When Apple revealed the iPad in 2010, it was met with a wave of cynicism: what would people need a giant iPod Touch for? Had Apple finally jumped the shark and created something so innovative that it was actually a bit useless?<\/p>\n
We all know the answer to that: a resounding no. The iPad has been one of the biggest tech success stories ever, selling a ridiculous amount of units and encouraging people to buy gadgets that they probably don\u2019t need, but would like to have anyway.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it appears as though the bubble has burst. According to sales figures released this week<\/a>, the iPad is suffering from a bit of a popularity slump. Apple sold 13.3m iPads in the previous quarter, which sounds pretty good. However, they sold 26m units in the lead up to Christmas last year, which means sales have more or less halved in the space of 6 months.<\/p>\n So what is going on? Have people finally realised that they don\u2019t actually need a tablet when they\u2019ve got a perfectly good smartphone and computer at home?<\/p>\n Not exactly. Boredom is one possible explanation, but it\u2019s also important to remember that Apple\u2019s competitors \u201d\u201c Samsung, Google, Amazon and HTC \u201d\u201c have all released tablets in the 4 years since the iPad was launched, with most of them significantly cheaper than Apple\u2019s trailblazer.<\/p>\n The other explanation is that the iPad is too durable, and people don\u2019t have any pressing need to upgrade to a new model. Unlike iPhones, which suffer from the wear and tear of being carried around all day, people generally keep their iPads at home, or use them while sitting down (which reduces the risk of being dropped from a fatal height).<\/p>\n And, as the difference between different generations of iPads isn\u2019t that great (to the average user, anyway), performance improvements aren\u2019t as much of an incentive to upgrade as they are with a smartphone.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not brilliant news for Apple now, but it does suggest that reports of the iPad\u2019s demise are premature.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s execs probably aren\u2019t losing too much sleep over the iPad anyway: they made a profit of \u00a34.5bn last year, with the iPhone selling 35.2m units.\u00a0 There\u2019s more good news round the corner too, with the iPhone 6 (a guaranteed money maker) and the iWatch due for release in September. You can almost hear the sound of hands rubbing in the Apple accounts department.<\/p>\n If you fancy making a bit of cash yourself (although probably not \u00a34.5bn) and you\u2019re a bit bored of your iPad, then sell it with musicMagpie<\/a>\u00a0using our iPad recycle<\/a> service!<\/p>\n