Following the law of survival of the fittest, iPad mini may become history

This year's WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) will kick off in San Jose, California in less than a month. It has recently become a hot topic. It is said that Apple may release two hardware products at this WWDC, one is a 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the other is a Siri smart speaker similar to Amazon Echo.

Will the new tablet computer that debuted this time become the focus of the industry again? On May 17, Beijing time, foreign media BGR quoted a source saying that Apple is likely to stop producing the iPad mini tablet computer. This undoubtedly exposed the problems encountered by the iPad product line and the embarrassing position of the iPad mini.

Since the release of Apple iPad in 2010, the tablet computer industry has gone through the formation of the industry, the active market, and then the vicious price war competition in the industry in just a few years. The global tablet market has gradually begun to enter a period of decline.

According to the financial report released by Apple not long ago, iPad sales were 8.922 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 13%. Faced with this market environment, Apple may re-examine the iPad product line and formulate new strategies to activate the weak market. Among them, "discarding the iPad mini" may become the starting point of this strategic adjustment.

iPad mini's past glory

In 2012, Apple, led by Cook, "violated" Steve Jobs' original intention of "never making a small-sized tablet" and launched the iPad mini. Since the mobile phone at that time was still at the 4-inch iPhone 5, relatively speaking, for users who only needed to read, browse the web, send and receive emails and play games, the newly launched 7.9-inch iPad mini might be a good choice.

From the perspective of market strategy, the iPad mini is mainly intended to suppress the small-sized Android tablets that are currently in fashion. Due to its small and light body and lower price, it has been popular in the market, and even caused industry comments that "Steve Jobs was wrong about the small-sized tablet." The iPad mini can be said to be a product that attempts to "revolutionize" and redefine the small-screen tablet market.

The arrival of iPad mini has indeed enriched the iPad product line, and stimulated the market when the full-size iPad market was cold, opening up a new situation. But in fact, the first generation of iPad mini is not perfect. The most questionable point is that it has the same resolution as iPad 2, which may be an important factor that hinders some new users from purchasing.

As for why a high-resolution Retina screen was not adopted, there may be two reasons. One is that supply chain and cost control issues made it impossible to achieve. The other is that Apple may only regard the first-generation iPad mini as a test product for the market.

The iPad mini 2 that was launched later had a relatively high cost-effectiveness, basically meeting the needs of consumers. This product was also the best-selling product in the entire iPad mini series, creating a sales legend of that period.

iPad mini's internal and external problems

However, after several years of market testing, the shortcomings of the iPad mini began to emerge. Apple also admitted that the iPad mini was not a wise decision, especially after the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPad mini faced more competition from its own brothers that also run the same iOS system. The combination of internal and external troubles has gradually marginalized the iPad mini in the market.

The external market pressure mainly comes from small-sized Android tablets. In recent years, Chinese tablet manufacturers have begun to move towards branding and internationalization, and the main market firepower is concentrated on 6-8 inch small-sized tablets, and the price is close to 1,000 yuan. In addition, the emergence of cross-border products such as phablets for tablets and mobile phones provides consumers with products with more functions and experiences.

The iPhone 6 Plus launched by Apple in 2014 directly influenced the subsequent enlargement of smartphones. Domestic mobile phones have evolved from the previous 4 inches to the current 5-5.5 inches. The trend of smartphones gradually becoming larger has directly swallowed up the 7.9-inch iPad mini. After all, if users have the option of not carrying a bag, what people need is a mobile phone with phone functions, not a tablet. This is the biggest factor in the decline in iPad mini sales in recent years.

External factors only accelerated the iPad mini's predicament, while internal factors were the fundamental reason for its marginalization.

When Apple launched the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPad mini's position became particularly awkward. The iPhone 6 Plus was launched to compete with phablets from brands such as Samsung, integrating all the functions of communication and tablets. But what was unexpected was that while suppressing competitors, it also caused great damage to its fellow iPad mini.

Secondly, since its release, the iPad mini has been continuing the iPad route released by Steve Jobs in 2010. The product has been iterated and updated to this day, but it does not have many unique features that stand out. In addition, the replacement cycle of the iPad mini itself is long, with the life cycle of a tablet being 3-4 years, which leads to a lower frequency of user upgrades.

In essence, people may still need tablets, but there is a contradiction between the 7.9-inch tablet and the 5.5-inch flagship phones that are now popular. In addition, Apple has been trying to make the iPad a creative device that can output content over the years, but the niche areas that the iPad can currently enter are not very appealing to ordinary users except for professional knowledge of design and music.

The embarrassing thing about iPad nowadays is that it has no problem becoming bigger, but what can it do after becoming bigger is a problem that has always troubled users. Apart from being an entertainment device for watching videos and playing games, Apple seems to have no other highlights to offer in it!

In this environment of internal and external troubles, the survival value of iPad mini is seriously threatened. If Apple adjusts the iPad product line, it is reasonable to "canceled" it.

The iPad mini launched that year was a bold attempt by Apple based on market competition, and the "delisting" of the iPad mini was also the result of market competition. If it is eventually abandoned by Apple, it can be regarded as having accomplished its mission well. After all, Apple's powerful ecosystem is actually a process of continuous innovation and upgrading of products.

Product lines abandoned by Apple

As Apple's mobile product market share continues to rise, the chances of products from the same series but at different times appearing on the market at the same time have increased significantly. A broadly segmented product line will not only bring competitive advantages, but also many disadvantages in product management.

Although Apple's business empire ecosystem is highly competitive, its internal product lines are also competing against each other. The continuous introduction of new products that cannibalize old products is also a problem that product line management has to face.

The iPod Touch, a branch of the iPod series, was likened to a slimmed-down version of the iPhone, but it was thinner and lighter, and it completely changed people's entertainment methods. However, the iPad mini's integrated reading, entertainment and office functions almost eroded the iPod Touch's market share, so the iPod Touch was eventually abandoned by Apple, which was really helpless.

The AirPort wireless router has also been replaced by Apple's Apple TV. As a wireless router, AirPort not only allows wireless devices to access the Internet, but also serves as a storage terminal for private clouds and a bridge to connect devices within the local area network.

Simply put, it is to use a router to connect speakers and screens, and transfer the content on smart devices to non-smart devices. Apple's Apple TV is obviously much smarter than AirPort. Therefore, in terms of smart home hardware, Apple cannot allow two devices to control the devices at the same time, so Apple also gave up AirPort and chose Apple TV.

Apple has repeatedly stated that music is the heart of the company. The iPod classic, which was hailed as "a product that can hold a lifetime of music," was once a world-changing product, but is now facing the embarrassing situation of being discontinued.

The real advantage of the classic is that it has perfect industrial design and long enough battery life, but now the trend of technology is wearable devices, and iPod may be integrated with watches, so don't expect to develop a new classic. On the other hand, the impact of increasingly developed cloud technology on mobile storage is becoming more and more obvious, so the iPod classic is gradually fading in the market.

Apple has become very powerful today. Cutting off some products may allow Apple to focus more on its main products or services. The departure of some products may be related to the products themselves or to objective factors such as being contrary to market trends. The solid ecosystem created by Apple is bound to be a process of survival of the fittest and new things replacing old things. Only in this way can it gain the trust and recognition of more consumers.

From another perspective, the upgrading of products also reflects Apple’s innovation, and it is this innovation that has helped it achieve its current glory.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.