One of many sticks that folks prefer to bash Apple with is, nicely, Apple: particularly, the Steve Jobs period.
It is normally wielded as “The previous Apple would by no means have completed that!”, however typically it goes again additional: “That is like Apple earlier than Steve Jobs got here again!”
The factor is, although, the stick-wielders typically have a degree. They usually positively do with the present iPad vary, as a result of it is a mess. The form of mess that, had he inherited it, would have made Steve Jobs livid. And it might be a part of the rationale why iPad gross sales have been dropping: iPad gross sales have been down 10% in Apple’s most up-to-date monetary outcomes.
So what’s the issue?
One of many issues that Steve Jobs delivered to Apple to pull it out of the doldrums was simplicity: he famously drew a grid with two classes, desktop and transportable, and two audiences, Shopper and Professional. Jobs wished Apple to make one product for every quarter of the matrix – not the dozen or so completely different fashions of desktop and cell Macs that Apple was promoting when he returned to the corporate within the late Nineteen Nineties.
After all, Apple did not make the iPod then, or the iPhone, or the iPad, or the HomePod, or the Apple Watch, or the Apple TV, or the… you get the thought. However the primary precept, that you would cowl each base with a comparatively small variety of merchandise, nonetheless applies. And is not being utilized to the iPad.
What number of iPads ought to there be?
Proper now there are six distinct iPads. There’s the usual iPad, which is offered in each ninth and tenth era variations of 10.2 inches and 10.9 inches respectively, with the latter shifting the entrance digicam to panorama orientation which is not like every other iPad.
There’s the iPad Air, which is the candy spot within the vary for most individuals.
There’s the iPad mini, which is actually a smaller iPad Air.
And there is the iPad Professional in its two completely different sizes and with two completely different show applied sciences: LED within the 11-inch and mini-LED within the 12.9-inch fashions.
Simply to make that extra sophisticated, there are 5 completely different processors from two completely different processor households in that blend. So within the most cost-effective iPads, you will have the A13 and A14 Bionic; within the iPad mini you will have the A15 Bionic; within the iPad Air you will have the M1; and within the iPad Professionals, you will have the M2 chip.
Then there’s the Apple Pencil. There are three of these now, with every working with completely different iPads. So Apple sells the ninth era iPad, which solely works with the first era Apple Pencil; the tenth era iPad, which works with 1st era and the USB-C Apple Pencil by way of an adapter; and the Air, Mini, and Professional, which work with the 2nd era Apple Pencil and the USB-C Apple Pencil.
Methods to make iPads make sense once more
We’re anticipating Apple to refresh the entire iPad fashions in 2024, a few of them as quickly as March. And meaning there’s a chance to deliver some streamlining to the mannequin vary and equipment. Whether or not Apple takes it, solely Apple is aware of. However streamlining the vary can be extra environment friendly by way of each manufacturing and advertising.
Here is what I feel Apple may do.
Let’s begin with the most affordable iPads. As an alternative of two completely different generations of the identical product, as Apple has now, Apple might and will streamline that to 1. Eliminating the ninth era iPad would additionally take away the final of the Lightning connectors from the iPad vary, so the primary era Apple Pencil might go too. It could additionally imply the top of the Retina quite than Liquid Retina iPads.
That would go away 4 iPads as an alternative of 5. Apple might transfer all of them to M-series processors, which might once more streamline and simplify issues: M1 for the iPad, M2 for the Air, and M3 for the Professionals.
However for the entry-level iPad, an A15 bionic could be the cheaper choice. It is hardly historic: it is the chip that powers the iPhone 14 so it is nonetheless in manufacturing. As an alternative, we’d see 4 processors throughout the 4 iPads: A15 Bionic for the fundamental iPad, M1 for the mini, M2 for the Air, and M3 for the Professionals.
Will Apple do it? I am betting on sure. The shock Halloween refresh of the MacBook vary would fortunately slot in Steve Jobs’ matrix: M1 for finances patrons, M2 for shoppers, M3 for Professionals, and M3 Professional/Max for essentially the most performance-pushing clients.
The identical streamlining would work simply as nicely with the iPad: M1 or A15 for the entry-level, M2 for the Air, and M3 for the Professionals. That is one space the place I hope that as an alternative of Suppose Completely different, Apple Thinks Comparable.