Why People Aren't Buying iPads Anymore

[faithbw]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...ml?cps=gravity

I saw this article on Huffington Post. When I saw the headline, I thought it would discuss the rise of phablet devices as the reason for decline in iPad sales but instead the article mostly blames cheap Android tablets as the reason for the decline. There's also a mention of people keeping their iPads for a long time instead of upgrading. Honestly, I think reason two is more likely than reason one. The iPad market is likely saturated at this point. The people who buy cheap Android tablets were likely never in the market for an iPad to begin and thus, probably aren't affecting iPad sales nearly as much as people deciding to keep their older model iPads. What do you all think?

[Victoria]

I agree with you. I've lost track of the version numbers, but I had the first gen ipad, and then upgraded at Christmas 2012, to the one with retina display. The difference was like night and day.

Honestly, it's still like new, is fast, light and does everything I want it to. So I really can't see what would tempt me upgrade while it's still going strong. I bought a MacBook Pro about 6 years ago. I've added ram and got a bigger hard drive, but again, why upgrade, when it still works like new? These things cost a lot of money, so i expect a good return on the investment.

[susan_cassidy]

I have an iPad 1, and it still does what I want, so why would I upgrade?

[Penforhire]

I agree, reason 2 has plenty of anecdotal evidence with the people I know. Several are still happy using 1st generation iPads. Apple is pretty good about keeping older devices in the game with OS upgrades and app compatibility.

[cromag]

I have ... a couple ... cheap Android tablets. The total for all of them (7" for every day use, 10" for color PDFs of magazines, a really really cheap 4" one for games and on-the-road access to traffic info, etc. ...) was much, much less than an Ipad. I would never have really been in the market for an Ipad.

My wife, meanwhile, would never have considered a "cheap Android tablet." (And those would have been her words.) She got an Ipad when they first came out and she still loves it ... she hasn't upgraded. We'll see what happens when her battery dies.

[Razi]

I have a 1st generation iPad I bought when they came out almost 5 years ago. Kids play games on it every single day and I do my reading on it in night time. Battery is still as good as it was on the day one. I have an iMac GV500 (Snow iMac) as well. Still works and a first generation classic ipod (4gb) which still works after 14 years of rough usage. These things were built to last and that is why I paid extra money for them. I will never upgrade.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by faithbw

What do you all think?

I think Apple can either choose to seek volume or a high profit margin. It appears they chose the high profit margin. So this is the natural result. Tablets are becoming a commodity item. People shop for value.

I don't use tablets (I have one, but I don't use it). But my nephew and his family use tablets almost exclusively. They bought three or four iPads -- but their last tablet was the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro (12.2"). So, they don't fit either category, cheap or sticking with their old iPad(s). The Galaxy Note Pro is not a cheap tablet, and they love it.

[Josieb1]

We have three iPads. A 3, an Air and a Mini. I tend to like the newer ones but hubby has his until they die, then takes mine and I upgrade. Saying that we certainly won't upgrade this year. Next year, once the Airs Warrenty runs out we will think again. But they last forever so we certainly don't 'need' to upgrade as often as I do.

Apple need to realise the life span of their products is longer than they like to think it is.

[Yapyap]

I'm also going with reason 2. My mother still happily reads on my old 1st generation iPad, and I'm not planning to replace my own 3rd generation iPad any time soon yet.

iDevices are just far too expensive to upgrade yearly even if there was a "need" for it (a 32 GB WiFi-only one easily goes for my entire month's income).

As it is, iPads are expensive and last easily just fine for several years, so unless one absolutely must have the newest version every time one is released and has a whole lot of disposable income.

[Jessica Lares]

I'm saying both, and only because I see people upgrade their cheap Android tablets every year, of course some keep them too. You can either be the person who spends a little over $100 for a new Android tablet every year, or you can be the person who buys an iPad and never upgrades.

I am in the pool of people who won't update to newer hardware until the battery dies. In my case, I use my iPad in a Clamcase Pro and could even live with using it connected to an outlet. I might even go as far and just get a refurbished Retina when the time comes just so I can keep using the same case.

[pwalker8]

I suspect that the tablet market is probably closer to the laptop market than it is the smartphone market. The difference from year to year just isn't that big. The big reason that I upgraded this past year was more memory for media.

[mgbino]

I'm going with reason 2 as well. I have the 3rd gen iPad, which is the worst one by most accounts, and it still does everything I need or want it to do.

I'm not an Apple guy usually, but I don't think I'd go with any other tablet at this point unless I was given a very compelling reason to.

[Josieb1]

My hubby loves his iPad 3, it's still on iOS 6, and tbh I think that's best. I don't think older iPads work best if you take the operating system of the newer ones.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I suspect that the tablet market is probably closer to the laptop market than it is the smartphone market. The difference from year to year just isn't that big. The big reason that I upgraded this past year was more memory for media.

Yeah, I agree with that.

I have a iPad mini (non-retina) -- and while I like it, I don't love it, not the way I do my iPhone. I've been known to read on my 5S while the tablet sat in front of me on the table. I think it's because the speed and retina screen are better than the aged internals on the mini -- but also because I just don't like holding the mini for long periods of time.

I teased, no, tortured my friends that bought Android phablets. But now that Apple is rumored to be producing one (5.5 inches) I have to admit that my interest is piqued. I'm almost positive that I'd completely ditch the mini and just have the phone and my (non-Apple) laptop as computing devices if that came to be.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I think Apple can either choose to seek volume or a high profit margin. It appears they chose the high profit margin. So this is the natural result. Tablets are becoming a commodity item. People shop for value.

IA. Apple, in general, hasn't sought volume. They're completely different from a company such as Samsung that does compete on volume as well as high profit margin. Samsung wants to cater to every consumer whereas Apple wants to cater to consumers that buy high end products. Some analysts quoted in the article criticize Apple for this. However, I'm not sure this is a fair criticism. If Apple competes on volume, would they lose the rep they have for quality, well made products? Would Apple lose some of its "cool" or "exclusive" factor? Would this turn away loyal Apple customers? The one time Apple sorta went after volume with the iPhone 5C, it didn't go too well. So I understand why Apple continues their current strategy.

I don't use tablets (I have one, but I don't use it). But my nephew and his family use tablets almost exclusively. They bought three or four iPads -- but their last tablet was the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro (12.2"). So, they don't fit either category, cheap or sticking with their old iPad(s). The Galaxy Note Pro is not a cheap tablet, and they love it.

I've wondered about this. Right now, Samsung doesn't have nearly the same share of the tablet market as Apple but their share is increasing.