Yet, it seems the device is no longer hot. People are just not buying it. They are no longer crazy about the iPad. In the last four quarters, it has seen a decline. For example, in the last quarter for apple -- Q1, 2015 -- it registered a 21 per cent decline compared to the Q1, 2014.
Why is it so? It is not a bad tablet. But there are reasons why it is no longer seeing the growth in its sales numbers. Here are 5 reasons:
iOS s*cks on a big screen
iOS is a operating system that is built around simplicity, at least from the perspective of a phone user. It is an operating system built for phones. And it works pretty well on a phone. The simple interface means users don't have to struggle with gazillion features or complex settings. This makes it appealing to even not-so-tech savvy users. But at the same time, on the big screen of the iPad, the operating system feels too basic. On a phone, a user is probably not interested in editing a video file. But on an iPad, he may. Unfortunately, the video can't be done properly unless users get good file management, something that is lacking in iOS.
One app, one window is another aspect of the iOS that works well on a phone's small screen. But on a tablet, it could be better experience to allow people to see two windows at the same time. It helps in multitasking. It just makes the whole experience better. But again, on iPad the extra screen space just goes waste. With the current version of iOS on it, the iPad is more like an oversized iPhone.
Phablets, phablets, phablets
When the phones had a screen size of 4 inches, tablets made much more sense. The divide was like this: phone for communication and mobility, tablets with screen size of above 7-inch for watching movies, browsing; and laptop for work.
But then phablets were introduced and it changed the game. Phablets, with screen size of 5.5-inch became devices that only helped users communicate but also allowed them to enjoy multimedia content or web browsing while on the go. Everything was nice on the big screen and the yet phablets were small enough to be carried in a pocket.
The phablets became so popular that even Apple introduced the iPhone 6 Plus last year to cash in on the craze.
But one downside of the phablet trend has been decreasing appeal of the tablets like iPad. Everything that an iPad can do, a fable can also do. But at the same time, phablet is all-in-one device while the iPad is a specialist.
Everyone who wanted an iPad has one
As we said, an iPad is a specialist device. This means it doesn't have the appeal of a laptop or a phone. But at the same time, iPad is also a fantastic device and when it was launched it seemed almost magical. So people bought it. Now five years after its launch, almost everybody who wanted an iPad has one. The keyword here is wanted because due to its nature iPad is not a device that you strictly need. Phone is something you need. Laptop is also something you need. iPad is something that you want. So everyone in the mature markets, where people have disposable income to spend on a device that they want (and may not), everyone who wanted the iPad has already bought it. The market is saturated. In developing countries, a lot of people may want an iPad but they are probably buying a fable or laptop because that makes more sense.
It (still) can't replace a laptop
When iPad was launched, the idea was that eventually it will replace laptops. In fact, Steve Jobs said that the world has already moved into the post-PC ear and that the iPad is going to be the primary computing device for most users.
But that is not the reality. The iPad, while seemingly promising, can't do what laptops can do. Majority of computer users across the world still prefer to pick a laptop when they have to do some work. This is the reason why the Mac sales are growing even as the iPad sales are falling.
People are waiting for iPad Pro
Apple last year launched the iPad Air 2. It is sleek, slim and sexy. But it failed to prop up the iPad market. Reason? May be it is not all that different from earlier iPads, even though it is very sleek and sexy.
There could be a lot of people who want to update their iPads. But may be the iPad Air 2 is not the right device that they can get. In terms of functionality, it offers almost nothing new over the iPads released in 2013. yes, fingerprint scanner is there. But it is hardly a must-have feature.
It is possible that a lot of people who want to buy or update the iPad is waiting for the rumoured iPad Pro, which will have a bigger screen, possibly modified version of iOS so that this bigger screen can be utilised better and may come with a keypad accessory. This could be Apple's answer to Microsoft Surface and that will definitely make a lot of people sit up and take note.
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