The iPad 2 is almost three years old, though it did become one of the most popular tablets that Apple has ever released. It was a major change over its predecessor, the original iPad, which came out back in 2010. iPad 2 brought a whole new design that wasn’t just thinner and lighter, but also packed a mean punch under the hood. However since then it has been succeeded by multiple models that tout ever faster internals as well as Retina Displays. Customers are leaning more towards them, which means that demand for the iPad 2 continues to diminish. This is believed to be the primary reason why Apple is slowly ramping down iPad 2 production, before finally discontinuing it.
Citing people familiar with the company’s plans, AppleInsider claims that the decision to ramp down iPad 2 production has already been made. The report hints at diminishing demand as the primary reason for this move. Customers now favor iPads with much higher-resolution displays and even smaller form factors, the iPad mini has turned out to be a perfect option for people not wanting to carry around a full fledged iPad. Since Apple doesn’t comment on rumors, it obviously can’t be said for sure if the company is definitely going to discontinue the iPad 2, though market trend really does indicate that there isn’t a lot of demand for it out there now.