The iPad 2 looks as if it’s on its way out, with a report this week claiming Apple will soon begin phasing out the tablet.
The news is hardly surprising – the Cupertino company has released three updated models since the iPad 2 debuted almost three years ago. Indeed, Apple’s newest model, the svelte iPad Air, leaves the iPad 2 looking positively slab-like, and its inferior display, slower processor and heavier weight leave most people with a spare $399 and an iPad on the shopping list opting for the latest Mini model. Cobble together another $100 and a 16GB iPad Air becomes a possibility, too.
People familiar with the Cupertino company’s plans told Apple Insider that it intends to cut production of the iPad 2 in light of the unsurprising fact that most consumers shopping for an iPad are going for one of its more recent models, whether it’s the 7.9-inch iPad Mini with Retina or the 9.7-inch iPad Air, both of which launched in November last year. Details on precisely when the tech titan might axe the iPad 2 weren’t given.
Of course, the iPad 2 is still a decent tablet in and of itself, and continues to be used by millions around the world, but the advanced features and improved design of the latest models, as well as their similar pricing, means the old iPad is overlooked by the vast majority of consumers today.
Still, the three-year-old tablet has had a good run, and as Apple Insider points out, it’s thought to be the company’s most widely used version, with a study by Localytics last October – prior to the launch of the Air and iPad Mini with Retina – suggesting the iPad 2 accounted for 38 percent of all Apple tablets in use, with the iPad 3 in second place on 19 percent.
The iPad 2 was the first version to feature both rear- and front-facing cameras, and was also the first to offer a white option alongside the existing black one. Removing it from the line-up will leave consumers with a choice of either the iPad Air, iPad Mini or iPad Mini with Retina.
