Why People Aren't Buying iPads Anymore

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by jersysman

Why do you assume that they are delicate or high-strung? Perhaps they don't like seeing things they like constantly being questioned.

And thank you too Jerseyman

I'll try and bow out now, sit on my hands and not comment anymore.

[WT Sharpe]

I will say that I did keep possession of my 1st generation iPad until the iPad Air came out.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by jersysman

Why do you assume that they are delicate or high-strung? Perhaps they "don't like seeing things they like constantly being questioned".

(I corrected it for you.)

Like you just said?

Also, I don't think anyone is being "constantly" questioned. Although the questioning has been kicked up a few notches ever since someone decided to complain as per the first part of my post (which you seem to have ignored).

[ApK]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

If your first generation is still doing what you want, then there's absolutely no reason whatsoever to upgrade.

To be fair, there are perfectly good reasons to upgrade even while still having a viable one, aside from the alleged Apple-cult-must-have-new-model! thing, as long as by "upgrade" we mean "buying the new one," which seems be reasonable given the subject of this thread.

Some have already be been mentioned,
e.g., You might want to let a family member use the old one, you might want a second one to keep conveniently in a different location, or maybe you just really want one of the new features. My sister's last upgrade, I think, was just because she liked the fact the new iPad was lighter than her old one.

All perfectly reasonable, but, it takes some wind out of the argument that sales are slipping because the devices keep working. People with working device do still upgrade, and I don't think I can get TOO much argument over the suggestions that Apple's core customer base would do that more than the market average, simply because they can afford to.

[ProfCrash]

To be frank, any reason to buy it is a justifiable reason for that individual. I fully understand people who post the reasons why they bought a specific product. I fully understand people who use a different product saying "Actually, this product does that as well."

That does not invalidate the persons reason for buying the product they did but provides information to others that they can use when making a decision on what to buy.

I do think that some people see that type of thing and feel as if their personal reasons are being questioned. Others see that and go "Cool, I didn't know that". Others ignore it all together. It depends on personality and how you read the response.

I am always tempted to upgrade because I like bright new shiny toys. I really do. When it is less expensive, I can justify it but the expense of replacing my 64 GB IPad is too high.

And yes, I am close to maxing that out. And no, I don't download videos. I lots and lots of pictures....

[ApK]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

To be frank, any reason to buy it is a justifiable reason for that individual. I fully understand people who post the reasons why they bought a specific product. I fully understand people who use a different product saying "Actually, this product does that as well."

That does not invalidate the persons reason for buying the product they did but provides information to others that they can use when making a decision on what to buy.

I do think that some people see that type of thing and feel as if their personal reasons are being questioned. Others see that and go "Cool, I didn't know that". Others ignore it all together. It depends on personality and how you read the response.

All true.

The contention more readily begins when someone posts something like:

"I like X because ONLY X does <whatever>.
or
"I like X because Y CAN'T DO <whatever>."

And it turns out those "only" or "can't" parts just aren't true.

That DOES invalidate the reason.

People will tell them so.

Then, the same gamut of responses can occur, and I find some of them utterly inappropriate.

ApK

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by ApK

And it turns out those "only" or "can't" parts just aren't true.

iPhone can do the same as Android phone can do the same as iPhone can do the same as Windows phone can do the same as Android phone can do the same as Windows phone can do the same as iPhone.

We all know this.

The difference is the price (effort, stability, money, etc) you pay for getting those same things accomplished. "Only" and "can't" are sometimes true in (subjective) contexts because the price of making them untrue (that is accomplishing a possible thing on a certain platform) is undesirably high.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Shane R

The difference is the price (effort, stability, money, etc) you pay for getting those same things accomplished. "Only" and "can't" are sometimes true in (subjective) contexts because the price of making them untrue (that is accomplishing a possible thing on a certain platform) is undesirably high.

Or sometimes they really are not true, and we were mistaken.

Or sometimes it's not undesirably high, we just didn't know how.

Or sometimes a poster didn't even mean what they said, they just didn't communicate clearly, and we're concerned that other readers might be misled.

"Only X does <whatever> the way I want (or as you would say 'at a price I'm happy with')" is a very different statement than "Only X does <whatever>."
The former is clearly a preference, and it makes readers aware of differences and may help guide them in their own choices.
The latter can be either right or wrong, and if wrong and uncorrected, diminishes the value of the forum.

This is a place to learn and discover.*

But it won't be a very nice place for it if participants are going to get huffy anytime someone tells them something that it seemed from their posts they weren't aware of.

ApK

*In addition to it being a place to avoid half a work day.

[dakini]

I can't believe I sat down and read all 100+ replies since my last post.

We went very quickly from hardware to apps and the personalities associated with each o/s ... really fascinating commentary that the way this is playing out, among this thread's participants, is that tablets aren't about the hardward and o/s but about things completely out of the control of apple, samsung, or even the lesser-known companies ...

Also, what I find interesting is how much of the talk has gone to proving that each speaker is a "specialist" with need for "specialist" apps -- and how the other o/s just won't do -- because it doesn't have an exact app, or doesn't have the right price point.

Finally, I just have to speak up for the casual user of technology. Some of us aren't looking for complex apps. We're looking for basic email, web browsing, a favourite game or two. We're not luddites. We just don't need the tablet to do some one arcane task or need one specific interface. And we're part of that consumer base as well. So when y'all are getting your knickers in a twist about whether an app was on droid or apple first, some of us just shrug ...

[radius]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I have both a 2013 Nexus 7 and an iPad Retina Mini. Both excellent devices. Great apps available for both.

One "Killer App" that's Android only is of course "Calibre Companion", which is reason all on its own to buy an Android tablet for those who want to read on a tablet.

One reason I would stick with iPad is that all the Android tablets I have ever seen are in 16:9 aspect ratio. To me, that isn't as comfortable for reading. It feels too tall and skinny when held in portrait mode, and I've never enjoyed reading in landscape mode.

The Nexus 7 makes this psychologically even worse for me by having thich bezels on the top and bottom which make it seem even more tall and skinny.

This is especially noticeable when reading things like comics or magazines which take advantage of tablets' colour screens and fast CPUs.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by radius

One reason I would stick with iPad is that all the Android tablets I have ever seen are in 16:9 aspect ratio. To me, that isn't as comfortable for reading. It feels too tall and skinny when held in portrait mode, and I've never enjoyed reading in landscape mode.

The Nexus 7 makes this psychologically even worse for me by having thich bezels on the top and bottom which make it seem even more tall and skinny.

This is especially noticeable when reading things like comics or magazines which take advantage of tablets' colour screens and fast CPUs.

Although I too prefer 4:3 for reading on, it's perhaps worth noting that the aspect ratio of most Android tablets (which is generally 16:10, rather than 16:9) is actually rather closer to the aspect ratio of the page of the typical paperback book.

I do most of my reading on the Onyx T68, which is an Android tablet with a 4:3 eInk screen.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I know people who will only buy iphone even though a comparable Android phone is much cheaper and quite possibly better. It's brand snobbery. They have to have the iphone to impress certain people, or so they they tell me.

You've actually heard somebody say that they carry an iphone to impress people? Somehow I suspect this is a projection of your interpretation.

I {as a hobbyist programmer since 3rd grade, professional Software Engineer for 20 years, Linux user since 1994 (except for when work requires otherwise), Apple hater since the Mac SE (who finally gave up the anti-apple-religion), and generally tech savvy person} will only buy an iPhone (given the current state of affairs), and I carry it in an ugly case as I don't care who sees it or doesn't.

Why? Because it "just works", works well, fits my needs, and is generally high quality both in hardware, OS, and the apps.

I had an Android phone as my first smartphone... hated it. My daughter has an Android phone w/ KitKat... it's much better, but I still wouldn't want it. I have an Android Tablet... nobody will use it, we all fight over who gets to use the much older iPad.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by ApK

Actually, no, I had this one in mind:

I like that ad.

That ad is great because it showcases a very real strength that iOS has over Android. While Android has much improved, the sound subsystem in Android has a very high latency and non constant response time (jitter). (Last I saw measured it was around 200 ms, but I've seen reports that it is much improved, but still in the triple digits). The iOS sound system runs at "realtime" priority and has latencies of about 20 ms, which makes it far superior for music apps. When I use my Android tablet with my MIDI piano I can hear the delay... with my old iPad 2 it feels instant (both with iOS6 and iOS7).

[afv011]

Originally Posted by twowheels

That ad is great because it showcases a very real strength that iOS has over Android. While Android has much improved, the sound subsystem in Android has a very high latency and non constant response time (jitter). (Last I saw measured it was around 200 ms, but I've seen reports that it is much improved, but still in the triple digits). The iOS sound system runs at "realtime" priority and has latencies of about 20 ms, which makes it far superior for music apps. When I use my Android tablet with my MIDI piano I can hear the delay... with my old iPad 2 it feels instant (both with iOS6 and iOS7).

It's down to 20ms in Android L, no longer triple digits. The target is to get it to 10ms.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by twowheels

That ad is great because it showcases a very real strength that iOS has over Android. While Android has much improved, the sound subsystem in Android has a very high latency and non constant response time (jitter). (Last I saw measured it was around 200 ms, but I've seen reports that it is much improved, but still in the triple digits). The iOS sound system runs at "realtime" priority and has latencies of about 20 ms, which makes it far superior for music apps. When I use my Android tablet with my MIDI piano I can hear the delay... with my old iPad 2 it feels instant (both with iOS6 and iOS7).

To a musician, those numbers are critical. I can hook my Carbon 49 keyboard to my PUC wireless WIFI interface and hear the results coming out of my iPad's speakers with no discernible latency. That impressed the hell out of me, and is a big reason why so many musicians are starting to consider the iPad a serious tool in their arsenal.