All iPads What's your opinion on declining iPad sales?

Tablet sales are normalizing. The large number of iPads sold was an unsustainable momentum.

Marco123 said:
For me my biggest issue is the lack of apps being updated for the pro.
It's a shame that the iPhone is apples biggest seller because that's great if you're just an iPhone user but I own a 6S, Apple Watch and iPad pro and their ecosystem works great just for the Apple apps, waiting for eBay etc. To take advantage of the iPad pro screen sucks.
My next device won't be an iPad pro, it'll be a Windows laptop because then I have the luxury of everything Windows offers and not waiting for devs to see how well the iPad pro sells before they update their apps for it.
Chicken & egg scenario.
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Heh... This is kinda funny. First of all, the iPad Pro is a brand new device and it takes time to design and develop apps. Developers don't just push a button and "bingo" their app is updated for the Pro - especially when you want what amounts to a different app to take advantage of the iPad Pro Screen size.
Second, if you think iOS developers have lagged on updating their apps, you are in store for a treat on Windows. few app developers have created Windows 10 apps - they're all still the same XP 'classic' apps. If that's what you want, then fine - don't bother with a 2-in-1 or any Windows device with a touchscreen because it's laughable how few apps have been updated on Windows to take advantage. Even Adobe, whom a year ago invited Microsoft on stage at their user conference and touted the partnership to develop software for the surface, more than a year later and very little has been done (though some great work on Illustrator and InDesign, other tools, like Photoshop, still have no touch optimization).

Contrary to popular belief, Developers (most of them anyway) don't know about Apple releases too much before the rest of us do. Sit tight. If things still look bad in November, complain away.
 
I have an iPad Air 2 and an iPhone 6. However, when the next iPhone comes out (or maybe even after that), I think I will get the phablet-sized iPhone and get rid of the iPad. For larger-screen use, I will get the 12" Macbook. The iPhone Plus & Macbook combo, large iOS and small OS X, looks like the winning combo right now.

iOS is just not that good on a large screen. Many of the apps I use are far better on the iPhone than on the iPad, where the iPad version barely gets an update. Look at AmEx for example: Great iPhone app, terrible iPad app. I don't draw or play games on iOS, so none of those matter to me. I do read PDFs and manipulate photos or documents sometimes, and it seems a larger-screened iPhone will be as good for that as an iPad.

In terms of movies and TV shows while traveling, I think the phablet will be plenty as well.

For productivity, a full-fledged OS X is more efficient and more of a pleasure to use anyway.
 
oneMadRssn said:
I have an iPad Air 2 and an iPhone 6. However, when the next iPhone comes out (or maybe even after that), I think I will get the phablet-sized iPhone and get rid of the iPad. For larger-screen use, I will get the 12" Macbook. The iPhone Plus & Macbook combo, large iOS and small OS X, looks like the winning combo right now.

iOS is just not that good on a large screen. Many of the apps I use are far better on the iPhone than on the iPad, where the iPad version barely gets an update. Look at AmEx for example: Great iPhone app, terrible iPad app. I don't draw or play games on iOS, so none of those matter to me. I do read PDFs and manipulate photos or documents sometimes, and it seems a larger-screened iPhone will be as good for that as an iPad.

In terms of movies and TV shows while traveling, I think the phablet will be plenty as well.

For productivity, a full-fledged OS X is more efficient and more of a pleasure to use anyway.
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I have a iPhone 6s Plus and had the 6 plus before. I just sold my iPad Air 2. And I own a rMBP. I can tell you for a fact the iPhone plus versions and not really good enough for movies and TV shows. That is my option though...
 
jbachandouris said:
I have a iPhone 6s Plus and had the 6 plus before. I just sold my iPad Air 2. And I own a rMBP. I can tell you for a fact the iPhone plus versions and not really good enough for movies and TV shows. That is my option though...
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That is good to know. I guess I would ask what you think they are or aren't good enough for. At home, I watch movies and TV shows on my large TVs. Is an iPhone Plus good enough for movies and tv shows for watching on an airplane?
 
oneMadRssn said:
That is good to know. I guess I would ask what you think they are or aren't good enough for. At home, I watch movies and TV shows on my large TVs. Is an iPhone Plus good enough for movies and tv shows for watching on an airplane?
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I would guess it would be OK for a plane, but at home it's hard when the 'big' TV is stuck on Disney channel (darn kids) and you're squinting to watch Arrow.
 
I think tablets have a nice 'gee whiz' factor, but for me they remain a tough sell for where they are actually the best tool for the job.

most of the time I'd either rather use my phone for lightweight mobile computing, or prefer a full laptop for extended or heavier computing.

I know it's more personal opinion than objective fact, but i just don't enjoy reaching and tapping around a surface much larger than a phone, which also happens to be about the size of a laptop trackpad.

That said, I do enjoy sketching, and the iPad is the ideal form factor for interactions similar to writing/drawing on paper. The new Apple pencil is the first thing in a while that's made me take notice and say "oh hey, now there's something the iPad can do better than any other tool I already have"
 
I think the OP hit one of the main points about market saturation.

With a MacBook and to an even larger extend a Windows computer, the device slows down overtime as more programs are installed on the device and additional processes continue to run in the background. With IOS, the only thing that slows the device down is the "planned obsolescence" of each update to the IOS version.

However, people that do not update their IOS software are able to enjoy years and years of good performance on their device with very little diminishing performance (maybe only decreased battery life).

The difficult thing about trying to maintain iPad Sales is that to the average consumer, there is no known benefit for upgrading to the latest iPad. With a computer on the other hand, it starts slowing down and they go down to Best Buy and ask the Geek squad to help them speed it up. The geek squad person says "It will be $150 to do operating system cleanup or you can just buy a new computer for $300 that will be 10 times as fast". Typically, the average consumer just upgrades to a new computer at that point.
 
there are less and less 'first time buyers'. More people are upgrading their iPads, not purchasing their first. And unlike phones, I think people tends to upgrade their iPad/computer less often, (because there is not as much a difference as it is for phones?)

So I think it's not like people don't like iPad/tablets anymore, it's just the market hss come to another phase
 
Best explanation is, it is like any other product. It goes through a product life cycle; introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Slowing down of sales does not mean it is declining; it may just mean that it is entering the maturity stage right now.
 
I think there are a few factors which are effecting iPad sales and will continue to do so. There is nothing that Apple can do to revive sales


1) iPads were originally hailed as laptop replacements. Whilst for some this might be the case, however for a lot of people they are simply consumption devices and if picking between a laptop and an iPad many will choose a laptop today.

2) iPads can comfortably be used for as long as 4-5 years. People generally don't see the need to upgrade their iPads ever year or every 2 years like smartphones.

3) When the iPad first launched it really was the the only mainstream tablet on the market. The market is much more crowded these days and many people would rather buy a bargin basement android/kindle tablet. They lack the quality, performance and features of an iPad, but many do not want to spend £400+ on an iPad when they can spend £100 or less on an android tablet.

4) In the developed word tablets had an extremely fast adoption phase but the market as a whole is slowing down, most people who want a tablet own one already.
 
Shanghaichica said:
I think there are a few factors which are effecting iPad sales and will continue to do so. There is nothing that Apple can do to revive sales


1) iPads were originally hailed as laptop replacements. Whilst for some this might be the case, however for a lot of people they are simply consumption devices and if picking between a laptop and an iPad many will choose a laptop today.

.
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What? No. It wasn't. But I agree with you on everything else
 

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Ghost31 said:
What? No. It wasn't. But I agree with you on everything else
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The media promoted them as laptop replacements right off the bat. There was so much talk about the "Post-PC era" as sales of desktops/notebooks declined and tablets soared. The so-called "experts" assumed that this meant that tablets were replacing laptops.
 
Welcome to the post-tablet era where people are starting to look into a single device that can be used both as a desktop computer replacement without arbitrary limitations at the OS level, and a tablet (eg Surface).

That, and what has been already said:

- everyone that needed a tablet has one
- a new tablet is not impressing anyone these days
- competiting with phablets and 'competent' cheap tablets (eg Amazon Kindle Fire for 60$ or so)
- tablets being limited by a phone OS (Surface excluded) and not able to replace a real computer for most people
- longer replacement cycle
- developers reluctant to commit resources building non toy apps (what used to be called programs),
because it makes little sense (low app pricing, limited audience, lot of work required)

In short, iPad is nothing special anymore.
 
so whats next?

we all have tablets, laptops, phones and desktops, but each needs updating every now and then. this is probably how the market will level out as per. this is how the markets survive.

then what?
 
I use my iPad Pro, which replaced an iPad 4, every day. My wife uses her iPad Air (also replaced an iPad 4) every day. As far as I can tell, the iPad is still a vastly profitable line for Apple. So, in the words of Catherine Tate, "Not bovvered." It's not like Apple's going to give up the line and leave us orphaned and bereft.
 
maflynn said:
My opinion is that once someone has an iPad, there's really no reason to upgrade the next year. I've said this before, I'm on a second gen mini, my wife and kids are on first gen minis. None of us feel that we ought to upgrade.
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Very true. Stayed with my iPad 4 from late 2012 up until two days ago when I got a Air 2.

For a long time the 4 was perfectly fine and the Air simply didn't offer that much more until the Air 2 arrived with 2GB RAM, that was my main gripe was the RAM now that that is sorted...for now... I doubt I'll want another iPad, not for the next 18months at least.
 
Badrottie said:
People still think iPad have replaced their laptop so iPad is not dead just yet...Maybe laptops are about to die soon.
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I highly doubt that, at least not anytime soon. I've come pretty close to a replacing a traditional laptop with a tablet, my Pixel C but that's only because I'm also running Arch Linux on it, as well as Android in a dual boot. iOS just isn't a good OS for productivity work, yes, there are people here on this board who will disagree with that assessment but there also the same kind of people who could easily get by using a ChromeBook. So switching to a iPad wouldn't be that much of a difference for what they will be using it for, general, consumer type computing, i.e. 90% Internet. Before you answer otherwise, check your app activity, you'll be shocked to find out that 90% number is pretty close if not dead on.
 
The general public uses the iPad for two things, entertaining kids and media consumption. The current devices do that fine, so they will stick with what they have or buy used for kids.
 
bobbie424242 said:
Welcome to the post-tablet era where people are starting to look into a single device that can be used both as a desktop computer replacement without arbitrary limitations at the OS level, and a tablet (eg Surface).

That, and what has been already said:

- everyone that needed a tablet has one
- a new tablet is not impressing anyone these days
- competiting with phablets and 'competent' cheap tablets (eg Amazon Kindle Fire for 60$ or so)
- tablets being limited by a phone OS (Surface excluded) and not able to replace a real computer for most people
- longer replacement cycle
- developers reluctant to commit resources building non toy apps (what used to be called programs),
because it makes little sense (low app pricing, limited audience, lot of work required)

In short, iPad is nothing special anymore.
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Most tablets and most electronic devices, cars are nothing special either. I mean a car is a car.
 
sjleworthy said:
so whats next?

we all have tablets, laptops, phones and desktops, but each needs updating every now and then. this is probably how the market will level out as per. this is how the markets survive.

then what?
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Embedded chip? ;)
 
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