iPad mini3 is destined to become the next Apple iPod

While the iPhone 6/6 Plus series are selling well, the new iPad air2 and iPad mini3 have also quietly opened for pre-order in various countries.

According to Tencent Technology, data from Slice Intelligence, a brand loyalty data analysis company affiliated with Japan's Rakuten Corporation, showed that during the three days from October 17 to 19 when the new iPad air2 and iPad mini3 were available for pre-order, iPad Air 2 pre-orders accounted for as much as 97% of all iPad pre-orders, while iPad mini3's share was only a pitiful 3%.

Coincidentally, by checking Taobao's sales rankings, it can be found that the sales volume of the two new-generation iPads that are still being pre-ordered is 39 to 349, and the sales volume of iPad mini3 is only slightly more than one-tenth of that of iPad Air2.

After the release of iPhone 6 Plus, the competition between it and iPad mini series has attracted much attention. However, the poor pre-order volume of iPad mini3 is still unexpected.

Now, perhaps we can really discuss the necessity of the iPad mini series.

1. Why are the pre-orders for iPad mini 3 so poor?

In fact, at Apple's press conference, compared with the complicated introduction of iPad Air2, Apple's brief mention of iPad mini3 could almost be described as perfunctory.

Compared with the greatly upgraded iPad air2, the iPad mini3 has only upgraded some small details and Touch ID compared to the previous generation iPad mini2. There is really not much worth mentioning.

The same A7 processor, the same 5-megapixel camera, and the same 7.9-inch 2048*1536 screen really don't attract much interest from old users.

What's worse is that with the launch of new products, the price of iPad mini2 has dropped significantly, and its cost performance is obviously higher than that of iPad mini3. The slow upgrade and poor cost performance are the main reasons for the poor pre-order of iPad mini3.

In addition to the iPad mini3's own factors, the iPhone 6's large screen is also an important reason. The iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5-inch screen is already very close to the size of a tablet. The replacement and impact of large-screen mobile phones on small-sized tablets is very obvious on Android devices, and Apple is no exception. As a small-screen tablet, it is inevitable that the iPad mini3 will be impacted.

2. Is it necessary for the iPad mini series to exist?

For Apple, the profit margin of the iPad series has always been lower than that of the iPhone, and the sales of the iPad series are also far lower than those of the iPhone - in Apple's product line, the status of the iPad is far lower than that of the iPhone.

In the financial reports of the last few quarters, iPad sales and revenue have been declining, and a 7% decline from the previous quarter and a 13% decline from the previous year are already significant declines.

The iPad has a low profit margin and its sales are declining. The iPad mini series is a weak product among iPads and its contribution to Apple's financial report is very limited.

For Apple, the profit that an iPhone 6 Plus brings to its fans is much higher than that of an iPad mini3, and the two products can be substituted to a certain extent. So why not encourage users to buy the more expensive iPhone 6 Plus?

Therefore, from Apple's perspective, the significance of the iPad mini series is far less than that of the iPhone 6 Plus.

For consumers, iPhone is a must-buy for Apple users. In the past, iPhone was only 3.5-inch or 4-inch, and typing on the full keyboard was very difficult, and watching videos was even more painful. It was necessary to buy an iPad mini series tablet to have two devices, one for making calls and text messages, and the other for surfing the Internet.

Nowadays, the iPhone 6 has a larger screen, the Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, so why should we carry an iPad mini series tablet with a screen that is not much bigger and is troublesome to carry? Moreover, the processor of iPad mini3 is one generation behind that of iPhone 6 Plus, and the Internet speed and gaming experience are worse than those of iPhone 6 Plus. Therefore, from the user's perspective, the existence of iPad mini series is not very meaningful.

3. Will Apple take drastic measures?

Apple has always stopped producing some outdated products, but the pace is relatively slow. The iPod series has long passed its peak and has been on a downward slope for a long time. Its sales now account for less than 1% of Apple's total sales, but Apple has not completely stopped producing this series of products.

MAC mini's performance is not good either, but Apple has been persisting and the Mac mini Server has just been discontinued.

As the most profitable technology company, Apple does not consider performance too much when planning its business layout. Compared with IBM and HP, which have to split up their companies or even sell off their worthless businesses, Apple is much more relaxed in its decision-making and does not need to hastily cut off or sell off unprofitable or low-profit products.

Therefore, although the iPad mini series has little significance, it will probably take a long time for Apple to kill it. Even if it keeps this product line, its value will not be much higher than the once glorious but now declining iPod.

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.