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iPads aren’t doing so well, worse than analysts expected (but we have known this now for quite some time so it isn’t exactly a surprise). Everything else is pre

by arrrg 12y ago

iPads aren’t doing so well, worse than analysts expected (but we have known this now for quite some time so it isn’t exactly a surprise). Everything else is pretty much above analyst expectations, weirdly enough, even the iPod (who still buys that?). To be honest, as a consumer I would be ok with this, if not for the software ecosystem. (I like the iPad and it’s useful to me personally. What do I care whether it sets the world on fire.) Devs jumping ship is something I do worry about, but it seems with size classes Apple is working towards making changing the UI depending on device size easier – and if devs have to change their UI anyway for the larger phones the extra work of making that UI viable on an iPad is hopefully still worth it in the future. (Or maybe Apple could do something cool with iPads. The hardware is already pretty mature, but on the software side there is lots of room for making it a more powerful device. Maybe that will help sell more in the future. Or maybe not.)

IBM 12y ago
iPad is much bigger than Mac ever was and it's had great developer support.
- arrrg 12y ago
  Well, I think it’s more complicated than that. What I do enjoy about the Mac are these small indie devs, selling their software at relatively high prices (read: $50 instead of $3). The Mac doesn’t have all the software, but it has some really cool, high-quality software that shares my values when it comes to design and UI. The App Store (to some extent even the App Store on the Mac) was never really like that and always a more toxic place with cutthroat pricing. You can’t sell $50 software on the iPad (even $10 software is hard to sell), so the situation is just a different one on that device. I mean, devs are frustrated with their inability to make money on the iPhone by just charging for software – and that device is way, way, way bigger than the Mac ever was. Selling software on iOS has its own quirks that makes it different from the Mac. That said, it has always been harder to find devs that share my values on iOS, so maybe that's a general problem of the platform (maybe it’s just a problem with discoverability and there are in fact more devs that share my values on iOS than on the Mac!) and has not a lot to do with how well these devices sell.
  - eropple 12y ago
    You can sell $50 software on the iPad if you've got a real need. Lemur was $50 when I bought it, though it's $25 now.
ChuckMcM 12y ago
Generally I agree with that. I was underwhelmed by the iPad Air 2 intro (and name for that matter :-). One of the things that stands out for me is that people with "large" phones tend to talk on them with a headset. Once you make that jump then the size of the phone becomes somewhat irrelevant. I keep hoping they will add phone capabilities to the iPad mini, and create a larger version of the iPad air. The notion earlier of checking out the Surface Pro 3 intrigued me, it is a nice piece of hardware but the reading experience is not as nice as the iPad. We'll see. Bottom line I agree that from this report it seems like iPad is under performing the rest of the portfolio. Tim if you're reading please make a 12 - 13" iPad, I'll buy one of those today if you make it. :-)

by arrrg 12y ago

IBM 12y ago

iPad is much bigger than Mac ever was and it's had great developer support.

arrrg 12y ago
Well, I think it’s more complicated than that. What I do enjoy about the Mac are these small indie devs, selling their software at relatively high prices (read: $50 instead of $3). The Mac doesn’t have all the software, but it has some really cool, high-quality software that shares my values when it comes to design and UI. The App Store (to some extent even the App Store on the Mac) was never really like that and always a more toxic place with cutthroat pricing. You can’t sell $50 software on the iPad (even $10 software is hard to sell), so the situation is just a different one on that device. I mean, devs are frustrated with their inability to make money on the iPhone by just charging for software – and that device is way, way, way bigger than the Mac ever was. Selling software on iOS has its own quirks that makes it different from the Mac. That said, it has always been harder to find devs that share my values on iOS, so maybe that's a general problem of the platform (maybe it’s just a problem with discoverability and there are in fact more devs that share my values on iOS than on the Mac!) and has not a lot to do with how well these devices sell.
- eropple 12y ago
  You can sell $50 software on the iPad if you've got a real need. Lemur was $50 when I bought it, though it's $25 now.

ChuckMcM 12y ago

Generally I agree with that. I was underwhelmed by the iPad Air 2 intro (and name for that matter :-). One of the things that stands out for me is that people with "large" phones tend to talk on them with a headset. Once you make that jump then the size of the phone becomes somewhat irrelevant. I keep hoping they will add phone capabilities to the iPad mini, and create a larger version of the iPad air. The notion earlier of checking out the Surface Pro 3 intrigued me, it is a nice piece of hardware but the reading experience is not as nice as the iPad. We'll see. Bottom line I agree that from this report it seems like iPad is under performing the rest of the portfolio. Tim if you're reading please make a 12 - 13" iPad, I'll buy one of those today if you make it. :-)