SINGAPORE — When Apple launched its latest iterations of the iPad on Tuesday, the company revealed it had sold 170 million of the tablets since the device was launched three-and-a-half years ago. At the same time, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook claimed that the iPad was the No 1 tablet in terms of customer satisfaction.

With numbers and statements like these, it would appear that Apple’s confidence in its tablet business remains, and Mr Cook said the iPad vision continues.

“We called the iPad our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device, but not everyone saw it this way,” he said. “But we really believed in our vision.”

However, a key fact remains: According to a graph Mr Cook showed during the event, sales have tapered off this year. Business Insider also reported that iPad sales have dropped 14 per cent over the last year and that analysts had expected 18.3 million iPads to be sold, but only 14.6 million were moved.

Part of the reason might be that the market is becoming increasingly crowded and consumers are now spoilt for choice as tech companies continue to launch new and updated devices. At the same time, growth rates for tablet shipments are expected to slow this year to 28 per cent, down from 50 per cent last year.

That means consumer reaction to the latest iPads will be crucial for Apple. With the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display, Apple might have done just enough to keep fans happy.

The reductions in dimensions for the iPad Air are huge, with Apple cutting almost 30 per cent off the weight of the previous iPad and 42 per cent off the size, making their competition’s tablets — like Microsoft’s, Samsung’s and Nokia’s — look gargantuan.

The new iPad Air weighs only 469g, but Apple claims that it is eight times faster than the original iPad that came out in 2010. With the reduced form factor, usage of the iPad Air will be easier than before — tired arms can only hold up a tablet for so long — which means that iPad usage rates, which Apple touts to be four times more than other tablets, might rise.

Still, priced from S$688, the new iPad Air continues to be one of the more expensive tablets on the market and consumers may increasingly gravitate towards perfectly competent devices from rival competitors that are priced more competitively.

While they do have snappier processors, Apple’s newest devices have generally been about evolution, not revolution, and even devout Apple fans have shown disappointment. Lighter, smaller and faster, after all, aren’t quite game changers, and it looks like Apple hasn’t put in sufficient effort to convert non-tablet users, or more importantly, convince the haters.

But Christmas is just around the corner and tablets are likely to be a popular gift, so Mr Cook is unlikely to have to wait long to find out whether Apple’s iPad vision can be maintained.