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The best part of the report is that iPad sales are plunging. It's a victory for general purpose computing that that segment of the walled garden is in decline.

The best part of the report is that iPad sales are plunging. It's a victory for general purpose computing that that segment of the walled garden is in decline. Let's hope that open systems can gain a toehold in phones sometime too.

Fomite 12y ago
It's entirely possible it's not "in decline" but has merely hit saturation.
- robryan 12y ago
  Anecdotally it seems like ipads have a longer lifespan than a phone as well. Those with an ipad 1 will probably have to upgrade and those with a 2 might want to for the retina display. The 3 though have been out for nearly 3 years and is still fine. Whereas someone who bought a phone at the same time may have already upgraded.
  - mcphage 12y ago
    I've got a 3, and want to upgrade, but... it's not super urgent. I use my iPad pretty often, but the iPad 3 has the feature I care about most (retina screen), and there haven't been many major changes since.
    - MBCook 12y ago
      I've got a 3 but there is nothing wrong with it. The Air 2 is thinner and MUCH lighter, but enough to spend $500+? If they release a new version with some really big new feature like real stylus support for drawing they might get me, but as it is my iPad 3 works very well and I see no actual need to upgrade.
      - mcphage 12y ago
        Yep, I agree. They're faster and lighter, but starting with the 3, they're all pretty good at what they're used for. Until they make some major change, people will keep them around for a while.
  - porsupah 12y ago
    Indeed. I had an original iPad, and in Oct '13, went for an iPad Air. By that point, the improvements were great enough to make an argument, to me, for a replacement. But then, this is HN - we're not typical of the rest of the world. Much as many folk seem to enjoy keeping up with the latest and greatest phones, I only reluctantly moved from a well-used iPhone 3G to a 5s. (A great improvement in internal tech, absolutely, but I miss that smaller screen, where everything was reachable with the thumb, in one hand - even the 5s' tall screen means having to shift its position for some applications, even aside from the current series. So it goes)
gress 12y ago
Firstly it's not 'in decline' it has just reached saturation. 'Plunging' is just false. Secondly, the slowing of iPad sales has absolutely zero to do with any open systems.
- kryptiskt 12y ago
  -18% sales year over year is a plunge by any measure. It has everything to do with open systems. Walled gardens is a threat to them, it's a very important battle for everybody who cares about freedom.
  - macintux 12y ago
    Just like Facebook and Google's rapid decline because everyone cares about privacy. iPads will succeed or fail based on utility. Those who love them have found great utility, and I think they'll be increasingly important in corporate markets, but it hasn't proved out yet. It's still young.
  - sosborn 12y ago
    > it's a very important battle for everybody who cares about freedom. Hyperbole much?
  - sigzero 12y ago
    No, I think that is what YOU want. That isn't the case.
  - 72deluxe 12y ago
    I haven't bought a new guitar for a while. Does this mean that guitars are doomed? How does NOT buying an iPad make any impact on freedom? Inaction by me doesn't suddenly cause action elsewhere.
wklauss 12y ago
Define victory. Yeah, iPad sales are shrinking but more than 20 million devices in one quarter is still a pretty impressive number. Lenovo (largest PC manufacturer) sold only 16 million "general purpose computers" in the same period.
GoofballJones 12y ago
Sorry, I've been on "open systems" and walled gardens and at this point in my life, I prefer the walled garden. Whenever I wanted to do something in an "open system", it usually turned into a giant pain-in-the-ass or I got preached/yelled at by everyone. "oh, sorry, you don't have a driver for that yet. Maybe write one yourself and put it on github? Oh sorry, this system doesn't support that format because that format is bad and it kills baby seals and blah blah blah. Oh, don't use _that_ distribution because _that_ Linux distro spies on you and they're in bed with Amazon and they're literally Hitler. Oh, want to run this piece of software? Sorry, that's not available on this "open system", but here's a hacked-together piece of crap that's just as powerful...so I hear..." I'm old and tired and just want to sit down to something that works. Is that asking too much?
- sbilstein 12y ago
  I love open systems when I need an open system. I was a linux fanboy for a very long time but the frustration and configurability simply does not help me in my life as a consumer. I just need a phone that works, apps that don't suck, and a camera to capture my life. Apple is dominant in that category. I couldn't imagine the same things I get out of the walled garden Apple provides as helping me in my career as web engineer. On a gnu/linux server I love being able to have absolute control to change everything as well as leverage the hard work others have contributed to the ecosystem. I just prefer to ssh to that server via my macbook.
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  I think there is a balance - with the walled garden you can walk around inside it until they decide that your favourite fruit tree is a bit old and they dig it up, and you are left with alternatives like shrubs and flowers, but no useful fruit tree. That's where the open systems help, such as the other replier stated where being able to run web servers and systems for development can be benefitted by open systems. But you're right about many of those statements on open systems. I think the fact that stuff is only half-finished is the one that really annoyed me when I wanted to get stuff done. I could have written more and contributed but I had finite time and didn't want to have to do more stuff in order to do the stuff I wanted to do in the first place. Plus, the endless CADT model of development in Linux land ("I'm NEW AROUND HERE. Let's bin this old nonsense that I've not used for long and START AGAIN! It'll be MUCH better than the old stuff. I will be because I SAID SO, plus I'm NEW AROUND HERE") got wearisome.

Fomite 12y ago

It's entirely possible it's not "in decline" but has merely hit saturation.

robryan 12y ago
Anecdotally it seems like ipads have a longer lifespan than a phone as well. Those with an ipad 1 will probably have to upgrade and those with a 2 might want to for the retina display. The 3 though have been out for nearly 3 years and is still fine. Whereas someone who bought a phone at the same time may have already upgraded.
- mcphage 12y ago
  I've got a 3, and want to upgrade, but... it's not super urgent. I use my iPad pretty often, but the iPad 3 has the feature I care about most (retina screen), and there haven't been many major changes since.
  - MBCook 12y ago
    I've got a 3 but there is nothing wrong with it. The Air 2 is thinner and MUCH lighter, but enough to spend $500+? If they release a new version with some really big new feature like real stylus support for drawing they might get me, but as it is my iPad 3 works very well and I see no actual need to upgrade.
    - mcphage 12y ago
      Yep, I agree. They're faster and lighter, but starting with the 3, they're all pretty good at what they're used for. Until they make some major change, people will keep them around for a while.
- porsupah 12y ago
  Indeed. I had an original iPad, and in Oct '13, went for an iPad Air. By that point, the improvements were great enough to make an argument, to me, for a replacement. But then, this is HN - we're not typical of the rest of the world. Much as many folk seem to enjoy keeping up with the latest and greatest phones, I only reluctantly moved from a well-used iPhone 3G to a 5s. (A great improvement in internal tech, absolutely, but I miss that smaller screen, where everything was reachable with the thumb, in one hand - even the 5s' tall screen means having to shift its position for some applications, even aside from the current series. So it goes)

gress 12y ago

Firstly it's not 'in decline' it has just reached saturation. 'Plunging' is just false. Secondly, the slowing of iPad sales has absolutely zero to do with any open systems.

kryptiskt 12y ago
-18% sales year over year is a plunge by any measure. It has everything to do with open systems. Walled gardens is a threat to them, it's a very important battle for everybody who cares about freedom.
- macintux 12y ago
  Just like Facebook and Google's rapid decline because everyone cares about privacy. iPads will succeed or fail based on utility. Those who love them have found great utility, and I think they'll be increasingly important in corporate markets, but it hasn't proved out yet. It's still young.
- sosborn 12y ago
  > it's a very important battle for everybody who cares about freedom. Hyperbole much?
- sigzero 12y ago
  No, I think that is what YOU want. That isn't the case.
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  I haven't bought a new guitar for a while. Does this mean that guitars are doomed? How does NOT buying an iPad make any impact on freedom? Inaction by me doesn't suddenly cause action elsewhere.

wklauss 12y ago

Define victory. Yeah, iPad sales are shrinking but more than 20 million devices in one quarter is still a pretty impressive number. Lenovo (largest PC manufacturer) sold only 16 million "general purpose computers" in the same period.

GoofballJones 12y ago

Sorry, I've been on "open systems" and walled gardens and at this point in my life, I prefer the walled garden. Whenever I wanted to do something in an "open system", it usually turned into a giant pain-in-the-ass or I got preached/yelled at by everyone. "oh, sorry, you don't have a driver for that yet. Maybe write one yourself and put it on github? Oh sorry, this system doesn't support that format because that format is bad and it kills baby seals and blah blah blah. Oh, don't use _that_ distribution because _that_ Linux distro spies on you and they're in bed with Amazon and they're literally Hitler. Oh, want to run this piece of software? Sorry, that's not available on this "open system", but here's a hacked-together piece of crap that's just as powerful...so I hear..." I'm old and tired and just want to sit down to something that works. Is that asking too much?

sbilstein 12y ago
I love open systems when I need an open system. I was a linux fanboy for a very long time but the frustration and configurability simply does not help me in my life as a consumer. I just need a phone that works, apps that don't suck, and a camera to capture my life. Apple is dominant in that category. I couldn't imagine the same things I get out of the walled garden Apple provides as helping me in my career as web engineer. On a gnu/linux server I love being able to have absolute control to change everything as well as leverage the hard work others have contributed to the ecosystem. I just prefer to ssh to that server via my macbook.
72deluxe 12y ago
I think there is a balance - with the walled garden you can walk around inside it until they decide that your favourite fruit tree is a bit old and they dig it up, and you are left with alternatives like shrubs and flowers, but no useful fruit tree. That's where the open systems help, such as the other replier stated where being able to run web servers and systems for development can be benefitted by open systems. But you're right about many of those statements on open systems. I think the fact that stuff is only half-finished is the one that really annoyed me when I wanted to get stuff done. I could have written more and contributed but I had finite time and didn't want to have to do more stuff in order to do the stuff I wanted to do in the first place. Plus, the endless CADT model of development in Linux land ("I'm NEW AROUND HERE. Let's bin this old nonsense that I've not used for long and START AGAIN! It'll be MUCH better than the old stuff. I will be because I SAID SO, plus I'm NEW AROUND HERE") got wearisome.