iPad Pro updates ignite consumer interest, giving a giant boost to sales

AppleInsider

Customers are opting for the high-end iPad Pro models, driving an increase in sales and renewed interest in Apple's tablet line.

iPad Pro refresh helped Apple beat earnings expectations

In May 2024, Apple launched new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, featuring faster processors, improved displays, and slimmer designs. These updates were introduced mid-quarter, offering only a glimpse of their potential market impact.

Nevertheless, the results so far indicate a positive reception from consumers, particularly for the high-end iPad Pro models.

The refreshed iPad models played a crucial role in this quarter's success. The iPad Pro, available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, accounted for 43% of total iPad sales, up from 38% in the previous year, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

iPad Model Share (June quarter of each year)

The iPad Air also saw upgrades, but the sales data suggests that the initial surge of buyers gravitated more toward the Pro models, primarily due to their advanced features and performance. However, the essential iPad continues to maintain steady sales, representing about one-third of all iPad sales for current and previous years.

Its stability can be attributed to its price point and consistent performance, with the last major upgrade occurring in mid-2022.

iPads boosted Apple earnings

These improvements in the iPad lineup contributed to Apple's strong overall performance in quarter three of 2024. Apple reported $85.78 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 4.87% increase year-over-year.

iPad quarterly revenue

The results beat analyst expectations, driven by a significant 23.63% year-over-year increase in iPad sales. Overall, sales for the device reached $7.16 billion.

The successful launch of the new iPad models and strong overall earnings indicate that Apple's strategy to refresh its product lineup and focus on high-end models is paying off. Future quarters will reveal more about the sustained impact of these product updates on the company's market position.



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ShapeshiftingFish

All the while the iPad Pros are as baffling as ever. I have recently ditched my M1 13” Pro in favor of a new MacBook Air. Same weight for schlepping around, but with all the functionality (I do photography, video and music production). I have really tried to make it work for me, but it never really managed to take off. For field work, any iPad with Apple Pencil support was more than adequate (or inadequate). I dare to assume that kind of wishful thinking, that the pro tablet COULD be a full solution, still drives a large parte of iPad Pro sales. Except maybe for Procreate based illustrators, but even there, I find a budget Wacom to be more sensitive than Apple Pencil… Anyone with a better actual experience?

zeus423

Just bought our first iPad (11” Pro) for the family. Very nice!

AniMill

I dare to assume that kind of wishful thinking, that the pro tablet COULD be a full solution, still drives a large parte of iPad Pro sales. Except maybe for Procreate based illustrators, but even there, I find a budget Wacom to be more sensitive than Apple Pencil… Anyone with a better actual experience?

I just got the 11” Pro, but only the 512GB. I use it with AstroPad Studio on my M1 Studio Ultra as a Wacom replacement. It’s much more useful and flexible. With screen mirror and full Apple Pencil support I’m super happy with the utility and performance. If I wanted, I could use it with my MBP M1 14”. I actually use the iPad Pro for a vast portion of my work and consumption cycle. But I agree with you on it being crippled by iPadOS. I wish they’d offer a MacMode when the iPad is connected to a MagicKeyboard. Give us the power it offers running regular Mac apps when connected to the MK and a mouse. No, I don’t think it would cannablize regular MBP, but if it did better to self-cannablize than lose a customer to another platform.

danox

ShapeshiftingFish said:

All the while the iPad Pros are as baffling as ever. I have recently ditched my M1 13” Pro in favor of a new MacBook Air. Same weight for schlepping around, but with all the functionality (I do photography, video and music production). I have really tried to make it work for me, but it never really managed to take off. For field work, any iPad with Apple Pencil support was more than adequate (or inadequate). I dare to assume that kind of wishful thinking, that the pro tablet COULD be a full solution, still drives a large parte of iPad Pro sales. Except maybe for Procreate based illustrators, but even there, I find a budget Wacom to be more sensitive than Apple Pencil… Anyone with a better actual experience?

The iPad Pros are only baffling to the geeks and the You-Tuber talking heads, but they’re not baffling to Apples buying customers who want to use them without Mac OS, my only gripe with Apple is holding back upgrades the of the iPad, the iMac and the Mac Pro, lo and behold Apple upgrades the iPad Pro and sales increase by $2 billion dollars In a quarter with the back-to-school and Christmas quarters coming up, it will be interesting to see the numbers at the end of the 2024 with the best two quarters coming up.

Maybe Apple will stop leaving money on the table now that there’s a probability of that $20 billion dollars from Google is going away? Hopefully it will lead too a more timely release schedule for all the Apple hardware iPad, iMac, Mac Studio, Mac Pros and maybe spark an appearance of some sort of Mac server/software ecosystem leveraging Apple Silicon, the current follies of Intel, Microsoft and CrowdStrike should be answered with a competitive disruption?

iOS_Guy80

I am really enjoying the 13 inc iPad Pro with M4 chip.

charlesn

For numerous generations now, the iPad story has remained the same: all dressed up with nowhere to go. I really thought this would be the year when Apple would finally give us an iPadOS worthy of the iPad hardware, but no. The Wall Street Journal review of the latest Pros really put it best: "It's like driving a Ferrari on a golf course." 

foregoneconclusion

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Apple didn't create the iPad to be a substitute for an Apple laptop. They created the iPad to fit into the functionality gaps between the iPhone and Apple laptops. In other words, there are things that the iPad does better than either of those products. Not everything. Some things. 

danox

iOS_Guy80 said:

I am really enjoying the 13 inc iPad Pro with M4 chip.

I can’t wait to see the other Apple devices coming in the near future that use the M4 chip, each will be the best in class when they are released.

Synapcis

I’ve been using one of the M family iPads with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil for the last three years, almost exclusively as my work computer. Before that I used the first generation iPad Pro with folio keyboard for all of my creative work. I run a company building VR software for wellness applications. I do a ton of graphics, use Freeform and write extensive scientific papers all on the iPad Pros. I have had the M1, M2 and M4 13 inch models (I know the first two wee 12.9 inches). Each has been seamless in transition and an improvement over prior models. Honestly, I’ve only used my loaded last of its kind Intel MacBook Pro for uploading Sidequest apps to test. I don’t miss Mac OS at all and find the multitasking in iOS meets my needs. I never feel like I’m compromising anything, other than missing using Motion on my Mac. When I do use the Mac it feels clunky, despite using Macs since the first 128 k 2495 dollar introduction. I ran a successful medical practice on Macs. I have loved Macs, but I find the iPad so much more enjoyable and productive. I own and love the Vision Pro and we are developing our programs for that, as well. There is a lot of work on just bringing it up to date from a software standpoint with the iPad OS. Already, it allows for real computer work, unlike the Quest. It needs more refinement and integration with programs common to its platform and iPad OS. How cool would it be to edit photos with a 10 foot diagonal measurement?