Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which incorporates all of the Apple information you missed final week in a helpful bite-sized roundup. We name it Apple Breakfast as a result of we predict it goes nice with a Monday morning cup of espresso or tea, but it surely’s cool if you wish to give it a learn throughout lunch or dinner hours too.
Return of the king
So it seems that stories of the iPad’s demise have been drastically exaggerated. In Apple’s newest monetary report, total income was surprisingly robust, not due to any explicit successes among the many iPhone, Mac, and Wearables departments (all of which have been primarily flat year-on-year) however due to a sizeable enchancment from Providers and an enormous 24 p.c enchancment from the iPad.
The place did we go improper, then, we skeptical iPad doom-mongers and naysayers? We instructed the world that the iPad vary was complicated after which much more complicated. We claimed Apple had no concept what to do with the iPad. We thought the 2024 Air was an awkward center little one whose solely objective was to make different fashions look extra interesting by comparability. And we opined that even the impossibly nice M4 iPad Professional was held again from being a success by the failings of iPadOS. Is it time for a heaped serving of humble pie?
After all not. Pundits are by no means improper. They only haven’t defined themselves correctly.
So, first up: these numbers are good for Apple, however they’re not consultant of some courageous new daybreak for the iPad. The corporate didn’t launch any new iPads for the whole thing of 2023 (the primary time it’s achieved that throughout a calendar yr for the reason that first iPad got here out in 2010) which suggests demand was bottled up.
Individuals is perhaps holding on to their iPads for longer than previously as a result of outdated fashions do all the things they want and new fashions are not often thrilling, but it surely’s not like improve demand collapsed to zero. For those who look ahead to lengthy sufficient, you’ll have amassed an honest group of people that’d like to purchase a brand new iPad if and when one comes out. (That isn’t long-term technique, by the best way; as time handed and no new Apple fashions appeared, that group can have bled out a small however important variety of annoyed switchers to Microsoft and Android.) Certain sufficient, when Apple launched new Air and Professional fashions and dropped the worth of the Tenth-gen iPad, items shifted. Large shock. Let’s see if that continues into the following quarter.
Second, the issues we talked about haven’t gone away. On the macro scale, tablets merely by no means took off in the best way we hoped: prospects simply didn’t go for it in sufficiently big numbers as a severe, productive type issue. (I’ve to emphasize the “in sufficiently big numbers” half as a result of each time I write about this I get emails from individuals who work totally on an iPad. Good luck to these individuals, however there aren’t sufficient of you for Apple’s liking.) Customers like the concept of an instant-booting medium-screen transportable for media consumption on the couch, however that isn’t a context the place it’s worthwhile to improve the {hardware} often. For work, individuals proceed to make use of a smartphone and a laptop computer. That may change in some unspecified time in the future, but it surely hasn’t but.
Particularly to Apple, iPadOS stays an issue—perhaps the issue. If it was higher for multitasking, the iPad would have wider enchantment as a laptop computer substitute. If it acquired options forward of iOS, and even on the similar time, Apple may extra convincingly declare the iPad was a precedence somewhat than a pale shadow of the iPhone. The problem is that complexity isn’t what the iPad’s foremost present market desires… which could imply it’s time to department off the working methods as soon as once more and make one for the usual iPad and iPad mini, and one other for the Air and Professional.
I’m very keen on the iPad and took no pleasure in its struggles over the previous few years. I’d love for Apple to get it proper. Nevertheless it hasn’t achieved so but, and a brief gross sales bump isn’t going to persuade me in any other case.
Foundry
Foundry
Foundry
Trending: Prime tales
The ultra-slim iPhone 17 is precisely the sort of threat Apple must take.
Apple TV+ has misplaced the plot, reckons the Macalope.
The Apple Watch has reached the limits of its potential.
I tried Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and it made me rethink all the things.
I by no means regretted shopping for an Apple system–till now.
Podcast of the week
On this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we’re having an airing of grievances—what are some issues we want Apple would take note of? Tune in and discover out!
You may catch each episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our personal website.
Evaluations nook
- Finest video games for Mac: A-list video games you possibly can play in your Mac.
- Finest iPad keyboards: Flip your iPad right into a MacBook substitute.
The rumor mill
We simply acquired our first take a look at the iPhone 16 and Apple lastly acquired the colours proper.
Apple simply leaked a bunch of upcoming iPhones, Macs, and iPads.
Apple eyes adverts on Apple TV+, report claims.
The iPhone 16 may not arrive with Apple Intelligence.
Software program updates, bugs, and issues
You actually actually actually must replace your Mac. Like actually.
‘Loopy Evil’ Mac malware poses as Loom, different fashionable apps to steal Bitcoin.
iOS 17.6 is now out there with bug fixes and safety enhancements.
Elon Musk’s X group remembers the Mac exists, proceeds to kill the Twitter app.
iOS 18.1 beta is out there early to check Apple Intelligence options.
macOS 14.6 lastly brings twin exterior show help to the M3 MacBook Professional.
And with that, we’re achieved for this week’s Apple Breakfast. For those who’d wish to get common roundups, join our newsletters. It’s also possible to observe us on Fb, Threads, or Twitter for dialogue of breaking Apple information tales. See you subsequent Monday, and keep Appley.