It's that time again: Apple has just posted its Q2 2014 financials, and there are some interesting device sales numbers to peep at. Apple saw a big year-over-year jump in the number of iPhones sold (43.7 million this time vs. 37.4 million last year), thanks at least in part to deal that brought the 5s and 5c to China Mobile -- a carrier that has over 750 million subscribers. Alas, Apple never breaks down its sales figures between models, so how many people opted for the colorful (and cheap) 5c instead of the 5s is still a mystery. Mac sales surged slightly too, and the iPod did about as well as we thought... which is to say not well at all. The company sold fewer than half this quarter than it did the same time last year, but it's no secret the venerable music players were slowly falling by the wayside.
But then there's the iPad. Apple sold 16.3 million of them in Q2, which sounds pretty great... until you realize that the company sold closer to 20 million of them in Q3 2013. So far, there have been a few reasons as to why Apple didn't knock it out of the park with its tablets this time. There's the very simple fact that Apple hasn't unveiled a new shiny tablet since the Air and the Retina mini last year -- the allure of a new product (even an Apple product) can erode very quickly, and it's not like Apple doesn't have some top-tier competition to contend with. Some have also argued that the iPad's main market consists of high-income consumers, and they've already got their iPads. After all, we nerds may upgrade at the slightest provocation, but the iPad isn't bound by a mobile contract that promises you a good deal on a new one in two years. It's more fixed than that, so it shouldn't be surprise that people tend to hold on to them. Even Jean-Louis Gassée -- one of Apple's most prominent execs during the late 80s and early 90s -- can't help but opine. To him, the iPad is "a tease", a device that people hoped would be able to replace a full-blown PC but hasn't lived up to expectations.
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