Despite the poor performance of the iPad in recent years in terms of sales partly as a result of a shrinking market for tablets and cannibalization from phablets such as the iPhone 7 Plus, recent changes that have been announced by Apple suggest that the Cupertino, California-based tech giant is serious about boosting sales of its iconic tablet.

One of the changes includes having the lowest-priced iPad now coming with a display measuring 9.7 inches. The flagship models of the iPad Pro were also refreshed at the World Wide Developers Conference event. Compelling software enhancements have also been introduced with the unveiling of iOS 11.

Declining sales

While the changes are not a guarantee that sales will be spurred they just might. In the previous ten consecutive quarters sales of the tablet have been in a decline. In the first quarter of this year, the number of tablets that were shipped according to IDC was 36.2 million. This was an 8.5% decline, year-over-year.

Despite the falling sales some niche areas of the tablet market witnessed growth. This includes the tablets that are detachable devices complete with a keyboard. Part of the reason is that consumers are looking to get more out of their tablets and devices such as the iPad Pro make that level of productivity possible. Another niche tablet segment are the budget devices which continue to experience growth. Apple has taken note and appears to be capitalizing on these trends.

Average selling price

Besides improving sales the new Apple lineup of iPad Pros also promises to assist the tech giant to enhance the average selling price of the iPad as well as the margins since the prices start at $650 for a 10.5 inch version and more than $1200 for a 12.9 inch version that is fully equipped. Accessories such as a keyboard and the Apple Pencil also come at an extra cost and could also assist in driving margins.

To enhance the level of work that can get done on an iPad, the newest iOS version enables productivity improvements including file management and multitasking. It also comes with a dock similar to the one on Mac desktops.