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The iPad was the only downside to an otherwise great quarter for Apple, which recovered from a year of sluggish iPhone sales. sales were down 19% year-over-year, with a total of over 13 million iPads moved in the first quarter of 2017. Sales are up quarter-to-quarter (Q1 includes the holiday season), but the overall trend continues. iPad sales are down. Something Apple can’t seem to shake.
But despite the declining numbers, Apple CEO Tim Cook isn’t giving up. In fact, Cook says he is “very optimistic about the iPad” and is announcing upcoming innovations. Inventory issues and component shortages have resulted in subpar iPad sales. the issue will remain unresolved this quarter. As reasons for his optimism about the device, he cited industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings and numbers that suggest the iPad is far from saturated.
Cook’s line of “exciting stuff” was previously used to promote the product without revealing details, not to mention that he is “very optimistic” about the product. , which said something totally positive about the iPad.
The iPad Pro 9.7 is his latest from Apple and was launched almost a year ago. Since then, the company has focused its energies on his iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Apple Watch, MacBook Pro, and even his AirPods, and dried up the iPad a bit. Meanwhile, devices like the Surface Pro 4 and Chromebook have conquered iPad territory.
The updated tablet isn’t expected until March at the earliest, but it could feature a slimmer design, an improved screen, more power and more storage. None of this is very “exciting,” but polishing the experience and adding a really nice feature or two might be enough to push the iPad back into positive sales territory. Or a price cut, but that doesn’t seem like a move Apple can make right now.
So what exciting innovations does Cook talk about? What will help the iPad regain traction? Rumor has it that the iPad Pro 2 will let you stick the Apple Pencil to the tablet. I have. That’s right – not surprising, but it’s something!