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What Apple?s next iPad model must have to maintain edge

Until recently many marketers have said that Apple's iPad was the only force in the tablet category. However, with the success of Amazon's Kindle Fire increasing and news of other tablets emerging, what can Apple do to maintain its edge in the tablet category?

Similar to how the iPhone revolutionized mobile phones, the iPad has been a dominant force in the tablet category for the past two years. Thanks to the popularity of newcomers such as the Kindle Fire from Amazon, Apple's position in the tablet space may be in question, but the answer may not be as simple as giving the next tablet some exciting new feature.

?The actual device is only a piece of the whole iPad experience,? said Rhoda Alexander, senior manager of tablet and monitor research at IHS/iSuppli, Santa Clara, CA. ?There is much more to it in terms of the evolution of the Apple ecosystem that one has entry to through the device.

?It is not a simple equation of adding this feature or that feature to the tablet ensuring their success,? she said.

?Apple has a way of defining its own specifications, regardless of what prognosticators may believe are must have features.?

Smaller screens
Besides the Kindle Fire, there is also a lot of talk these days around hybrid products such as Samsung?s Galaxy Note that promises the power of a larger tablet device but it still portable with a 5.3-inch screen.

Additionally, by the time a new iPad comes out, the first Windows 8-powered tablets may be coming on the market.

These developments point to the likelihood that the next iPad will be facing a more competitive tablet market.

The success of the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet ? both of which have 7-inch screens ? would seem to suggest that a smaller screen size is one feature that could help the next iPad be more competitive. In fact, many reports suggest that Apple will introduce a new tablet later this year that has a smaller screen size.

But with Apple?s strict focus on providing the best consumer experiences for its products, a smaller screen might not fit into the picture.

?A smaller screen is not one of the features the next iPad is likely to have,? said Kaitlyn Lewis, device analyst for Yankee Group, Boston. ?In fact, consumers think larger screens are better.?

According to Yankee Group's 2012 U.S. Consumer Survey from March, 71 percent of people who intend to buy a tablet in the next six months prefer larger tablets in the nine-inch to ten-inch range while 13 percent prefer smaller tablets that are approximately between five and seven inches.

Avid customers
The success of a tablet ? and the iPad in particular ? is not the result of any one feature but the entire package that comes along with it.

This is one reason why issues that pop up around the performance of Apple devices do not typically have a large impact on sales.

The newest iPad that was introduced just several weeks ago is reportedly receiving numerous complaints from consumers about the screen overheating and the battery continuing to charge even after it is filled yet these do not seem to be hurting sales yet. Other products before have had issues but sales were still strong.

?I am not convinced that features are going to be the thing that makes or breaks the success of the next iPad,? said Noah Elkin, principal analyst at eMarketer, New York.

?The iPhone 4S had issues but that did not stop it from being a big seller,? he said.

For one thing, there are avid Apple customers who are willing to line up to buy the latest device because they believe the previous device is now obsolete.

This points to Apple?s strength as a consumer-friendly high-tech brand.

The measuring stick
The iPad?s dominance in the tablet category continues to be so strong that tablets from other manufacturers are still measured against it and how well they have replicated some of its features.

For example, the newest iPad has a high-resolution display and 4G capability, features that other tablet manufacturers are likely to look to copy.

?With Apple's release of the new iPad, the tablet market has now been split into two: tablets with high-definition screens and tablets with low-definition screens,? Yankee Group's Ms. Lewis said.

?So, over the next year, tablet manufacturers will be working to move themselves from the low-definition segment into the high-definition segment,? she said.

?Furthermore, tablet manufacturers will be looking to include LTE and Windows 8 as new features in their devices.?

While the iPad may lose some market share to the Kindle Fire this year, Apple should be able to remain a dominant force in the tablet category as long as its strength as a high-tech brand that delivers the best consumer experiences continues and it delivers a strong ecosystem filled with the best apps.

?Apps are important to a certain percentage of the audience but that is not why people buy an iPad versus another product,? eMarketer?s Mr. Elkin said.

?Features are just one part of it,? he said. ?If you look at the success of the iPad, you have to look at the totality of it, what is the total offering and how does it tie in with what people want to do with it.?