Apple iPad: Tablet or Solution?

– By Steve Robins

The Apple iPad is a complete solution
iPad Series Part I

Read Part II, Apple iPad: Solution Evaluation

In recent weeks, you may have wondered about the anticipated success of the Apple iPad, similar to that of the iPhone and iPods that preceded it.  Yes, Apple builds powerful, well-designed and easy-to-use products.  And yes, despite Apple products’ frequently higher price, consumers have snapped up Apple Macs, iPods and iPhones at a rapid clip (over 75 million people use the iPhone and iTouch today).  At the same time, the media industry itself is all abuzz that Apple devices, especially the iPad, will finally provide a content platform that enables them to make money from their digital content.

Apple doesn’t create technology platforms alone:
Apple solves problems.

But all of this misses one critical point: users have problems to solve and Apple does a better job of solving their “problems” than most other PC or electronics companies (Do you agree?  Comment below!).   So what is this “problem”? As the computer experience has shifted from digital content creation (think spreadsheets and documents – which will always be important) to digital content consumption (music, Web, images, video), people want to be able to access content from anywhere – on the go, at the office, in the living room.  And thus far, Apple has solved the problem better than anyone else.

Apple’s problem-solving success is driven by three related factors:

1. Device. Well-designed devices – including both hardware and software.
2. Ecosystem. A broad application and content ecosystem.
3. Seamless experience. A user experience that seamlessly blends device and ecosystem into a single experience.

The end result: To users, it just seems as if Apple’s products solve problems more easily than other devices.  You know where this is going: The Apple iPad device and iTunes ecosystem form a solution. So the Apple iPad provides great lessons for any solution marketer.

This post is not meant to be a product review.
But if you’re thinking about buying an Apple iPad, check out:

NY Times – David Pogue’s review and iPad FAQ
Time Magazine – Lev Grossman’s review
Wall St Journal – Walt Mossberg’s review

So what makes a solution a solution? A solution solves users’ problems, supports user processes, manages and/or provides content or information, includes all of the hardware and software required to solve the problem, and includes services to complete the solution so that it performs as promised. Unlike most technology or media companies, Apple does it all.

Since January, I’ve been researching the Apple iPad in order to rate it as a solution.