Apple iPad Launch Leaves Investors Unimpressed

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By Douglas A. McIntyre Updated Published
Apple iPad Launch Leaves Investors Unimpressed

© Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News via Getty Images

When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) launched what it called its “stunning new iPad,” investors were not impressed. Apple stock remains down 5% this year, while the S&P 500 is up 9%. What happened?

Some aspects of the new iPad might be considered “stunning,” which was Apple’s description. Its new M4 chip is unusually powerful compared to the M2 chip that preceded it. However, how many people need a super-powerful processor in their tablet computers?

The new iPad’s camera is better than the previous one. “The Ultra Wide 12MP camera with Center Stage makes the experience of video conferencing in landscape orientation even better, especially when iPad is attached to a Magic Keyboard or Smart Folio,” Apple commented. What does that even mean?

The display is brighter. But brighter than what? How much better is it than the previous iPad or the ones from Dell, Lenovo, or Samsung? Can a typical tablet user tell? (Check out a ranking of millennials’ favorite consumer electronics brands.)

The real drawback to sales of the new iPad Pro, the line’s flagship, is price. The base model costs $999, but the 13-inch model has a base price of $1,299. More storage can add several hundred dollars, and cellular capacity adds another $200. The new Pencil Pro adds $129. The Magic Keypad adds another $349. Suddenly, the total package is about $2,000.

The new iPad suffers from the same problem as the iPhone 15. It has better features that most people don’t use, and it is also expensive. The competition sells cheaper tablets.

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About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.

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