When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad in 2010, he claimed it would be more powerful than a smartphone and more convenient than a laptop.
However, more than a decade later, the iPad does not appear to have fulfilled this promise.
As smartphones have become larger and more powerful, iPad sales have fallen, accounting for just six percent of Apple’s revenue this year.
Despite this, Apple made headlines this week after introducing a new iPad Pro and iPad Air.
This has left some gadget fans on social media wondering: who’s still buying iPads?
Since the launch of the iPad in 2010, sales have fallen from their initial peak, leading many to ask: “Who’s still buying iPads?”
When it first appeared, the iPad was Apple’s most successful product launch to date, selling more than a million tablets in less than a month and selling 25 million within a year.
But since that much-hyped launch, the product seems to have fallen out of favor.
In the second quarter of 2024, Apple revealed that iPad revenue fell 17 percent from the same period last year, falling to £4.48 billion ($5.6 billion) from £5.36 billion ( $6.7 billion).
Likewise, iPad sales fell 25 percent in the first quarter of the year.
While Jobs predicted that the iPad would fill a gap between the iPad and the Macbook, this may be one of the few times the Apple founder failed.
According to research firm IDC, approximately 1.1 billion smartphones were sold worldwide in 2023, while only 130 million iPads and other tablets were sold.
While the tech giant made a staggering $23 billion quarterly profit in 2023, this was largely due to increased iPhone sales. Meanwhile, iPad sales fell 10 percent and will continue to decline through 2024.
This comes as Apple announces a series of updates to its tablet line, including a new iPad Pro (pictured), which will be Apple’s thinnest product.
This suggests that tablets may simply be an inferior technological option compared to the convenience of increasingly capable smartphones.
And, according to some gadget fans on social media, the iPad really isn’t worth buying.
On X (formerly Twitter), one tech enthusiast wrote: “Who’s still buying iPads?”
Another asked: ‘Do people still buy iPads? Except for graphic designers and bad parents, nobody needs an iPad.’
Meanwhile, one commenter added that “people buy iPads only to realize they don’t need them.”
On X, formerly Twitter, gadget fans asked why anyone would want to buy an iPad
Some commentators believe that the iPad doesn’t perform any specific task well enough to carve out a niche between a laptop and a smartphone.
Some commenters even expressed regret over purchasing an iPad.
The iPad still has defenders on social media, including those who say it’s a good option for taking notes.
One student wrote on X that the iPad had “changed the game.”
They added: ‘There is no need to carry heavy books. Take notes on iPad and access them from any device you want. Finding specific details in my study notes has never been easier.’
Another commenter stated that “in fact, lawyers are lining up to buy iPads.”
The commenter noted that the tablets were much more convenient in the courtroom than carrying bags of files or documents and were a “huge relief.”
However, the iPad still has its defenders and some claim that it is a good tool for students to take notes.
One social media user even claimed that lawyers are “lining up to buy iPads” because of their convenience.
Apple may hope that the larger screens and powerful processors of its new iPad line will attract more customers looking for an upgrade from its aging technology.
At Apple’s recent ‘Let Loose’ event, CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company was still ready to invest in its tablet line.
Cook called the event “the biggest day for iPad since its introduction” and revealed some major updates for the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad accessories.
The iPad Air has been offered a significantly larger option in the new 13′ model for those who want more screen real estate without the cost of the Pro model.
Both the 11′ model, which costs £599 (US price $599), and the 13′ model which costs £799 ($799) also get the M2 chip.
According to Apple, this should make both models about 50 percent faster than the 2020 model that was powered by the M1 chip.
But the biggest updates were reserved for the iPad Pro, which will now feature the new M4 chip.
The new iPad Pro 13′ is just 5.1mm thick, making it the thinnest product available from Apple and much thinner and lighter than previous models.
The biggest change is the inclusion of the M4 chip in the iPad Pro, which is supposed to be 50 percent faster than the previous M2 chip.
Tim Cook called it “an outrageously powerful chip for AI” and promised it would be at least 50 percent faster than the old M2 chip.
The iPad Pro is also now significantly thinner and lighter than before and now has sharper displays, courtesy of what Apple calls Ultra Retina XDR.
The 11′ model costing £999 ($999) is 5.3mm thick, while the 13′ version costing £1,299 ($1,299) is just 5.1mm thick, making it the Apple’s thinnest product.
The Magic Pencil, Apple’s £129 ($129) stylus, also has haptic controls in the form of a “squeeze function” and the ability to roll the pencil to change the shape of the brush.
Those prone to losing their pens will also be relieved to know that the device now supports the Find My feature.
The Magic Keyboard accessory also received some attention, with an aluminum exterior and a larger trackpad that Apple says “feels like using a MacBook.”
Apple also revealed updates to iPad accessories, such as the Magic Pencil (pictured), which now features haptic controls and support for the Find My feature.
Despite the iPad’s poor track record, analysts are confident this could be a step in the right direction.
Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, told MailOnline: ‘The new range includes significant improvements that will appeal to a wide range of users, consumers and businesses alike.
“Importantly, this comes at a time when current iPad owners will be looking to upgrade.”
Pescatore notes that the options for a larger screen and more powerful chip could be a powerful incentive for customers looking for an alternative to their current technology.
He adds that this “represents a final step towards completely abandoning the laptop, given the wealth of new features and multitasking capabilities.”
The inclusion of the M4 chip also stands out as a particularly strong selling point due to its AI potential.
This powerful chip is supposedly 400 times faster than the M2 when it comes to graphics and features a “neural processor” for AI faster than anything else on the market.
With Apple’s Developer Conference coming up next month, the company may be ready to reveal more AI-based updates to utilize this hardware.
