If product sales are declining does it mean the product is dying?

[Billy95Tech]

For a example tablets sales are declining nearly for a year now and the tablet growth is stalled at the moment and people are saying tablets are dead and useless but that is not true at all.


So If product sales are declining in this case tablets does it mean the tablets are dying and we won't be using tablets in 5 years(i really hope not) just like netbooks?


Do you think we be using tablets in 5 years time? I think so.


I am not sure when a product sales is declining, weather they are dying or not....

 

[maflynn]

No, I think apple has shown that tablets have their place, but the slowing sales of tablets in general and even declining sales only means that less people are buying it, not that its dying.

I think people can justify buying a phone a couple of years, so far that same justification is not there for tablets so sales are flattening out

 

[MRU]

For a example tablets sales are declining nearly for a year now and the tablet growth is stalled at the moment and people are saying tablets are dead and useless but that is not true at all.


So If product sales are declining in this case tablets does it mean the tablets are dying and we won't be using tablets in 5 years(i really hope not) just like netbooks?


Do you think we be using tablets in 5 years time? I think so.


I am not sure when a product sales is declining, weather they are dying or not....

Do you think people buy new laptops every year? No.
Do you think majority people buy a new car every year? No.

With tablets getting more powerful - people hold onto them longer. Hence once you reach a certain saturation point - inevitably sales will stall.

Does it mean the tablet market is dying? Clearly no. Just that saturation point has been met and if they want further growth they need to find a different target demographic that is not saturated.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

For a example tablets sales are declining nearly for a year now and the tablet growth is stalled at the moment and people are saying tablets are dead and useless but that is not true at all.


So If product sales are declining in this case tablets does it mean the tablets are dying and we won't be using tablets in 5 years(i really hope not) just like netbooks?


Do you think we be using tablets in 5 years time? I think so.


I am not sure when a product sales is declining, weather they are dying or not....

No, I would say people generally don't replace their tablet every 12 months so sales will naturally slow down. They have very different sales patterns to mobile phones. Tablets may be released every year, but the manufacturers can't expect the initial buzz to occur on every release. I bought an iPad Air in November 2013 and there was very little point getting the Air 2 because the incremental upgrade was minimal. I may consider the Air 3 if such a thing exists but then again I might hang out for another year. I would say consumers upgrade tablets about every 3 years and some even longer.

 

[maflynn]

No, I would say people generally don't replace their tablet every 12 months so sales will naturally slow down.

There was a natural spike when the iPad came our, and then some major improvements but now that changes have largely settled down, there's less of a need to upgrade.

 

[JHUFrank]

There was a natural spike when the iPad came our, and then some major improvements but now that changes have largely settled down, there's less of a need to upgrade.

Yes, and very little innovation in terms of what new tablets are bringing to the market. Also, tablets seem to be pretty durable physically and have a wide range of software available allowing for longer ownership.

 

[cdm283813]

It's really depends on how often we use the product. I probably use my Note 4 85% to 100% everyday. But my 2013 Nexus 7 only gets used between 15% to 0%. Based on my usage I find it a waste of money to upgrade a tablet I hardly touch. And because the Nexus 9 is a disappointment at $400 I'm not willing to drop the money. I do like the iPad mini 2 because $260 (brand new at Microcenter) is a reasonable price but I can't justify it. My N7 still runs pretty good.
And also look at the used market. I still find people trying to sale used iPads for more than what you can get new. I've seen new ipad airs go for $300 and ipad air 2 go for $400(both 16GB models of course) . People don't understand this and they become insulted when you offer a reasonable price. So people looking to upgrade rather hang onto their old tablet than than lose money. Apple is not making enough changes in the first place to warrant upgrading on a yearly basis.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Tablets really haven't changed much since 2011 and they don't really do anything now that they couldn't do then. Much like the PC market there is little reason to upgrade often so people hold onto them. Most people could still get along on an iPad 2 for instance.

 

[TimelessOne]

All products have a life cycle. Growth stablized and then death.
Now the sell numbers after you reach stable area go up and down a little. Right now tablets are in the stablized area.

The market is nearly fully saturated so most of your sells come from replacements not new users.

 

[occollegeboi420]

My mom's iPad 1st generation still works and is running strong. Thank God 5.1.1 didn't kill it. I got her the iPad for mother's day 2010.

Electronic devices last a long time. No need to buy a new one if the one you have works.

The tablet craze of a couple years ago has died down. Everyone has a tablet that works, nobody needs to "upgrade" their tablets. It's not a phone that needs to be upgraded every 2 years and it's definitely not a full fledged computer that needs to be upgraded every 5 years.

Apple hasn't really done anything new with the iPad anyway except make it a little thinner and perhaps a slightly faster CPU. The 1st gen should have had a camera.

 

[Apple fanboy]

We have an iPad 2, 4 and Air in my house. I'm in no rush to change any of them as they all still fulfill their function.

Tbh, since I got my iPhone 6+ I use my tablet less and less.

 

[Lloydbm41]

For a example tablets sales are declining nearly for a year now and the tablet growth is stalled at the moment and people are saying tablets are dead and useless but that is not true at all.


So If product sales are declining in this case tablets does it mean the tablets are dying and we won't be using tablets in 5 years(i really hope not) just like netbooks?


Do you think we be using tablets in 5 years time? I think so.


I am not sure when a product sales is declining, weather they are dying or not....

If a product is redundant to something superior (like say an iPod to an iPhone), you can expect declining sales on a YoY quarterly basis. We have not seen that with the iPad (or tablets in general) 'yet'.
When tablet sales look like the below iPod chart, then you know it has become an obsolete or 'niche' product.

 

[mi7chy]

Have been an ARM fan due to having a nice balance of usability, battery life and cost but my purchases have shifted away from ARM to Intel Core M which now has the qualities of ARM but the major advantage of running full desktop software. Even for basic consumption full Internet Explorer or Chrome with built in Flash support and Adblock is a superior experience to Android Chrome and iOS Safari. When it comes to productivity Windows is unmatched for professional software. Prediction is Intel will be dominant in 2015 for tablet, laptop and hybrid while ARM will remain king of handset until Intel gets power efficiency to a level where handsets can run full Windows and software.