Apple recent quarter was great in many aspect except for the lower than expected iPad sells. The company sold 16.35 million tablets, missing analysts’ estimate of 9.7 million units. Many speculated that this is the beginning of the inevitable decline in Apple’s tablet business for various reasons.
Writing for the BetaNews, Robert X. Cringely pointed out that the lower number could be attributed to the excellent built quality of the device which increases the replacement cycle time of the product.
[su_quote] While a 10-inch iPad is more expensive than a high-end cellphone it isn’t dramatically so, especially with the decline of mobile contracts. Apple and the carriers originally expected iPads to last about as long as phones or maybe a little more. But they don’t fail that quickly. At best (or worst depending who you are) iPads may follow a PC three-year replacement cycle. But they haven’t been around long enough to really test that so the big fear at Apple is they’ll last even longer than PCs.[/su_quote]
Robert X. Cringely went on to explain how his kids run their iPad hard but the device just keeps on going. I could testify to that. I still have an original iPad bought in August 2010, that performs admirably for it’s age. I believe Apple, decision to exclude their latest software on certain older devices has ensure the user experience of these devices remain consistent. Despite having a Retina display and capable of playing the latest games, my kids frequently choose their original iPad over my third generation iPad, which was seriously affected by the buggy iOS 7.0.
