So Apple’s Earnings Report Came out

Apple’s earnings for the past quarter came out and they posted revenue of over $85 Billion, up 5% from this time last year. Wanna know why? A 25% growth in iPad sales.

But I Thought Nobody Wanted iPads

There’s been a lot of hate for iPads in the tech world recently with a lot of people saying that they can’t do anything, questioning why people would buy them if they can’t do the things Macs can. Well. Turns out people will buy them. Apple doesn’t specify which models sold the most, but it’s safe to say that the ones that sold the most were the ones that have been updated in the past year and a half: the M2 iPad Airs and the M4 iPad Pros.

The “Techo” Chamber

Online there’s a lot of talk about “echo chambers” and groups of people on social media reinforcing thoughts that aren’t representative of the rest of the world. There have been times where devices reviewers thought would flop did well, but not like this. I think there’s been a general lack of understanding from the tech world about two things: 1) how people use iPads, and 2) how much people will pay for those iPads.

There’s so much talk about “the average consumer” in the tech space, but it’s usually used to talk down to the average population. Their experience is valid, their experience is what matters. We can spend all the time in the world talking about the value propositions of various new products, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter what we think. It doesn’t matter what the pundits think. It just matters what the general population thinks. And the general population likes their iPads the way they are. And for us in the tech world: we need to touch grass. We need to step outside of the bubble of the tech community to really understand how and why these products are designed the way that they are.

What do you think about this? Let me know on Mastodon or over on Threads!