Apple just updated its base iPad this month after a very long, 2+ year wait. But curiously, the new iPad got a worse chip than we expected and missed out on Apple Intelligence. A new chart by CIRP, however, seems to explain why.
Full iPad lineup has been updated, but one model missed out on Apple Intelligence
Apple’s iPad lineup has been getting a lot of love from the company over the past year.
- We got a major new M4 iPad Pro with a gorgeous display, excellent Magic Keyboard, and more
- The new iPad mini got an A17 Pro chip to enable Apple Intelligence, and supports Apple Pencil Pro
- There have been not one, but two iPad Air updates that importantly added a new 13-inch size
There’s one model that hasn’t been so lucky, however.
The base iPad got an underwhelming spec bump after a longer-than-usual wait. And it also gained the honor of being the first product in an AI-supported platform that doesn’t actually support Apple Intelligence.
So what gives?
CIRP’s new report on iPad model sales over the years seems to have a great answer.
Sales trends made it necessary to hold back the base iPad
Take a look at this CIRP chart showing the past five years of iPad sales:
Looking at the left side of the chart, it’s pretty clear why Apple needed to hold back its latest iPad.
The base iPad has been steadily taking more of the marketshare away from Apple’s other models.
The cheap iPad went from:
- 15% of iPad sales in 2021
- to 21% in 2022
- 30% in 2023
- all the way up to 38% last year
While all sales are good sales, Apple would undoubtedly prefer customers splurge for more expensive models.
But it seems that in recent years, an increasing number of shoppers felt that was unnecessary. The base iPad was good enough for them.
So Apple decided to do something about that.
Top comment by mrbofus
I think it makes sense. The base iPad is good enough for most people. And all the iPad models have been overpowered for long enough that most people using them keep them for far longer than they would an iPhone. So if Apple can just do a modest upgrade on the base iPad and keep (or increase) their margins on them, it makes sense. If that also means more people go for the (presumably higher margin) iPad Air or iPad Pro models, even better for Apple.
For us consumers, I don't think we really lose out either way. I would argue that most people buying an iPad Pro (myself included) don't need the iPad Pro. The iPad Air would have been more than enough for what I need, but the iPad Pro is what I wanted. And there's nothing about Apple Intelligence (or AI from any company, right now, anyways) that is so groundbreaking that people would clamor for it in their iPads. In my non-scientific observations, most people are doing basic computing tasks on their iPads (Pro, Air, or otherwise). So for most consumers, the base iPad missing Apple Intelligence isn't a big deal. And for those that care, they are probably the kind of people that would have purchased an iPad Air or iPad Pro anyways.
First, it waited longer than usual to give the base iPad an update. And when that update did arrive, it changed very little and most notably held the iPad back from supporting Apple Intelligence.
And now, I totally understand why.
What are your takeaways from this iPad sales chart? Let us know in the comments.
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