Apple’s iPad
The anticipation is over as Apple unveiled the iPad last Thursday in San Francisco. With Steve Jobs at the helm, the Apple CEO and cheerleader introduced the world to what some described as an “iPhone on steroids.”
The iPad’s sleek design has a 10-inch LED backlit touch screen and only weighs in at 1.5 pounds – less then many hard cover books. Some of the standard features associated with the iPhone are also compatible to the iPad, such as the 140,000+ apps available for purchase in the app store, and Internet and e-mail access. Also, the iPad comes with built-in speakers that support the iPod and iTunes functions.
The new iBook app mimics the natural interaction between a human and a book, and the iBook e-reader is in color — not something offered by other e-book readers currently on the market. Unfortunately for the Kindle and the Barnes and Noble, “Nook,” the iBook app will give them a run for their money. The Apple Insider (appleinsider.com) reported online that, “First-year sales predictions range from 1 million to 4 million, with potential for growth even further as the market expands."
The iBook isn’t just for books, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal (http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose) reported that Steve Wozniak, Apple Inc.’s co-founder stated that, “he was "only guessing" about the impact of the new device but said he thought it would be "a cool way" to subscribe to magazines and newspapers in the future.” With the publishing industry in disarray, this can be a promising business venture.
The iPad was the topic of many discussions in blogs and on Facebook and Twitter. The excitement over the iPad was apparent, but so was the apprehension. The long list of pros and cons could sway a weary consumer either way, but the name iPad is a con in which Jobs will not live down. First, the obvious reference to feminine hygiene products – enough said — and secondly, other companies, like Fujitsu who applied for a trademark earlier in the decade, may lay claim to the name iPad. PC World’s (www.pcworld.com) Sarah Jacobsson reported online that, “While Apple and Fujitsu battle it out, there are other products using the semi-trademarked name "iPad" — including a padded bra by Canadian lingerie company Coconut Grove Intimates, motors and engines by German technology company Siemens, and a tablet computer by ST Microelectronics."
One of the pros of the device is how Apple took interest in the environmental implications of creating the iPad. Ted Samson, editor at InfoWorld (www.infoworld.com) noted, “The device is free of toxic substances such as arsenic, BFR, and mercury, as well as PVC. The enclosure is made of recyclable aluminum and glass. Moreover, Jobs praised the device as being "highly recyclable," which suggests it's easy to dismantle and its parts can be handily reused or separated and disposed of in a safe manner.”
The Apple machine will undoubtedly market the iPad in the next few months with the creativity we’ve come to expect — but will that be enough to secure iPad’s success? Even with the price starting at $499 (through $829) will the post-recession consumer succumb to Apple’s advances? Advances that are marked with iPad’s lack of Flash support, USB drive and camera or video capabilities? Only time will tell if the apple will ripen sweet in the spring of April 2010.
What are your thoughts about the iPad? Email me at ana@anapaularodrigues.com
Ana Rodrigues is an Art Director at Nielsen Business Media and an ADCNJ Board Member.
© Copyright Ana Paula Rodrigues 2010, All rights reserved.
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