There was a time, not so long ago, when the biggest outrage was simply someone misjudging Apple. A simpler era, filled with playful criticism and a naive belief in the future – a future that felt limitless, like an endless buffet without the risk of illness. It feels distant now, lost in a constant deluge of artificial intelligence chatter.
Perhaps it was the sheer volume of AI advertisements during the recent Super Bowl, the awkward performances of real actors alongside their digital doubles, that sparked this wave of nostalgia. Or maybe it was the news: iPad demand is surging, and Apple’s hold on the tablet market is tightening. Sixteen years after its debut, the device once dismissed as “just a big iPhone” still dominates.
Recent reports indicate Apple shipped 19.6 million iPads in the last quarter, a significant 16.5 percent increase year-over-year. This boost propelled their market share to nearly 45 percent. While analyst predictions are often unreliable, the numbers resonate with a simple observation: when was the last time you saw someone actively using an Android tablet?
It’s a wry amusement, recalling the confident predictions of the iPad’s downfall. Experts once declared Android tablets would inevitably surpass Apple, mirroring the fate of the iPhone in the smartphone market. In 2010, a survey claimed the iPad “failed to convince buyers,” conveniently omitting the fact that interest in purchasing one had *tripled*.
The Motorola Xoom was once hailed as the iPad’s superior, boasting 4G connectivity the iPad 2 lacked. A decisive victory, they proclaimed. Except, the Xoom didn’t actually *have* 4G. It was a promise, a future upgrade requiring users to mail their devices in for modification – a process that took seven long months.
Motorola, despite the initial hype, no longer exists as a tablet manufacturer. The company was eventually dismantled and sold off. In 2012, reports surfaced that Android tablets were “beating out the iPad in business and IT,” based on the stated intentions of companies that hadn’t yet purchased iPads. A curious metric, to say the least.
This reliance on surveys of buying intent – notoriously inaccurate – often revealed more about wishful thinking than actual consumer behavior. The iPad’s success wasn’t a matter of prediction; it was a demonstrable reality. The battle, for all intents and purposes, is over, and Apple emerged victorious.
Future iPad updates will likely be incremental. The tablet market is mature, and while Apple will continue to refine and improve, explosive growth is unlikely. But for those seeking true innovation – the kind that’s messy, unpredictable, and occasionally brilliant – there’s a world of experimentation happening with e-ink screens.
These ventures, while unlikely to reach the iPad’s scale, offer a fascinating glimpse into the future of portable displays. It’s a reminder that even in a settled market, there’s always room for a little bit of delightful, unexpected chaos – a bit like the invention of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.
