Apple's iPad revenue fell by 25% last year, but for one obvious reason

Two iPads side by side
(Image credit: iMore)

iPad sales have dropped significantly year over year, but things are expected to change for the better very soon with the potential launch of the next iPad. 

In Apple’s earnings call Thursday, an almost hour-long presentation going over sales figures and the expected results of the next year, Tim Cook revealed the sales of the iPad. In this, he talked about its unique strengths and accounted for why it has underperformed.

In the call, he said: “Revenue for the December quarter was 7 billion dollars, down 25 percent year over year due to a difficult [compare] with the launch of the M2 iPad Pro and the 10th generation iPad during the December quarter last year and one less week of sales”. 

The M2 iPad Pro and iPad 10 both launched in October 2022. After talking about this downtrend, he assured investors that the “iPad remains the most versatile, capable, and elegant tablet on the market today”. Apple didn’t release a new iPad model in 2023 so those sales were just for older models. Luckily, there’s a new iPad on the way that is anticipated to fix this trend. 

What’s next?

Apple's next best iPad, the OLED iPad Pro is said to start production this month for a launch in March or April, coming with both an 11-inch and 13-inch screen. The decline in iPad sales could be linked to consumers waiting for the next big upgrade and not finding it in 2023. 

As well as having an OLED screen, it’s more than likely the next iPad Pro will have the new M3 chip, as the last iPad Pro received the M2 chip. If you are looking for an excuse to upgrade or finally commit to an Apple tablet, the soon-to-be-released OLED iPad Pro could be perfect for you. 

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James Bentley

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person. 

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer. 

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.

  • Wotchered
    The reason is that iPads last a long time and perform so well that people see little need to change them.
    Reply
  • FFR
    iPads are doing great for their upgrade cycle or lack there of last year.

    Mac revenue $7.78B
    Vs
    iPad revenue $7.02B
    Reply
  • Wotchered
    Good, I believe that the base models are a really good, Value product.
    Reply
  • FFR
    Extremely good.

    Probably why consumers are using mobile over traditional computing.
    mR_9kH38ORA
    Reply