Why The iPad Is Going Extinct

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Remember when everyone was saying that iPads and tablets were going to kill the PC? Yeah...about that.

What happened to the tablet? When the iPad arrived in 2010, it was hailed as the herald of a new tech category; it was to occupy every kitchen table, and nooks at coffee shops across the globe. But this week, when Apple announced its results for the quarter ending in December, iPad sales were down again: this time 25 percent year-over-year, following a pattern of decline that began in 2013. Overall tablet sales are no better; they fell over 12 percent in 2015.
 
Saturating the market? I see a -ton- of tablets in classrooms and offices. I don't have one, but I know a lot of people with them.
 
Apple should work on making the tablets better. They sell $500 tablets with 16GB of storage and they don't even have GPS built in. Sales are down because Apple is trying to charge a premium for a mediocre product.
 
Since Apple's financials show their Online stores hitting record numbers, I'm more inclined to think the iPad market and usage are quite healthy. If anything i would blame the slow release of new features as the reason for the sales slowdown. Apple needs a new must-have feature to tempt people to upgrade.
 
I think one of the problems is they are still too limited....like the last go around with tablets before this.

We got a bunch at work and other than as a toy they have been relegated to my desk drawer and I still use a laptop.
 
Yakk said:
If anything i would blame the slow release of new features as the reason for the sales slowdown. Apple needs a new must-have feature to tempt people to upgrade.
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I agree with this. I have no reason to upgrade my iPad 3 to a newer device. I'll get a faster device, a lighter device. But, mine will do the same shit. Give me a great reason to upgrade and I will.

Like slumping PC sales - give me some hardware that will let me do something new. I can run Windows 10, I can run any software I want, games.... I have no real reason to build a new machine, other than faster and more energy efficient/cooler. It's getting close, though. System specs are creeping up on me. :D
 
I love my tablet, I don't use it to replace a laptop, but it's my go-to couch-surfing device.

But yeah, there aren't enough differences in the release cycle to mandate such frequent replacement. Even phones, the only reason I upgrade those every 2ish years is because the batteries start to go, not so much because I need whatever the next version does.

I went from an Original iPad to an Air, and I do like that the Air is lighter and faster, but apart from the camera that the Original lacked, the Air doesn't do anything new (at least that I use daily) that the Original didn't.

The market is saturated with the current tablet, and new tablets just aren't differentiating themselves enough to drive people to replace them.
 
Front page, so I'm not linking it... But, there was an addon that resembled a fleshlight that could be integrated... Sales would go way up and explode.

It's a nice casual device. It's not a real work device for most people. If it has a pencil, I don't care. I want some thing cool. Just not seeing it yet.
 
You can thank the cell phone market to. With most cellphones going past the 5" barrier alot of people including myself would rather just use their cell. I really see the tablet as a redundant device.
 
Vengance_01 said:
You can thank the cell phone market to. With most cellphones going past the 5" barrier alot of people including myself would rather just use their cell. I really see the tablet as a redundant device.
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Pretty much this IMO. I don't have an iPad myself anymore because I handed it down to my dad when I got a "free" Android tab from ATT a while back. I just never really used it outside of my gaming group, and I rarely use my existing tab in the same way. They're neat to futz around on, but I'm hardly ever in a situation where I don't have 1) a full sized computer, or 2) my phone, which even at 5" is plenty big enough for Imgur, or whatever.
 
Because just like the retarded PC's are dying arguments, it couldn't possibly be that a niche device is getting a certain point of market saturation..I mean that would so obviously not make any logical sense. :rolleyes:
 
Productivity is why pure tablets are waning.

x86 conversion tablets/laptops are where it's at.

Keep mobile, mobile
 
Once again...saturation.

Also the software just isn't pushing the hardware enough. Same as in the PC/Laptop world.

The future isn't in the hardware.
 
My Ipad 3 works well enough. I think it'll last another 2 years at least or maybe more for what I use it for which is reading books.
 
There are many factors going on here, some that pertain to the tablet market generally and some specific to the iPad. The main general market wide forces I see are saturation, less need to buy new tablets for performance reasons much like PCs and cannibalization from larger phones. The main iPad specific issues are price and functionality.

The iPad is a great tablet with the best overall tablet ecosystem. But Android isn’t that bad at much lower price points and at the top end, the iPad Pro has extremely good competition from Windows tablets on which the main selling factor is productivity. And Windows is really hard to beat in that category.

The iPad still makes wads of cash for Apple and is still the best selling tablet line out there. But Apple is going to have recalibrate their strategy. iOS is going to have to do more, a good deal more, if it wants to compete at the price. The iPad Pro has only been on the market for a couple of months and maybe needs more time to gestate and get the ecosystem up and running. But at its price I think iOS doesn’t seem to be cutting it. The pen tech is very nice and I thought would have good appeal to artists but as a general purpose productivity device Windows tablets are more competitive.
 
Tablets are great accessories if you have a need for one, but they are far from a replacement for the PC, like the industry is trying to force on us. Nice to see that it's not working.

As for the actual article I do agree that the punishments for copyright infringement are WAY too harsh, that's pretty much a given. I doubt anything will be done about it though. Governments don't really listen to recommendations, they like to do their own thing.
 
My kids use them. Ipad Minis. They watch Youtube and play mobile games on theirs. Once they get old enough for phones, I doubt we will have any Ipad's in our house. I just don't see a need for one anymore. I've got an Iphone 6s Plus, and I can't justify a device that offers nothing more than a bigger screen. My phone does it all, so I have no need for just a bigger version. I also have a Macbook Pro which I love and use for real mobile computing. It's dual booted with Windows 10 and OSX. I'd rather carry that across the house than my phone and an Ipad, since I can do much more on the Macbook vs. the Ipad.

I really think it's a case of people not need 2 devices to do the same thing. Ipads offer nothing but a bigger experience. In my eyes, the hole that Ipads once filled has been filled in with better phones. So now instead of having a phone and an Ipad. I have my phone and my Macbook. The novelty has worn off tablets. I just can't see where an Ipad, or any tablet, would fit in my life anymore.
 
I have 2 tablets, and LG 7" Android and an iPad 3. I hardly use either of them.
My little 4yo niece uses my iPad if she forgets to bring her Fire Tablet or iPod touch when she comes over.
 
As long as there are bathrooms, there will be iPads/Tablets :)

I will admit, the 5.5 to 6" Phablets almost make them un-necessary. Thats a range where web browsing is realistic.

Less than that ain't so hot.
 
Paul_Johnson said:
I think one of the problems is they are still too limited....like the last go around with tablets before this.

We got a bunch at work and other than as a toy they have been relegated to my desk drawer and I still use a laptop.
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You can use it as a spare monitor. There is a program called Duet Display. Fantastic, treats an iPad or iPhone (with iOS 7 or greater) as a USB monitor. Great for watching Netflix using company bandwidth ;)
 
People don't need to upgrade tablets frequently. As others have pointed out, there is no killer new feature. If it still works, why spend another $400-600?

I find iPads kind of useless. They are good bathroom devices, but not much else for me. My kids use their iPads a lot. It's Netflix and YouTube for the most part. They are starting to play console and some computer games. (I guess in-app purchase games, which I won't give them money for, suck badly)
 
I'm not the market for the iPad... And I would suspect that for some, the fun of having a new "toy" is waning as well. Only time I ever had one was when my work gave us one. Why they didn't just buy refurbed laptops I'll never know (they purchased 32 GB iPads and clamcases - look up how expensive those are...).
 
Ipad's are limited. I have a 10in windows 10 tablet with detachable keyboard. It does everything a need it to even stream games from my Xbox One and my PC with steam. Far more functional does everything and can even easily print!
 
I use a $34.99 kindle fire. It works fine for basic browsing, HBO go, YouTube, and Netflix. Why would I buy a $500 device when a $34.99 one does it just as well for my needs?
 
Oh, and if nothing else kills Tablets, especially Android, this love affair developers have with these #&*!@#*$!@&$ In-App Purchases will. I refuse to buy software with in-app purchases now. If you want to charge for it? Fine. Bill me upfront and leave me the hell alone after that.
 
Ocellaris said:
Apple should work on making the tablets better. They sell $500 tablets with 16GB of storage and they don't even have GPS built in. Sales are down because Apple is trying to charge a premium for a mediocre product.
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If that's the case, then there should be tons of Android tablets being sold. I think the article nailed it: why buy a tablet when you can buy a phablet? It's one device and it's big enough to do most of what you'd do on a tablet. If you need something bigger, get a laptop.
 
HeavensCloud said:
Amazon Kindle Fire happened. Everyone around here has at least one.
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And they use them after 6 months or a year? A Co-Worker got one whenever they came out, and he used it for a few months and after that, we never saw it again. He may use it at home, but there's little you can do on them that can't be done on a phone.
 
Powerage said:
Saturating the market? I see a -ton- of tablets in classrooms and offices. I don't have one, but I know a lot of people with them.
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This right here. I see them in plenty of business. Many restaurants use them to process orders. Many offices or service based places. But like computers, most people that need one has one that works good enough. You don't need to dump last year's tablet model. It will last 3 years easily. Maybe more.
 
nilepez said:
And they use them after 6 months or a year? A Co-Worker got one whenever they came out, and he used it for a few months and after that, we never saw it again. He may use it at home, but there's little you can do on them that can't be done on a phone.
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Yes, daily. One of the secretaries at work alternates between two, one of them is an original Fire she still uses every day.
 
People realized that you cannot do crap on a tablet, especially iPads. My next tablet will be a Microsoft Surface.
 
Tablets have their uses but the more expensive the electronics devices become the longer I keep them before upgrading ... I can upgrade my Smartphone promptly every 2 years because it is the cheapest and most widely used of my devices ... I upgrade my more expensive tablet on more of a 3-4 year cycle ... and I change my computer (the most expensive of my devices) on a 6-8 year schedule (although I will make 1-3 interim upgrades to the system in that time span) ... other expensive items like TVs/Projectors are on a schedule equivalent to the tablet or somewhere between tablet and PC

my tablet is a useful device that provides a nice bridge between my smartphone and PC ... when I travel I use the tablet as an e-reader, portable gaming system, and web surfing device ... at work I use my ipad to visit blocked sites (using my phone as a hotspot) and for gaming on breaks ... on the whole I enjoy my tablet and will buy another in a year or two when I reach my next upgrade cycle
 
Tablets have always been more of a consumption device. Can't really replace a laptop, but nice to have when you need a bigger 'phone'. Now the convertible market (laptop/tablet) market is hitting its stride and phones are larger, so the tablet gets neglected. I used to have my 4.7" phone, my iPad, and my Thinkpad laptop. Now I have a 5.2" phone and a Surface Pro 4. My gf has her phone and a surface pro 3 (her iPad and mbp sits in the closet too). The functionality of the tablet is relegated to casual reading on the throne. And I don't need the latest greatest for that.
 
The market is saturated with all these mobile devices. People, like myself, will always want convenience, easy to hold, easy to use, multifunctional devices. With the power of smartphones exploding, more people are going with their one and only go to mobile device. The obvious choice is a smartphone, phablets in general. Why buy two, when you can have one with the best of both worlds, with a small sacrifice in size.

With that said, there are peeps who do need those larger size devices. And those users, like myself, tend to get a really good one and hold onto them for as long as possible. My last laptop lasted over 8 years. Finally gave up the ghost one day. Again, it's market saturation. When those devices finally fail and/or get totally outdated, the market will pick up again.
 
I hate using my phone to surf the internet and watching videos as the screen is just too damn small (5.2 in) and I don't want to carry around a 7 inch phone (which would likely still be too small for my needs). I love my Ipad2 for just casual web surfing and streaming videos but it is starting to loose battery life and slow down. I will likely buy the next version of the Ipad sometime later this year (or maybe even get an android tablet).
 
I dont agree. For example, companies like ATT build their entire POS system on iPads, along with upgrades, activation, etc. No one uses the actual table register anymore in their stores unless you have to put cash in.

Logistics companies are also moving away from bulky equipment and utilizing iPads to do their inventory and everything in between.
The software is easy to build and it doesnt require a ton of infrastructure other than having a wifi connection.

A lot of school use and will continue to use iPads.

At some point there will always be a point where current hardware is just good enough for a longer period of time, the days of constant upgrades are over IMO unless companies find ways to make inferior hardware.
 
westrock2000 said:
You can use it as a spare monitor. There is a program called Duet Display. Fantastic, treats an iPad or iPhone (with iOS 7 or greater) as a USB monitor. Great for watching Netflix using company bandwidth ;)
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Only for Mac, though, according to the website. Damn. I was almost ready to buy an iPad Mini. I want to use it for a marquee display for an arcade cab. Have it change based on the game. I run Windows, though.
 
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