Stratechery:
The future of the iPad is not to be a better Mac. That may happen by accident, just as the Mac eventually superseded the Apple II, but to pursue that explicitly would be to sacrifice what the iPad might become, and, more importantly, what it already is.
Anyone “giving up” on the iPad really has no clue as to what Apple’s long term strategy is and has always been.
“Anyone ‘giving up’ on the iPad really has no clue as to what Apple’s long term strategy is and has always been.”
So, the vast majority of the tech press and analysts?
Pretty much.
Why is there talk about giving up after one flat quarter (traditionally flat)? It is the future of most people’s computing. As the data shows, this is a place where Apple has no competition.
I wish the tech press would write about me more often. I’m always good for a quote.
The problem is what the iPad already is, is a great entertainment device and a fun device to use to ‘catch up on things’. However when people pitch a hissy fit as if you disrespected a family member because you claim the iPad is better at consumption (which it is) than creation. By creation I mean creation purely on the iPad. Sure you can plug it in to other things like guitars and such to ‘create’ music but the guitar is really the one creating it which is fine, and a great part of Apples ecosystem however those type of uses aren’t really what we’re speaking of here.
1.) Writing an email and then deciding to yourself ‘you know what I’ll attach that document so they can see what I’m talking about’ only to realize there is no attachment options for documents from within mail. This leads you to have to exit mail… fire up the application you created your document in and then send the mail from within there. Of course doing this also has tasks associated with it as you can’t even start from where you left off with the saved draft and either have to redraft or do a home double tap juggling act to copy and paste the original email into the new compose window within the authoring application.
2.) Organize your files or ‘work products’ into a folder or tags (or any type of logical grouping) so you can keep all work products pertaining to the same topic or project together. The simplicity of selecting a drafted document containing the text to be published, a PDF example of what the printed layout would look like, and maybe a spreadsheet containing the financial information of where you are with the financials currently in the project are absurdly difficult. This would involve opening up each app 1 by 1, and creating separate emails for each. Or if preparing to run out the door and need to make sure you have all the docs in place to present at the meeting you are running into, instead of looking in the aforementioned folder containing everything you need for the meeting, again you have to fire up each app 1 by 1 to take a look at the needed documents.
My sense – and I admittedly know nothing – is that the tech and financial press commenting on “poor” iPad sales maintain the expectation that the iPad purchase/replace cycle should be on par with the smartphones (read iPhone).
Perhaps at this point tablets are on a purchase/replace cycle that is closer to PCs.
Short version: “My use-case is universal. No others exist, or can possibly account for the iPad’s widespread use.”
Exactly.
Not at all my friend. I gave common and very general use cases as emailing files for work. That IS a universal use case not a matter of my use case. iPads are pervasive in the enterprise; I know, I’m in charge of bringing these technologies and implementing MDM’s to manage them for a large government health agencies (one of the largest actually). This use case isn’t specific to my needs it is specific to the inbox that get’s flooded in our support queue when we do each wave of the rollout of iPads. Email my friend is a business standard not a personal use case. Sending files and sharing work with those you work with is a business standard, not a personal use case. Now is it the only use of the iPad? Surely not, the iPad has millions upon millions of apps which have nothing to do with creating documents and sending those documents to colleagues or clients… however your assertion or implication that the examples I laid out in my previous post are just personal nitpicks and not representative of common business (read enterprise) needs or even common uses for productivity naive at best and purposely dense and disingenuous at worst. Non business example for addition to my original post: I had to explain to my 74 year old mother that she couldn’t send poems she’d written (in Pages for iPad) for the grandkids in the same email, she had to send each one 1 by 1 each in it’s own email because there was no way to send an email with multiple attachments neither in pages or in the mail app.
When you have people writing for Motley Fools and others that should not be writing about investments, about tech maybe, but not for investments. Then the piece get picked up by USA Today as it were coming from a real knowledgeable person you will have some small investors confused.
I believe that the SEC should hold sites like the Motley Fools, Seeking Alpha, etc., accountable to some fiduciary role when they make headlines jus to get clicks, but that at the same time affect a stock performance and the value of investors.
This should also be apply to the Wall Street Journal and others like them, that print articles without any fact checking. For example, how did the lies in sales accountability of Samsung affected the stocks of Samsung and others like Apple because journalists did not do their due diligency exercise?
Is Samsung going to be fined for lying to investors and analysts, whom made decisions based on obviously bad numbers?
“That IS a universal use case..” No, it’s really not. It may be your experience but millions of iPad users have never once had to “email files for work.” Avoid extrapolating your experience to that of millions of others.
Additionally I suspect that since your only response to this was a cheeky quip with no information given to contradict my examples, you yourself actually do realize that the simple functionality I’ve laid out is indeed lacking on the iPad and indeed a common productivity use scenario and not at all localized to my own uses. Additionally I glean from your response (however I could be wrong) that no matter what objective information is given about the use of iPads, you would be just as defensive and dismissive if that information lead to a conclusion that there are things the iPad could improve on.
Chatty solipsism. “My friend.”
I understand it’s an occupational hazard.
Hell, there is a significant, and rapidly growing, segment of the population that wouldn’t know what to do with “email” to begin with. For these people Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have completely replaced email.
Likewise millions of people HAVE had to email files for work. Or email files for their own personal use. So if you’re telling me that the vast majority of iPad users have never once had the need to email a file even though the iPad is in 90% of all fortune 500 companies, I’d beg to differ even despite the fact that neither one of us has hard quantitative data to back up our arguments.
Within those applications on iPad, the same limitation of functionality is in place.
The simple functionality you described is indeed simple. That it’s widespread in your workplace in no way makes it universal. Unless your universe is exceedingly small.
Another occupational hazard.
Additionally, if you actually read my comments they were mostly geared toward productivity arena, not Suzie Q soccer mom. I’m specifically addressing iPad as a productivity tool and as such I guarantee you that it goes far beyond my experience. Just ask any IT managers who come to industry events or conventions. Implementing iPads in a professional environment is a challenge… Of course we jump through hoops because that is what our users want and we love technology and finding ways to make it work for them. All I’m saying is that there are simple things Apple could do if so inclined, to throw us a bone.
So you’re now asserting that I could possibly be in the only office in the world which has need to email files while on the go? The only office in the world who’s users has run into issues when choosing iPads as their productivity tool of choice and needing to share documents with clients and colleagues? I think you are just being absurd because you seem to take it personal that someone acknowledges there are things that the iPad could implement to make productivity and work (which it is touted is a productivity and work device) easier.
So, while discussing only a portion of the entire actual user base—the rest being beneath your notice—you chose to redefine the word “universal”?
Ah, the argument to extremes.
I’m going to guess you write a lot of very long, painfully technical and extrapolative work emails to people who’d rather have concise, plain-language explanations.
The condescending use of “my friend” was particularly good, btw.
Not at all. All my comments were mainly directed at productivity aka. creating work products. Sharing work products with colleagues or clients is as universal as email itself. I’m sincerely speaking more towards using iPad for work or ‘productivity’ as it has been used as a synonym for. And if you want to nitpick squabble over semantics in the use of the word universal we can downgrade it to just ‘widespread’. There is a ‘widespread’ number of people, numbering in the millions that have at least once have had a need or desire to email documents to someone else. Those people would be better served if there were functionality or options included in iOS to make that process a bit more user friendly and easier. Do you disagree that there are possibly millions that would have this desire or need? Do you disagree that it could be made a better experience than currently offered on the iPad? Or can the iPad/iOS not improve in anyway in this and is already perfect as it is? Not rhetorical questions I assure you; I’m truly asking your opinion in the matter.
“Susie Q Soccermom” was a nice touch too.
Not meant in a condescending way at all. I usually use terms like ‘my friend’ or ‘mate’ or what have you when talking to others. Not my attempt to belittle you in any way. My apologies if it has seemed so. I’m probably oblivious to this; but in my mind we are just having a conversation of opinions based on real world use experience. I’m not attacking you, or attempting to speak down to you in any way. At least it’s not my intention to.
“Widespread” makes more sense. Rhetorical exaggeration might be entertaining for your server-room audience, but it’s not always helpful with others. Especially in consumer technology, where the demographics of actual users are changing the way computers are designed.
Please know, that this ‘consumer technology’ is being touted by it’s creators as more than just a consumer device though. It is being touted as a true productivity tool that is ready for primetime in real work environments (not just artistic creativity environments). This push in the enterprise directly affects my entire agency and not just the server-room audience. It affects from the admin who’s boss gives them an iPad to work on all the way up to the executive who needs to make sure he has the right files before his next big meeting or send files to colleagues ahead of their next big meeting, all the while on the go. Being able to do all that you can at your desk but do it on the go. At least that was the pitch made to my organization when regional Apple sales reps confidently walked in our offices and pitched the agency wide iPad adoption. Only to be silent and claim ‘I’m sorry, we don’t offer that functionality at this time’ once the rollout had began and we are left with tens of thousands of users clamoring to do something as simple as send email attachments.
No one is asserting any such thing. You are the one who asserted your particular (and not uncommon) use of the iPad was “universal”, a generalization that, like most generalizations is provably wrong.
Sending files through emails is a common practice. I’m sorry, there is no way to deny this. People who use email and have sent attachments is not the minority in a work/productivity environment. Not by a long shot. Additionally, not my experience mind, the experience of the countless users we support all over the world after our agency wide iPad rollout. The number one tutorial request received was on the topic of sending, working with, or manipulating files. This would be indicative of a common practice.
No one said it wasn’t common. If you’d actually read what I wrote, I specifically said that.
We’re saying, contrary to your assertion, that it’s not universal.
There’s at least five apps I can see on the Aussie store (meaning there’ll be many more on the US one) that have finder-like interfaces for managing files between local networks, iCloud, Dropbox, Skydrive that support folders etc AND allow you to send emails with multiple file attachments or create shareable links to network resources. Often where Apple has holes the dev community fills them.
My apologies, I read your previous post wrong. I read it as ” your particular (and not common)” instead of “not uncommon”. That was my mistake. Pursuant to the use of universal, yes in the sense that if even a few people have never tried to, needed, or wanted to do this with their iPad then it would not be a universal practice my semantics in the use of the word universal is totally off base as I’m sure (although I cannot validate) that there are many people who have no need for this functionality. Again this is my mistake in this conversation.
As I said to Moeskido, I’m content with just using the assertion of ‘common’ and ‘widespread’ as to keep the conversation more on the point that many iPad users would benefit from this added functionality and less about a word choice to harp on which is completely besides the point and spirit of the conversation itself.
I work in technology. I never email files for work; the very idea seems insane to me.
Email can’t really be relied upon to be end-to-end secure. Files are posted to the service they should be on, and links are emailed.
I have no problem doing this on my iPad.
There are times I want to send a PDF based on one of those documents, but I’m probably one app away from doing that on my iPad too.
Now I’m not saying I use my iPad for everyone. I spend most of my day at a desk, and so I use a keyboard a lot. But if I’m more than three feet from my computer, I won’t get up to go to it to do the thing I need to do.
Links are emailed, and then once the file is opened how do you handle it if your users want to put all the related files in 1 place based on the project or body of work it’s related to? I don’t know your work environment or what you mean when you say you work in technology so you or your users could have no need to keep documents to a particular project organized…
Irony: The video in the article won’t play on my iPad.
The drop in iPad growth was inevitable. It was growing so fast, that if it kept up, everyone in the world would have two of them before too long.
Anyone who thinks a 3 percent drop in real sell through (they were pushing more into the stores last year, fewer going in this year) is a disaster after the first four years of iPads is just nuts.
It’s still wildly successful. It’s just the demand is leveling off. Just like the demand for the Mac Pro is not sustainable for years. But Apple will enjoy the high sales numbers for a while yet, apparently. But when the numbers drop for the Mac Pro to more realistic numbers, people are going to be bloviating about how the Mac Pro is dead.
What do you mean? All the files are together. They may need to use this app or that app to view them, but the links are simple.
The reality is, I think, that relying on email for file security is going to have to get uncommon.
You and Matthew upstream are probably closer to the truth than not. I think most tech pundits / financial analysts saw the iPad’s initial iPhone-like growth rates and assumed that this would translate into a similar refresh cycle.
In my experience most people are treating iPads more like traditional computers in that regard.
But isn’t it to be expected that most people has no clue what Apple’s long term strategy is (except in broadest terms)? After all, the only revelation from them is that they want to design the best products. But I do agree that pundits shouldn’t make up stuff just because they don’t know what’s going on. The whole “Apple can’t innovate anymore” is so ridiculous. Why are Isaacson and Kane allowed to make a living off this meme?
But even when you compare to PCs, the comparison is not good. PC sales had strong growth for decades before tapering off (with a couple of blips due to recessions).
http://www.asymco.com/2012/01/17/the-rise-and-fall-of-personal-computing/
The large “government health agencies” aren’t the only things that count as “productive” either. “Susie Q soccer mom” could easily be running her own business with an iPad & not need the same things as “enterprise” people.
My Escape is missing the ability to fit a cruise missile bay. I expect Ford to address this forthwith.
I’m going to have to email all my co-workers to let them know that the spreadsheets, PDFs, text files, pictures, drawings movies and other various and sundry files I have emailed from my iPad couldn’t possibly have come from my iPad.
I don’t know your work environment
Then you should stop talking.
iPad revenue for the last year was about $32 billion. A sampling of other companies whose total revenues are around $32 billion are General Dynamics, Allstate, John Deere, Murphy Oil, American Express, and Philip Morris.
In other words, Apple’s iPad business is a Fortune 100 company.