Did iPad 3 Live Up To The Hype?

[Guest valueInv]

I have to be on Parsad side here, a great screen is not a game changer. Having the best technology does not make the best devices.

 

 

Why does every iteration of a product have to be a game changer though? This is the third generation of the iPad, and there has yet to be a competitor to come out with a tablet that even rivals the original iPad.

 

The iPad itself was a game changer, and it's only been out a couple years. Now they have to continually improve it to make sure it remains the best tablet available, which they've accomplished so far.

 

Why release the product every year then?  Anyone who thinks Jobs wasn't putting out products on an annual basis to hype it through marketing, has no clue what Jobs was trying to achieve.  He not only wanted his product to be above average, but innovative and a product that people could not live without...be it because of technology or be it because everyone would simply want one.  And then he would charge twice as much as anyone else, and rational people would still pay it. 

 

Apples's products aren't technologically advanced relative to their peers.  Where they are better than their peers is their ability to make technology as painless as possible...even enjoyable.  Jobs could sell you your own car for twice what you paid!  They sold 40M iPhone 4GS' because their competitors still haven't gotten to the point where their software is intuitive enough.  This iPad will also sell a ton simply because the product is so easy to use.  But the margin of separation will continue to decrease between Apple and their peers, and that's because the founder is no longer there and technology changes so much faster than any other industry.  Apple today isn't Walmart after Sam Walton, and only hindsight will prove that observation right or wrong.  Cheers!

 

It always amuses me what assumptions people outside the industry make about it. If you really want to understand why Apple does what it does, you'll have to spend a lot of time understanding how tech cycles work and what good design really is. The mistake most people make is two look at two products with similar specs and assume they are the same. A BMW can similar 4 wheels, 5 seats, a steering wheel and engine power  as a Hyndai coupe but people pay different amounts for the two cars. The value proposition of the two cars is completely different. In this particular example, one car allows you to display your status to the world, the other one doesn't.

 

Let me address your comments

 

Why release the product every year then?

Because they don't want competitors to have a lead in specs. There are new, more powerful chips being released every year. The new iPad has a quad core process, double the memory, the resolution, a camera is 5 times more powerful and many more improvements. This is a highly competitive business and is in the land grab phase. You want to put pressure on your competitors and increase your lead. Why would you wait? That would be lazy and irresponsible. Why would Apple limit themselves to selling a dual core processor for the next  year when they are ready with quad core processor? They are many users who bought an iPad 1 who are ready to upgrade. Why would Apple make them wait for another year? It doesn't make sense to wait.

 

Anyone who thinks Jobs wasn't putting out products on an annual basis to hype it through marketing, has no clue what Jobs was trying to achieve. 

You've just described a product cycle. Intel does this, IBM does this and pretty must everyone else. Every tech company hypes, you don't win customers by being modest. Most clothing companies put out products twice a year and hype them up with marketing. Different tech products have different cycles but they all are trying to get innovations as fast as they can. Some like Zynga release new features almost daily. Others like MSFT take about 3 years. The companies I worked for mostly chose 6 months. We did so because we felt it was the best compromise between having customers waiting for requested features too long and making them upgrade too many times.

 

Apples's products aren't technologically advanced relative to their peers.

I beg to differ. Today, no other company offers Siri. Google is rumored to release it a full year after Apple and they're a search company!! There is only one another tablet announced that may have resolution comparable to the iPad. No other company has GarageBand, iPhoto, Newstand and many others. Apple just showed a feature where you can sit around with your friends with Garageband and jam with them with your iPad!! Try doing that with an Android tablet.

 

The reason why many people believe that Apple isn't technically advanced is because Apple hides the complexity of its products. They need to do this to make their products simple and usable. But if you've ever tried to build a device, you would understand how advanced Apple is. Android vendors frequently announce phones with more powerful processors than iPhones but they still can't get even the scrolling to be smooth:

https://plus.google.com/100838276097451809262/posts/VDkV9XaJRGS

 

This iPad will also sell a ton simply because the product is so easy to use.

Yup, you nailed it. This tells you that the market values ease of use enough to pay twice for it. A product that is difficult to use is useless to a customer regardless of what processor it has or how much memory it has. LTE is useless on your phone if you can't figure out who to set up your email account.

The processor does you no good if the buttons are too small for your fingers. The 4.4 inch screen is bad for you if your fingers can't reach the buttons during one handed operation while holding a cup of coffee. People are demanding easy to use products and Apple is selling it to them. Novel concept, huh?

 

Ease of use is the single most important aspect of a consumer product. Most companies don't get it and simply load features into products without thinking about how useable they are. The purpose of a product is to make your life better by helping you complete your tasks with lesser effort. All the specs of a product are useless if they don't fulfill that goal. Ease of use is the point.

 

Do you know why designers are in as great demand as programmers in the Silicon Valley today?

 

But the margin of separation will continue to decrease between Apple

Don't be so sure. Look at what Samsung is doing in the tablet market. After failing with 7 inch and 10 inch tablets, they're introducing "phablets" - The Galaxy Note with is too big for a phone and too small for a tablet. They have consistently got bad review on the web.

 

that's because the founder is no longer there and technology changes so much faster than any other industry.

That statement is  speculation at best. You have no idea what is going on inside the company and hence, can't predict that the loss of a founder is going to destroy the company. Apple is far more secretive that almost any other company in the industry. Do you know what features are going to be in the next iPhone? What it is going to look like? If not, how do you know that the gap between it and other phones is going to be lesser?

 

Contrary to popular belief, the iPhone 4S actually increased the gap. If Google takes a year to release a version of Siri, thats quite a gap. Do you Apple would have improved Siri by the time Google releases it's first version?

 

Would you say the same thing about Berkshire? Clearly, none of his successors will have the skills he does.

[DCG]

But the margin of separation will continue to decrease between Apple and their peers, and that's because the founder is no longer there and technology changes so much faster than any other industry. 

 

You keep saying this, but have no proof of this. There is of course a chance the margin of separation will decrease in the future, but the iPhone 4S and iPad 3 don't indicate this has started to happen (which is what you are trying to argue).

 

Again, you don't seem to have a very strong understanding of apple and technology product life lifecycles. Read a few books on apple.

 

-And great post valueInv.

[Guest Hester]

Apples's products aren't technologically advanced relative to their peers.  Where they are better than their peers is their ability to make technology as painless as possible...even enjoyable.  Jobs could sell you your own car for twice what you paid! 

 

What?!?! The new iPad has the highest resolution of any mobile gadget device on the market. The iPhone has Siri, which no other company has.

[Guest valueInv]

Also, Prasad, you seem to believe that Apple sells the same products as its competitors, just with better marketing. On the 10 year anniversary of its retail stores, Apple put out a poster. Below is the content of that poster. Read it and let me know which of its competitors is catching up with its retail experience.

 

"In the last 10 years, we've learned a lot. We've learned to treat every day with the same enthusiasm we had on the first day. We've learned the importance of giving our customers just as much attention as they give us. And we've learned the art of hiring the right people for the right positions. We've learned it's better to adapt to the neighborhood rather than expecting the neighborhood to adapt to us. Which is why we spend so much time and energy building stores the way we do. Our first store, in Tysons Corner, taught us our first lesson within the first 30 minutes. We had just opened the doors when we noticed the steel already needed polishing. With a special polishing solution. And a special polishing tool. That's when we learned that blasting steel with virgin sand makes it less prone to scuff marks. We've also learned that glass can be much more than glass. We've learned that a 32'6" transparent glass box can stand tall even among the giants of the Manhattan skyline. That when glass becomes as iconic as the Fifth Avenue Cube, it can also become the fifth most photographed landmark in New York City. And we've learned that if you have to, you can close an entire street in Sydney to bring in three-story panes of glass. And when you create three-story glass, you also have to create a rig that can install three-story glass. We've even figured out how to make the world's largest pieces of curved glass for one of our stores in Shanghai. We've also learned more than a few things about stone. Like how to reveal granite's true color with a blowtorch. And that sometimes granite has veins of color that have to be matched. We've also learned that getting these details perfect can feel like trying to move a mountain. Sometimes two. But in the end, the effort is worth it. Because steel, glass, and stone can combine to create truly unique and inspiring spaces. We also understand that finding the right design for our stores is critical. We even built a full-scale facade of the Regent Street store in a Cupertino parking lot to be sure the design was right. Which taught us the value of seeing things full size. We once had a notion that ministores would offer the ultimate in convenience. Then we built one. Which showed us that bigger can actually be better. And we've learned that even when our stores are big, no detail is too small. This is something we learned all over again when we restored the Paris Opera store down to the last of its more than 500,000 tiles. We've also learned that our customers like open spaces, glass staircases, and handcrafted oak tables. And that those spaces don't need to smell like pine trees or tomatoes to make them inviting. We're constantly working to make our stores more artful, more iconic, and more innovative. And we're awfully proud of every single one. We're proud of our stores not just because they're successful, but because of everything they've taught us. All the ways Apple Stores have made Apple stronger as a company. Over the past 10 years, we've learned that our stores are the embodiment of the Apple brand for our customers. Now, our customers just happen to be the entire reason we're here, so let's dedicate a few words to them. Around the time we opened the store in Tysons Corner, in 2001, everyone else was trying to talk to their customers less. Which made us think that maybe we should talk to them more. Face-to-face if possible. So we've found ways to strike up a conversation at every possible opportunity. We talk while they play with the products on the tables. And when they join us for a workshop. These conversations have taught us that customers love our products, but what they really want is to make a scrapbook out of family photos. They want to make a movie about their kid. Or a website about traveling across the country. Which has taught us that Apple Stores can and should be centers for creativity. And we've figured out through programs like Apple Camp and Youth Workshops that creativity doesn't care about age. The movies and slideshows we've seen kids make are proof that all you need are the right tools and an idea. And we must be doing something right, because the kids' smiles are just as big as ours. We've also learned that musicians can record an album in our stores that goes to the top of the charts. And that award-winning film directors are interested no just in our computers but in our workshops. We've learned a lot about having fun. And we've learned our customers like to use our products for business too. Experience has taught us that having one Pro Day per week dedicated to business customers isn't enough. That we need to be open for business very day. And have space devoted to business training sessions, workshops, and events. We've learned that every staff member should be just as fluent in the needs of a business customer as the needs of any other customer. Our millions of conversations with customers of every stripe have taught us it's not about making people feel like a computer or phone loves them. That's impossible. Instead, it's about giving people the tools to do what they love. And we've learned how to create amazing programs like One to One and Personal Setup to give people those tools. We created programs like these to replace fear with confidence. Because our customers have shown us that the ownership experience is even more important than the sale. We learned all this by asking questions. And genuinely listening to the answers. And to be sure we're hearing everything, we've learned to converse in 36 languages, and a few of the local dialects as well. We've even learned a few cultural things. The proper use of the word y'all, for example. And our Japanese customers one taught us that their superheroes don't wear capes. Which also taught us to see feedback as a gift. We've learned that a visit to the Genius Bar can fix more than just computers. It can also restore a customer's relationship with Apple. And that we don't need a minifridge stocked with free water to get people to talk to a Genius. Knowing they can get exactly the right answer when something isn't working is enough. We even figured out how to shorten the time an in-store repair takes from seven days to one day. Our customers hold us to exceptionally high standards. So we've learned how to raise ours even higher. 325 store openings have taught us that a grand opening creates blocks and blocks of excitement. That people will stand in line for hours, even days, just to be among the first to walk through the front door. And to get a free T-shirt. Speaking of T-shirts, we've learned more than you can imagine about our own. We've found that when we wear black T-shirts, we blend in. And when we wear too many colors it's confusing. But blue shirts are just right. We've also learned that it takes precisely 4,253 stitches to embroider the Apple logo on those blue shirts. And we even figured out which direction the stitches should go in. When it comes to product launches, we've learned we have to work hard to ensure supply meets demand. If not on the first day, then soon thereafter. And we've learned how to put our own products to use in innovative ways in our stores. We've created entirely new systems like EasyPay to help our customers as efficiently as possible. We've replaced the red phone behind the Genius Bar with more expertise right in our stores. All of these experiences have made us smarter. And at the very center of all we've accomplished, all we've learned over the past 10 years, are our people. People who understand how important art is to technology. People who match, and often exceed, the excitement of our customers on days we release new products. The more than 30,000 smart, dedicated employees who work so hard to create lasting relationships with the millions who walk through our doors. Whether the task at hand is fixing computers, teaching workshops, organizing inventory, designing iconic structures, inventing proprietary technology, negotiating deals, sweating the details of signage, or doing countless other things, we've learned to hire the best in every discipline. We now see that it's our job to train our people and then learn from them. And we recruit employees with such different backgrounds--teachers, musicians, artists, engineers--that there's a lot they can teach us. We've learned how to value a magnetic personality just as much as proficiency. How to look for intelligence but give just as much weight to kindness. How to find people who want a career, not a job. And we've found that when we hire the right people, we can lead rather than manage. We can give each person their own piece of the garden to transform. We've learned our best people often provide the best training for the next generation. And that it's important for every member of our staff to not only feel a connection to their store, but to the teams in Cupertino and to the stores around the world. Because the best ways of doing things usually translate, regardless of language or country. We've also learned that due tot he exceptional quality of our applicants, it can be harder to be hired at the Apple Store than in Cupertino. It can sometimes take two to three years to bring someone in. Not because they aren't right for Apple. But because we want to be sure the opportunity we have to offer is right for them. Why have we learned to be so selective? So careful? Because our people are the soul of the Apple Stores. And together, our team is the strongest ever seen in retail. As beautiful and iconic as our stores may be, the people who create and staff those stores are what matters most. So on this 3,652nd day, we say thank you to every single one of you. We say thank you to those who were there on the first day, and to those whose first day is today. The past 10 years of the Apple Store have changed Apple as a company. Our experiences, our successes, even our occasional missteps, have made us better. They've made Apple better. And it's because of those experiences, and the ways they've changed us, that we can't wait to see what we'll learn next. It's been 10 years. What an amazing first step."

 

 

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2011/06/10years.jpg

 

[PlanMaestro]

Also, Prasad, you seem to believe that Apple sells the same products as its competitors, just with better marketing. On the 10 year anniversary of its retail stores, Apple put out a poster. Below is the content of that poster. Read it and let me know which of its competitors is catching up with its retail experience.

 

Drexler reminded him that it's always, in the end, about product. (That was certainly true in the case of Johnson's triumphs at Apple and Target.)

 

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/07/jc-penney-ron-johnson/

[DCG]

Go the the Mac App Store and check out the new iBooks Author app. Pretty cool.

[EdWatchesBoxing]

Also, Prasad, you seem to believe that Apple sells the same products as its competitors, just with better marketing. On the 10 year anniversary of its retail stores, Apple put out a poster. Below is the content of that poster. Read it and let me know which of its competitors is catching up with its retail experience.

 

Drexler reminded him that it's always, in the end, about product. (That was certainly true in the case of Johnson's triumphs at Apple and Target.)

 

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/07/jc-penney-ron-johnson/

 

Pretty good article. I like the section about Target and this quote: "Improvement merely lets you hit your numbers," says Johnson. "Creativity is what transforms."

 

 

[Parsad]

It always amuses me what assumptions people outside the industry make about it. If you really want to understand why Apple does what it does, you'll have to spend a lot of time understanding how tech cycles work and what good design really is. The mistake most people make is two look at two products with similar specs and assume they are the same. A BMW can similar 4 wheels, 5 seats, a steering wheel and engine power  as a Hyndai coupe but people pay different amounts for the two cars. The value proposition of the two cars is completely different. In this particular example, one car allows you to display your status to the world, the other one doesn't.

 

For people who are in the industry and assume that no one else recognizes what is happening, it's funny how you haven't recognized the shrinking margin of difference between Hyundai and BMW.  In less than another decade, it won't be about status anymore...only about who has the better product.  I don't think anyone thought that Hyundai would supplant Toyota and Honda a decade ago.  How many of you drooled over the story of Toyota and their leadership...the Toyota Way...guess what?  Hyundai came along!

 

Why release the product every year then?

Because they don't want competitors to have a lead in specs. There are new, more powerful chips being released every year. The new iPad has a quad core process, double the memory, the resolution, a camera is 5 times more powerful and many more improvements. This is a highly competitive business and is in the land grab phase. You want to put pressure on your competitors and increase your lead. Why would you wait? That would be lazy and irresponsible. Why would Apple limit themselves to selling a dual core processor for the next  year when they are ready with quad core processor? They are many users who bought an iPad 1 who are ready to upgrade. Why would Apple make them wait for another year? It doesn't make sense to wait.

 

My remark on this question was a rhetorical one, as DCG said why should every generation be a game changer.  My point was that if you aren't creating game changers than you are falling a step behind...look at RIMM.  They have some of the best engineers in the world...comparable to Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc...they are done!  Took all of four years! 

 

You keep saying this, but have no proof of this. There is of course a chance the margin of separation will decrease in the future, but the iPhone 4S and iPad 3 don't indicate this has started to happen (which is what you are trying to argue).

 

Again, you don't seem to have a very strong understanding of apple and technology product life lifecycles. Read a few books on apple.

 

I have...and Microsoft...and Google...and Toyota...and on engineering.  Ten years ago, no one thought Microsoft would be clobbered by Google and Apple...while still under Ballmer's watch and Bill Gates watching from the side.  The technology lifecycle moves 3 times as fast the average non-technology product cycle.

 

Also, Prasad, you seem to believe that Apple sells the same products as its competitors, just with better marketing. On the 10 year anniversary of its retail stores, Apple put out a poster. Below is the content of that poster. Read it and let me know which of its competitors is catching up with its retail experience.

 

Who was responsible for those 10 years?

 

Would you say the same thing about Berkshire? Clearly, none of his successors will have the skills he does.

 

Yes, other than Ajit Jain in insurance.  The culture will be different.  Not immediately but over time.  Different leaders will leave different marks.  Do you truly believe Howard Buffett and Bill Gates, along with Todd Combs, Ted Weschler and whoever is CEO (assume it is Matt Rose) is going to be as effective as Buffett?  Carry the same weight...respect from the subsidiary managers...the same passion for Berkshire?  C'mon!  Berkshire will do better longer without Buffett, than Apple without Jobs.  Both will continue to lead for some time, but their advantages over their competitors will dissipate over time.  If not simply from a change in leadership and passion, then due to the sheer size of their enterprises.

 

As I said, you can choose to agree or disagree with me...or not even care one way or the other.  Only hindsight will tell us what happens.  Cheers!

[DCG]

Parsad, it's not I disagree with you saying over time, there is a good chance Apple will be different without Steve Jobs; it's that you are claiming the iPhone 4s and the new iPad are proof of Apple being different without Steve Jobs, which doesn't make sense (even if for no other reason that Jobs was most likely involved in the design of both products).

 

It's also unlclear what you consider a 'game changer'. The retina screen, faster speed, & improvements to iOS & iCloud are pretty significant. What else would you like to see in the iPad? Technology like electrostatic touch sensitivity and holographic displays are still in their infancy and would most likely not offer anything useful to the user experience at this point.

 

I'm not discounting Steve Jobs, but also think people underestimate Tim Cook, Jony Ive and the rest of Apple's management, as well as the processes, structure, and culture Jobs put in place.

[Guest valueInv]

it's funny how you haven't recognized the shrinking margin of difference between Hyundai and BMW.

I think you're missing the point. I don't know about Canada, but yuppies in the US are not replacing their BMWs with Hyundais or with Toyotas. Even thought Toyota has been offering an equivalent product for years, it lacks the brand or the exclusivity. Yes, Lexus is a replacement for a BMW, not a Toyota. People don't give each other boxes of Snickers at Xmas instead of See candies nor do they buy at Old Navy to replace their Armani suits even if Old Navy were to offer quality suits.

 

My point was that if you aren't creating game changers than you are falling a step behind...look at RIMM.  They have some of the best engineers in the world...comparable to Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc...they are done!  Took all of four years!

Compare Google's rate of growth to Apple's. Which one is slowing down? Siri is a game changer and so is the retina display. Do you know which is the largest software team inside Apple today? You guessed it, its the Siri team. That tells you where they're putting their resources. The phone closest to the iPhone , Samsung Galaxy S2 still does not offer a retina display while Apple has already released 2 phones with it. You keep saying "competitors have caught up" but you refuse to qualify that statement and you refuse to address our counter examples to that statement.

 

I have...and Microsoft...and Google...and Toyota...and on engineering. 

Not sure what you've read but here are my recommendations:

Innovators Dilemma and Innovators Solution by Clayton Christensen

The Inmates are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Marketing High Technology by William H. Davidow

 

Ten years ago, no one thought Microsoft would be clobbered by Google and Apple...

No, but we thought they would be clobbered by Linux and the Internet. You maybe surprised when Facebook eats Google's lunch, I won't. You seem to forget that even technology companies evolve and survive disruptions. How about IBM and HP? Yes, they've had their challenges but they have survived numerous technology revolutions. Yes, HP is having problems today because of mismanagement but it is likely that they will make it thru.

 

Who was responsible for those 10 years?

Again, missing the point. No one is arguing about whether Steve Jobs was instrumental in Apple's success. We are debating Apple's future. The reason I posted the example is to demonstrate that Apple sells more that a bunch of chips in a case. It sells you design, the OS, the apps, the ecosystem, the brand, the retail experience, the after market service and much more. That is the "product". Do you see Samsung or Google catching up with their retail experience? Can you walk into a Google store and take a class on how to use your Android phone?

 

C'mon!  Berkshire will do better longer without Buffett, than Apple without Jobs.

Maybe, but that doesn't mean Apple is doomed like you are saying. IBM has survived and so has Disney, both in fast paced industries. The tablet and smartphone revolution are just getting started. If the PC cycle is a guide, Apple has another 20 years to prepare for disruptions. Apple is the one company that is willing to cannibalize itself, which gives it a big advantage in dealing with disruptions. That doesn't mean Apple won't evolve but it also doesn't mean that Apple will fail.

[meiroy]

I have to be on Parsad side here, a great screen is not a game changer. Having the best technology does not make the best devices.

 

Personally for me, a great screen could be a game changer. A color screen which you could stare at for hours with minimal eye fatigue is a big deal. At this point it's actually not that clear if the back-lit new screen is as good, or close enough, to e-ink, however if it is, it's good enough reason for me to buy it.

[Guest valueInv]

This article explains why the screen is a big deal:

 

http://gdgt.com/discuss/why-the-new-ipad-s-retina-display-matters-16kb/

[Myth465]

Me too, I'm glad I waited. This will actually be my first Apple product. On the engraving option on the back I put "Time to short AAPL"  :P

 

Nice.

 

On the back of mine I engraved:

 

Life is not about finding yourself.

It's about creating yourself.

 

I believe it's by George Bernard Shaw.

 

What a great quote.

[racemize]

my wife put:

 

"you lose that battle.  You lose that battle nine times out of ten."

 

 

Perhaps not as inspiring as others.  =p.

[Guest valueInv]

Something tells me that the new iPad is going to do quite well  ;):

 

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11452148/1/apples-new-ipad-demand-off-the-charts.html

[DCG]

Walt Mossberg's review of the new iPad:

 

http://allthingsd.com/20120314/new-ipad-a-million-more-pixels-than-hdtv/

 

Sounds like Apple knocked it out of the park.

 

 

-I'm still curious what Parsad wanted in the new iPad.

[Parsad]

Walt Mossberg's review of the new iPad:

 

http://allthingsd.com/20120314/new-ipad-a-million-more-pixels-than-hdtv/

 

Sounds like Apple knocked it out of the park.

 

 

-I'm still curious what Parsad wanted in the new iPad.

 

Why?  Would it matter.  Most of the reviews have been lacklustre, and you pick one of the bunch that likes it.  Cheers!

[DCG]

Walt Mossberg's review of the new iPad:

 

http://allthingsd.com/20120314/new-ipad-a-million-more-pixels-than-hdtv/

 

Sounds like Apple knocked it out of the park.

 

 

-I'm still curious what Parsad wanted in the new iPad.

 

Why?  Would it matter.  Most of the reviews have been lacklustre, and you pick one of the bunch that likes it.  Cheers!

 

I honestly don't think I've seen 1 bad/lackluster review of it so far. Mossberg is highly regarded as one of the most reputable technology writers/reviewers on the planet, which is why I posted his review.

 

Would what matter? You sound like you were expecting more from the iPad, so I'm just curious what you were looking for.

[rmitz]

I honestly don't think I've seen 1 bad/lackluster review of it so far. Mossberg is is highly regarded as one of the most reputable technology writers/reviewers on the planet, which is why I posted his review.

 

Would what matter? You sound like you were expecting more from the iPad, so I'm just curious what you were looking for.

 

Oddly enough, this conversation makes me think that Apple actually has a wider moat than I thought.  The thing is, for every product Apple has come out with for *years*, many people have always been "meh" in the reviews.  Heck, I thought the original ipod was crap.  How quickly people forget, but a whole lot of people thought that the iPad was a bust...an oversized iPod Touch.  A remarkable percentage of those products have ended up making Apple a whole lot of money.  I think at this point I'm adjusting my personal estimate to another 10 good years for Apple. 

[racemize]

I agree, I don't remember any particular product or refresh that everyone wasn't dubious about initially.  The initial iPhone was a big deal, but there were tons of complaints about it being a beta and that the next one was what should have come out in the first place (e.g., initially edge only, no native apps, etc.).  iPad as well--no front facing camera, making fun of the "magical" branding.  In any event, they almost always do incrementals, it seems to me.

[Liberty]

Oddly enough, this conversation makes me think that Apple actually has a wider moat than I thought.  The thing is, for every product Apple has come out with for *years*, many people have always been "meh" in the reviews.  Heck, I thought the original ipod was crap.  How quickly people forget, but a whole lot of people thought that the iPad was a bust...an oversized iPod Touch.  A remarkable percentage of those products have ended up making Apple a whole lot of money.  I think at this point I'm adjusting my personal estimate to another 10 good years for Apple.

 

That's because Apple's products are better in practice than in theory. You read the list of features and look at the pics, and you go "yeah, that's pretty ok". But when you actually use it day in and day out, you realize that there's more to it than that.

[txlaw]

Isn't the joke that you always get version 3 of the new Apple product?

 

That has held true for me in almost very situation

[racemize]

Isn't the joke that you always get version 3 of the new Apple product?

 

That has held true for me in almost very situation

 

seems about right.  I have always had pain when I'm an early adopter, and yet I keep doing it.  2nd gen is usually decent though.

[DCG]

I got the 1st generation of the iPad and love it and still use it every day, but would love a faster version with a high resolution screen. Need to work on convincing the wife that we need the new iPad. :)

[Guest valueInv]

I honestly don't think I've seen 1 bad/lackluster review of it so far. Mossberg is is highly regarded as one of the most reputable technology writers/reviewers on the planet, which is why I posted his review.

 

Would what matter? You sound like you were expecting more from the iPad, so I'm just curious what you were looking for.

 

Oddly enough, this conversation makes me think that Apple actually has a wider moat than I thought.  The thing is, for every product Apple has come out with for *years*, many people have always been "meh" in the reviews.  Heck, I thought the original ipod was crap.  How quickly people forget, but a whole lot of people thought that the iPad was a bust...an oversized iPod Touch.  A remarkable percentage of those products have ended up making Apple a whole lot of money.  I think at this point I'm adjusting my personal estimate to another 10 good years for Apple.

 

When Apple products start getting good reviews, I would start getting worried. It would mean that people understand what Apple is doing and their moat would start to erode. I would rather everyone dismiss Apple products and then be surprised when they blow the numbers away. It creates a lot of buying opportunities for me.

 

After all, what is impressive about coming out with a tablet that has a million more pixels than a HDTV and an LTE radio and doubling graphical processor and doubling memory and keeping battery life the same and increasing weight by less than 10% and keeping the price the same? Its a piece of cake ;)