Apple iPad Pro Is Less Expensive And More Faster Than Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (Photo : YouTube/ Apple)
Proponents of Apple's iPad say that the advent of the phablet or large-sized smartphones like the iPhone 6 Plus have diminished sales of the iPad. The California, tech-firm posted a decline in iPad sales for Apple's fourth quarter, raising the question if Apple's iPad strategy has gone awry.
After declining sales of the iPad since 2014, Apple has acknowledged consumers prefer a small-sized tab rather than its nearly 10-inch tab. In its latest efforts to bring back the big-sized tab to replace the traditional PC, Apple recently released the iPad Pro, a 12.9 screen device with the intent to reverse the decline of the iPad.
In order to compete with Android's 7-inch screens, Apple first released the iPad Mini. The Mini, however, was 7.9 inches, slightly bigger than the screens in Android tabs by HP, Dell and Samsung.
Though Apple was not going to make an iPad with a 7-inch screen, the tech firm did think about a bigger iPod that would fit the range between 5-7 inches. This would be an extension of the iPod touch user interface.
Eventually, Apple dropped the iPod idea and shrinking down the iPad to a smaller tab, it did come out with the 5.5 inch cellular device, iPhone 6 Plus.
Sales of the iPad mini propped up overall sales figures for the iPad, but the average selling price (ASP) was lower by 2013. However, iPhone 6 Plus sold at higher volumes and at a higher ASP.
According to IDC and Gartner's classification of media tablets as screens bigger than 5 inches, Apple still had higher unit growth in volume, units and ASPs for tablets. Additionally, it had higher market figures reported for iPhone sales.
The advent of the iPhone 6 Plus gave way to the decline of the iPad mini, which was a successful differentiation for Apple from the regular-sized iPad. What happened at this stage was that the iPad mini sales were folded into iPhone 6 Plus sales, Apple Insider reported.
"We are heading into the holidays with our strongest product lineup yet, including iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch with an expanded lineup of cases and bands, the new iPad Pro and the all-new Apple TV which begins shipping this week," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an Apple press release.
