Apple seen in 'no rush' to release iPad 3 as competitors struggle - Page 2

They could call it: the split-personality or the two-faced or double-trouble.

The stuff Microsoft have been showing for Windows 8 on tablets is seriously impressive. They may of course fail to sell just as the also excellent Windows Phone has, but we shall see. Either way it will hopefully force Apple to finally innovate in the tablet space, instead of continuing to rely on an oversized iPod Touch.

There is no need to release a new iPad, it already runs the current A5 chip, all Apple need to do is refresh the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple TV so that they all run the same hardware (probably keep the Apple TV as is).

The iPad 2 is already head and shoulders above the competition leaving Apple to focus on the A6 based products without having to spend any time/money refreshing the iPad at this point. They are already behind with the iPhone update this year and the iPhone sales haven't even dipped.

Sometimes I wonder if it's really battery life or component costs that drive their design decisions....

Let's face it. Apple only has to be marginally better than the competition. And their fans will snap up their products. Who in this crowd for example would seriously consider anything but an iPhone, even though by all (non-AI) accounts there are highly competitive alternatives? Kudos to them for building such a loyal fanbase. That alone must be the envy of every tech and non-tech company out there. But that does create a strong temptation to slack off when you know that people will buy your products because, well it's an iPad/iPhone/iPod/etc.

you should give windows 8 a whirl, its woeful using it with a mouse but looks like it will be ok on a tablet.

You are doing pretty well on your own and I encourage you to keep thinking critically about it.

For example, you have more specifically said "legacy". Now what does that mean? Of course it includes apps compiled in languages like C++ that are directly compiled to x86 code. But now let's consider "existing" and "legacy" .net apps. Are there any more "types" of legacy apps? What kind of apps would continue working that are not Legacy apps? Silverlight apps perhaps? Let's think about it. Maybe we can come up with more.

Additionally, the poster implied that Windows 8 would only work on Tablets with ARM processors. Now we all know Microsoft and Intel have always had this stupid and crazy idea that tablets could run on an Intel platform. And Microsoft also stated there is no reason to stop going down this crazy and pointless path.

This is a stupid comparison. Apple is nothing like Micro$oft, and you know it. I fully agree with this article's premise. Apple should not rush out an iPad 3 just for sake of "staying current" when it's so far ahead anyway. I'm personally going to wait for iPad 3 before buying one anyway. Don't care how long that is.

iPadX still has to stay on top.

When to refresh isn't 100% down to Apple's progress in innovation, but to tie in with progress that is being made with components. e.g Apple uses it's own 'custom' chips, but this is really adaption of available technology. Once quad-core ARMs are available, and within power requirements, Apple will want to make sure its iPad is not too long in being refreshed to take advantage of them.

It's an oversized iPod Touch to you, but to many of us, it is an indispensable tool with quite a bit of versatility, owing to the ingenuity and determination of both Apple and it's developers.

My doctor has my entire cancer history on a server that can be accessed on iPad, CT scans and all. He shows me and reviews with his interns all the relevant info I need to know.

Now, ask yourself, could I really see all that on an iPod Touch? Sure, if I get my glasses and we all crowd around the tiny device.

Think big kotatsu. Get out of the box once in awhile. You might like what you see.

This reply perfectly sets up microsoft's problem. You can tell us what it will be when it comes out, but you don't actually know. The entire tablet is in "windows vista" state right now, by which i mean the specs, changes, capabilities, and processes are all subject to change. Could the majority be on ARM and could ARM be plenty fast enough and could the heat be a non-issue? Yeah, could be. Could they fail to make the transition, have difficulty with cpus, decide to try to make legacy apps run on these things, have a huge customer backlash and end up selling 4 inch thick touchscreen laptops? Yeah, they could.

In fact they are still leaving that open in the market speak. The final product is still largely unknown, just like vista kept changing from month to month until it became the train wreck it was.

I like the metro UI, and i think MS has their first viable product since 3.1 and their first original product ever. I am looking forward to it. If it works. History says there is at least an even chance it will be delayed 2-3 years and be 5 years behind both OS X and linux when it finally arrives.

Call it FUD if you want, but history shows that the sun tends to rise in the east at my house, and MS tends to over promise and under deliver.

The "no rush" comment was just someone's opinion. In reality Apple is always moving full speed. They only delay things if the product is not yet meeting their high standards.

users suffered from day one when MS forced that turd called IE on users. failing of the legal system to force its removal the moment MS baked it in.

I have never seen a tablet in the wild other than iPads. I picture warehouses and back rooms with stacks of unsold non-iPads gathering dust like the crates at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Whether that's true or not, it's irrelevant.

The success of the iPod, iPad and iPhone came not from Apple selling to their fans, but from convincing people who were not already Apple customers to buy. The overwhelming success of these products has been because Apple convinced people who were not "Apple fans" to buy. And that requires more than 'marginally better' - especially given all the endless anti-Apple FUD coming from people like you.

Furthermore, it's silly to say that Apple doesn't need to improve even if you ignore that factor. Apple wants to sell more products. Even if their only market were people who were already Apple fans, the faster Apple improves the product, the sooner the 'fans' will replace their older version. Apple has plenty of incentive to improve.

In fact, since Apple is so far ahead of the competition at this point, the latter is arguably more important. Their need to get existing customers to upgrade is probably more of a driver than their need to beat the competition. So Apple has plenty of incentive to improve - even without real competition.



Certainly. Best Buy reportedly sold something like 20,000 TouchPads out of the 300,000+ that had been shipped to them. They were certainly sitting around a lot of warehouses - until HP sold them off at a loss.

Interestingly, that's one of the most interesting dynamics as HP looks for someone to buy WebOS. Given how many Touchpads were sold last month, WebOS may well be the #2 tablet OS in terms of installed base. That gives developers a strong incentive to support it - if someone were to buy the OS and continue to develop it.

The original post that you replied to was


to which you replied


So, by "so many inaccuracies", you meant (1) MS will produce Intel-based tablets (2) these will run all existing software and (3) there are other classes of code that will run on ARM devices? Am I still doing OK on my own, or do I need help now?

There is no reason for Apple to release a new and improved iPad 3 at this point. They are still selling lots of iPad 2s.

They will make more money by waiting. Lots of current iPad 2 customers will buy the 3 as soon as it comes out. There will be less of those who buy both the 2 and the 3 if they release it now.

Apple wants only to maximize total profits. Giving customers the benefit of better machines don't really figure into it. Apple will make more more money by waiting, and that is all that really matters.

Apple most certainly WILL provide improvements to its customers.

They will do it if, as and when providing improvements to its customers will net the company more total profit, compared with waiting longer. You'll see. Don't give up hope!

Certain Apple customers might care about "bragging rights", but Apple doesn't.

Apple cares about profit. If ever Apple does anything that you don't understand, then try this explanation: "Apple is a huge multinational corporation, and they think that doing this will maximize profits, compared to the alternatives."

It works every time. It is the basis of each and every decision Apple makes.

What if they could make less profit by releasing it now, and more profit by releasing it later? Would they choose to "move full speed" for less profit, or "delay" for more profit?

Come back when you have a real situation instead of hypotheticals.

For the past 10 years, Apple has been driving relentlessly to improve its products - even when there's no real competition. Your suggestion that they're going to stop doing that now is completely unsubstantiated and doesn't match their recent history.

You have no information upon which to to base your viewpoint.

I am operating from the premise that Apple seeks to maximize total profit. If you think otherwise, I believe that you are incorrect.

Apple really needs to hurry up and release a new model w/ retina this year, just like all those retarded rumors started by clueless people were saying, otherwise, Apple is in deep shit.

With such super strong contenders from the copytition, like the HP DeathPad, the Rim WackBook and banned Samsung tablets, Apple can't really afford to be sitting on their asses, letting the copytition gain an upper hand. If Apple doesn't do anything, RIM might sell another 83 Playbooks next month, and that would be disastrous.

For every one they sell, ten thousand are "sold" to stores, and you know how much that screws with the real numbers!

Apple is likely going to release an iPad 3 next spring and always was

All this nonsense is from the rumors they were going to release an a new iPad this fall. They probably never had that plan and it was just gossip and more of this expert analyst talk

Bit of advice. Remember when reading anything from these analysts that their job title starts with the word anal. Might help you figure out when they get 99% of their info

Only because you chose to ignore what I wrote. For the past decade, Apple has relentlessly improved its products even when there's no real competition.

They released iPad 2 when no one else had sold any significant numbers of tablets. They released new phones almost annually (in fact, the iPhone 5 will have the longest delay - even though Android is more competition for Apple today than it was 3 years ago - which pretty effectively disproves your allegation). Apple updated MBA - even though the competitors need $300 M from Intel to try to compete - and are just now starting to get there.

Apple's history (at least since Jobs returned) has been to continue to improve their products as fast as they could - so that they could attract new customers as well as convince old customers to upgrade.


Believe what you want. History proves me to be right.

What you don't understand is that Apple's "seeks to maximize total profit" is based on their business strategy. They are not going to seek to maximize total profit by releasing a cheap, commodity computer - even if it might lead to a short term bump in profits. Apple's profitability is based on a relentless drive to improve their products year over year to gain new customers and gain repeat business from old customers. Sitting on their laurels goes against their strategy and would have the effect of LESSENING their profits.

Indeed.

I would also argue that the simple fact that MS has the x86 requirement, added to the fact that intel is their biggest partner, added to the fact that they demoed it first on an Atom chip indicates that MS is rather desperately hoping that intel can pull some magic out of a hat that allows it to compete with ARM.

Microsoft wins big if it can make x86 tablets work in that it's the only real way to make a blended OS. Otherwise, "regular" Windows users are likely to just turn of the Metro UI altogether (you know there will of course be a switch somewhere), and Metro for tablets is likely to fail because the tablet can't access legacy applications.

This leaves their integrated strategy in the dust save for some poor under-performing netbook "switchables" that are unlikely to sell in very large numbers. Business and power users will still continue to use Windows and forget all about Metro. Metro users will have some crappy hot brick of an Atom based ultraportable, or they will have an ARM tablet that doesn't run any Windows programs at all. x86 based tablets (that are competitive in performance and battery life with ARM tablets), would seem crucial to Microsoft's success here IMO.

You say that as if it is a bad thing!

Let's step back a little!

Free Market Economics 101:

The purpose of business[es] is to make a profit at the risk of a loss.


That's it! That's what should drive all free market businesses.

Everything else is secondary!

There, fixed that for you.

1) those things aren't mutually exclusive. I'm pretty sure Apple didn't make the MBA solely to say it was the lightest/thinnest notebook. Recognizing a growing demand and profit played into that as well

2) you act as though only Apple cares about profit. Sorry, but I doubt the other tech companies are in business for altruistic reasons only.

Well said!

Apple is in this for the long haul!

For about a week, now, Apple has been the largest public company in the world -- based on market cap.

Apple did not attain this position by resting on its laurels or sacrificing long term goals by maximizing short term profits.

I don't think it's that bad of a strategy. Everyone is acting like Microsoft's tablet is a single device. I suspect that it will be quite different. MS will offer a range of tablets:

- A low end tablet based on ARM which essentially operates like Apple's iPad. No access to traditional Windows apps (like iPad had no access to traditional Mac OS X apps). Essentially a media consumption device
- A high end tablet based on Intel which operates more like a traditional laptop. Runs conventional x86 apps (perhaps with slight modification) and can be used in place of a laptop. Sort of halfway between an iPad and a laptop. This group could also include a range of products - everything from a simple device which looks like an iPad on steroids up to a full blown laptop. And maybe a convertible (tablet with optional keyboard dock), as well.

Will it work? Who knows. But it has more potential than the existing Android solutions - which are essentially one size fits all solutions that do nothing more than try to mimic the iPad.

very reductionist. However it's not always the way. If Apple worked out that they could use their brand to make more money selling Windows, they wouldn't.

I'm a longtime Apple fan, and was a big critic of Windows 8 when it was announced... it didn't make sense, combing desktop and touchscreen OS's (still doesn't really, but I'll get to that in a moment).

I watched the keynote for the Build conference yesterday, and came away fairly impressed. What I like about Metro is that it is a completely re-imagined touchscreen interface, and not simply an iOS clone *cough*Android*cough*.

I think that Windows 8 tablets may be the first consumer tablets to give the iPad a run for its money.

I also think that, even though Metro runs off of the Win 8 codebase, there will always be a wall between the two OS's. Metro tablets won't run legacy apps, because they have to be recompiled for ARM. Desktop users mostly won't care about running Metro apps, although I think it's highly likely that Windows will adopt a much more Metro look and feel over time, just as Mac OS X is integrating a lot of iOS features.

Apple would be smart to sit on the iPad 3 for now, and release it about the time that MS starts their big marketing push for Metro tablets.

You are bunching e-readers in with tablets? Those are currently two totally different markets. As far as I see it the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook 2 are far superior e-readers to the iPad.

#1 they are almost three times less the cost, smaller and easier to hold for extended reading periods.
#2 they offer a better selection of books and in some cases at cheaper prices.
#3 they are much easier to read for extended periods and in the outdoors (exception being the Nook color).
#4 while Apple has great battery life for their tablet the e-readers can get 30 days on a single charge. Apple can't compete there. Again we go back to these devices apply to very different markets.

Now you may like the all in one convenience of the iPad but some people don't care for it and prefer a single use device specifically for ebooks. The only game in town for e-readers is really the Kindle and Nook. I personally prefer the Kindle selections, more often than not I can find what I want through the Amazon Kindle store where as the iBook store doesn't carry what I am looking for most of the time.

Consulting the magic 8 ball...

Me: Will I be able to sideload the Nook android app on my Kindle tablet?

Magic 8 Ball: Very Doubtful. Are you drunk? Don't drop me you moron.

The last decade called and would like to have their dumb assed "only apple fanbois buy apple stuff" commentary back.

Yes to all points except point #2. You can get Kindle Books, Nook Books, and Google E-Books all in the iOS ecosystem through apps so that's not really a discerning factor. Then you still have iBooks as another e-book marketplace. The iPad (with iOS) provides a bigger selection than any other mobile device.

The iPad easily exceeds the Nook Color on the battery life front. Only the E-Ink readers trump the iPad in that regard.

It would seem that you agree with me. The only difference is properly identifying the ends and the means. The ends will always stay the same. The means change constantly.

And I think that Apple considers timing very, very carefully when doing product release planning.

How in the world do you conclude that I agree with you? You said that Apple would sit on its hands without competition and that they would delay the iPad 3 solely because of lack of competition.

I stated that Apple drives itself and releases products in order to continue to advance the industry whether there's competition or not.

Sounds like you have a reading comprehension problem.