Apple saw its tablet sales decline and account for a smaller portion of its business and revenue, but the iPad Pro could be the one to change it.
The iPad Pro has high expectations to meet, as it's seen as the hero device Apple needs to boost its tablet business. Apple currently makes its revenue mainly from smartphone sales, while tablets have taken a back seat.
The iPad Pro, however, should be more successful that other tablets in the company's lineup, and is expected to perform particularly well in the enterprise market. Arriving as the largest tablet in Apple's portfolio, the iPad Pro rocks top-of-the-line specs and features and aims to replace the laptop.
Ahead of the iPad Pro's commercial launch on Wednesday, Nov. 11, one analyst has exciting predictions for the tablet's performance. As AppleInsider reports, FBR & Co. analyst Daniel Ives is confident that the iPad Pro will help fuel Apple's tablet sales to account for a larger portion of the company's revenue next year.
According to the analyst, the iPad Pro should reignite tablet sales to help iPads make up 15 percent of Apple's total revenue in 2016. For now, Apple's tablet business accounts for just 10 percent of its revenue.
"iPad sales have been on the decline for the last year, but Apple, as well as Ives, see potential for growth in enterprise sales," AppleInsider explains.
The stronger focus on enterprise will mark a change in the company's strategy, as Apple's previous efforts to boost its tablet business focused mainly on consumers. iPads performed well in past years, but sales have declined in the meantime.
One reason for this decline is believed to be the growing size of smartphones, as even Apple's iPhones now come in 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions. With larger smartphones, many Apple fans opted for an iPhone instead of an iPad.
The iPad Pro is notably larger and better suited for the enterprise market than any of its predecessors or contemporaries, boasting a massive 12.9-inch screen with a whopping 5.6 million pixels and packing a powerful Apple A9X processor under the hood.
It remains to be seen whether Ives' predictions will come true, but the iPad Pro does have the best shot to revive Apple's sluggish tablet sales.
