The tablet market is hitting something of a sales plateau; with retailer John Lewis suggesting that Apple’s iPad line is ‘desperate for innovation’.

With the Cupertino-based manufacturer having last week announced its latest quarterly profits – revealing a 9 per cent year-on-year drop in iPad sales – much attention has now been turned to what the tech giant will do with the upcoming iPad Air 2.

Although recent leaks have pointed towards only minor improvements – the addition of a TouchID sensor appearing the highlight change – seller John Lewis has suggested dramatic improvements are needed in order to rekindle sales.

“The iPad is still dominant, but they [Apple] are desperate for innovation in the tablet space because sales are not where they were a year ago,” Johnathan Marsh, John Lewis’ Head of Buying for Electrics and Home Technology said speaking with TrustedReviews.

“ Through a lack of change, or innovation, or reasons to go out and replace, the iPad volumes in the whole market aren’t where they need to be.

“Frankly, the ones that they have available, and the ones that customers have bought, do such a great job already.”

He added: “We are really excited about what might come in the second half because Apple desperately needs some new excitement and some new stories to genuinely go out there and consider a new iPad.”

Looking ahead to the 2014 iPad announcements, which are widely expected to see the iPad Air 2 launch alongside the third-gen iPad mini, Marsh has predicted that Apple will not disappoint with the necessary updates.

“I think they have to improve,” he said. “Their whole philosophy and what has driven them over the past decade or so is this obsessive, self-improving mentality so I think they will come with something different, and they will come with something better.

“How different, or how much better, we don’t know. Will it be more affordable? We just don’t know. Are they going to introduce colours? These are all the questions we are asking ourselves.”

Although sales are on the decline and there is a new wave of high-end Android tablets on the way, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5, Marsh has suggested that Apple is still the undoubted dominant force of the tablet space.

“ There are products coming to market now which rival the traditional iPad ,” he told us.

He added: “There is still this huge loyalty around Apple and iPad and until we get something which genuinely offers you something disruptively different, I think it is going to be a tough nut to crack.”

Do you see any need to update your iPad? What would make you update? Let us know via the comments section below.



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