Apple is reportedly set to end the iPad 2’s three-year run. Interest in the device is reportedly dropping, due to other more capable iPad models being offered for the same price, or less.
According to people familiar with Apple’s plans, the company has made the decision to ramp down iPad 2 production given that customers are resoundingly shifting purchases towards its more modern and capable iPads, namely the iPad mini and iPad Air.
The iPad 2 – the first iPad to be offered in white, and with a forward facing camera – first went on sale in March of 2011, replacing the original iPad. When Apple introduced the third-generation iPad with Retina Display in 2012, the company continued to offer the iPad 2 at a lower price of $399.
It is thought that the reason Apple has continued offering the iPad 2 is because of its popularity in the educational market. However, last fall saw Apple offering another iPad model at the $399 level – the iPad mini with Retina display. It is believed that customers are now opting for the Retina iPad mini, or perhaps even the original iPad mini, which is now being offered at the $299 price point.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicted back in November that Apple would soon discontinue the iPad 2, citing shipping numbers for the device that showed Apple was set to ship just 0.3 million units of the device in the current quarter.
