Adam Kos Apple it already has its entire port updatedfolio iPads. The last in the series was the iPad A16, which waited for its improvements for more than two and a half years and is actually the only new smart product of the company that does not have Apple Intelligence. Why?
The answer may be in sales. First Apple updated iPad Pros with M4 chip, then came iPad mini with A17 Pro chip, now iPads Air with M3 chips and also the 11th generation of the basic iPad with only the A16 chip. Although there are certain improvements, including in the chip itself, it is not able to handle the demands Apple Intelligence.
However, CIRP has released a new report on iPad sales that may shed some light on the matter. Looking at the left side of the chart below, you can see how popular the basic iPad is, and how its sales are even growing, despite how long we've been waiting for its update. But the goal AppThe idea is that people tend to buy more expensive devices, on which the company also has higher margins.
The iPad Pro has been the leader in iPad sales for many years. But 2024 changed a lot, as its sales matched those of the basic iPad, despite the fact that the iPad Pros received the M4 chip and the basic iPad received nothing.
Share of basic iPad sales
- year 2020: 27% share
- year 2021: Only 15% share
- year 2022: Increase to 21%
- year 2023: Increase to 30%
- year 2024: Increase to 38% and equalize the iPad Pro's share
Following this trend, it seems that many customers have decided that they don't need the advanced technology found in higher-end iPads, and have therefore settled for the basic one. And Apple tried to do something about it. That's why we waited so long for the basic iPad update, that's why it didn't get support Apple Intelligence, so that the main draw is that customers who want these AI capabilities will have to pay extra.
Gallery
But what is still quite interesting about the graph is that we would expect the iPad to have mini definitely a smaller share, iPads Air on the contrary, it is fundamentally higher. The graph thus shows the relatively long-term dominance of the iPad Pro, i.e. until last year.
