Apple has long promoted the simplicity of its products - the hardware design, the software interface, the names, the packaging. But with the addition of the iPad Mini, its tablet family has become more complex.
When you add up the different models of iPads - broken down by screen size, storage options, cellular data connectivity or Wi-Fi only - there are essentially 14 tablets to choose from in Apple's store. What's more, Apple is still selling the older iPad 2, which could confuse people, because the fourth-generation iPad is simply called “iPad,†making it unclear which one is the newest.
On top of all that, each iPad model has a laundry list of different features - some have 720p video recording, others have 1080p video recording; some include a new Lightning connector, while others have the older dock connector; the iPad 2 doesn't work with Sprint, but the other iPads do.
Decisions, decisions. Having too many didn't work out for Research In Motio n when it offered a wide array of BlackBerrys, some with a keyboard, others with a touch screen, some with a keyboard and touch screen, and so on. Analysts like Shaw Wu of of Sterne Agee had said the product line was too complicated and confused consumers.
But regarding the iPad, Mr. Wu said on Monday that Apple's tablet family was still simpler compared with the perplexing matrix of BlackBerry phones.
“It's really three models - iPad, iPad Mini and iPad 2 with different wireless options and storage capacities,†Mr. Wu said. With RIM, one problem was that the model numbers made all the options tough for customers to understand, like the difference between a BlackBerry Torch 9820, 9810 and 9850, he said.
Michael Gartenberg, a technology analyst with Gartner, agreed that the iPad family was simpler, adding that they all run the same software, which keeps things tidy.
“The key is they all run the same apps and are part of the larger ecosystem,†h e said. “No confusion about what will run or won't.†He said Google faced a tougher challenge, because different Android tablets could run different software, depending on which manufacturer made the tablet and which version of the operating system it shipped with.
With all that said, the iPad 2 stuck out to Mr. Wu as potentially confusing, because the name could lead the average consumer to believe it was the newest one. “We'll have to see how long Apple decides to continues to sell it,†he said.
