Anyone following me on Twitter or Facebook has probably already heard enough of my opinions on Apple’s latest announcements and their new generation iPad (which, by the way, ask any search engine optimization expert, and they will tell you that this is a terrible idea for a name).
But I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about why I think the announcement was a total disappointment.
It’s not because the new iPad is an awful device. Far from that, it’s probably the best tablet out there in number of apps, stability and design and, as Apple used to say, it simply works.
However we’ve all come to expect so much more from Apple than just better speed and a bigger resolution screen. It makes us think that this is not Apple we’re talking about, but instead any PC maker that simply upgrades their machines with better specs and cases them inside the same old. In fact, had Samsung or Sony presented these upgrades everyone would be incredibly happy with it and claim that this is the next revolution.
But it’s Apple who did it, and that’s a major downer.
Apple has got us used to always presenting “the next big thing”, to be leaders and innovators. Look at the day when Steve Jobs presented the first generation iPhone. That was a truly magical moment that changed the landscape of the entire mobile market. One year later and Apple announced the App Store, not a novel concept, but one done so well that everyone else had to follow suit. Look at the MacBook Air and compare it to what Intel is now finally trying to copy with its Ultrabooks.
And then there’s the iPad. A device that left everyone torn between this being a great idea or being a flunk. And time proved Apple was right, the iPad became a huge success.
That’s why when there’s a new Apple keynote coming up fans everywhere and even mainstream media start speculating about what Apple will surprise us with next. And usually they deliver, but that is simply not happening anymore.
The iPhone 4S presentation was an incredibly disappointing one for many: they all expected the iPhone 5, not a pumped up iPhone 4.
And the new iPad is just a rehash of that keynote. It’s faster. Oh, and it has a screen with a resolution so big that you’re not going to notice it is so good. In fact I feel that screen resolution is almost like buying an color TV to a color blind person.
I even made the following comic strip to represent my feelings on the new Retina Display:
But my point here is that Apple has got us all so used to delivering the next great piece of technology that will shape the future (in no small part thanks to its marketing strategy) that now, when they are simply not able to deliver something innovative, people get disappointed.
But you know what? It’s not going to affect Apple at all.
Their stocks fell a little bit yesterday, but I’m sure they will pick up, the new iPad sales will be excellent, and Apple will boast about it in their next keynote.
Meanwhile their competitors will fight to achieve something that gets any close to the iPad’s level of success. And they will keep failing at it just because they lack that marketing strategy to make things seem innovative.
But Apple, either you realize that you’re disappointing a lot of people or you won’t be able to keep up that “magical” aura out of your products.