Downloads of iPad apps surged in the first quarter of this year, driven by an increase in use and adoption of the device amid widespread stay-at-home orders.
First-time downloads of iPad-specific apps surpassed 1.1 billion worldwide in Q1 2020, according to data compiled by Sensor Tower. It marks the first year-on-year growth since the fourth quarter of 2013 and a 40 percent increase from Q1 2019.
Based on the data, the vast majority of app installs in the first quarter were in the Games and Entertainment category, followed by education apps, which reached a record 105 million worldwide.
The previous best quarter for Education apps was Q1 2013 when they reached 91 million, indicating the impact of at-home schooling during the health crisis.
In addition, quarterly global consumer spending in iPad apps reportedly saw the largest year-on-year increase since Q4 2014 at 16 percent and crossed the $2 billion threshold for the first quarter ever. About 76 percent of that money, approximately $1.6 billion, was spent on games.
As for iPhone, app installs grew 24 percent year on year last quarter, compared to 40 percent growth on iPad, partly owing to the iPad's increased suitability as a laptop stand-in at home, particularly for younger students, notes Sensor Tower.
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
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Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device.
The revised beta addresses an...
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Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
Apple today added M4 MacBook Air models to its refurbished store in the United States, making the latest MacBook Air devices available at a discounted price for the first time since they launched earlier this year.
Both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are available, with Apple offering multiple capacities and configurations. The refurbished devices are discounted by approximately 15...
Maybe now Apple will actually take iPadOS seriously and not treat it as a blown up iOS like they have for many years
Incredible power, incredibly limiting software, that’s always been the story
I think the people using the iPad during this time choose it precisely because it suffices as a PC replacement without the complexities of a desktop operating system. It’s affordable, lets them access the web and run basic apps, and that’s really all they need from it. I doubt these people are connecting Bluetooth mice and keyboards to them and turning them into makeshift laptops.
For them, simplicity may be the key selling point of the iPad, not complexity.
