Michael Gartenberg was a rabid fan of the iPad when Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced a new version in 2015.
Reuters/Beck Diefenbach
Former Apple exec Michael Gartenberg has an iPad Pro and has owned various iPads over the past decade.
His iPad used to be his constant travel companion, more used than his laptop — but not anymore.
He says the iPad is at an intersection between failure and ongoing success, and Apple must pay attention.
In 2011, when the iPad had been on the market about a year, it was declared an instant — and somewhat shocking — success, with about 15 million units sold and $10 billion in revenue in its first nine months. And Apple took a victory lap over the many, many media reviewers who had predicted it would fail.
It was a game changer back then for offering a large, high-resolution touchscreen in a compact, portable form that was ideal for consuming media, browsing the web, and running a variety of apps. This was in an era where even the smartest of phones were terrible at those functions and when laptops had no touchscreens and were often clunky, with short battery life.
As a technology analyst and writer, I bought my first iPad back then and loved it. It was my constant travel companion and even, at one point, used for my productivity needs instead of a laptop.
But much has changed in the smartphone world, and the most important part of the iPad has not kept up.
Today I use a Galaxy Z Fold4, which transforms from a 6.1″ smartphone into a 7.8″ tablet (about the size of an iPad Mini), and a MacBook Air, which has spectacular performance and battery life.
I still own an iPad Pro, but I hardly ever reach for it. It’s a cool device and orders of magnitude better than what was introduced in 2010. At the same time, it’s a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, so I can no longer justify its existence as part of my ecosystem. I’m sure I will eventually hand it down to a child in my family so they can watch “Sesame Street” videos on it and draw pictures. It’s a great tool for both, albeit a little pricey for the tasks.
From my very familiar viewpoint, the iPad’s current state is a testament to its limitations and the challenges it faces.
After a decade, Gartenberg doesn’t reach for his …read more
Source:: Business Insider