When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad in 2010, he claimed it was more powerful than a smartphone and more convenient than a laptop.
But more than a decade later, the iPad still doesn’t seem to be living up to this promise.
As smartphones get bigger and more powerful, iPad sales have declined, accounting for just 6% of Apple’s sales this year.
Nevertheless, Apple made headlines this week by announcing the new iPad Pro and iPad Air.
This has some gadget fans on social media wondering, “Who’s still going to buy an iPad?”
Since the iPad’s launch in 2010, sales have fallen far from its initial peak, leaving many people wondering, “Who still buys iPads?”
When the iPad was first introduced, it was the most successful product Apple had ever launched, launching more than 1 million tablets in less than a month and selling 25 million in one year.
However, since its much-hyped release, the product’s popularity seems to have gradually declined.
Apple said that in the second quarter of 2024, revenue from iPad fell 17% from the same period last year, from £5.36 billion ($6.7 billion) to £4.48 billion ($5.6 billion). revealed.
Similarly, iPad sales fell 25% in the first quarter of this year.
Jobs predicted the iPad would carve out a niche between iPads and Macbooks, but this may be one of the few times the Apple founder missed the mark.
According to research firm IDC, about 1.1 billion smartphones were sold worldwide in 2023, but only 130 million iPads and other tablets.
The tech giant posted an impressive quarterly profit of $23 billion in 2023, largely due to increased iPhone sales. Meanwhile, iPad sales declined by 10% and will continue to decline until 2024.
This comes as Apple announced a number of upgrades to its tablet product line, including the new iPad Pro (pictured), which will be Apple’s thinnest product.
This suggests that tablets may simply be an inferior technology choice compared to the convenience of increasingly powerful smartphones.
And according to some gadget fans on social media, the iPad really isn’t worth buying.
On X (formerly Twitter), one tech enthusiast wrote, “Is anyone still buying iPads??”
Another asked, “Are people still buying iPads?” No one needs an iPad except graphic designers and bad parents. ”
Meanwhile, one commenter added, “People buy iPads only to realize they don’t need them.”
X (formerly Twitter) wondered why gadget fans would want to buy an iPad
Some commenters believe that the iPad cannot perform certain tasks sufficiently to carve out a niche between laptops and smartphones.
Some people commented that they regret purchasing the iPad.
There are still defenders of the iPad on social media, some of whom argue that it’s a good option for note-taking.
One student wrote to X that the iPad “was a game changer.”
They also say, “You don’t have to carry heavy books.” Create notes on your iPad and access them from any device. Searching for study note details has never been so smooth. ”
Another commenter claimed that “lawyers are actually lining up to buy iPads.”
Commenters said the tablet was much more convenient than carrying around a bag of files and documents in court and was a “huge relief.”
However, the iPad still has its defenders, with some arguing that the iPad is a good tool for students to take notes.
One social media user even claimed that lawyers are “lining up to buy an iPad” because of its convenience.
Apple may be hoping that the new iPad series’ larger screens and more powerful processors can attract more customers looking to upgrade to older technology.
At Apple’s recent “Let Loose” event, CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company is still open to investing in its tablet product line.
Cook called the event “the biggest day for iPad since its launch” and announced several major upgrades to iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad accessories.
iPad Air now has significantly larger options with a new 13-inch model for users who want more screen space without the cost of the Pro model.
Both the £599 ($599 US) 11-foot model and the £799 ($799) 13-foot model also feature the M2 chip.
Apple says this should make both models about 50% faster than the 2020 model with the M1 chip.
But the biggest upgrade was reserved for the iPad Pro with the new M4 chip.
At just 5.1mm thick, the new iPad Pro 13′ is the thinnest Apple has ever offered and is much thinner and lighter than previous models.
The biggest change is that the iPad Pro now features an M4 chip, which is said to be 50 percent faster than the previous M2 chip.
Tim Cook called it “an incredibly powerful chip for AI” and promised it would be at least 50 percent faster than the old M2 chip.
The iPad Pro is also significantly thinner and lighter than before, and has a sharper display thanks to what Apple calls Ultra Retina XDR.
The £999 ($999) 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick, while the £1,299 ($1,299) 13-inch version is just 5.1mm thick, making it Apple’s thinnest product yet.
Apple’s £129 (about $129) stylus, the Magic Pencil, also features haptic controls in the form of a “squeeze feature,” which also allows you to rotate the pencil to change the shape of the brush.
If you’re prone to losing your pen, you’ll be relieved to know that this device supports the Find My feature.
The Magic Keyboard’s accessories are also notable, with an aluminum exterior and large trackpad that Apple claims “feels like using a MacBook.”
Apple also revealed upgrades to iPad accessories, including the Magic Pencil (pictured), which has haptic controls and compatibility with the “Find My” feature.
Despite the iPad’s poor track record, analysts are optimistic that it could be a step in the right direction.
PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore told MailOnline: “The new lineup includes significant improvements that will appeal to a wide range of users, consumers and businesses alike.”
“Importantly, this comes at a time when current iPad owners are looking to upgrade.”
Pescatore points out that larger screens and more powerful chip options could be strong incentives for customers looking for alternatives to current technology.
He added that this “means we’re getting closer to the final stage of phasing out laptops completely, given the large number of new features and multitasking capabilities.”
The inclusion of the M4 chip also stands out as a particularly strong selling point due to its AI potential.
This powerful chip is supposedly 400 times faster than the M2 when it comes to graphics, and boasts a “neural processor” for AI that’s faster than anything on the market.
At Apple’s developer conference next month, the company could be ready to reveal more AI-based upgrades to use this hardware.