Upgrading to iOS 10 will render 40% of iPads obsolete

According to ZDNet, Apple's iPad tablet sales have been declining over the past two years. However, the release of iOS 10 will be a new catalyst for the next wave of upgrades, and 40% of old iPads will be eliminated.

All iPads sold by Apple (except iPad 1) can run the latest version of Apple's iOS operating system. But at the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced that this situation will change. Apple will stop supporting upgrades for three older iPads, including iPad 2, iPad 3 and the first generation iPad mini.

This means that millions of iPads will become obsolete when iOS 10 is released this fall. Mobile analytics data provider Localytics compiled data in March showing that 40% of iPads sold by Apple will be obsolete because they cannot receive security updates and patches.

The iPad 2, which sold well between March 2011 and March 2014, was a very popular device. The iPad 2 (17%) had a market share just 1 percentage point lower than the iPad Air (18%). As Apple sells more iPads, this ratio may change. Based on the current sales of 10 million units per quarter, the total iPad sales are currently about 318 million units.

The question is, will people upgrade iPads that are being phased out? Can people live without the iPad, which was once a cool device? If the owners of obsolete iPads decide to upgrade, it could mean a huge wave of upgrades for Apple, and a surge in sales. But if people decide that the iPad is no longer as important as it once was, it could mean a sharp drop in the iPad's market share in the tablet ecosystem, and a decrease in importance.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.