iPad

The iPod, iPhone, and iPad are unequivocally considered to be profound and world-changing technological breakthroughs that forever changed the world we live in. They sell by the millions and account for staggering quarterly revenues.

The funny thing is, none of them really sold well on the first generation. The first iPod is barely a blip on the sales radar coming in well under a quarter million units.

To proclaim understanding of such a young tablet market is a fool’s errand, but I think there are some additional considerations to be made beyond Gassée’s article where he concludes that the iPad is a tease and it cannot fulfill the duties it promised to fulfill.

To evaluate the tablet, it is worthwhile to consider smartphones. Smartphones replaced their predecessors entirely, and with ease. It wasn’t a “good enough” solution and the way we use phones didn’t have to change. Sure we got all sorts of new ways to use phones, but the same old ability to make calls and send SMS usage was fundamentally still there. All of the things people needed to do, they could do.

Just like I, and most tech writers/bloggers with dignity that seek content quality over clicks, have been saying all along - the iPad Pro that was so highly reported as “certainly” coming out in 2014 has been shelved. Apple works with a plethora of screen sizes, always has. There might be a bigger iPad one day, but that day is not soon.

I’m a slave to Outlook and OWA for work, no way around it. I use the native iOS email app on my (work-issued) iPhone. On my personal iPad, which is rarely used for work, I use the official Microsoft OWA (Outlook Web Access) app. I launch the app 0-4 times per day, usually 1 or 2. Approximately 10-25% of app launches result in this update state where I cannot do anything, I must wait (look at the banner along the bottom):

No surprises here. The rumors of the 2014 iPad Pro were unfounded when they started, and I called them out as such. Now, only a few months later and half a year before the originally projected launch, analysts (in this case Kuo, but he hasn’t been the only one barking up this tree) are backing off of the notion that Apple will be releasing a 12" iPad this year.

It is well known that Apple tries a huge number of technologies, sizes, and materials as part of their standard R&D. It is certain Apple has experimented with a larger iPad, probably even has some pretty late-stage devices., but that doesn’t mean they’re releasing one soon.

The discussion on The Prompt last week (episode 31) sparked a series of thoughts for me regarding whether or not Apple is even considering an iPad Pro (12.9") and what exactly the device would be. Despite being an unlikely product for the near term, it is an interesting discussion.

Federico gives three scenarios: #

1. Just a larger iPad. Same iOS, same hardware features, larger (12.9") screen.
2. iPad Pro with substantial hardware and software feature changes.
3. Hybrid device, or “convertible” as Intel calls them.

Let’s be clear here, Federico isn’t making the case for any of the three options, this is merely a game of “what if” that we’re playing. I think it is also important to preface this analysis with an immensely relevant comment from the podcast -

If we reported on every screen size, material, product, and mold shape that Apple has tried, it would be like drinking from a fire hose. I’m not saying new screen sizes won’t appear in new devices eventually, but let’s be realistic.

• iPad “Pro” - Nope*.
• Larger iPhone - likely in the next 2 years. I would expect an announcement related to vector-izing graphics in the OS to be part of this.
• Smart “Watch” - I don’t see what Apple has to gain here. I think Gruber’s idea of a new iPod with a watch strap is more likely, but even that isn’t something I’d bet on. Once battery technology improves, I think this could change. Right now the batteries needed are far too large for a device worthy of the Apple brand.

*The time frame on the “nope” projection is 2-3 years. Not happening.

The “rumors” of a bigger iPad are a joke, but they’re spreading like wildfire. If you need proof why it isn’t happening (anytime in the next few years at least), just take a look at Samsung’s newest 12.2" abomination.

Comments on the tablet from the report:

• “Simply isn’t designed for optimum portability” 
• “too awkward to hold for long periods of time”
• “we were hard-pressed to find any variation between the 12.2-incher and the Note 10.1 2014 edition”

Personally, I’m holding out for the 12.2" phone version.

If you’re a Twitter user, you need to be using Tweetbot 3.0. It isn’t just the best Twitter client, which it is by a long shot, it is my favorite iPhone app period. The iPad version is still on 2.0 with the pre-iOS 7 design, and even that is a league above most other Twitter clients. When I did a trial switch to Android, the lack of Tweetbot was among my top complaints, I found myself not wanting to use Twitter anywhere near as much without it.

I’m not saying it’ll never happen (though at this point I don’t see why they would), but this 2014 bigger iPad rumor is laughable. Not happening.

Regarding the larger iPhone… I see this being more of a potential, but the screen resolution situation would be a mess. I think if they do this, they’ll also introduce some API to make apps render with vectored graphics or something.