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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Apple's iPad is in big trouble
By Adam Levine-Weinberg
The Motley Fool (via USA TODAY), via the Detroit Free Press:
Less than two years ago, Apples (ticker: AAPL) iPad absolutely dominated the tablet space. As of mid-2012, Apple still claimed nearly 70% of the tablet market, while Android tablet manufacturers were struggling to make any headway.
Furthermore, the iPad Minis fall 2012 arrival was an open secret by then. As a result, tablet market analysts expected Apple to further solidify its dominance of the tablet market over time.
However, the opposite has occurred. Not only has Apples market share lead crumbled, but iPad sales growth has also come to a crashing halt. Tablet rivals such as Amazon.com (AMZN) and Samsung are gaining momentum by closing the quality gap with Apple and offering lower price points. Unless Apple can deliver vastly improved iPads later this year, the iPads growth days are over.
Where did all the iPad buyers go?
Its hard to imagine right now, but just two years ago, Apple was growing iPad revenue by more than 60% and iPad unit sales by 80% -- even without an entry in the growing 7- and 8-inch tablet market! Last year, despite the addition of the iPad Mini, unit sales growth slowed to 22%. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20140419/BUSINESS07/304190041/
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)I pad Mini: $400. For last year's model.
Gee, I wonder why ipad sales are slumping.
brush
(53,924 posts)Last edited Sun Apr 20, 2014, 11:05 PM - Edit history (2)
That severely limits it's usability. I don't know what Apple is thinking, especially when other notepads are already out with that feature at lower prices.
Steve Jobs would never had let that happen.
randome
(34,845 posts)It's hard to see how one can predict disaster based on only three years worth of data. Market saturation and novelty fade is no doubt part of it.
I don't have an iPad. I still prefer a keyboard.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]
Generic Brad
(14,276 posts)We have two iPads and one mini at my house. One for each occupant. And they work so there is no need to replace them.
Perhaps its time for a new invention that none of us can be convinced we cannot live without. Apple TV and iWatches are not going to do it.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)after five years.
I expect to replace the next one in four years. It is now a year old.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)1st generation:
April 3, 2010 (Wi-Fi)[2][3]
April 30, 2010 (Wi-Fi + 3G)[4]
May 28, 2010 (International)
2:
March 11, 2011 (United States)
March 25, 2011 (International)
3rd generation:
March 16, 2012
4th generation & Mini 1st generation:
November 2, 2012
Air:
November 1, 2013
Mini 2nd generation:
November 12, 2013
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)Safari keeps crashing - - if you google "iPad safari crashes" you'll come up with a whole lotta people who are angry as hell that Apple knows about it and hasn't offered so much as a patch. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Apple fan and have been for years, but that just pisses me the heck off. I just bought a Kindle Fire HD and I couldn't be happier.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)In fact, my iPad is less susceptible to crashes of all types than any other device I have. It happens, but it's a rare event. I use my ipad when I fly as it has all the aviation charts and procedures on it. If it weren't rock solid, I wouldn't be using it for that.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)All
my other apple products work well and I'm happy with them. But that ipad....ugh...
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)The original, the 3rd, and now an air.
They all still work, the only reason I buy newer is speed... But if that didn't bug me I would not replace them.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)but they have helped innovate & set trends.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)nt
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)like a 'Retina display'.
Fiendish Thingy
(15,686 posts)Retina displays are far superior, I speak from experience. They are one of the reasons iPads cost more. You might want to do a little research before posting made up crap about "made up crap"
Millions of IPads have been sold, the novelty effect and market saturation are probably a large part of the leveling off, as is true for the iPhone.
Mnpaul
(3,655 posts)My Fujitsu is one of them. I believe it is made by LG. Apple still trails in other features.
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)Retina display? Pffft.
Samsung and Windows tablets have just as good PPI and resolution as the iPad.
tridim
(45,358 posts)The Reality Distortion Field died with him.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)They are relatively indestructible.
With no hard drive to fail they keep going going and going. I still use an iPad one with no probems.
pscot
(21,024 posts)for a windows smart phone. It lacks some of the functionality of an iPhone, but it looks just like one. I 80% of what an iPhone provides for about 15% of the cost.
TM99
(8,352 posts)I still have an iPad 1st Generation. Yes, it is stuck at iOS 5.1.1, and it does everything I need it to do in my project studio.
Most of the soft synths, drum machines, and samplers are out of date, but I don't really worry about that. After all, I still own several hardware Akai, Emu, Yamaha, and Ensoniq samplers!
As a backup portable DJ device with ION iDJ2Go, it is useful enough, however, once I got my Elitebook Pro running Windows 7 x64 set up with a Stanton SCS.3m and 2x SCS.3d's and Mixxx, it pales in comparison.
I really see no need to buy another newer iPad.
And interestingly enough, my partner who is a professional graphic designer as well as an accomplished mixed media artists just bought a Surface Pro. I was a little surprised at first as she seemed to be interested in my iPad enough to get a newer one. She did her research and the cost to benefit analysis and decided on the Surface Pro.
Why? She has 128GB on-board space, 4GB of memory, can install an additional 64GB microSD card, and it has a regular sized USB 2.0 slot for an external CD, hard drive, or flash drive. Can an iPad do that? Additionally, she can use full versions of Photoshop, Manga Studio EX, Sketchbook Pro, and Corel Painter X3 instead of more limited iOS apps. Finally, the Surface has full Wacom digitizer support so all of her pens work perfectly out of the box.
So her normal workflow on the PC is complimented by workflow on the tablet when she wants to be mobile in her studio or out for a hike sketching the wildlife. The iPad and most Android tablets are consumption devices first and content creation devices second. Microsoft actually got it right with the dual strategy of the Windows RT surface for consumption and Windows Pro for creation. I see them taking a strong lead here. Couple that with Android's dominance in other countries unwilling to pay the Apple tax, and yes, the iPad is very much in trouble, new display or not.
alfredo
(60,077 posts)want to upgrade to take advantage of the newer OS versions. Sales haven't crashed, they have leveled out for one quarter. Yes, sales are lower than what they reported from the Christmas quarter, that happens to all retail companies.
Competition is always a problem, but if Samsung and Amazon create quality products, they will have the same turnover problem Apple has always had. Tablets have a lower saturation point than PCs. It was easier for Apple to reach market saturation because they were the first big thing in the tablet market.
Apple's design department is still top dog. They still have the ability to pull a rabbit out of its hat. Interchangeable lenses for iPhone and iPad are a possibility. That will add value for everyone involved, especially if there is an electronic connection between camera and lens. We are already seeing movies being filmed using iPhones and interchangeable lenses. This was filmed on an iPhone. http://vimeo.com/31013938
Every product has its day, Apple understands that. They know market saturation means stagnant revenue growth. Again, Apple's design team has always been the big mover/savior for Apple. They seem to understand that what is important is not what is on the shelves, but what is in the pipeline. iMac saturated the market, when others copied, Apple moved on. iPod saturated the market, when others copied, Apple moved on. Now the same thing is happening to the iPad.
Apple is not a one trick pony, they have shown that time and time again. Apple has always forced competitors to play catch up, then once the competition show signs of catching up, Apple changes the game.
Can Apple do this forever, I doubt it.
BTW, Leica has adopted the aluminum unibody you see on MacBooks.
knitter4democracy
(14,350 posts)That's because they gave so many iPads away. Ask many teachers with them, and they don't like them at all. No Flash Player makes many sites teachers want their students to use impossible.
I got an Asus Memo 7" for $130 on sale at Christmas, and I love it! The screen resolution is great (the iPads and Samsungs and my eyes don't get along), it can do most of what I would like it to do, and it's lightweight enough to carry around in class easily. My kids' Kindle Fires are dying (keep losing charge or not charging, etc.), so I'll probably replace my son's with an Asus 7" and my daughter's with a Chromebook that she'll need for high school.
The iPhone glass shatters, no Flash Player, and they don't always connect well to my school's wifi. My Asus and Droid 4 are always more reliable at work than my students' Apple products.
brooklynite
(94,792 posts)1) People who like Apple will never swing people who hate Apple to their point of view.
2) People who hate Apple will never swing people who like Apple to their point of view.
You may now return to the "debate".
knitter4democracy
(14,350 posts)While I have found this mostly true of adults, I have found that my high school students are less impressed by Apple when they find that something else works better. While normally, they have really strong brand loyalty, that doesn't always apply to technology where the desire to have the latest and greatest is stronger.
ismnotwasm
(42,020 posts)I love my iPad
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)It is a holiday, dontchaknow.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)...because they are made with slave labor.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)Apple uses the same Chinese sub-contractors as Dell, Sony, Microsoft, Asus, Samsung, and dozens of others. Apple is also moving some manufacturing back to the US on a few of the higher end computer models.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Slave labor is an intentional strategy used by Apple specifically to maximize profits. It deliberate on their part, it is not incidental because of sub-contractors, and it is specifically done as part of their business model.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)probably being Foxconn.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)same conditions. You are just an Apple hater, and just like the article, refuse to mention (except briefly in the article) that all the other companies are no different than Apple. Microsoft, Sony, HP, Dell, Samsung, and all the others use the same suppliers such as Foxconn, but you won't admit it. That will not fit your agenda. If you typed this post on a computer/keyboard or smart phone/tablet built the last few years, I would say there is at least a 90% chance it was made by one of the same Asian owned contractors that you complain about Apple using. You are using similar tactics as Issa in the House: Pick out republican groups being checked by the IRS while totally ignoring all the other groups, then demonizing the living hell out of the IRS. Perception and reality are now 180 degrees out of phase just like with you.
All these companies are the same: They are all about the lowest manufacturing cost/highest margin for their products. That won't change because Americans want their electronics cheap and Wall Street wants record profits and increased shareholder values. 100% of the republicans and a sizable chunk of Democrats won't do anything to rock the boat.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Have a "source" for your information.
hlthe2b
(102,419 posts)I'm hanging onto the old one for now, but ALL of them essentially are using Chinese slave labor--not just Apple.
Heidi
(58,237 posts)made by non-union laborers in the US.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)They could do something about it, but they don't because it would negatively affect their bottom line.
It is their business model.
Atman
(31,464 posts)As others pointed out to you, yet you refuse to listen, is that virtually all phones and computers are made by the same Chinese "slave labor." So if it Apple's business model, it is that of the others, too. Further, you choose to ignore that Apple is basically the only one who is moving its manufacturing back to the U.S.
Now you can repeat the "but it's Apple's business model crap.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)You use Apple products...
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I buy every product they make. They are the number one product. I will continue to buy Apple forever or until something else comes alone that I like better. That will not happen soon. I hope Apple lives forever. God Bless Apple! One of the best companies out there.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)nt
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Enthusiastically.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I would like a list from you of all the companies that do the same as Apple. And are you 100 percent sure that you have never purchased a product that was made from "slave labor"?
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Products from companies whose business model calls for slave labor, then sells their products for three times what the equivalent product costs elsewhere.
If you own an Apple product, you are waiving your own flag of slavery and cruelty, thus it's on you, not me.
Take a group of people and force them to live on your property. Pay them a hundred dollars a month to work 60 hours a week. Take over half of that hundred in required rent and monopolized food and supplies to those people. Give them buckets to wash their clothes. Create an environment that is such a hell that people are killing themselves to get out. Sound like slavery? Sounds like Apple.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)You did not answer my questions. How can I possibly know your agenda?
Desert805
(392 posts)Typed from your different slave labor box.
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)The poster is unfortunately extremely naive.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Everyone is appalled at the practice, except loyal Apple product users, who get all defensive when the subject is brought up. "But Others Do It Too!"
Steve Jobs should not be idolized. He should be held up as an example of arrogant corporate power that stops at nothing to achieve product and profit at the cost of human life.
Desert805
(392 posts)You've got the schtik down pat, lol!
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Now I have heard it all. I will never understand corporate identity.
Desert805
(392 posts)Huge eye rolls at you.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)nt
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)Do you really believe your Samsung or Nokia or whatever you're using is made by people who are being paid a living wage in a humane environment?
Denial: It isn't just a river in Egypt.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Do they charge double or triple what the others charge for essentially the same thing? No, they dont.
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)So are you implying the companies that don't spell it out in their business model, but use slave labor anyway, are somehow on higher ground morally?
Sancho
(9,070 posts)for some things any of them will do...but overall I like the iPad mini the most. It works well on wifi or the cell phone line, the operating system is great, playing movies is easy and the resolution is fine.
The Fire is good for books and movies, but it's usually slower and tricky to use with wifi sometimes.
The iPad is great for FaceTime too.
At any rate, when I buy the next generation tablet I'll look at at the iPad first.
I'm sure it depends on what you want to do. BTW, I had both a Blackberry and an Android phone, but recently switched to an Iphone5. It simply works well, and connects better than the Android. Fewer crazy updates, unwanted software that you can't remove, and security problems. At this point I'm glad I made the switch.
Logical
(22,457 posts)1200 ipads to our company. They have very few tools to help automate it.
Easy to do with Windows 7, iPad not so much.
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)We bought an iPad Mini a year ago to take on vacation. It worked well. The wife and I have never had iTunes accounts, but the wife has been an Amazon Prime subscriber for years. So when we get back, we feel like watching a movie on the 60" in the living room. I think, "why not use the iPad?" So we download the movie to the iPad, and go to play it back, and Apple informs us that even though we paid $600 for the shitty brick that can run one program at a time, the HDMI port still belongs to them, and you can only use it for content purchased from iTunes. Whish the fucker at the Apple store had mentioned that before we bought the $40 HDMI out/charger cable. Fuck Apple, worst walled-garden company out there.
Make7
(8,543 posts)TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)At the time, it said it would require an AppleTV. What you posted says what I tried is possible. It wasn't last summer, I can assure you.
Also, doesn't change the fact that Apple is the worst walled-garden company out there, and very anti-consumer.
Make7
(8,543 posts)I would assume that they enabled the HDMI out at the same time they enabled AirPlay. Of course, since these features were enabled in an app update, it kind of places the blame on the app creator (Amazon) for not enabling functions that the iPad obviously supports.
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)A popup that very specifically said that the HDMI out port was only available for use for content purchased from iTunes occurred. It's nice that you keep defending Apple, but you won't change my mind or what they did.
Make7
(8,543 posts)[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:-1px -1px 3px #999999 inset;"]Sadly, no. The issue is Apples willingness to allow developers to choose whether their iOS apps will support or exclude AirPlay and direct cable playback. If the developer chooses to flip the Nuh Uh switch, video out is disabled.[font size="-2"]
http://www.macworld.com/article/1168038/playing_amazon_instant_video_from_ipad_to_tv.html[/font]
Desert805
(392 posts)But I can watch netflix from my iphone on my 50" with the hdmi adapter.
Thanks for all the bogus information though!
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)Nice. Your brand loyalty won't get you anything unless you're an Apple stockholder. Have a nice day.
Desert805
(392 posts)I'd say you're just wrong, but call it like you will.
See post 39 for the rest of your silliness.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)Pretty dominant. The stories are pushing the share of Apple vs. all Android devices COMBINED.
Wouldn't we expect competitors to pick up market share once they started actually making similar devices?
How is the iPad "in trouble" based on other tablets now ... existing?
I think it's great there are other tablets out there now, and that cheaper types are available. Why is that supposed to mean doom for Apple?
Step 1: Apple re-designs and popularizes a segment of electronic consumer device. Huge popularity ensues.
Step 2: Everyone else hops onboard.
Step 3: Huge push to brag that the copycats are now better and cheaper, and no one wants the Apple product anymore.
Step 4: Hasn't happened yet.
Here's an idea. Let's acknowledge that Apple has made some great stuff that many people enjoy, AND appreciate the fact that others will come along and hopefully push the technology to be better or more affordable, without the weird mean-spirited fantasy that somehow the world-altering Apple product really was bad in the first place?
Nobody thinks that. If they did, they wouldn't be so obsessed with saying it all time.
Jesus.
And yes, old iPads are all still working, so sales are going drop, because everyone who wants one has one already. And they don't fail much. Our Gens 1, 2, & 4 are all fine.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
Desert805
(392 posts)Sold off a Samsung 7" on ebay-- it worked for browsing the net, but other than that, meh.
The convenience of my iPad, my MacBook, and my iPhone all playing on the same team is most impressive.
I also have an XPS laptop, a monster Win7 box, and a few other windows machines, most of them I'd never give up. Use them for work every day.
Sold my Apple TV, because the new Roku 3 is superior.
Blind brand loyalty/irrational brand hatred are ridiculous things.
Initech
(100,108 posts)I'm a moderator on the website Tom's Hardware - you should see some of the Apple hatred that comes along on that website, it's totally unreal.
Desert805
(392 posts)Built many a windows box with advice from that site.
Initech
(100,108 posts)Which one would you go for? I'd take the Galaxy Pro IMO.
JEB
(4,748 posts)affordable.
Make7
(8,543 posts)JEB
(4,748 posts)ananda
(28,885 posts)..
Desert805
(392 posts)I can't think of anything relevant that still uses flash except some web games.
I'm ok without flash games even on my PC.
mythology
(9,527 posts)I'm quite okay with Flash being blocked.
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)Apple did the right thing by rejecting Flash. Unless you're building really extensive games for the web, Flash isn't needed for the interaction any longer. You don't need flash to play video any more. There's just no reason for Flash--I'm glad to see it dying.
JCMach1
(27,579 posts)It still works better than an iPad at a fraction of the cost...
Desert805
(392 posts)And it had better cost a whole lot less. I hated my 7" Galaxy Tab 2.
So much Samsung bloatware on such a crappy display.
Horses for courses.
JCMach1
(27,579 posts)and you don't have to deal with a locked-in Apple POS...
Full disclosure... I have hated Apple since the 1980's... and you know what, they still suck...
Paulie
(8,462 posts)The Company sold 51 million iPhones, an all-time quarterly record, compared to 47.8 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 26 million iPads during the quarter, also an all-time quarterly record, compared to 22.9 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.8 million Macs, compared to 4.1 million in the year-ago quarter.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/01/27Apple-Reports-First-Quarter-Results.html
For something in trouble they sure are selling a shitload of, err, trouble. After Christmas is slower before the new products announced in June.
Same old gloom and doom.
RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)From a purely technical standpoint there are superior products for less money.
OwnedByCats
(805 posts)right now is because I have the iPad 4 that I've only had a year and works great. While it would be nice to upgrade every time they came out with a new one, it would be a waste unless they came up with something spectularly different to what I have.
Saturation of the market is expected. People ask why I use Apple products and it's quite simple for me - they are so easy to use and I've never personally had a single problem with any iPod, iPhone or iPad I've ever owned. My husband is a techy, so he prefers Android. I find it too fiddly for me. I hate my mother's tablet, but not because of Android, it's because the tablet itself is a piece of crap.
It's all about preference, it's not right or wrong.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)And long lasting. I love my kindle, too but it will never last as long as an ipad.
rufus dog
(8,419 posts)No one goes there anymore, they are too crowded.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)Which I got for free, and don't see a particularly compelling reason to upgrade it. With my eyesight this might as well be a retina display.