Apple's Next iPads: 13 Things To Expect
Apple is expected to reveal new iPads this week, including its long-rumored "iPad Pro." What else will Apple show off?
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In 2004, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dismissed concerns that Windows PCs far outpaced Macs in market share. "Apple's market share is bigger than BMW's or Mercedes's or Porsche's in the automotive market," he said. "What's wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?"
Were he alive today, Jobs would probably offer similar sentiments to the Wall Street analysts fretting over sliding iPad sales. After all, iPads control more market share and generate more profit than Macs ever have. Likewise, iPads remain more popular and lucrative than any other single family of tablets.
But much has changed since Jobs defended Mac market share. That statement arrived three years before Jobs started talking about the "post-PC" era that devices such as the iPhone and iPad ushered in. Those iOS devices rewrote the rules for their respective categories and pushed Apple's cultural clout into the stratosphere.
The success has created unprecedentedly high expectations for new Apple products. As the company's customers and shareholders have become accustomed to blockbuster advances, they've grown less impressed by quotidian metrics such as revenue. Many people don't care that Apple makes more money than Microsoft and Google combined; they care whether Apple keeps churning out blockbuster advances.
Does this mean Apple has become a victim of unrealistic expectations? Yes and no.
When Jobs compared Macs to luxury automakers, his point was this: No one criticizes Mercedes for choosing not to compete against Hyundai, so why should Apple be criticized for choosing not to release stripped-down Macs to compete against budget Windows OEMs? Current Apple CEO Tim Cook has sung much the same tune. "We're not in the junk business," Cook said last fall, shortly before the iPad Air's debut.
This aversion to "junk" is partly responsible for the falling iPad market share that has many analysts concerned. Cheap Android slates have exploded in popularity, expanding the overall tablet market and decreasing Apple's share. But most of this growth has occurred at the low end of the market, where OEMs sacrifice upfront profit in hopes of drawing new customers into extended ecosystems plays, such as device accessories or cloud services. Apple doesn't consider low-cost Android tablets to be true competitors to its highly polished, high-margin iPads -- just as Mercedes execs probably couldn't care less about sales of new Volkswagens.
But even if Apple isn't concerned about Android's popularity, iPads face other challenges. Until recently, Apple was losing tablet share merely because iPad sales weren't growing as fast as sales of other of tablets; that is, despite decreasing market share, iPad shipments were still improving. That's no longer the case. Last quarter, iPad revenue was down 8% year-over-year.
Then again, aside from the cheapest devices, this sales slowdown has impacted the entire tablet industry, not just iPads. Sales are down partly because the PC market has stabilized. Over the last few years, many people bought tablets instead of new PCs not only because tablets can handle many PC tasks, but also because many old PCs continue to run very well. Just look at Windows XP's stubbornly high market share -- many people won't replace their PCs until the computers stop booting up.
PC sales are unlikely to rebound to peak levels, but it's clear millions of us still need mouse-and-keyboard functionality. Many people neglected PCs in order to buy new iPads, but that dynamic might have reversed.
Indeed, to many, iPad upgrades don't feel urgent because older devices continue to perform so well. Whereas many people buy new smartphones every couple years, iPads have settled into a more PC-like upgrade cadence. Between stronger PC sales and longer-than-expected iPad refresh cycles, Apple's opportunities for growth aren't as obvious as they once were. The company also faces increased pressure at the high end from tablets and 2-in-1s with new Intel processors.
Assuming Apple releases new iPads this Thursday, as expected, the issue won't be whether the new tablets will be improved -- they will be. Rather, the issue will be whether the new devices are improved enough to justify a purchase. Luckily for Apple, the new devices will likely boast substantial upgrades. iPad changes won't be as extreme as those introduced in the iPhones 6 and 6 Plus, but, with a flurry of incremental upgrades, Apple's newest tablets will bring plenty to the table. What should you be excited about? Here are 13 of the most enticing new iPad features and products we expect Apple to announce this week.
Over the last few weeks, a series of purported images of new iPad components have leaked online. They indicate at least one upcoming iPad will feature an A8X processor -- a beefed-up variant of the A8 chips Apple introduced with its recent iPhones.
"X" versions have typically boasted significantly better graphics performance and slightly higher clock speeds than Apple's mainstream chips. Apple has generally used "X" chips in iPads, though last year the company skipped the A7X, opting instead to use slightly different versions of its A7 processor in both the iPhone 5s and the iPad Air.
Apple is expected to debut the A8X in at least iPad Air 2. It's not clear if other models will also use the new chip. Some rumors claim Apple will release a new iPad Mini with a regular A8 chip like that in the iPhone 6, whereas other rumors claim Apple might not release a new Mini until sometime in 2015.
Regardless of which models receive the new chips, what does Apple plan to do with the extra power? For more, see pages 4 and 9 of this slideshow.
Reports have maintained for months that the next-gen iPad Air will include 2 GB of RAM -- the most ever in an iOS device. Leaked images and recent supply chain reports have reiterated that Apple plans to boost iPad memory. The new iPad Air will reportedly rely on the extra RAM for new features such as split-screen multi-tasking (see page 9 of this slideshow), and to accommodate a nicer, more pixel-rich display (see page 4). If Apple refreshes both the iPad Air and iPad Mini, only the former is likely to include 2 GB of RAM.
With the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple introduced its "Retina HD" concept -- a class of screens with even more densely packed pixels than normal Retina displays have. Rumors indicate Apple could give the iPad Air 2 a similar treatment, filling its 9.7-inch screen with even more resolution than the current model's 2048 x 1536-pixel display offers. If that's the case, the next-gen Air will need its A8X chip and extra RAM to push around all the extra pixels.
As with other rumored iPad improvements, it's unclear if better screens are destined for all iPad models, or just the new Air. New iPad screens are also expected to include better anti-reflective technology, which should make them easier to read outdoors in bright sunlight.
Whereas some tablets are somewhat unwieldy (looking at you, Microsoft Surface Pro 2), iPads have always boasted outstanding ergonomics that make the devices relatively easy to hold one-handed. Based on alleged leaked dummy units of the iPad Air 2, Apple's next tablet will take thinness to a new level, with a width of only 7 mm.
That's significantly less than the iPad Air's 7.9-mm thickness, and even thinner than the iPhone 6 Plus, which measures 7.1-mm thick. If the iPad Air 2's alleged dimensions are accurate, it won't be the thinnest tablet vying for holiday shoppers. Earlier this fall, Dell announced its Venue 8 7000, an Android slate that uses a new Intel processor and measures only 6-mm thick.
Ever since Apple debuted Touch ID in the iPhone 5s but excluded it from the iPad Air, observers have expected next-gen iPads to include Apple's well-received authentication feature. Supply chain rumors indicate that this will be the case. Earlier this year, Apple opened the Touch ID API to developers, so expect to see more and more iOS apps that integrate the fingerprint reader.
Next-gen iPads are expected to support Apple Pay, but it's unclear whether Apple will include NFC chips in its new tablets, as it did with the latest iPhones. NFC allows iPhone owners to use their device to pay for products at physical stores. Given that iPads are much bigger than iPhones, it seems a little silly to include this functionality in tablets. Then again, it seems a little silly when tourists hold up their iPads to snap pictures, so perhaps NFC inclusion makes sense.
The iPad Air 2 will reportedly come in the same color options as iPhones -- silver, gray, and gold. It's not clear if the iPad Mini will be refreshed alongside the Air, let alone whether it will gain new color options.
Rumors have held for months that at least some of Apple's next-gen iPads will include a split-screen mode that resembles multi-tasking in Windows 8, with one app "snapped" to the left side of the screen alongside a second app on the right. Support for the feature was found hidden in iOS 8's code, which reinforces that split-screen multi-tasking could be an imminent addition.
Will multi-tasking features make new iPads more productive? The devil will be in the details. Apple has often been successful because it's implemented features well, not because it's implemented features first. Will users be able to easily change how much screen space an app occupies, or will new iPads support only certain split-screen ratios? Will users be able to drag content from one app into another? Will there be other features that allow apps to interact with one another while in split-screen mode?
Rumors indicate Apple will continue to offer only 16 GB of RAM in entry level iPads, just as it does with its base iPhones. Given that iOS 8 was so large that it caused storage challenges for many users, Apple's miserly attitude toward onboard capacity is somewhat disappointing, if not also somewhat predictable, since Apple wants to protect its margins while encouraging more customers to check out iCloud.
Even if the iPad Air 2 offers only 16 GB at the low end, Apple might offer better value with the mid-tier and high-end configurations. With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple switched to a 16-GB/64-GB/128-GB lineup, with $100 price bumps from one storage level to the next. This replaced a 16-GB/32-GB/64-GB lineup and offered customers better value for step-up storage options. Apple already offers a 128-GB iPad Air, but at a $300 premium over the base 16-GB model. If Apple's new iPads use the same storage scheme as the iPhones, customers who want more capacity will be able to obtain it for less money.
Apple's iPads have lagged at least a generation behind iPhones when it comes to camera technology. The current Air uses a 5-MP sensor, but iPhones have been using 8-MP models since the 4S. With the iPad Air 2, Apple is expected to move to an 8-MP sensor, though it's not clear if the new camera will have all the bells and whistles (such as improved autofocus and slow-motion features) found in the most recent iPhones. If Apple refreshes both the iPad Air and iPad Mini, it's unknown if both will receive upgraded cameras.
For more than a year, a barrage of rumors has claimed Apple plans to launch a bigger iPad with a 12.9-inch screen. The most recent chatter indicates the so-called "iPad Pro" might not hit the market until next year, but Apple might preview the device this week, just as it teased its upcoming Apple Watch when it launched new iPhones. Aside from extra screen real estate, it's not clear how a larger iPad might offer new capabilities not found in the Air and Mini form factors, which offer screen sizes of 9.7 inches and 7.9 inches, respectively. Certainly, if the iPad Air 2 uses 2 GB of RAM and an A8X chip, an iPad Pro would similarly require souped-up internals.
Most leaks have referred to the next-gen iPad Air, with relatively few rumors about a new Mini. Among the Mini gossip that's popped up, some reports indicate an imminent release, while others suggest the device won't appear until sometime in 2015. If Apple refreshes its smaller tablet this week, the device might not receive all the same upgrades as the next-gen Air, such as a new processor and more RAM. But other improvements, such as the addition of Touch ID, are likely to reach all new models.
With the holidays around the corner, why would Apple wait to release a new Mini? Some rumors indicate supply chain shortages might be part of the problem, but it's also possible Apple doesn't want a new Mini to interfere with strong sales of the iPhone 6 Plus. Carrier subsidies disguise the fact that iPhones are actually more expensive than most iPads, so from Apple's perspective, new iPhone 6 Plus sales are more profitable and desirable than new Mini sales.
With "Continuity," OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 include a variety of new features to help Macs and iOS devices better complement one another. Users will be able to answer iPhone calls using an iPad or Mac, for example. Tasks begun on an iOS device in apps such as Safari, Pages, and Messages will translate seamlessly to Macs and vice versa. Both Microsoft and Google include similar multi-device syncing features in their respective platforms, but, as usual, Apple isn't aiming to be the first to launch a new feature; it's aiming to offer the best, most intuitive implementation.
Time will tell if the company succeeds. Strictly speaking, this new feature won't be confined to next-gen iPads; the company has confirmed the last two generations of its tablets will also support Continuity. Nevertheless, by making its ecosystem more cohesive, Apple will likely improve sales of its newest devices.
With "Continuity," OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 include a variety of new features to help Macs and iOS devices better complement one another. Users will be able to answer iPhone calls using an iPad or Mac, for example. Tasks begun on an iOS device in apps such as Safari, Pages, and Messages will translate seamlessly to Macs and vice versa. Both Microsoft and Google include similar multi-device syncing features in their respective platforms, but, as usual, Apple isn't aiming to be the first to launch a new feature; it's aiming to offer the best, most intuitive implementation.
Time will tell if the company succeeds. Strictly speaking, this new feature won't be confined to next-gen iPads; the company has confirmed the last two generations of its tablets will also support Continuity. Nevertheless, by making its ecosystem more cohesive, Apple will likely improve sales of its newest devices.
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