The iPad's No-Problem Problem
Haven't seen enough commentary and analysis on the iPad yet? As the smoke clears on the world's most hyped product launch ever, one thing that seems clear is that the Apple tablet isn't the answer to a particular problem.
The iPod/iTunes system gave people a convenient, if closed, way to get digital music. As such, it also benefited the music industry by providing a popular legal alternative to piracy. When the iPhone came along, it allowed users to combine a phone and a music player and digital camera in a single device.
But the iPad isn't intended to replace either a smartphone or a laptop but to stand on its own as a third product category. "The bar is pretty high. It has to be far better at doing some key things. We think we have the goods," acknowledged Apple CEO Steve Jobs during the iPad unveiling Wednesday.
On that point it appears Apple has disappointed technophiles, releasing what's been described mainly as a supersized iPod, lacking a Web cam, multi-tasking capability, TV subscription service, and no service plan with Verizon Wireless, as rumored. But even assuming the iPad is already the best tablet device on the market, its success will depend more on demand generation than prior Apple products.
The Kindle's e-ink technology arguably make the Amazon device still a better e-reader than the iPad and for $200 less. And when it comes to magazines and newspapers, publishers may be counting on the iPad and other tablets to reverse their fortunes but strong consumer response is far from assured. Print versions are still cheap and portable and online editions, for now, are mostly free.
To take off, the iPad will have to be the type of product people didn't know they needed until they had it. It sure looks cool. And with its vaunted marketing prowess, Apple is certainly capable of stoking that kind of techno-lust. But if not, the iPad could prove more "Ishtar" than "Avatar."
Recent Mobile Marketing Daily Articles
-
DailyBreak Brings Its Native Ad Model To Mobile June 19, 8:54 a.m.
Native advertising has become such a loaded term nowadays that I am loath to use it ...
-
How Tuned In Are Second-Screen Users, Really? June 18, 8:27 a.m.
It's an open question whether TV programmers and their advertisers can effectively capture all of that ...
-
Facebook Targets The Mobile Cookie Problem June 17, 7:57 a.m.
As marketers get more serious about mobile campaigns and struggle to achieve the same targeting and ...
-
The Infographic Of You: Foursquare Visualizes Your Check-Ins June 14, 8:23 a.m.
After all those years of griping about the slavish silliness of the check-in behavior that apps ...
-
Ahhhh....Results: Coca-Cola Digital-First Campaign Attracts 2.1 Million June 13, 7:14 a.m.
I wrote recently about Coke’s very ambitious and exceptionally creative Ahhh.com digital-only campaign of mobile-friendly mini-games. ...
-
Amazon, Toyota, Google Lead As Almost All Top Advertisers Mobilize June 12, 8:40 a.m.
The brands are all here…and in some force. Ad monitoring service Competitrack finds in its first ...
-
Tell Me My Story: Disney Helps Shape User-Generated Mobile Media June 11, 8:27 a.m.
As Kleiner Perkins analyst Mary Meeker pointed out in her annual look at the state of ...
-
A QR Code Walks Into A Zoo... June 10, 10:28 a.m.
My first encounter with using gadgetry to enhance a moment or place was as a kid ...
-
The Hills Are Alive With Rumors Of Ad-Supported 'iRadio' June 7, 9:13 a.m.
There is a certain point with most Apple rumors when the sheer volume and source diversity ...
-
M-Vid Has Big Mo: 40% Of U.S. YouTube Views Now On Devices June 6, 9:07 a.m.
As someone who only watches video occasionally on my smartphone, I had to get a reality ...
Be the first to comment on "The iPad's No-Problem Problem"
Leave a Comment