The much anticipated Apple iPad was revealed yesterday, January 27th. Larger than an iPhone yet smaller than a laptop, the Apple iPad is a tablet computer that features interaction with print, photo, video, and audio multimedia as well as internet browsing. Despite all of the criticism it is receiving for both its name and lack of certain features, I believe that the iPad will ultimately be successful because, let's be honest, Apple is basically the King Midas of the technology industry. Everything it touches turns to gold. The product is mainly targeted to people who already own Apple products, so I believe that given the choice of a Kindle (one of the iPad's major competitors) of an iPad, many people who already own iProducts will go for the iPad. Only time will tell whether the tablet actually sinks or swims, but judging by Apple's dominance in the technology industry, I think it's safe to say that the iPad will be another successful product.
Personally, I won't be go out running out and buying an iPad anytime soon because I don't think anything can replace a traditional keyboard and I do not feel that the iPad is an adequate replacement for a laptop computer. My thought may translate to society, however I feel that more people will adapt to it and welcome the iPad with open arms. Something that may either help or hurt the Amazon Kindle in this situation is that it is simple. It's an e-reader, that's it's purpose. The iPad on the other hand has e-reader capabilities and much more. Sometimes less is more and maybe people will find that the iPad is too complicated and there is too much going on and they would prefer the single-purpose feature of a Kindle, but when given this choice I feel people will want that little bit extra that the iPad has to offer.
So, are you anxious to get your hands on a new Apple iPad or is it just an oversized iPhone that really doesn't have a chance to succeed?
Calling Apple King Midas may not necessarily be totally inaccurate, but it's worth remembering that that golden touch was Midas' ultimate downfall.
ReplyDeleteJust assuming that every Apple product is going to succeed, regardless of the actual product is the kind of assumption that got the American automotive industry in trouble in the first place. The industry assumed people would simply buy American and for a while, that was true, and so they weren't forced to build to the maximum quality of their product and eventually people started to turn to the companies that didn't simply assume their loyalty, a dangerous assumption for Apple to make.
While the iPad has a good chance of being a successful product, if Apple wants to continue its market dominance it really needs to produce not just good products but great products each and every single time, without assuming the loyalty of their customers.
I can't help but wonder how much of the iPad's attraction will come from using it, instead of a spec sheet. On paper, it doesn't strike me as that attractive, but I have this feeling that the relationship one has with it (it seems so much more personal than a laptop) will ultimately determine whether or not it's a success.
ReplyDeleteThat and the apps that do (or don't) get developed for it.