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All iPads When is Apple going to get it; a USB Port??
- Thread starter marc55
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I've owned an i-Pad since the launch day of the first in 2010 and never had need of a USB.
The so called tablet market share includes readers, Kindles, Nooks and cheap Android tablets that have flooded the market.
When I look around at work, or Starbucks or Barnes & Noble etc, I see iPad's about 90% of the time.
Apple is not worried about cheap Android tablets. It's not their market.
Most folks have DropBox, Evernote or other apps that help them manage their files. I work in an Hospital IT department and so few folks use USB for data storage or transfer.
Rumors of Apple's demise via the media are greatly exaggerated. If you read all of the negative Apple press, you'd think they were Blackberry. It's rubbish.
The so called tablet market share includes readers, Kindles, Nooks and cheap Android tablets that have flooded the market.
When I look around at work, or Starbucks or Barnes & Noble etc, I see iPad's about 90% of the time.
Apple is not worried about cheap Android tablets. It's not their market.
Most folks have DropBox, Evernote or other apps that help them manage their files. I work in an Hospital IT department and so few folks use USB for data storage or transfer.
Rumors of Apple's demise via the media are greatly exaggerated. If you read all of the negative Apple press, you'd think they were Blackberry. It's rubbish.
I really don't have any evidence except that Apple is losing market share for some reason, and that reason may be the ability to connect devices like my camera, or share pictures or files with someone without having to buy an adapter, or having the ability to add a Micro SD card for extra memory VS having to pay more for an iPad with higher memory. That reason may be totally something else. Look at it this way, a certain percentage of customers like convenience.
Don't get me wrong, we have an iPhone, iPad3, and Mini iPad, and happen to like the quality of Apple products, but why Apple was the one and only, others have come along and are slowly taking over.
Look, I'm not an expert by any means, but market share doesn't lie, and Apple is losing.
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Their percentage of the marketshare is going down because they're only one company. As popular as the iPad is, it's inevitable because there's so many other companies making multiple tablets per year at varying price points.
Apple's market share is slipping, but their sales numbers increase every year. That doesn't mean that Apple is doing poorly, it means that the number of people who want to buy tablets is increasing and the number of non-Apple tablets are outpacing the growth of Apple's tablet sales.
Here's a question to seriously consider. How many people with non-Apple tablets use them in a manner that an iPad can't? How many even bother to outfit their tablet with an expanded memory card? It's anecdotal, but in my experience there are a few Android tablet users who make a big deal about the ability to upgrade their internal storage, but that's it. Everyone else might as well be using an iPad, because they're browsing the web, reading E-books or PDFs, and checking their email.
People seem to go with Android tablets over iPads for at least one of three reasons:
1) Cost (some Android tablets are around the $100 price point; they may be crap, but they're tablets and they're cheap)
2) They already own an Android phone
3) It's not Apple ("I hate Apple" / "I dislike the walled garden" and so on)
Apple can't do much about the last two. When it comes to cost, I'd prefer that Apple maintain their quality above all else. I wouldn't worry about market share.
Thumb drives, USB hard drives, mice, keyboards, microphones, etc.
I used to think that it was no big deal either... I've owned an iPad (of varying generations) from day-1. The more I that I used it and wanted to do more than read blogs, the more I wanted to use it for real work. The portability made it ideal.
When I attempted to do a simple recording with my Blue Yeti microphone, I had to jump through hoops to get it to work on the iPad 4. It drew too much power for the iPad to power it so I had to buy a powered USB hub AND the camera connection kit.
It was then that I also learned that the camera connection kit is limited in how it accesses files and the type of files that it can access.
A few days after that incident I purchased a Microsoft Surface RT 32GB w/Touch Cover for $199. (Manufacturer Refurb)
It contains a microSD card slot, microHDMI, and full USB 2.0 port. Every device that I've attached to it has been recognized. My Blue Yeti mic worked. Connecting my USB passport harddrive that contains office documents, movies, music, photos, etc. are all accessible. I was even able to attach my flatscreen TV to it via microHDMI and watch a streaming video on it while I worked on a document in the Surface's screen. (yes, extended desktop)
The primary thing holding the Surface back from replacing my iPad is the continued pitiful selection of QUALITY apps.
It is simple: When you are accustomed to not having something then you find other ways around it. Some will talk about how you can email files to yourself and other hoops like that and claim that it is the preferable way to do it, but if it was for anything other than an Apple (or Google) consumer device, they'd get ridiculed for recommending such a solution.
Folks I completely agree with the above comments. Apple has convinced us that the IOS work arounds are the best way. However it restricts the FULL use on a tablet device which we want and need to replace our laptop. I may skip the IPAD 5 and take another look at the surface.
^ Is it paid by MS? Why would I need USB!!!! mouse connected to iPad?
It is been said millions of times while S. Jobs was around and released first ipad - > you should think different while using ipad. People don't need all this to be connected to the ipad, that is computer is for.Surface is ugly slab with horrible screen and battery life and they should start with improving this first before comparing to ipad.
^ Is it paid by MS? Why would I need USB!!!! mouse connected to iPad?
Surface is ugly slab with horrible screen and battery life and they should start with improving this first before comparing to ipad.
I am no Surface Fan. However I do want an USB port. I don't want to carry and extra cable when the need arises. I want to be able to save and transfer files to a USB stick (which I carry on my keychain) when needed. There are times when I can't connect my ipad to a company network and the files may be too large. Plus why should I be forced to use Cloud space when I have a paid for stick with me. Or maybe I have a coworker who wants to show my a test commercial he is working on, but its on a jump drive.
Or I just may want to use my full size keyboard or what ever! Heck I paid top price for this tablet I should be able to use anything I want.
While they are at it I also want Arrow Keys!
Congrats you are in 3% of the world who likes Surface, get it! I like iPad as it is, I don't need much files stored on ipad, cloud will do this. Wired keyboards, mouse or anything else with wires connected is yesterday! BTW bluetooth is known for long as well as drives, keyboards and any other possible devices with it. Wake up it is 2013!
You are not forced, buy whatever fits your needs.
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the lack of an USB port (and with that the ability to transfer easily data files to the iPad) is the main reason why I never upgraded from the iPad 1 and I will not buy an iPad until such a fuctionality is available.
I've had every ipad since launch day for the original. I can't remember an occasion where I wanted a USB port.
Apple began selling the iPad in the 3rd quarter of 2010, so it only saw a half year of sales. 2010, that came to 7.5 million units sold.
In 2011, it came to just over 40 million for the year.
In 2012, it grew to 58.31 million sales.
So far, 2013 is looking to break the units sold of 2012. First Quarter - 22.9 million. Second Quarter - 14.2 million. Third Quarter - 14.6 million (51.7 from just the 3 quarters so far). If they maintain their third quarter numbers for Q4, it will end the year at 66.3 million. Apple's seen their 3rd quarter sales drop in previous year (2012), and keep pace with Q3 (in 2011), so it could go either way. If 4th quarter number dropped to 10 million sold, that still finishes the year at 61.7 million sold.
Nothing to sneeze at. So, I would suggest this means the tablet market is growing. Apple's part of it isn't shrinking as desperately as some writers would have us believe. Apple's ipad sales are growing, just not at the same rate that the overall tablet market is growing.
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So, you paid top price for a sedan, but you're having a tantrum because it can't tow a boat? If towing the boat is that important to you, buy a truck. It's senseless to hate the car for being a car.
So, you can't carry that extra cable on your keychain with your USB drive? Is the rest of the tablet experience on the iPad so equivalent to the Surface that the only thing Apple could do to win you over is USB out of the box?
The folks they talked to, sure. Rest of the world, perhaps it's not that huge og an issue. Same with the lack of retina in the mini, lack of a 'real' file system etc
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Share has dropped. The question I think you meant was 'is apple selling fewer iPads or has the overall number gone up'
And yes it is the latter not the former
Congrats you are in 3% of the world who likes Surface, get it! I like iPad as it is, I don't need much files stored on ipad, cloud will do this. Wired keyboards, mouse or anything else with wires connected is yesterday! BTW bluetooth is known for long as well as drives, keyboards and any other possible devices with it. Wake up it is 2013!
Connectivity is NOT "yesterday". Its rather current. Not everything can be done via Cloud or some other online "thing". You may not need many files stored or have any need for file management but plenty of other users do. I enjoy my iPad and all that but there are times when that walled garden simply gets in the way of doing what you want to do. Period. I accept that and I knew that before I bought the ipad. Its still the best tabelt experience but lets not pretend that that no one would benefit from some better connection options or a basic file managemeent system. C'mon, man!
Bluetooth / wifi connectivity is not necessarily via cloud or online. I have Bluetooth speakers right here in my room, that I connect with my iPad. Once I got used to Bluetooth speakers, I never want to go back to connecting to speakers via cable or dock. Same with file transfers. Though currently the speed is slow, so not very ideal for transferring large files, transferring files over the LAN to and from my iPad with apps like FileBrowser and GoodReader is much more convenient than having to hook up with a cable.
They already have one; it is called WiFi.
Do you actually use a printer that isn't attached to your home network?
hahahhahhahhahaha, Airprint!!!
When will people get it? There are way more solutions and more convenient then adding hardware stuff people wouldn't use that often.
Please Apple, this is one of the device that most of us want lighter and thinner.
I dont want a usb port. Id prefer it be thinner! Why do people even use usb drives anymore? Maybe we should teach them of things like dropbox, box.com, google drive
Which are awesome at eating up your cellular data plan if you're not around home. Away from home most open networks are significantly slower than LTE. That being said, I want a built in SD card slot, not a USB port.
I agree an SD card slot would be more useful for me. In have a galaxy tab for which I bought an adaptor to allow usb devices to be connected to. However I've barely used it in the year that I've had it.
I have the Camera Connection Kit and use the USB adapter frequently when I DJ, both practice and gigs, but I still prefer it as an adapter because it limits how thin the device can be made.
You mean this article.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/10/19/apple-ipad-talking-tech/2996291/
Given that their conclusions about consumer desires are based on no more than a dozen man on the street questions in one location, they are bunk. Lack of or scant sourcing on the rest makes it suspect.