Alleged Poor iPad Pro Sales Are A Disaster For Apple But A Victory For Microsoft
It wasn’t expected, but iPad Pro sales are allegedly not good. Cult of Mac has the news.
“Apple may be hoping that the iPad Pro can help turn around its flagging tablet sales, but according to a new report sales are off to a somewhat disappointing start — with just 49,000 units selling in the first month in Apple’s much-emphasized China region.”
The article adds that the high price of the device, along with the relative scarcity of the device, may be important factors. But the launch of the iPad Pro has been anything but smooth. The device didn’t earn the usual positive reviews Apple has been used to. Walt Mossberg of the Verge says he’s sticking with his iPad Air.
“You’d think an iPad guy like me would be over the moon about the iPad Pro, despite its hefty base price of $799 for a Wi-Fi-only model with 32GB of memory, which stretches to $949 with 128GB of memory, and soars past $1,000 with cellular capability. But I’m not.”
Mossberg adds that not only is the device too bulky, but that he only found a few apps that took advantage of the iPad Pro’s extra screen space. Mossberg didn’t like Apple’s Smart Keyboard accessory for the Pro. David Pierce of Wired also wasn’t impressed by the Smart Keyboard. He also thinks the iPad Pro is not a laptop replacement.
“For those of us who still cling to laptops and desktops, the iPad Pro just doesn’t feel like a serious machine for serious work. We need our keyboard shortcuts and our mice, our apps that work just how we like them. We need our accessories. A touch-first interface just doesn’t feel right, and the iPad Pro can’t overthrow our existing workflows and tools,” Pierce claims.
It also doesn’t help that those who did buy the iPad Pro had problems with the device. Last month, Digital Trends reported on several problems — the device not turning on after being charged; the inability to connect to Wi-Fi networks; screen freezing during use; and system sounds being silent. Some of these issues, which weren’t reported by everybody who bought an iPad Pro, have been fixed.
The iPad Pro’s main competitor, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, has had issues as well. Some of those issues include a flickering screen and battery issues. However, those have been minor issues and the device has been praised a lot more than it has been insulted. Microsoft also made sure that supplies for the device either came with it or were in ample supply. For a few weeks, it was almost impossible for iPad Pro users to find the Apple Pencil in stock. And the Smart Keyboard for the device was just as hard to find as a Cicada in the cold snow. By the time Apple made these items available, the damage had already been done.
There are some people who love their iPad Pro devices.
@KatieFloyd I love my ipad pro still haven’t got the pencil which really makes me mad since you can get them at the store
— Tom McDowell (@Tomtomus) December 22, 2015
As the tweeter above notes, the iPad Pro still runs a mobile operating system, where the Surface Pro 4 runs a full desktop operating system. Apple has hinted in the past that there would never be an OS X tablet. After the relative failure of the iPad Pro and the continued success of the Surface Pro 4, you can bet that Apple will change its mind very soon.
[Photo via Daryl Deino]
