4 things Apple should do to help kick start iPad sales

The iPhone was once again the star of the show during Apple’s second quarter of fiscal year 2015.


During the period ending on March 28, Apple sold a whopping 61.2 million handsets. That’s an all-time record for the quarter.


The iPad, however, is heading in a decidedly different direction.
Apple sold 12.6 million tablets during the quarter, which was a 23
percent drop compared to the same time frame in 2014. For the first time
since 2011, Mac revenue even surpassed what Apple made on iPad sales,
which is definitely surprising.

During the conference call with analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he was still optimistic about the iPad’s future:

So
my belief is, as the inventory plays out, as we make some continued
investments in our product pipeline — which we’re doing, that we already
had planned and have had planned for a long time — between that, the
inventory playing out, the enterprise starting to take over, I believe
the iPad is an extremely good business over the long term. When
precisely it starts to grow again I wouldn’t want to predict, but I
strongly believe that it will.

But here are four ways Apple can help to reverse the slumping sales trend.


Release the long-rumored “iPad Pro.” There’s no real
doubt that a larger, more professional-oriented iPad is coming as Cook
even slyly referenced “continued investments in our product pipeline”
during Monday’s call. But Apple needs to finally step up and release the
device.


While the all-new MacBook is spectacular to see in person, I’ve been
holding out for a similar device running iOS. Current rumors point to an
iPad with a 12.9-inch screen and maybe even an included stylus. I would
whip out my credit card in a second to purchase the larger form factor –
and I know I’m not the only one.


Once and for all banish the 16GB storage option.
This one is simple. Profit margins be damned, Apple needs to retire the
16GB iPad and iPad mini once and for all. The cheapest tablet options
needs to feature 32GB of storage, and buyers can pay more for a 64GB or
128GB version.


Figure out where the iPad mini fits in. The iPad
mini has had an interesting, albeit short, history. Back in 2013, Apple
proudly packed the iPad mini 2 with the same internals (the A7 chip and 1
GB of RAM) as the larger iPad Air. Buyers could simply pay more for a
larger screen.


But the landscape changed dramatically last year. The iPad mini 3
offered exactly one improvement from the previous generation – a Touch
ID sensor. Everything else remained the same, and I advised friends and
family to save their money and purchase a cheaper iPad mini 2. Apple has
a decision to make – either the iPad mini line should offer similar
specs to the larger iPad Air, or it’s the decidely cheaper, less capable
little brother.


Give users more reasons to upgrade. I will happily
admit my family owns way too many iPads, four in all. But short of an
iPad Pro, I don’t see upgrading any time soon because Apple hasn’t
really added any new “killer” features to the tablet line. While I
appreciate thinner and lighter iPads, that’s not a good enough reason –
at least for me – to upgrade. I’d happily purchase a slightly thicker
iPad with better battery life or a tablet with the same Force Touch
technology as the Apple Watch.


What do you think Apple should do to help spur iPad sales?

-- AppAdvice

Do You Really Need Another Apple Product? [COMIC]

What's This?

Apple recently released its new line of iPads , including an iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display.
The fanboys (and critics ) went gaga over the new tech. Current data proves that the products are already huge sellers.

See also: The Most Honest Apple Commercials You'll Ever See

But it does make us wonder: Why would anyone need so many Apple products?
In this comic, Manu Cornet of Bonkers World has the same thought.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. Comic illustration courtesy of Bonkers World . Published with permission; all rights reserved.

iPad Price Cuts Mean New Models Can't Be Far Behind

Eric Limer

It's been a scant six months since the announcement of the iPad Mini and the fairly superfluous iPad 4, but it looks like the new generations might be on the horizon. Walmart, Best Buy, and MacMall have all slashed their prices on the devices, as good a sign as any that new ones are on the way.

The trio of retailers cut prices by roughly 30 percent on Wednesday, and these "clearance" sales are a pretty good rule of thumb indicator that something new is on the way soon. If you're in the market for either device, now is a good time to snag a full-size iPad considering the step up to generation five is bound to be as incremental as the step to four was. If you want an iPad Mini though, it's best to wait; it'll be surprising if this next one doesn't have a retina display, and that's an upgrade worth waiting for.

Apple's been getting more unpredictable lately, and with the iPhone announcements bouncing around, anything is possible for the iPad too. But the price cut is a tried and true new-hotness predictor and for now our Apple sense is tingling. Get ready for something to hit soon. [Fortune Tech]

via gizmodo.com

How the iPad is changing the way we work: The nine new ways we sit (and slouch) in the office thanks to mobile tech

How the iPad is changing the way we work: The nine new ways we sit (and slouch) in the office thanks to mobile technology

• Mobile devices have changed the way that office workers sit at their desks, study shows
• Office furniture maker Steelcase surveyed more than 2,000 people in countries to identify nine new postures
  

By Damien Gayle

Most workplaces have not been optimised for human comfort. They have been built to fit heavy, shimmering monitors and humming, stationary base units.

As energy levels ebb and flow throughout the long work day, the organic element in the man-machine partnership has hitherto had to contort itself to fit.

But with the rise of mobile computing devices the old ergonomic power relationships in offices are changing.

 

The nine new workplace postures: These new ways of sitting and slouching to fit ourselves around new mobile computing technology have been identified by research from office furniture company Steelcase

Smartphones and tablet computers, small and light enough to be grasped in the hands, have liberated workers from postural slavery to our digital overseers.

Now new research has shown that the change in the ways we deal with technology in the workplace is indeed changing the way that we sit and slouch while we're earning our keep.

 

More...

• Skyscrapers of the future will be powered by ALGAE, cleaned by robots and could even change temperature according to the weather, says firm behind Sydney Opera House
• Sensors that can understand your facial expressions and 'virtual reality' screens: Google's Android boss reveals the phone of the future
• Walls that really CAN talk (and tweet): The interactive 'iPad house' where every surface is a touchscreen

 

A survey of 2,000 office workers in 11 countries undertaken by office furniture maker Steelcase has identified nine new postures which have emerged in response to the new technologies we interact with.

They are:

• The Draw – Technology (small and mobile) allows people to pull back from their desks while they use it. They recline, signaling they’re contemplating or absorbing information and draw the device closer to their body to maintain an optimal focal length.
• The Multi-Device - This posture is representative of how people adapt to multitasking on multiple-devices. One hand holding a phone to the ear, the other tasking on a laptop. The result is a forward lean that is a symbol of concentration and an orientation to the smaller screen of a laptop.
• The Text - Smartphones are small compared to other forms of technology and, therefore, require unique postures. Workers bring arms in close as keying and gesturing are performed.
• The Cocoon - People recline, bring up their feet onto the seat, and draw their smartphone or tablet close, resting on their thighs. The result is a cocoon - small mobile technology allows people to remain productive in this posture.
• The Swipe - This posture results when the device is used on a work surface in 'surfing mode', in which people operate the device with one hand, typically with swiping gestures. Because it’s on a work surface, a person must keep their head a certain distance above the tablet in order to see it, and position their head to look down at it.
• The Smart Lean - This posture is the result of mobile devices that create the desire for people to temporarily 'pull away' from others without leaving a meeting or collaborative environment. This is typically a temporary posture and used for glancing at incoming texts or e-mails.
• The Trance - This posture was observed when people were focused on the screen and either mousing or using a touchpad to navigate on the screen for extended periods of time. This is a long duration posture.
• The Take It In - In this posture, people recline to view content on the large display and/or sit back to contemplate. This posture is about 'taking in' information rather than generating it.
• The Strunch - The 'strunch' (stretched-out hunch) is a very common posture with laptops. As people become fatigued, they gradually push their laptop further from the edge of the worksurface, resting their weight on the surface.  This causes them to reach forward to work. Since the back and neck cannot sustain the reach and hunch posture for a long time, the person begins to prop themselves up with their non- tasking arm.

 

Contorting to fit: Office workers have hitherto been kept in postural bondage to the immobile machines they interact with to earn their keep

The new postures identified were a result of using small, mobile technology such as smartphones, tablets and laptops and new workplace behaviours.

However, with furniture poorly adapted to these new ways of sitting and slouching, Steelcase notes, they frequently cause pain and long-term injuries, disrupting concentration and creativity.

James Ludwig, vice president of global design for Steelcase, said: 'We love our technology – it’s become a ubiquitous extension of ourselves.

'But the way technology impacts our bodies as we work has been largely ignored.'

via dailymail.co.uk

 

Next iPad Rumored to Have iPad Mini Design Elements

via mashable.com

Apple is preparing to launch a new iPad in March 2013, claims Japanese blog Macotakara, citing an "inside source".

This new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the current one, with iPad mini design elements, the report claims.

The upcoming iPad will reportedly trim 4mm in height, 17mm in width and 2mm in depth from the current one.

In comparison, the fourth-gen iPad's dimensions are 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm. The iPad mini's dimensions, on the other hand, are 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm.

The report doesn't reveal any other technical specifications of the upcoming device. Though a thinner, lighter iPad sounds appealing, we're taking this one with a big grain of salt. Apple did speed up its iPad release cycle from one year to about 8 months in 2012, but another iPad in March would mean the company is churning out new iPads even faster.

Macotakara also mentions an upgraded iPad mini is in the works, with a retina (2048 x 1536) 7.9-inch screen and an A6X processor, just like the one in the current iPad.