iPad Killer; or Killer iPad

Ok, here’s one of my complaints about blogs on the Internet. Perfect example from the Huffington Post. First, it’s almost the exact same as this February Post, which is even worse as it intimates that Google is working on an iPad “killer” before the iPad has even been released. People complain about Apple Fanboys, but why is the competition so ready to acquiesce that Apple is the standard by which they must compete even when they haven’t shipped a product yet? None-the-less, now that Apple *has* shipped a product, pretty much everyone has made them the measuring stick to gauge their own success. The second problem I have with these posts is that it suggests that a product, that is still in the works and isn’t even real yet, will be the David that slays the Apple Goliath. Let’s see how that worked in the past, shall we?

Here’s an example article from February of 2007, several months before the iPhone was actually released. I don’t know about you–but I don’t recognize a single one of these “iPhone Killers”. I at least recognize the Palm Pre’, which in this article shortly before its release (and the release of the iPHone 3Gs) in 2009 was also dubbed the “iPhone Killer”. Or, how about this article from January of this year–suggesting that, now, the Google’s Nexus One is the next iPhone Killer contender. Yet, none of these previous attempts–or probably future attempts seem to be able to match the reported 8.75 MILLION iPhones sold just last quarter by Apple.

NEWS FLASH: there is no such thing as an “iPhone Killer”, nor, will there ever be an “iPad Killer”; the iPad will succeed or fail entirely on its own merits. AND, do you want to know why?? I’ll tell you.

Pick up a copy of the book “Blue Ocean Strategy“. Then, read it; cover to cover. If you do, it will become obvious as to why no company will ever be able to compete with Apple in these categories–because Apple isn’t competing with them. Apple is creating entirely new categories of products that have never been imagined before. These products buck convention; you can’t have a smart phone that doesn’t allow unlimted multitasking? That’s what YOU think–Apple sells millions and millions of them. What? Unless you have a full OS and keyboard and video camera, you can’t compete with netbooks. Really? I guess we’ll see.

The point is–you are all competing with Apple in markets that Apple created; Apple is not competing with you. That is why Apple products instantly become the touchstone for success–because they defined the market and you are only playing catch-up–trying to emulate and copy what they did in order to make a buck. 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.

~ by kizmetkaboodle on April 22, 2010.