Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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iPhone and Mac sales look strong and the Apple Watch has enjoyed "a great start".
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Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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Cook said that the iPhone was benefiting from greater than ever numbers of Android switchers
I'm not wholly convinced - yes I've heard of people being hacked off and switching back to iPhone, but I've heard almost as many going the other way. And of course Samsung's mishandling of the S6/Edge must have helped them (Apple) out.
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Both larger iPhones and thin and light computers like the MacBook Air are chewing chunks from the iPad sales.
Nope, not my experience. It's actually better Android and Windows-based tablets that are stealing the iPad sales. Surface especially is a pretty compelling proposition.
Loathe or love them, you've got to admire Apple's success.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
Crossy, you'll see in 90% of apple events these days they're comparing themselves to Android, selectively picking statistics which make them appear better than Android yet the simple fact is that Android is the dominant platform in the mobile market. It's not the most profitable, that is apple because for some reason they're 'fashionable' to own.
Also like you I'm not convinced about the switching back to iPhone, I'd argue most of the increase is from opening up to China although the wording 'greater than ever numbers' could mean 2 versus 1 the year before lol. Also a large percentage of apple sales usually go to 'repeat purchases' who are replacing the artificially nerfed 2 year old iPhone or getting a new one while handing the old one down to their children.
I'd say people aren't buying iPads because of 2 reasons, the one they already have is fine for consuming things or people are finally realising that to get work done you're better off with a pc/laptop. Maybe people are getting 'weaned off' apples biggest strength, their marketing and the blogs incessant fanboyism towards Apple products even when there are better products out there.
I'm in the market for some new equipment, I'm already using android and if I don't get another android phone I'm switching to windows phone purely because of the way it will integrate with my 'lifestyle', fixing android to work with MS is getting annoying and it's not down to MS (who are doing everything they can to work everywhere, partially out of need, partially out of common sense I'd like to think), it's down to google stopping the office contacts sync tools for consumers and only giving it to google doc users... yeah that's really going to make me sign up, I've already got office so don't need docs plus it's cheaper to grab a windows phone lol. I'm also after a new tablet, the nexus 7 I've got is too small (still use it occasionally) and so again I'm looking at windows based item, namely the surface pro 4 when it comes out, it's the best for my needs (I want a stylus). Now you might have noticed something in that little paragraph... there's a complete lack of apple hardware being mentioned and I work in the design field, a market that is supposed to be apple's home turf.... the simple reason is this, I don't want a fashion item, I want a best tool for the job.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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Originally Posted by
LSG501
I'd say people aren't buying iPads because of 2 reasons, the one they already have is fine for consuming things or people are finally realising that to get work done you're better off with a pc/laptop. Maybe people are getting 'weaned off' apples biggest strength, their marketing and the blogs incessant fanboyism towards Apple products even when there are better products out there.
I'm in the market for some new equipment, I'm already using android and if I don't get another android phone I'm switching to windows phone purely because of the way it will integrate with my 'lifestyle', Now you might have noticed something in that little paragraph... there's a complete lack of apple hardware being mentioned and I work in the design field, a market that is supposed to be apple's home turf.... the simple reason is this, I don't want a fashion item, I want a best tool for the job.
Pretty well reasoned arguments. But I'm going to disagree with the perception that tablets are for "content consumption" only. A decent tablet - like the Surface or the Transformers - can certainly exceed the utility of a Chromebook (or the Windows equivalent).
I just bought a Lenovo Yoga2 - mainly because Samsung's attitude to bloatware turns me off - and I'm thinking that the pairing of this with a fire-sale HP Touchpad Bluetooth keyboard will help greatly - especially as Microsoft were kind enough to do decent Excel and Word for free (guys @microsoft, I'd happily pay for these apps). I just wished there was a replacement for the Note10.1 - preferably one with deinstallable bloatware.
Last bit is interesting - as you rightly say the "creatives" like yourself have always been iPad's captive market. Hey, maybe we'll finally see some decent guitar apps for Android ... but I'm not holding my breath. But, according to PC World there's only £30 difference between a Surface 3 and an iPad - and I'll argue until I'm blue in the face that the Surface 3 is capable in more areas.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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Originally Posted by
crossy
Pretty well reasoned arguments. But I'm going to disagree with the perception that tablets are for "content consumption" only. A decent tablet - like the Surface or the Transformers - can certainly exceed the utility of a Chromebook (or the Windows equivalent).
You could argue a surface is closer to a laptop (I know I class it more as a full pc) than a slate like the iPad, same goes for the transformers, both were designed with a keyboard in mind from day one, clearly it was the right idea because just look at the number of aftermarket keyboards there are for the iPad lol. I'd disagree over the os side of things on the transformer but pretty much everything is better than a chromebook in my view lol
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Last bit is interesting - as you rightly say the "creatives" like yourself have always been iPad's captive market. Hey, maybe we'll finally see some decent guitar apps for Android ... but I'm not holding my breath. But, according to PC World there's only £30 difference between a Surface 3 and an iPad - and I'll argue until I'm blue in the face that the Surface 3 is capable in more areas.
I'd join in with that argument, I'd back you up whole heartedly with the view that the surface models are much better options than an iPad or android tablet. :)
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
I suspect that lack of sales in iPads is as much a function of there not being a real drive to upgrade. I bought a Mini 2 just before heading out to Australia as the battery life was better than my iPhone 6. There was no real point in considering a mini 3 because as far as I could tell the only thing added was a fingerprint scanner (which I wouldn't use).
In a similar way to PCs, there's very few compelling reasons to upgrade constantly anymore beyond epeen. My late 2013 iMac (the one with the 680GTX) is able to play most games at native res (or very close) with most of the eye candy on, so until it can't I won't be upgrading.
It's also possible that iPhones are canibalising some of the sales in iPads as the screens, sizes and CPU etc are 'good enough', for most of what I'd previously use my iPad for.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
My guess is that iPad sales aren't that great because people don't carry them around. No point buying a new fashion accessory unless your being seen with it ;)
I do not think the Apple kool-aid is wearing off as their handset business seems stronger then ever. It's a real shame as well as they are strangling companies like HTC (who are making very good hardware) and preventing WP adoption (which many won't care about but competition is good)....hell, I have even heard people recently refer to smartphones in general as "iPhones"......
Horrible situation where one company has brainwashed half the worlds population into letting them exploit them......all while the media is full of reports of how much money they are banking and tear-downs showing how much the phones are costing them to make and articles explaining the conditions the workers are enduring.
But hey, your not cool without Apple devices.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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Originally Posted by
LSG501
I'd join in with that argument, I'd back you up whole heartedly with the view that the surface models are much better options than an iPad or android tablet. :)
I wouldn't go that far. I can still find plenty of uses for an iPad or Android tablet - major problem with the Surface is it's high cost, plus there's unsustainable expectation because "it runs Windows" that you'll be able to slap on any old 'doze program and use it on the bus. And that disappointment is higher still when you start looking at the budget W8 tablets like the Linx, basically for every "nerd" that I've seen saying that it's a great device, I've seen two saying that it really annoyed them after a while.
Don't get me wrong - if I was in the market for an iPad or top end Galaxy Tab and I didn't have a particular app that meant that I had to use iOS/Android then Surface is very compelling, (pretty much "must buy") and Surface Pro is strong competition for those "designer" ultrabooks.
I guess the point I'm trying to make (badly) was that 2+ years ago it was a case of "every tablet buyer has an iPad on their shortlist". These days, that's not the case. Sure, iPad still has it's "pick up and go" ability, but then again other devices aren't that much worse. For me, the only reason I'd buy an iPad (2nd hand probably) is because certain guitar apps are iOS only - mainly because of reported latency problems in Android that Google don't care a stuff about.
Other thing is that while I won't buy a Chromebook, they're ideal for those low-demand surfers who would have normally headed to the great silver Apple area. My kid has one and she just loves the lightness, and battery life - plus the large screen and proper keyboard mean that she can use it for long emails, facebook posts, etc as well as the "proper" usages we bought it for. She'd love a Surface instead - but that would have been twice the price at least.
Re: Apple Q3 financials positive but show iPad sales at a four year low
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Originally Posted by
shaithis
hell, I have even heard people recently refer to smartphones in general as "iPhones"......
doesn't help when you get computer stores separating iPads into their own section, 'tablets' in another then sticking the windows slates like the surface and even 2 in 1's like a transformer into another section...
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Originally Posted by
crossy
I wouldn't go that far. I can still find plenty of uses for an iPad or Android tablet - major problem with the Surface is it's high cost, plus there's unsustainable expectation because "it runs Windows" that you'll be able to slap on any old 'doze program and use it on the bus. And that disappointment is higher still when you start looking at the budget W8 tablets like the Linx, basically for every "nerd" that I've seen saying that it's a great device, I've seen two saying that it really annoyed them after a while.
you've got the same issue with iPad (although clearly higher end cheaper) and android. The cheapest iPad (and iPhone) is usually 1 or 2 generations old meaning that OS support will be artificially nerfed (features not supported supposedly) fairly soon after it's no longer sold (it's usually about 3 years from release from what I can see). We all know that buying bottom of the barrel priced android will usually get you rubbish, the exception being the odd mobile phone like the moto g or the nexus models (although their prices have risen now). The simple truth is that if you buy the cheapest option then in most cases there is going to be a compromise.
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I guess the point I'm trying to make (badly) was that 2+ years ago it was a case of "every tablet buyer has an iPad on their shortlist". These days, that's not the case. Sure, iPad still has it's "pick up and go" ability, but then again other devices aren't that much worse. For me, the only reason I'd buy an iPad (2nd hand probably) is because certain guitar apps are iOS only - mainly because of reported latency problems in Android that Google don't care a stuff about.
to be honest I've never 'wanted' an iPad, I was curious when it first came out but it was so restrictive that I was like nah I'll pass. The only time I'd suggest an iPad to someone if they're looking for a slate is when they're less tech savvy and/or old. This is purely because the walled garden approach to iOS is better for that type of user than android/windows in my opinion, not saying the others are bad but the odds of the user breaking something on iOS is less than on the others at the moment. The only reason I'd buy an iPad personally is if I needed it for a business project and even then I'd try and find an alternative solution lol
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Other thing is that while I won't buy a Chromebook, they're ideal for those low-demand surfers who would have normally headed to the great silver Apple area. My kid has one and she just loves the lightness, and battery life - plus the large screen and proper keyboard mean that she can use it for long emails, facebook posts, etc as well as the "proper" usages we bought it for. She'd love a Surface instead - but that would have been twice the price at least.
I'm not so sure this is true anymore, you can get windows with bing or the new cloudbooks (looks like a rebrand if I'm honest) coming soon that can match chromebooks in battery life, lightness etc while still offering a full fledged OS for very similar prices. I can understand google need chromebooks to help push google docs/services etc but I still think theres no reason to buy a chromebook unless (still questionable) you're heavily into google services.
