It cannot be said that 2023 is a bad year for apple. Although its economic results decline slightly, this company is one of the few that still has the highest profit margins per product in the world of technology.
Their iPhones, despite being among the most expensive on the market and having a lower share internationally, generate more income than other manufacturers. Its services division, which includes, for example, iCloud, Apple Music and other businesses, alone would already be on the Fortune 500 list.
On the other hand, there are iPads, which are undoubtedly one of the best options in the tablet market, but which are increasingly difficult to sell. Not in vain, in its latest results, these devices dropped 20% compared to the previous year and only represent 7% of the company’s profits.
This makes all the sense in the world. 2023 will go down in history as the year where no iPad was launched.
The last tablet launched by Apple was the 6th generation iPad Pro and the 10th generation iPad on October 18, 2022. The Pro version included the powerful M2 processor and the standard iPad already integrated the more rounded design and without a Touch ID button. .
In this table you can see the launches of all the iPads announced by Apple. Every year we have had one or more models, but in 2023 nothing, laugh from laugh. A year of dead stop.
What happened in 2023 to not have new iPads?
The most curious thing about seeing global purchasing trends is that at the beginning of the year all analysts considered the year lost for manufacturers. But the third quarter saw a recovery.
According to data from Canalys Published at the end of November 2023, the figures reflected a drop of 7% compared to 2022. The good news is that sales are expected to recover in 2024.
Apple is still the largest tablet manufacturer, capturing 40% of the market, so if fewer tablets are sold for Apple it is even more devastating. The problem with the iPad is the same problem that they have had since their first generations: The iPad should last many yearsmaking year-to-year updates unnecessary.
Besides, the iPad fragmentation is, especially in 2023, more difficult to understand never.
How many iPad categories are too many?
As of December 2023, this is the iPad range available from Apple. Five types of iPad and one of them with two screen sizes, in total, six different devices, but of which three are very similar.
The iPad Pro with M2 chip are focused on professionals in two screen sizes (11 and 12.9 inches). They are the most expensive, but also the most powerful and versatile.
The iPad mini is the smallestwith an 8.3-inch screen and the A15 chip, perfect for those looking for something compact and easy to use with one hand.
This is when everything gets complicated. Apple is still selling the 9th generation iPad with an older design while also having the 10th generation iPad with a slightly larger screen, A14 chip instead of A13, and USB-C connection instead of Lightning. To this we have to add another one, the 5th generation iPad Air, whose difference compared to the normal iPad is the M1 chip and a screen with integral lamination.
Among these three options, which is the perfect iPad for you? If you look at it by technical characteristics, you can choose the iPad Air, but the normal iPad is very similar and It is almost 200 euros cheaper. But if you look at the price, for less than 430 you have the 9th generation iPad.
2024 is expected to be the same, or even more confusing
According to data leaked to Bloombergin the first half of 2024 Apple will renew the iPad Pro with the M3 chips and the same design, but for the first time with an OLED screen.
But it is the iPad Air that will receive the most important update, dividing into two sizes, the same 10.9 inches and a new 12.9 inches, as in the iPad Pro.
Therefore, if they finally end up killing the 9th generation iPad with an old design, Apple will still have 6 tablet models to choose from and a market to attack without much desire to update and that could only move with a price drop.
