Time to Refresh iPad?

As the tech world gears up for Apple’s “Wonderlust” event next week, it is a good time to look at the array of Apple hardware. iPad remains probably the most successful product Apple has launched since the company expanded beyond personal computers - excepting iPhone, of course. With quarterly sales in the billions of dollars, iPad would be a huge technology company as a stand-alone product.

However, it’s been a while since Apple updated its product lineup, and the rumors surrounding the upcoming product launch announcements do not suggest any iPad news.

The somewhat confusing iPad lineup continues to have four tiers: the basic, original iPad; the most powerful iPad Pro; the premium iPad Air; and the smaller iPad mini. Across these four model groups, there are six model choices, including the newest 10th generation basic iPad, the still-available 9th generation iPad, and two sizes of iPad Pros - 12.9 inch and 11 inch. 

Across this array, we see shifts in share of sales that suggest softening demand for the highest-priced models. Shares among the five models (grouping 10th and 9th generation standard iPads) were spread fairly evenly in the most recent quarter.

Combining the two screen sizes, iPad Pro continues to lead the market, with about half of total sales in the most recent period. iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini each have 15-20% of total sales (Table 1).