Apple today launched a new microsite focused on the iPad, exploring the way the iPad can "change the way you do things every day." The site offers up a selection of apps and usage ideas for the iPad, organized into several categories: Cooking with iPad, Learning with iPad, Small Business with iPad, Traveling with iPad, and Redecorating with iPad.
Like the company's past advertising efforts, this new campaign aims to portray the iPad as a tool that's useful in all aspects of life that goes far beyond mere content consumption, as can be seen in the introductory video on the site. The video features people using the iPad in a whole range of situations, from cooking to managing a business.
Each section of the new site includes imagery covering what the iPad can do and a wide range of recommended apps for each purpose. "Cooking with iPad," for example, has sections on using the iPad as a cookbook, as a tool to create cookbooks, and as a prep tool for organizing ingredients to be purchased.
Some of the recommended apps include Green Kitchen, Cook, and Epicurious, and the site also recommends the Smart Cover as a tool for propping up the iPad while cooking. Siri is highlighted as a way to use the iPad hands-free in the kitchen, and a long list of apps is linked at the bottom of the page.
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Learning with iPad focuses on using the iPad to learn at all ages, with sections highlighting learning through play, programming, exploring space through apps like Star Walk 2, using textbooks in iBooks, using apps like Notability and Coursera for learning, and exploring free courses on iTunes U. Hobby-based apps are also included in a "Never stop learning" section.
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The other three iPad sections, Small Business, Traveling, and Redecorating, are equally as extensive, suggesting a range of use cases and apps for different situations that people might otherwise have missed. Every app used on the new site and within the "Everything changes for iPad" site is also listed in a special section on the App Store.
Over the course of the last few years, Apple has explored several different advertising campaigns for the iPad in an effort to spur people into purchasing one of its tablets. We've seen "Why You'll Love an iPad," "Your Verse," and "Start Something New" in 2013 and 2014.
Apple changes its iPad advertising tactics much more frequently than it does for other products, likely because its iPad sales have been down for several quarters in a row. During its the second quarter of 2015, Apple's iPad sales were down to 12.6 million from 16.35 million in the year-ago quarter.
Tim Cook has remained optimistic about iPad sales, however, suggesting that the company's future product pipeline (which includes the rumored "iPad Pro") and its efforts in the enterprise market will ultimately cause iPad sales to grow again. "I believe the iPad is an extremely good business over the long-term," he said. "When precisely it begins to grow again I wouldn't want to predict, but I strongly believe that it will."
Top Rated Comments
So true. It's like a folder on iPad holds 9 icons. Just 9 icons. It's like they didn't bother to tweak the iPad version from the iPhone version. I get that's just one little thing but it's a bunch of these little things that make iPad feel under-utilized. Plus, Apple is usually big into detail - so missing a bunch of little tweaks/details is disappointing.
The iPad isn't something you need to constantly replace. I have the Air, I'm not willing to spend $600 or so to get the Air 2 just so it will go slightly faster and have the Touch ID.
I'm sure I am among millions of happy iPad owners who are not going to rush out out buy every new version that comes out.
Current feature set restrictive.
Sales will continue to drop.
Advertising more of the same exercise in futility.
If Apple spent 1/10th the effort they do on advertising the iPad on actually updating the iPad software beyond a 2010 cell phone OS, it would give iPad a huge boost.
But they seem to be more focused on rebranding over-hyped headphones and keeping free music off youtube than on actually improving their products these days.