry, but they spent time on watches and such.

 

[erzhik]

Not unless it runs a full OSX as noted previously by many other people. On another note, it looks like Microsoft and Panos Panay were onto something when they said that Surface Pro will replace your laptop, given that even Apple says that iPad Pro will do that (even though it doesn't even run a full OS).

 

[maxsix]

Also it's an inch wider, an inch longer, and only 1/2lb lighter than the retina MacBook. Well, heavier and thicker than that by the time you add the keyboard.

I think a lot of us, myself included don't really have a full understanding of how cumbersome, how bulky and uncomfortable it will be to handle. It's not the weight as much as it is the length and width. Objects above a certain threshold will actually feel heavier than they are simply because of the bulk.

While I'm sure Apple took this into consideration, they were forced into the size it is in order to include it's spacious display. This ought to be a very interesting product launch.

 

[KopThat]

Is that with VAT? Seems so.

Yes with our equivalent of VAT, 10 % GST

 

[KPOM]

If it can't run bittorrent, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If it can't play World of Warcraft, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If I can't run the full, non-gimped Photoshop, it'll never replace a real Mac.

How delusional is Tim? How stupid do they think we are?

News flash. Most of us don't run BitTorrent, play WoW or need the full Photoshop. Tim didn't say this would completely replace the Mac for everyone. He said it could replace the Mac or PC for many people. It probably can.

Not unless it runs a full OSX as noted previously by many other people. On another note, it looks like Microsoft and Panos Panay were onto something when they said that Surface Pro will replace your laptop, given that even Apple says that iPad Pro will do that (even though it doesn't even run a full OS).

That's not going to happen. Porting OS X from Intel to ARM would be a terrible experience even ignoring the difficulties of adding touch to the UI. But Apple could add capabilities to iOS. The software library of iOS is far larger than OS X so that is much more realistic.

Remember that Microsoft tried to create a special version of Windows for ARM. But they were saddled by the expectation of backward compatibility so the product did not succeed. That's why they are pushing the idea of a single merged OS to run everything. It's not that is it necessarily the best idea. It's just that's Microsoft's only chance.

 

[FasterQuieter]

Yes it will, but no more so than the other iPads. Or at least not much more. It obviously depends what you use your main computer for.

 

[KopThat]

If it can't run bittorrent, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If it can't play World of Warcraft, it'll never replace a real Mac.
If I can't run the full, non-gimped Photoshop, it'll never replace a real Mac.

How delusional is Tim? How stupid do they think we are?

But there are a lot of people out there who use a Macbook or Air for web browsing,
checking email and Twitface, and maybe occasional office style docs,
this could be a replacement.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Aussie pricing is a bit too steep because of exchange rate:

iPad Pro WiFi 32GB $1249
iPad Pro WiFi 128GB $1499
iPad Pro WiFi+4G 128GB $1699

Apple iPad Pro Smart Cover $89
Apple iPad Pro Silicone Case $129
Apple iPad Pro Smart Keyboard $269
Apple Pencil $165

Where are you seeing this?

 

[tgwaste]

I'm glad to be an early adopter but if the Apple Watch doesn't do blood pressure by version 2 I'm done with it.

 

[VPrime]

But the big questions, is WHY? Why go through all that trouble? Why take something that doesn't do what you want and invest all that effort to accomplish, what? Go get a Macbook Air.

For us, we started on the iPad because it introduces a complete new type of user. iPad users are very curious, and love trying new things, and generally very creative. It seems Apple has collected all of this type of user in one place. And a lot of these users have never experienced anything like development before.

Imagine if no one ever told you software was made with programming, and all of a sudden you desire to make an app (because it's the cool thing these days), and it's as simple as touching and interacting with objects.
We just need to shed away our current beliefs on how you build.

This also leads me to the second point.
The touch screen is perfect for creating interactive content. You can import images, touch them, manipulate them make them all come to life in a natural way. You don't get that same sensation through code.

We still have along way to go, but I'm happy with our results so far .

 

[KopThat]

Where are you seeing this?

Most news Oz news or gadget sites, all from the local press release.

http://www.apple.com/au/pr/library/...ursday-Arrives-in-Stores-Later-This-Week.html

 

[maxsix]

I do believe it's the decline in iPad sales that's causing Tim to push hard on the "laptop replacement" sales pitch.

If the 9.7" iPad didn't start a wave of transition from the laptop form factor to the tablet, it's sure not going to happen now that Apple has an even larger, heavier, more expensive model, hitting the shelves right before the holidays.

Bad timing in my opinion.

 

[macbookguy]

I recall them saying the same about the original iPad. I sure as hell wouldn't replace my laptop with one of these.

Yes, yes they did. And, yes, for *some* people this works. But, no, not many, many.

 

[felt.]

Well he's not wrong. If they sell 100,000 units that qualifies as "many"