This is a first for Apple. 2023 marked the only year since the launch of theiPad or the manufacturer has not released new tablet models. An opportunity for the brand to restructure its catalog.
Mocked at its launch and considered an iPhone XXL, the iPad has become over the years a major product category for Apple and one of the rare tablets to make its mark on the market. But for the first time since 2010, no new tablets have been announced in the last 12 months. 2023 has therefore just broken with the tradition of annual renewal at Apple and the reasons behind this are multiple.
A product category to rethink
Unlike the iPhone, which represents almost 50% of Apple’s revenues, the iPad range can afford to be paused without threatening the company’s finances. If the manufacturer’s tablets still generated 6.4 billion dollars in the fourth quarter of 2023, this is far from the almost 44 billion that the iPhone generated during the same period. These 6.4 billion already represented a drop of 10% in 2023 compared to the previous year and only accounted for 7% of the company’s revenue.
Over the years and versions, the iPad has greatly transformed. From the “big iPhone” in 2010, the tablet has become a device aimed at professionals looking to swap their laptops for something more compact. The iPad Pro range and the iOS/iPadOS decoupling have shown Apple’s desire to make its slates real competitors of MacBooks. The trend has only been confirmed with the launch of iPads with Apple Silicon chips, the same processor as in the new generation Macs.
Order in iPads
But by wanting to offer tablets for all budgets, Apple ended up putting the souk in its catalog with the “standard” iPads, the Mini, the Air and the Pro, all with different sizes, different processors and different compatible accessories. . It is therefore not very surprising that the company would like to do a little housekeeping, even if it means giving up on the annual renewal rate.
Especially since 2024 should be a big year for iPads. The Pro models could usher in a new design, see the arrival of Oled technology, the integration of the M3 chip and be accompanied by a new generation of accessories. The base models, the Air and the Mini would also be entitled to a boost. Hopefully the range differentiation will be clearer this time.
€1204.99
9
- Mini LED screen of exemplary quality
- The M2 processor is a model of performance
- iPadOS 16, increasingly flexible for productivity
The iPad Pro M2 brings almost nothing new compared to its predecessor, but nevertheless remains one of the best touchscreen tablets currently available on the market. The M2 processor keeps its promises, with a visible power gain in the most resource-intensive applications. We also appreciate the presence of a Wi-Fi 6E chip which provides the best possible wireless performance on compatible boxes and an impressive general technical sheet, which further blurs the boundaries between PC and tablet.
For the rest, it’s difficult to get more excited about a tablet where only the price has frankly changed, with an increase far too significant for the few improvements made. Only owners of old iPad Pros, or new entrants to this category of iPad will find what they are looking for.
We are now expecting a new generation with much more marked ruptures. For now, the iPad Pro M2 remains a slightly too subtle evolution of an already almost perfect product.
The iPad Pro M2 brings almost nothing new compared to its predecessor, but nevertheless remains one of the best touchscreen tablets currently available on the market. The M2 processor keeps its promises, with a visible power gain in the most resource-intensive applications. We also appreciate the presence of a Wi-Fi 6E chip which provides the best possible wireless performance on compatible boxes and an impressive general technical sheet, which further blurs the boundaries between PC and tablet.
For the rest, it’s difficult to get more excited about a tablet where only the price has frankly changed, with an increase far too significant for the few improvements made. Only owners of old iPad Pros, or new entrants to this category of iPad will find what they are looking for.
We are now expecting a new generation with much more marked ruptures. For now, the iPad Pro M2 remains a slightly too subtle evolution of an already almost perfect product.
Apple iPad Pro M2 (2022)
Tablet
release date: 26-10-2022
12