FollowUS Investment Immigration andLiving in the US: On October 23, news from foreign media reported that Apple launched several new products at a press conference held early this morning, including the fifth-generation full-size tablet iPad Air, the second-generation mini tablet iPad mini 2, the all-new MacBook Pro, the new Mac, and the Mac OS X 10.9 operating system.
The New York Times wrote an article titled “The New iPad Will Drive Tablet Sales to Surpass PCs”, stating that the launch of Apple's fifth-generation full-size iPad and second-generation mini tablet will drive sedan-like tablets to surpass truck-like PC products in the global sales market. Below is a summary of the article:
Steve Jobs' Metaphor of “Truck” and “Sedan”
Three years ago,Steve Jobs compared PCs to trucks and tablets to sedans. He also predicted that PCs would continue to exist, but more and more people would buy tablets.
The new product launch by Apple on Tuesday has pushed Jobs' prediction one step further. Apple's latest generation of iPad is equipped with a faster processor and a more advanced internet module. “This is the largest leap ever for the full-size iPad.” said Phillip Schiller, Vice President of Marketing at Apple, at the press conference.
Apple upgraded the iPad mini, equipping it with a Retina display. Apple also renamed the new full-size iPad to the iPad Air, as it has reduced thickness and weight compared to the previous generation. The iPad mini starts at $400, and the iPad Air starts at $500. Both products will be shipped in November this year.
Steve Jobs stated before his death at a 2010 business conference that the era of PCs was fundamentally over. He said that tablets are more portable and easier to use at home, thus can replace the user's connection with traditional PCs. Traditional PCs are like trucks, only used for bearing the maximum load.
“When we were still in the agricultural society, all cars were trucks because you needed to plow the land.” Jobs said. But as sedans became faster and easier to use, trucks became obsolete.
In the global market, tablets have already encroached on a large portion of the PC market. According to market research firm Gartner, tablet shipments in 2012 were about 120 million units, nearly seven times the 2010 iPad's initial launch. Meanwhile, market research firm IDC expects tablet sales to surpass PCs for the first time in the fourth quarter of this year, and for the first time, annual sales will exceed PCs in 2015.
Brief Analysis of the New Products at the iPad Air Launch Event
The new iPad mini features a high-definition Retina display, priced at $400, which is $70 higher than the previous iPad mini. However, Apple did not lower the price of the first-generation iPad mini, which remains at $300.
The iPad Air is 20% thinner than its predecessor, and its weight has decreased from 1.4 pounds to 1 pound (approximately 454 grams). It uses the A7 and M7 chips. The A7 processor employs a faster architecture, better supporting multitasking. The M7 is a dedicated chip specifically for sensing various motions, bringing additional features to various software or games integrated with motion sensing.
Both of Apple's two iPad products feature an upgraded antenna system, enabling faster WiFi internet access. The iPad Air will be available on November 1, while the iPad mini 2 will not ship until later in November, indicating a supply shortage for the iPad mini 2.
The iPad Air does not integrate TouchID fingerprint recognition technology like the iPhone 5s. Analysts believe this may be due to the rapid sales of the iPhone 5s, leading to shortages of certain components.
Mac computers have now taken a back seat at Apple, with the company's main profit sources becoming the iPhone and iPad. Apple announced that it will begin offering free downloads of the new generation Mac OS X Mavericks operating system starting Tuesday.
In addition to tablet products, Apple has also upgraded some Mac hardware. The new MacBook Pro, equipped with a Retina display, has reduced thickness while enhancing speed and battery life. The 13-inch version is priced at $1,300, and the 15-inch version is priced at $2,000.
Additionally, the high-end Mac computer Mac Pro, which was launched in June of this year, will ship in December, priced at $3,000. This product will be assembled within the United States.
Steve Jobs' Incorrect Prediction on the Tablet Market
Although tablet sales are growing rapidly, the penetration rate of tablets still lags behind that of smartphones. Gartner estimates that global smartphone shipments will reach 1 billion units this year, while tablets will only account for 184 million units. Gartner analysts state that smartphones are more popular because their calling features make them a necessity, whereas tablets are merely supplementary devices.
Steve Jobs made an incorrect prediction regarding the tablet market. He mocked small-sized tablet manufacturers at a 2010 investors' conference, stating that their small-sized tablets would need to include sandpaper for users to sharpen their fingers before use. He even claimed that small-sized tablet products would “die out.”
The sales of the iPad mini may have already surpassed those of the full-size iPad
However, for competitors of Apple (such as Google and Amazon), small-sized tablets have brought them great success, partly due to their low prices. Now, Apple seems to have tasted success as well. Since the launch of the low-cost iPad mini late last year, the overall average selling price of the iPad has declined, indicating that sales of the iPad mini may have surpassed those of the full-size iPad.
IDC data show that Apple holds the top position in the global tablet market with a 32% share. However, Apple faces challenges from companies such as Amazon, Samsung Electronics, and Google, whose tablets are priced significantly lower than the iPad. Samsung, the world's second-largest tablet manufacturer, has also made remarkable progress, increasing its global share in the second quarter from 7.6% last year to 18%.
Gartner analysts expect that as the smartphone market becomes increasingly saturated, small-sized tablets will continue to sell well. They state: “We anticipate that this Christmas shopping season (in December) will belong to small-sized tablets, as smartphones that have traditionally taken center stage during shopping seasons have lost their appeal.”