

IPad Killer; or Killer iPad - kizmetkaboodle
http://kizmetkaboodle.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/ipad-killer-or-killer-ipad/

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stcredzero
_If you REALLY want to compete with Apple–quit trying. Don’t copy what they
do, but show some gumption and identify untapped market needs and solve them.
Then you too can be a market leader instead of simply trying to compete with
Apple on their own turf._

This advice should also be heeded by Linux and other FOSS projects.

Another thing about Apple (under Steve Jobs) is that they are _both ahead of
and behind_ the rest of the industry. In this, I suspect they are modeling
themselves after Mercedes.

Mercedes once had R&D that was years ahead of the competition, yet they also
had a bit of a "stodgy" reputation because they often waited to implement
certain features. The Mercedes-Benz of old had a view way out ahead, yet they
would patiently wait until technology was _truly, solidly ready_ before
releasing.

The Steve Jobs formulation of Apple has this patience as well. There were
keyboard-less 10" 1024x768 slate form factor PCs dating from 2001. (They were
trying to do Magazine subscriptions on the platform back then too. Not sure if
that will ever work like they want it to.) I know, because I own one of these
slate form factor PCs. Such a machine was possible in 2001, nifty seeming to
us propeller-heads, but the technology wasn't yet ready for something really
polished.

Release a device when it's possible, and you sell toys to a a few propeller-
heads. Release a device when it can be truly slick, and you sell to the
propeller-heads and everyone else as well.

~~~
sekou
"Release a device when it's possible, and you sell toys to a a few propeller-
heads."

To be honest, I feel that the iPad falls into this category more than
anything. The slate form factor won't be appealing to the masses until it has
pen input that's seamlessly part of the user experience, Microsoft never
really did that and I don't think Apple can do that the way they want at a
reasonable price yet. I think the iPad is the bare minimum Apple was
comfortable with releasing in the slate form factor, and it's just the start
for them.

------
Vivtek
"Apple is making products nobody has imagined before."

I beg to differ. They execute very well, but calling them _that_ visionary is
a little overboard.

~~~
catch23
MP3 players were pretty boring until the iPod came into the scene. I've still
yet to see the iPod Killer; the first iPod came on the market in 2001 and 9
years later, nobody has done anything better yet!

~~~
sekou
That depends on what you mean by "better." Several brands of mp3 players have
had superior sound quality, powerful equalizer customization and the ability
to play more formats. But Apple had the streamlined iPod+iTunes experience, as
well as fantastic marketing.

~~~
arethuza
Not only that, but the 3-rd party ecosystem around iPods is huge.

e.g. the gym I go to has a new set of exercise machines that have iPod
connections on them - I can plug in my iPod (which has a lot of ripped DVDs in
it) and watch the movie through the large screen on top of the machine rather
than using the tiny iPod screen.

