Supply chain data shows the M4 iPad Pro isn’t doing that great in terms of sales, and it’s not a surprise at all.
M4 iPad Pro Significantly Slow Down as Revealed by OLED Display Shipments, High Price Likely to be Blamed
The M4 iPad Pro is the best tablet Apple has ever made. No-one can dispute that until the next one comes out with an even faster processor. While people quickly went ahead to upgrade to the new iPad Pro, but over time, the lineup didn’t sustain its hype for long.
According to a report by analyst Ross Young, Apple has significantly cut back on OLED display orders for the M4 iPad Pro. The supply chain was expected to ship up to 10 million panels but slowdown in pace brings that number down to just 7 million for this year.
This means people aren’t that keen on buying the new iPad Pro, and it’s probably the high price to blame.
While the M4 iPad Pro is a great tablet, but the one thing that isn’t too great about it is the price. It starts at $999 for the 11-inch model. You know what else you can get for that price? A MacBook Air, which is a full-blown computer.
If you start spec’ing out the iPad Pro and turn it into a laptop, you can easily go beyond the $1,999 territory. Compared to something like a MacBook Air, that’s not good value at all since the iPad Pro’s iPadOS software is not as fast at certain tasks compared to macOS.
The iPad Pro may be a great tablet, but it is definitely not a great laptop or computer.
One thing’s for certain, the price isn’t coming down, especially when you consider the amount of technology Apple is crammed into the iPad Pro. However, even if Apple gives the tablet a $100 cut with the next model, let’s say the M5 iPad Pro, will that be enough to lure people back in?
I don’t think so, and there’s a good reason for that – since the switch to M-series chip for iPad, these tablets have gotten so good, upgrading every year just doesn’t make any sense anymore.
As someone who used to upgrade their iPad every single year, I have not upgraded from my M1 iPad Pro even though newer models are out. The M1 model does way more than I need it for and it’s easy to feel that these iPad Pros still have a ton of life left in them before they start to drop frames.
I’m sure there are people out there in the millions who think the same way.