The beginning of the end for the iPad? With sales down 10%, experts say Apple’s devices could soon become extinct as consumers abandon tablets in favor of smartphones

When it was first introduced in 2010, it was touted as a “revolutionary device.”

But Apple’s latest financial results suggest this could be the beginning of the end for the iPad.

While the tech giant posted a whopping quarterly profit of $23 billion – up 11 percent – this was largely due to rising iPhone sales, which rose 2.8 percent.

In contrast, iPad sales fell 10 percent, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of declining sales.

So is the death of the iPad really imminent? MailOnline spoke to experts to find out.

When it was first introduced in 2010, it was touted as a “revolutionary device.” However, Apple’s latest financial results suggest that this could be the beginning of the end for the iPad

While the tech giant posted a whopping quarterly profit of $23 billion – up 11 percent – this was largely due to rising iPhone sales, which rose 2.8 percent. In contrast, iPad sales fell 10 percent, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of declining sales

First released in 2010, the iPad was a pioneer in the tablet market and was described by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as a “magical and revolutionary device.”

The iPad was intended to bridge a gap between smartphones and laptops by giving consumers a new portable option.

Speaking at the launch, Jobs said: “The iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that connect users to their apps and content in far more personal, intuitive and entertaining ways than ever before.”

The iPad enjoyed huge popularity in the years following its launch, generating record sales of $32 billion in 2013 – about a quarter of Apple’s total global sales.

In conversation with MailOnline, Rebecca Crook, Chief Growth Officer at CI&T said: ““When it was first introduced, the iPad made a name for itself as an accessible tablet for consumers.”

However, smartphones at that time were not nearly as advanced as they are today.

“Today, smartphones have much larger screens and can be used to consume content,” Ms Crook explained.

First released in 2010, the iPad was a pioneer in the tablet market and was described by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as a “magical and revolutionary device.”

“Furthermore, iPads don’t support many apps, meaning you still need your phone, and they’re not ready to replace laptops either.”

“Even for reading books, there are much lighter, simpler and, above all, cheaper alternatives on the market, such as the Amazon Kindle.”

Ms Crook claims the iPad needs a “complete overhaul” to win back consumers.

“Unless Apple does a complete overhaul and gets back to the basics of why consumers need an iPad when their phones can do everything, I predict market sales of iPads will continue to decline,” she added.

Why exactly are consumers choosing not to buy iPads?

According to Paolo Pescatore, founder of PP Foresight, “many factors” need to be taken into account.

“There are too many factors to take into account, including seasonality, people relying more on smartphones, the difficult macroeconomic environment and the cost of living crisis,” he told MailOnline.

“People are now more mindful of their disposable income and are keeping devices longer and passing them on to other family members.”

As we’ve seen with many consumer electronics products, the price of the iPad has skyrocketed in the 13 years since its launch – particularly in the UK.

In the UK, for example, the 12.9-inch M2 iPad Pro costs £1,249 for a Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage. In the US it costs $1,099.

The iPad was intended to bridge a gap between smartphones and laptops by giving consumers a new portable option.

Meanwhile, the now-discontinued 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro also cost $1,099 in the US, while it was £999 in the UK.

That’s a £250 increase over the previous model for UK buyers.

Despite these rising prices, Dr. Bipin Patel, CEO of ElectronRx, said the iPad “offers nothing new” and claimed that Apple has become “complacent.”

“Apple has achieved its incredible success through technological innovation,” said Dr. Patel told MailOnline.

“They have delivered technology with the wow factor that mobile and tablet users could only dream of.”

“The recent decline in iPad sales may be due to a decline in innovation. The iPad offers the user nothing new.

“Apple has become complacent and left the door open for other manufacturers to lead the way in product and technology innovation.”

Dr. Patel agreed with Ms Crook’s claims that a major update was needed to attract customers again.

“If they don’t refocus their efforts on innovation, we could see further declines in sales in the future,” he added.

APPLE’S TRILLION DOLLAR RISE

1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company on April 1, 1976 when they began selling computer kits to hobbyists, each built by Wozniak.

The first product was the Apple I.

1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, the first PC made for the mass market.

Steve Jobs introduces the new Macintosh from Apple Computer Corporation on February 6, 1984 in California.

1981: Jobs became chairman.

1984: The Macintosh was introduced during a commercial break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. A year later, production stopped and Jobs left the company.

1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first color Mac.

1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT Software in a $400 million deal that will see Jobs return to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took over the role in 2000.

The then Apple boss Steve Jobs with the iPhone

2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first generation iPod.

The first iPod MP3 music player was introduced at an event in Cupertino on October 23, 2001 and could store up to 1,000 songs.

2007: Apple introduces the iPhone.

2010: The first iPad was introduced.

2011: Jobs resigned due to illness in 2011 and handed over the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in October.

2014: Apple has introduced the Apple Watch. The company also introduced its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus.

2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr. Dre launched Apple Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.

2016: Apple went back to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the company is embroiled in a legal dispute with the FBI in which the agency is seeking access to the locked phone of Syed Farook, who died in a shooting after carrying out a fatal attack with his wife in San Bernardino, California, in December had committed. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.

2017: Apple manufactures the iPhone

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.

2018: In a first for the company, Apple is introducing new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage their devices and spend less time on them. The move was prompted by a strongly worded letter to shareholders that called on the company to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among children and young people.

2019: In January, Apple reported its first decline in sales and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed the sharp decline in sales in China.

2020: In March, Apple will close all brick-and-mortar retail stores outside of China in response to the coronavirus.

2021: In a virtual online event in April, CEO Tim Cook explained Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year, the iPhone 13 was announced.

2022Also read: The iPhone 14 was announced in September. New features included a new sensor to detect whether a user had been in a car accident and an improved camera system.

2023: So far this year, Apple has brought back its “Home Pod” after discontinuing the first generation. The “Home Pod” can be viewed as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is controlled via voice commands.