14 DAY TRIAL // Some may be inclined to believe that Apple will continue to sell the original iPad at a lower price following the iPad 2 announcement on Wednesday, March 2. But would this be a smart move for Apple?
Yes, the question is ‘would this benefit Apple?’ After all, they’re the ones who are making it, so they’re the ones who need to profit off its existence, as well as the hype surrounding it (‘hype’ is a key word here).
Let alone the fact that Apple cannot apply the same strategy it uses to sell iPhones - where the cash keeps flowing in from carriers who subsidize the device - but the iPad 2 will pose at least two key benefits that will make the original a non-option.
Those are the upgraded CPU and RAM, and the cameras. This is almost fully confirmed, and, if Apple history is any indication, the iPad 2 entry price point will likely stay the same.
But, who would buy an iPad that does less, when there’s an iPad that does more for the price of the original?
The hype surrounding the second iPad’s introduction will likely convince even non-Apple fans to fork out the cash, even if there’s a cheaper alternative.
Apple relies heavily on that, and the rumors and speculation preceding its March 2 event are playing out perfectly for the Mac maker.
Now, there is an offset chance Apple will stop producing the base WiFi model, but keep selling the 3G-capable model, which can still sell many units through various carriers that tie contracts to its purchase.
But there’s another possibility, that involves keeping both the WiFi-only model, and the WiFi+3G version of the tablet.
iPad promo material
Credits: Apple
It all has to do with the fact that the iPad is still very popular, over a year into its debut. To quote Apple - it’s “insanely” popular.
It’s everywhere in the news, including reports saying it is being adopted as a replacement for pen and paper in schools, and various other institutions. There is (at least) a clear a demand for custom-use of the device. Why would Apple want to throw that away?
Then again, should iPad 2 be much more advanced hardware-wise, this would spell a lot of fuss for the Cupertino giant, including support for at least another year through software fixes, compatibility updates, perhaps even separate versions of development tools (the iOS SDK), and so on.
Apple is also known to have steadily phased out old-generation hardware with every major new iteration, be it the desktop front, or the portable front.
Apple clearly doesn’t want headaches, as it can easily convince the public to buy its newest products by the millions.
Therefore, the company run by Steve Jobs doesn’t have to carry the burden of keeping old products alive just for the sake of enabling everyone to afford an Apple product.
Yet the question remains unanswered (at least until March 2):
will Apple keep the original iPad alive after it launches the iPad 2?
Share your opinion with us.
Answer fast! iPad 2 is just around the corner. With enough comments posted, we will select some to quote as the Apple fan’s voice.