People who buy these are "Tablet lovers who want more input options from Apple's iPad. Artists and note takers. Cutting edge early adopters. "
Seems a very niche product to me, and there is only so far you can push a touchscreen with a mobile OS.
Apple are spinning on their hardware wondering where to take it next, when they should be concentrating on their software. The future is software, that controls the market, and Google is the one that is making all our lives easier not just those who can afford Apple device's.
Agreed. The only difference is that the first 2 comments were phrased as absolutist in their response, that's all. I can't speak for them but I suspect they both implied that their comment probably was meant … for some. I also think that's what Schiller meant, since he did add the bit about 600 million PCs that are over 6 years old. That puts them just before the iPad came out. I know many people who bought PCs just for email, browsing, Facebook, photos, music, solitaire, etc. Remember that 6 years ago, all those tasks required a desktop OS running on a PC or laptop for those who had no use for a smartphone nor its diminutive screen. I also know a lot of people who bought iPads for those same tasks after 2010, mostly because they didn't even want to buy a computer out of intimidation even though they were very curious to do those tasks, my mother is a case in point. Apple is positioning the iPad as a PC replacement for those kind of people and many more, but they are not positioning it for a replacement of all PCs or the desktop environment, at least for many years still, if ever. That's why iOS and macOS will remain distinct for the simple reason that it's …
I think the replacement trend will continue inexorably and the iPad will gradually replace more tasks currently still done in a desktop environment but never will they replace all applications, they just simply can't and they won't, just like cars will never replace all pickup trucks and it has nothing to do with the dashboard or upholstery. And all the attempts of combining them might survive as a niche but will most likely parallel the El Camino.
I agree with you that iPad can replace PC's for some tasks (in some cases even paper and pencil are capable of that). But I find interesting that Apple just focus the iPad Pro as a desktop replacement, and not the Air or previous models. What's the difference between an iPad Air with keyboard and a iPad Pro with keyboard as desktop replacements? For a lot of people they are the same, since they, as you said, still using iPads for FB, photos, music and games. I don't need an iPad Pro as a desktop replacement to do that. iPad Mini and iPad Air a great in those tasks.
But for Apple, iPad Pro (not iPad Air) is the desktop replacement option because they think it does more, when the only real difference is that it's faster. If you saw the last year keynote, they showed MS Office and Adobe apps. They want customers to think iPad Pro is a real desktop replacement. IMO, iPad Air and iPad Pro gives you the same experience when are being use as "desktops". Plus I have to navigate the UI the same way people do in touchscreen notebooks. Isn't that weird? Even SJ dislike the idea.
Remember when Tim Cook criticize Surface Pro for being a toaster / fridge? I think the toaster / fridge is a better desktop replacement than the iPad Pro in it's current state. Maybe things will change in the future.
Starting price of $599 may be too steep for some. - That's why the Air2 still exists. I paid $500 for an iPad 2 five years ago. This is a lot more capable, faster, much thinner with a better display and a lot more features. No issue with it starting at $599.
RAM stays at 2 gigabytes, matching iPad Air 2 - So what? Doesn't seem to hinder performance.
Lightning port is USB 2, only 12.9-inch model has faster USB 3 - Isn't for me, but acknowledged this might be an issue for some.
Your analogy on price is stupid. Every new version of the iPad offered more, but retained the same price points for six years. So now Apple releases an updated iPad and decides to jack up the price by $100 and $150 more, and you don't see the problem in that? The iPad Air 2 with 128GB was $699. Now the same iPad with a bump in processor, pencil support, and the same amount of memory is $150 more. All you get is an updated screen and an A9X, but a jacked up price. Previous model updates always retained the same price. Then tack on another $250 if you want a cute little pencil and a keyboard cover that has an unattractive huge bump in it. And you still don't see the problem in that? By the way, you cannot buy the iPad Air 2 with 128GB anymore, because Apple is now forcing you to pay the $150 premium.
RAM remaining at 2GB is an insult when the previous iPad Pro touted 4GB of RAM as part of it's 'Pro' moniker. Compare it with the larger iPad Pro and you will see a performance issue running multiple apps. You have no idea because you were using an iPad 2.
The new iPads should all support USB 3 since Macs have been using USB 3 for years.
Starting price of $599 may be too steep for some. - That's why the Air2 still exists. I paid $500 for an iPad 2 five years ago. This is a lot more capable, faster, much thinner with a better display and a lot more features. No issue with it starting at $599.
RAM stays at 2 gigabytes, matching iPad Air 2 - So what? Doesn't seem to hinder performance.
Lightning port is USB 2, only 12.9-inch model has faster USB 3 - Isn't for me, but acknowledged this might be an issue for some.
Your analogy on price is stupid. Every new version of the iPad offered more, but retained the same price points for six years. So now Apple releases an updated iPad and decides to jack up the price by $100 and $150 more, and you don't see the problem in that? The iPad Air 2 with 128GB was $699. Now the same iPad with a bump in processor, pencil support, and the same amount of memory is $150 more. All you get is an updated screen and an A9X, but a jacked up price. Previous model updates always retained the same price. Then tack on another $250 if you want a cute little pencil and a keyboard cover that has an unattractive huge bump in it. And you still don't see the problem in that? By the way, you cannot buy the iPad Air 2 with 128GB anymore, because Apple is now forcing you to pay the $150 premium.
RAM remaining at 2GB is an insult when the previous iPad Pro touted 4GB of RAM as part of it's 'Pro' moniker. Compare it with the larger iPad Pro and you will see a performance issue running multiple apps. You have no idea because you were using an iPad 2.
The new iPads should all support USB 3 since Macs have been using USB 3 for years.
Many users here are caught up in Apple's reality distortion field to realize that just because Apple has done it a certain way for a number of years, doesn't mean the consumer shouldn't be expecting more in the same price range. This iPad launched around a year and a half after the iPad Air 2, 6 more months and we'd have an iPad Air 4 if Apple stuck to annual refreshes. 18 months after the A8X and the A9X in the same body can't offer 2x performance, yet everyone is acting like the A9X is some sort of justification for the price increase.
Geekbench 3 multi-core:
iPad Air - 2650 iPad Air 2 - 4527 iPad Pro 9.7 - 5179
GFXBench Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen:
iPad Air - 14.3 FPS iPad Air 2 - 43.5 FPS iPad Pro 9.7 - 51.3 FPS
Apple's iPad line up is just getting more and more confusing. I think with their current lineup will confuse customers. They are starting to have to many different models. On top of that the new model they released is smaller and has newer features that it's bigger counter part. I remember a 1 year ago we had a debate on putting Mac OS X on the iPad. Now with these bigger models it's never been more evident that IOS is just not up to par for a device that size. It also mind boggles me that iOS still lacks a file exploerer and the ability to attach multiple documents to a email. I think customers that don't need to do to much artistic work should just stick to getting a MacBook Air.
I imagine the 9.7" iPad Pro replaces the iPad Air/iPad previous much like the MacBook Pro replaced the MacBook as it's flagship laptop.
Likewise the Macbook/MacBook Air are not compelling products when put beside the MacBook Pro looking at the specs alone. So the iPad Mini, and the iPhone SE are geared towards people who want the smaller/lighter product.
About the only case where Apple has no idea what it's doing is with the AppleTV and Mac Pro products. The AppleTV should literately be a "headless" iPad Pro, while the MacMini should be a "headless" iMac. The current Mac Pro looks "cute" but it's not what professionals want. The AppleTV, MacMini and MacPro need to be user-upgradeable with storage, and arguably the RAM should be upgradeable as well. I know Steve Job's industrial design basically mandates that "no user serviceable parts inside" but this creates way too much waste.
If we were talking about companies being "green" Apple might be green in terms of the production pipeline, but it's products are a major e-waste contributor due to these "sealed box" industrial designs. Intel isn't helping on this front either. Sure I can buy the idea that a computer doesn't really have 7 years of useful life, but we hit the Moore's Law wall in 2008 and everything after that has been about reducing power consumption. But if the devices aren't really improving year over year, why should we replace them every 3 years instead of just replacing the "wear part", eg the NAND memory.
But the alternatives are worse. Computers are the only thing that where upgrades are even considered. Imagine if you replaced your "dumb" TV every 3 years instead of holding onto it like 30 years (like people did with color CRT's.) The batteries and NAND memory won't last 5 years in current devices, and you're lucky if you can buy a LCD TV that lasts more than 10 (The LCD screen I have right now was purchased around 9 years ago and the top of the screen is starting to get some image persistence problems.) This is the same kind of problem that the iPad, iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro and iMac would have.
I wish Apple would stop promoting the iPad as *a replacement for the PC*.
Ten years ago my dad had no choice but to buy and learn to work with a PC because there were no iPads around. Today, he simply doesn't have to bother with all the complicated PC concepts, he just uses his iPad (and no PC).
Does that mean the iPad is a replacement for the PC?
No, it doesn't. A PC is still a PC. It wasn't meant to be for my dad in the first place. It was overkill for him at the time. Hence my concern that Apple might alienate my dad by making the iPad act and look like a PC: The split window view, the floating window and the keyboard cover - soon with integrated trackpad? - all echo the complicated world of the PC. Which is a bad evolution. Contrast this with the pencil, and how the pencil enhances the original iPad's concept of creating a device in its own category, in between the iPhone and PC.
People who buy these are "Tablet lovers who want more input options from Apple's iPad. Artists and note takers. Cutting edge early adopters. "
Seems a very niche product to me, and there is only so far you can push a touchscreen with a mobile OS.
Apple are spinning on their hardware wondering where to take it next, when they should be concentrating on their software. The future is software, that controls the market, and Google is the one that is making all our lives easier not just those who can afford Apple device's.
Nothing Google has ever done has made my life easier by one iota.
With both iBooks and my PDF files, I like to read/annotate in portrait mode. Yet, when one uses the Apple keyboard, this is impossible to do -- one is stuck with landscape.
It's six years into the iPad. Why is there no solution yet from Apple for this simple issue (I've written to them about a couple of times, over the years)? Or is there, and I am just unaware of it? Is there a third-party solution that someone might be aware of?
First off you "complained a couple times over the past six years.....I'm amazed that Apple hasn't responded to your fervent efforts. Seriously....get a stand that allows you to prop your iPad up in portrait mode and pair it to a wireless keyboard. Problem solved.
Comments
Seems a very niche product to me, and there is only so far you can push a touchscreen with a mobile OS.
Apple are spinning on their hardware wondering where to take it next, when they should be concentrating on their software. The future is software, that controls the market, and Google is the one that is making all our lives easier not just those who can afford Apple device's.
But for Apple, iPad Pro (not iPad Air) is the desktop replacement option because they think it does more, when the only real difference is that it's faster. If you saw the last year keynote, they showed MS Office and Adobe apps. They want customers to think iPad Pro is a real desktop replacement. IMO, iPad Air and iPad Pro gives you the same experience when are being use as "desktops". Plus I have to navigate the UI the same way people do in touchscreen notebooks. Isn't that weird? Even SJ dislike the idea.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Steve-Jobs-Touchscreen-Laptops-Don-t-Work-AAPL-2477126.php
Remember when Tim Cook criticize Surface Pro for being a toaster / fridge? I think the toaster / fridge is a better desktop replacement than the iPad Pro in it's current state. Maybe things will change in the future.
RAM remaining at 2GB is an insult when the previous iPad Pro touted 4GB of RAM as part of it's 'Pro' moniker. Compare it with the larger iPad Pro and you will see a performance issue running multiple apps. You have no idea because you were using an iPad 2.
The new iPads should all support USB 3 since Macs have been using USB 3 for years.
Geekbench 3 multi-core:
iPad Air - 2650
iPad Air 2 - 4527
iPad Pro 9.7 - 5179
GFXBench Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen:
iPad Air - 14.3 FPS
iPad Air 2 - 43.5 FPS
iPad Pro 9.7 - 51.3 FPS
Likewise the Macbook/MacBook Air are not compelling products when put beside the MacBook Pro looking at the specs alone. So the iPad Mini, and the iPhone SE are geared towards people who want the smaller/lighter product.
About the only case where Apple has no idea what it's doing is with the AppleTV and Mac Pro products. The AppleTV should literately be a "headless" iPad Pro, while the MacMini should be a "headless" iMac. The current Mac Pro looks "cute" but it's not what professionals want. The AppleTV, MacMini and MacPro need to be user-upgradeable with storage, and arguably the RAM should be upgradeable as well. I know Steve Job's industrial design basically mandates that "no user serviceable parts inside" but this creates way too much waste.
If we were talking about companies being "green" Apple might be green in terms of the production pipeline, but it's products are a major e-waste contributor due to these "sealed box" industrial designs. Intel isn't helping on this front either. Sure I can buy the idea that a computer doesn't really have 7 years of useful life, but we hit the Moore's Law wall in 2008 and everything after that has been about reducing power consumption. But if the devices aren't really improving year over year, why should we replace them every 3 years instead of just replacing the "wear part", eg the NAND memory.
But the alternatives are worse. Computers are the only thing that where upgrades are even considered. Imagine if you replaced your "dumb" TV every 3 years instead of holding onto it like 30 years (like people did with color CRT's.) The batteries and NAND memory won't last 5 years in current devices, and you're lucky if you can buy a LCD TV that lasts more than 10 (The LCD screen I have right now was purchased around 9 years ago and the top of the screen is starting to get some image persistence problems.) This is the same kind of problem that the iPad, iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro and iMac would have.
Ten years ago my dad had no choice but to buy and learn to work with a PC because there were no iPads around. Today, he simply doesn't have to bother with all the complicated PC concepts, he just uses his iPad (and no PC).
Does that mean the iPad is a replacement for the PC?
No, it doesn't. A PC is still a PC. It wasn't meant to be for my dad in the first place. It was overkill for him at the time. Hence my concern that Apple might alienate my dad by making the iPad act and look like a PC: The split window view, the floating window and the keyboard cover - soon with integrated trackpad? - all echo the complicated world of the PC. Which is a bad evolution. Contrast this with the pencil, and how the pencil enhances the original iPad's concept of creating a device in its own category, in between the iPhone and PC.
>:x
Nothing Google has ever done has made my life easier by one iota.