I give you a riddle: it is a brand that offers various products and services related to the tech universe. Its isotype hides an urban legend represented by a unique bitten apple. Did you guess? Surely so.

The correct answer: Apple.

For those of us who love cutting-edge technology and allow ourselves to be seduced by 360-degree experiences, we thoroughly know that Apple (and its iPad) is much more than a device or a little apple. As if by magic, any brand device that we have at our fingertips makes us unique, powerful and sophisticated. Or at least that is the idea that the brand always wanted to convey to its consumers, working to improve each product down to the level of detail.

Since its beginnings, this company sought to study the lifestyle of its clients and thus ensure that it designed a variety of devices that fulfill the mission of accompanying them at every moment of the day in each of their activities: smartphones, laptops, tablets, as well as platforms with music and movies via streaming. Each of them shape what is known as the “Apple ecosystem.”

With all this, its founder, Steve Jobs, was always concerned about keeping the company on the margins of excellence and exclusivity. According to the expert's conception, the life cycle of its products and services does not admit declines or noisy withdrawals. That is why on this occasion, we are going to address the life process of one of its most successful creations to date: the iOS tablet named iPad.

As we already know, the life cycle is nothing more than the journey of the stages through which a product goes through during its stay on the market. Its objective is to guide the business strategy of any company. It has 4 stages in which we find: introduction, growth, maturity and decline.

An endless life cycle

Based on a recent study conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) - an American organization specialized in consumer behavior - it was noted that iPad users update their devices less frequently than the iPhones they own. More than 2000 customers were surveyed.

These are replaced almost every two years, while the replacement of the tablet could be compared to that of Mac computers, which are usually renewed every 2 to 4 years. So it can be seen that the life cycle is certainly influenced by people's consumption in all its stages, not just in the final one.

The case of the tablet is very particular since it is the users themselves who try to extend the life cycle of the device as much as possible, something that in the long run could be counterproductive for the company's interests. In addition to this, the study also revealed that people were very confident about giving or recommending a tablet to a close family member or friend.

Introduction phase

Since the company launched the first iPad, it was taken into account that although it was not a product that was in the minds of consumers, it was a very seductive proposal for technology lovers. In this sense, the first market reactions had hesitant people who could not understand its usefulness.

In those times, the first buyers of the iPad were nothing more than the "early adopters" -fans of the brand-, willing to purchase any product launched by the company. In this way, the demand was not significant, so the numbers remained at low levels. 

Growth phase

During the second stage, the stakeholder layer began to come to life more because people began to be interested in the novelty of this product, which translated into greater sales. According to the general law of life cycles,  Companies must establish a clear and practical flow for managing operations. This was completed successfully by Apple's iPad through its marketing campaigns.

Consequently, the iPad gradually achieved a certain relevance, shooting sales figures to the highest level. After two years of resounding success, the market opened the door to new competitors in the field, such as Samsung, Asus or Sony.

Maturity phase

In the maturity stage of a product, the word par excellence is “differentiation”, through which new ways must be sought to make products more attractive to the consumer and generate an emotional connection with them. That is why it can be said that the iPad is currently housed at this level, where the market has reached its peak and can no longer continue to grow. This happens mainly because the target audience already has at least one tablet in their hands.

Sales are no longer growing in the same way as before because the market has matured.

Phase of…not decline?

Fortunately for Apple, this phase has not yet deigned to appear for its iPad, but the day is surely approaching when this product enters a phase of decline, either because new substitute technologies may appear. And when this happens, sales will decrease a lot.