Remember the iPad?
Apple’s earnings report on Tuesday brought a lot of uncommon news for the company. The typical double-digit growth slowed to more of a trickle, with revenue up 1.7 percent from a year ago. Sales growth for the iPhone, by far the company’s most important product, slowed to its lowest year-over-year rate of growth since the device was introduced in 2007.
One trend continued again, on cue — struggling sales of the iPad. The company sold 25 percent fewer of the tablets in the last quarter compared with a year ago. Revenue from those sales was down 21 percent.
Several factors play into this. The iPhone, particularly with its larger screen, can handle many of the chores we once used tablets to complete. Laptops have gotten thinner. The Microsoft Surface has emerged as a surprise competitor. And really, how many devices do we want to carry around?
Still, it is striking to think about the iPad’s trajectory. Six years ago today, when Steve Jobs introduced the device, it was widely hailed as revolutionary. Maybe it was. But boy oh boy, that revolution sure looks short-lived.