“After a tumultuous multi-year stretch that included massive unit sales declines, declining average selling prices (ASPs), and deteriorating margin trends, the iPad business has turned a corner,” Neil Cybart writes for Above Avalon. “The combination of improving upgrade fundamentals, less severe iPad mini sales declines, and a stronger iPad lineup with the iPad Pro and accompanying accessories have positioned the iPad category that much closer to stabilization. The worst is likely over.”
“The iPad shot out of the gate like a rocket in 2010, instantly becoming the best-selling new Apple product in history. Considering that the iPad was an entirely new category positioned between an iPhone and MacBook, many were caught off guard by how consumers embraced the new form factor,” Cybart writes. “Initial iPad sales were nearly three times as strong as initial iPhone sales… In just 10 quarters on the market, Apple sold 100 million iPads. It took Apple 16 quarters to hit the same milestone with iPhone.”
“Just as it seems like people have completely written off the iPad business for good, signs are beginning to appear that point to improving iPad fundamentals,” Cybart writes. “While the days of strong 30-40% unit sales growth will likely never make a return with iPad, it’s clear that the iPad will soon enter a new stabilization phase. The dark days for the iPad are over. ”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: There are millions of iPads out there that will not be able to run iOS 10. It’s iPad upgrade time!
SEE ALSO:
Apple is about to make millions of iPads obsolete, which is good news for shareholders – July 20, 2016
Apple needs to scale back iOS compatibility with older devices to accelerate device replacement – May 4, 2016
iPad 2: Five years later, it keeps chugging along – April 28, 2016
When will Apple’s iPad sales finally bottom out? – February 4, 2016
Someone recently asked what is my least favorite Apple device. My conclusion was that my iPad is the least favorite, but strangely the most used.
I described a day from start to finish, working, communicating, playing, creating, etc. in which I never touch a conventional computer. This is no longer a rare occurrence for me.
Most of my work is done remotely. Some days I just toss my iPad PRO 12 inch, iPad Pro 9 inch and laptop into my bag, grab the dog and head out. We just hang out in dog friendly places until the end of the day. It’s becoming more and more frequent that the only device I use throughout all of that is the iPad Pro 12″.
There are times where I will clip the iPads to both sides of the MacBook monitor and have a sort of 3 monitor set up, but that’s rare.
Does the iPad need work? Oh god yes.
Is it a powerful and useable computer now? You betcha.
What dark days? The iPad has been a success story since day one!
Poetic license, I suppose. Everything has to sound dramatic.
Just remember, it’s always darkest before it’s less dark.
And where’s the Microsoft Surface? Left off the top sellers chart and dumped into the ‘other’ tablet manufacturers column. Yeah, that’s ‘huge’. 😆
Microsoft’s Surface Pro is still waiting for its chip from Intel. Glad Apple, in cooperation, started developing its own A- series chips and not keep all its eggs in one basket!
I like how he says we’ll never see 30-40% growth again like it’s a Blackberry. What industry or product can sustain 30-40% year over year growth?
Cocaine in the ’80s
Isn’t that proving the point that Scott made?
If cocaine grew at that rate in the 80’s and isn’t still doing so, then it didn’t sustain a 30-40% year on year growth.
That’s why I limited it to the 80s. Besides it was a totally facetious comment. I wasn’t trying to refute Scott.
The days were never dark for iPad owners. The damn things last forever.
The real problem has always been that Apple never really put out apps to take advantage of the increased performance on the chips. For streaming and web surfing, so upgrading was not needed.
Ive only upgraded recently as new photo apps too forever on the older iPads.
The iPads just need apps for something other than streaming and surfing and that’s on the OS allowing more advanced applications.