As Apple (AAPL) readies for the launch of its iPad Air and iPad Mini successors in Cupertino, Calif. tomorrow, questions have arose about the relevancy of tablets, and the fact sales have started to drop off in 2014.

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This is the first time Apple has seen a dip in tablet sales, and it comes as no surprise as people hold onto their tablets for a longer time than the average phone user. Phones can last a year or two for people, but tablets have a longer lifespan, similar to PCs.

The elongated lifespan is not good for Apple, which wants to have record numbers every year. If people aren't interested in updating their iPad Air or iPad Mini with Retina Display, and the predecessors of those tablets still look like viable choices, then where is Apple's tablet market?

Tablets: The New PC

For many people tablets have become the new PC. Families and personal users no longer use their desktops or laptops to go on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, send emails or print off information - they use tablets.

This should be good for Apple, but with the PC dropped, users are now using tablets like PCs, giving them the same lifespan. This could be anywhere between two and eight years, depending on how reliable the tablet is after a few years.

For Apple, this means the previous generation will not be buying their new tablets, nor will the generation before that. Even users of the iPad 2 have little reason to upgrade, since apps are still capable of running and still get updated by developers.

This year, Apple's CEO Tim Cook needs to show why these new tablets are a big advancement on the previous generation. Otherwise, the iPad might venture into Dell and HP territory, where they cannot get their older users to move to newer devices.

TagsPC, ipad air, iPad Mini with Retina Display