Looks like innovation’s only going to get you so far – the world’s most innovative company seems to be losing its sheen with every passing month. But the only way out, according to analysts, could be the release of the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 soon. While rumors about the iWatch and iPhone 6 are doing the rounds, bringing out the tablets is the only way to fend off increasing competition from Android, they say.
On the positive front, yes, Apple still does enjoy the lead in the tablet market. And to maintain this lead, the company will do well to focus on bringing out truly spectacular tablets. We don’t quite expect anything flamboyant in the form of the iPhone 6 that could possibly bring Samsung down, even if iOS 7 turns out to be radically different from the current version of the iOS.
Of course, analysts maintain that the iPhone won’t vanish from the top sellers’ list anytime soon and it will continue to hold its own in the competitive arena of smartphones. But the advent of low-end smartphones could hamper the sales of the iPhone further.
Even though Apple’s iPad sales shrank to less than 50 percent of the overall tablet sales in Q1 of 2013, the numbers look promising – 19 million units of the iPad were sold during this period, 65 percent more than what was sold during the same period in 2012. However, Apple sold 37 million iPhones during Q1 2013, just 7 percent higher than the figure for 2012.
One of the key strength Apple’s iPad has is in the apps’ department – with over 350,000 apps for the iPad, there’s a lot more you can do with an iPad than with an Android tablet. And as the tablet market continues to expand rapidly, Apple still has ways to stay ahead.
