Consumers lose enthusiasm for tablet, big screen ipad is coming

As a white-collar worker, Mike has bought himself a Microsoft Surface tablet computer for the new year.

Although Mike already has an ipad, an iphone 5s and a MacBook Pro, it's still hard to solve his problem, "The MacBook is too heavy, the ipad is for entertainment, and surface is better for business trips." ”

The ipad is considered a recreational device, not a case in point. The ipad was launched at the beginning, because it was much more popular than a smartphone screen and a better experience. But in the eyes of most consumers, it is just an entertainment device. Despite its fluid touch experience, rich application and entertainment capabilities, the ipad has yet to capture consumers ' hearts in mobile office.

In recent months, ipad sales have shown a gradual decline. Meanwhile, the rumored big-screen ipad is becoming a reality. Once Apple releases its big-screen ipad, it will compete with Microsoft's Surface tablet in corporate users and offices.

Consumers lose enthusiasm for tablet

The ipad has been 5 years old since it was released in 2010. In the past few years, the ipad as a mobile smart device, to fill the gap between the phone and the computer, by consumers in hot pursuit. But as the size of the mobile screen grows and laptops become more and more lightweight and portable, the market and demand for the ipad are becoming more saturated and showing a downward trend.

Apple's latest earnings show that the ipad sold 21.419 million units in the first quarter, down 18% from 26.035 million in the same period last year, with a revenue of 8.995 billion dollars, down 11.468 billion from the same period last year.

In some analysts ' eyes, the slide in ipad sales will continue. Guo Mingchi, a leading analyst at KGI Securities, says the ipad's sales outlook is grim this year. Ming's latest report says the ipad's sales will drop 30% this year, the biggest drop ever.

Why have consumers lost their enthusiasm for tablets in the past 5 years? On the one hand, the presence of a large number of large-screen smartphones has reduced user demand for tablets.

On the other hand, some analysts say that people are less likely to switch tablets than smartphones, which has also led to slower sales of tablets.

Compared with smartphones, tablets have a longer upgrade cycle and are closer to the PC's replacement cycle. The upgrade cycle of tablets was initially estimated to be years, but in fact many tablet users have a longer period of replacement.

Even in Apple's own product line, the ipad faces an embarrassing situation. Apple CEO Cook has said that some consumers choose between Mac and ipad and end up with a Mac. Some consumers choose the iphone and ipad and end up with the iphone.

And as the iphone and Mac upgrade quickly, will consumers still buy the ipad if it's just replacing better screens and cameras?

Big screen ipad Rumors: will be equipped with stylus

Like the big screen iphone, the big killer of the "save" ipad is the bigger screen, and the rumors that Apple is going to have a big screen ipad are long overdue. But the iphone 6 Plus is already on sale, and the big-screen ipad has been slow to materialize.

As early as July 2013, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Apple was developing an ipad with a slightly smaller 13-inch screen. After that, several media outlets followed the blow, saying Apple was developing a 12.9-inch ipad Pro.

But the rumored big-screen ipad has never been officially confirmed by Apple. In naming, some call it "ipad Air Plus" or "ipad plus", while others call it "ipad Pro."

In the screen size, rumors are also inconsistent. Media forecasts are 12.9 inches and some say 12 inches. The recent media acquisition of "spy photos" shows that the tablet could be 12.2 inches.

In addition to the larger screen, Guo Mingchi, a leading analyst at KGI Securities, predicts the tablet will be equipped with a stylus. In his report, he predicts that stylus accessories will be available for sale in the two quarter.

The analyst's forecasts are not based on sources, supposedly based on Apple's patent for the stylus, which it has registered in the past few years, and its own research.

This prediction is not groundless. Last December, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved a patent application from Apple, which describes a touch-control technology that allows handwriting to be transmitted synchronously to the screen of an electronic device via a gyroscope, wireless communication device and a built-in storage chip.

There is speculation that this stylus technology is likely to be released with a large screen tablet. But Guo Mingchi also points out that the big screen ipad will not be productive until at least the second quarter of this year, since Apple's focus is still on the iphone 6 Plus.

Enter the enterprise and mobile office market

Although the consumer market is becoming more saturated, there is a huge potential for the tablet market in the enterprise. Microsoft is trying to use the surface Pro 3 tablet computer to attract corporate users. And Apple has found this untapped market, the big screen ipad may be to fill the market's products.

In response to questions about the ipad, Apple CEO Tim? "Our cooperation with IBM and the impact on other businesses will be far-reaching, and we will change the way people work," Mr. Cook said in a conference call on earnings last month. It also suggests that the new ipad will be a breakthrough in office space.

Last July, Apple reached a strategic partnership with IBM to sell devices such as the iphone and ipad, which are loaded with apps. IBM will use its sales team to sell ipads to large enterprises, and will also develop enterprise-class applications for them.

For the partnership, most analysts believe the move could give new life to the fading ipad, which would facilitate the ipad's foray into the open enterprise market.

For corporate users, the current windows-based tablet is more appealing than the ipad. In the consumer market, the ipad is popular with ordinary users for its larger screens than smartphones. But for corporate users, tablets should be an extension of desktop computers, because the experience of Windows tablets and laptops is much easier to switch, so it is more appealing to corporate users than the ipad.

At present, the ipad has a smooth touch experience, rich application and entertainment features, Apple is also trying to make changes to attract the attention of Office users.

To make the ipad more suitable for mobile office, Apple needs to launch an optimized iOS system for the ipad. With Apple Watch's special iOS version, the ipad should also have a better interface, such as adding a multitasking interface to the screen, providing an external keyboard and stylus accessories, and so on, and the ipad will become more versatile.

Last May, Apple's news site, 9to5mac, said Apple was developing the same-screen display for the ipad, allowing the ipad to display two apps on the screen like Microsoft surface.

In addition to parallel display, different applications can interact and share data, such as dragging photos from photo albums to messages, and then clicking Send.

The same screen display makes the ipad more practical, in some scenarios, users can use it for lightweight office. In the past, the need to frequently click on the main screen key, switch programs, now directly on the screen to drag a few can be completed.

Of course, the premise is that there is a larger screen. All this speculation and reporting will be validated at Apple's spring new launch. According to foreign media reports, Apple will be held in mid-March new product launch, and the big screen ipad is expected to appear in the conference.