I don’t blame you if you keep thinking about the ultra-thin M4 iPad Pro after you finish using it in the store. The tablet is incredibly thin and light, the OLED screen looks great, and the M4 chip ensures great performance and battery life. The 2024 iPad Pro will also support Apple Intelligence once it launches later this month.
However, I don’t blame you if you decide not to pay $999 or $1,299 for an incredibly powerful computer that isn’t a full computer. iPadOS 18 is what made me reconsider purchasing the M4 iPad Pro. I did not proceed with the purchase.
It turns out others may have had similar thoughts. The M4 iPad Pro hasn’t sold that well. According to a recent report from display expert Ross Young, Apple has cut orders for both 11-inch and 13-inch OLED panels. Ross also said that iPad Pro sales will be significantly lower than expected. Initial estimates were that Apple sold 10 million units combined. Ross now expects Apple to sell only 6.7 million iPad Pros.
Apple has not disclosed details regarding sales of the M4 iPad Pro, but it is expected to announce its quarterly results for the September fiscal year soon. Still, Apple won’t be making a special case for selling the M4 iPad Pro. This is not possible with other products.
Ross looked at the shipping status of OLED panels for two tablets. Thus, he concluded that the M4 iPad Pro did not sell as well as expected.
Preliminary numbers for Q3 2024 predict a 40% decline in OLED iPad Pro panel shipments, and a drop of more than 30% in Q4 2024. As shown below, the higher-priced 13-inch models saw the biggest reductions, with a drop of more than 50% in Q3 2024 and expected to drop more than 90% in Q4 2024. Masu. After shipping a large number of panels in Q2 2024 for product launches to satisfy early adopter demand, demand appears to have actually dried up.
Ross also pointed out that there is a big problem with this highly sophisticated product. You’re paying a high price for “a product that typically complements a smartphone or laptop.”
The reason why the iPad Pro is “free” has to do with the software. iPadOS 18 is very similar to its predecessor. That’s why I wouldn’t pay that much for an iPad Pro, no matter how great the hardware is. I don’t believe this tablet is a reliable replacement for a MacBook. Therefore, I can’t justify paying that much for a device that I use mostly for entertainment.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to move all my computing needs to the iPad. But it could be a great computer to take with you when you travel. Unfortunately, iPadOS’s multitasking isn’t enough for me. I’d like to see more of a MacBook experience, rather than the (at best) Stage Manager multitasking you get with iPadOS.
Also, note that to make your iPad Pro a more productive device, you need to pair it with a keyboard. The Magic Keyboard costs an additional $299.
Ross makes the same point in his analysis. The iPad Pro is “more of a ‘nice-to-have’ product than a necessity, given its high price and the limitations of iPadOS that limit demand.”
For $1,300 to $1,600, you can opt for a nice MacBook Air or Pro computer over an M4 iPad Pro and keyboard combination. At the moment, I’d like to upgrade my laptop more often and buy a cheaper iPad. This probably won’t change until Apple makes some fundamental changes to iPadOS.
These changes could come soon if Apple releases a foldable MacBook/iPad at some point in the next few years. Until then, the iPad mini 7 and iPad 11 are waiting. The former should be announced alongside the M4 MacBook Pro and other M4 Macs in the coming weeks.
