Have Apple's iPads Peaked? - InformationWeek

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Comments
Have Apple's iPads Peaked?
Threaded  |  Newest First  |  Oldest First
Shane M. O'Neill
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Shane M. O'Neill,
 User Rank: Author
9/17/2014 | 2:38:11 PM
iPads caught in a trap
iPads do seem trapped -- can't go bigger, can't go smaller -- and users will feel that redundancy. I don't see how someone with an iPad Mini will keep using it (as frequenltly or at all) once they buy an iPhone 6 plus, or even an iPhone 6. I've seen this played out in my own mobile life -- even though I'm an Android user. Once I bought the Galaxy S5 my Nexus 7 tablet has spent a lot more time on the bench. I basically use it to read Kindle books and not much else.
Thomas Claburn
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Thomas Claburn,
 User Rank: Author
9/17/2014 | 6:51:58 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
Sooner or later Apple will try to make its version of Microsoft Surface using an iPad.
Technocrati
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Technocrati,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/18/2014 | 5:17:39 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap

"....Sooner or later Apple will try to make its version of Microsoft Surface using an iPad."

 

@Thomas    That is an interesting possibility, I hadn't thought about how Apple would compete with the Surface but now that you mention it - it makes perfect sense to extend the iPad into the iPad Duo ?   

I wonder how long it will take to get it to market ?   Probably by X-Mas.

Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
9/30/2014 | 11:38:48 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
@techocrati,

Maybe. If they release the alleged 12.9-inch iPad, they'll have to know a bunch of people will want to use it with a keyboard. Will Apple leave all that business to third parties, as it does now? Could Apple's mind change now that Microsoft, with its new Continuum feature for Windows 10, might have finally found a non-awkward way to do 2-in-1s? Apple's got a bunch of patents for 2-in-1 designs, many of which pre-date the Surface by quite some time. They've been thinking about it, but who knows when or if they'll act.
JosephM649
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JosephM649,
 User Rank: Apprentice
9/19/2014 | 3:38:05 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
Apple has already been eclipsed by another company!  It's called Samsung and Android.  They've had the "new" iPhone features for several years, and as the Samsung commercial points out, the Galaxy Note 2 beats out an iPhone Plus because it includes a sylus! It's time Apple looked for another market - maybe buggy whips!
Technocrati
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Technocrati,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/18/2014 | 5:25:21 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap

@Shane     I had a similar experience as an Android user - I wasn't completely sold on the tablet at the time so I proceeded cautiously and bought my first one at 7" only to find out I love the ease of the tablet so much that I needed a larger one for my tired eyes.

I bought the 10" last X-Mas and have sadly hardly looked back at ol' trusty.  I still used the 7" but it long since no longer been my tablet of (first )  choice.

Will this happen to Apple users with their new offerings  ?   Most definitely.

Susan Fourtané
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Susan Fourtané,
 User Rank: Author
9/18/2014 | 6:18:11 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
Shane,

"iPads do seem trapped -- can't go bigger, can't go smaller -- and users will feel that redundancy."

I don't think iPads are caught in any trap. In fact, I think the sequence in size: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad mini, and iPad Air is perfect and couldn't be better. If I were Apple, what I would do next is take the MacBook Air, which is a great device, and make it with a detachable keyboard.   

"Once I bought the Galaxy S5 my Nexus 7 tablet has spent a lot more time on the bench. I basically use it to read Kindle books and not much else."

How you use a device is one of the main reasons --if not the most important-- to consider when choosing a new one. You always have to ask yourself what your needs are. For someone who already uses an iPad Air, or any previous iPad for more than reading books or browse the Web the size of the iPad Air is just fine. When you add a good iPad keyboad (there are some really good out there) you can get a very nice MacBook Pro mini sort of thing. It's perfect if you do a lot of writing. 

I know someone who does a lot of writing on his iPad. Not long ago he said maybe the iPad mini would have been better, as it's smaller and he could still do his writing. Much also depends on the individual's preferences and needs. 

I have an iPad Air. The size is perfect. I do some writing on it and use the touchscreen keyboard, which works very well. I prefer tablets to phones, which means I am not the person who would upgrade her phone too often. However, I see the iPhone 6 Plus attractive because of the bigger screen. Which one would I choose between iPhone 6 Plus and iPad mini? I don't know yet. 

If I would have to choose between the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus I choose the iPhone 6 Plus, probably because of what I said above about me not being a phone addict. I spent almost two years without carrying or using a phone as an experiment. :) Great insight I got, not to mention the freedom of being unreachable when I wanted.

As for OS, I love Apple's OS X and iOS and wouldn't change them for anything else simply because Apple has the best OSs. :) So, as Michael was saying, the iOS 8 is going to be important when people decide what tablet or phone to buy next. It's a combination of hardware and software what makes a device what it is, I believe.

-Susan 

 
nomii
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nomii,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/18/2014 | 7:28:27 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
If I were Apple, what I would do next is take the MacBook Air, which is a great device, and make it with a detachable keyboard.

@Susan: I agree with your suggestion and if I was apple I would have done something to get the iPad user familiar with the MAC OS as there would be many who prefers iPad as a tablet and windows OS on their laptops/desktops. A reverse approach used by MS would have an interesting idea like they refabricated their windows (the more popular product) to promote mobile OS, similarly Apple can use their iOS (more dominating product) to support Mac.
ChrisMurphy
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ChrisMurphy,
 User Rank: Author
9/18/2014 | 10:21:23 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
I have a Mini, and I use it pretty much every day. But it has always felt overpriced, from the moment I bought it, for what I'd use it for. It's a web browser and sometimes Pandora player, that's all. I thought I would use it for taking notes on the go, using Penultimate, since I had started doing that with iPad and found it too big. But I just never warmed to usign the iPad that way. I wouldn't replace the Mini. I think the perfect combo is a 6-inch phone and an instant-on lightweight laptop.
PedroGonzales
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PedroGonzales,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/18/2014 | 11:18:51 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
@ChristMurphy.  I think so too. I think that a really lightweight laptop with a removable keyboard would deter the need of getting a tablet.  I have a samsung tablet. I really like it.  I think that it is right that Apple shouldn't depend on just a single product.  Nothing lasts forever.  If they do not provide greater support for their tablets, Samsung and others may just do that.  There is just so much vareity now, google Chrome, microsoft surface, kindle fire than anything goes in the tablet market.   
ChrisMurphy
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ChrisMurphy,
 User Rank: Author
9/18/2014 | 11:27:57 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
I'm not even sure about the detachable keyboard, @PedroGonzales, though I haven't used Surface and am open minded. My world depends on that workhorse laptop, so I want zero compromise on the laptop experience, esp the keyboard. TDB
PedroGonzales
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PedroGonzales,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/19/2014 | 9:47:06 AM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
Me too.  For work, I don't think a tablet can replace a laptop.  I'm hoping someday there will be a really light laptop.  Even better than the macbook air.  My laptop is really heavy, I try not to take it with me only if it's absolutely necessary.
Alison_Diana
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Alison_Diana,
 User Rank: Author
9/23/2014 | 5:19:17 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
Yes, when i go to conferences I increasingly see people with tablets but I much prefer typing on my heavier MacBook. And I actually prefer my Kindle for tablet-like tasks like reading or looking up a website. Despite owning an iPad and a Kindle, I use my Kindle Fire a lot more than the iPad, even though i have a keyboard for the iPad.
nomii
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nomii,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/22/2014 | 2:57:27 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
@Pedro the heat is on in the tablet market which some time ago was seen in the laptop market. I think phablet is something to watch about as well. I believe that having a smart phone with a bit bigger screen will serve all purposes till the time we have some thing extra ordinary piece of equipment getting out attention.
ChrisMurphy
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ChrisMurphy,
 User Rank: Author
9/22/2014 | 3:27:19 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
I mentioned to a friend about getting the large screen iPhone, and she said "no, then everyone can see my business." Bigger not always better. Her triple pack is PC-iPhone-Kindle, with the Kindle just for reading.
Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
9/22/2014 | 3:59:47 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
@Chris,

I've seen smartphone covers that are supposed to limit the angle of view such that it's fine for the user but harder to see for onlookers. I haven't tried one, though. Not sure how satisfying this would be in practice for someone concerned about this. Anyone tried it?
nomii
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nomii,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/22/2014 | 2:54:04 PM
Re: iPads caught in a trap
@Chris you might be right but I have people for whom the price is just perfect. I believe it is basically the nature of work they are intended to do. Many a time a much expensive thing cannot do which some thing of few bucks can deliver.
ConradJohnson
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ConradJohnson,
 User Rank: Apprentice
9/17/2014 | 4:40:08 PM
Does anyone actually "use" their ipad minis?
I know a lot of people bought the mini, I've never actually seen someone use it.
hhendrickson274
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hhendrickson274,
 User Rank: Apprentice
9/18/2014 | 2:39:21 PM
Possible alternative
One could make an argument that Apple is working on new MacBook Air with a 12" touch screen if you look at some of the rumours out of the supply chain regarding a potental 12" touch-screen.  That would make sense as it's in the middle of the current Air line-up and with the slow merger of the iOS and OS X platforms, I can see them doing some work to come up with a touch-enabled OS X as a dot release of 10.10 or 10.11.


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