There has been much hype surrounding the latest product offering from Apple – the iPad. On Wednesday 27th January 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that the product would begin shipping in March 2010 to customers in the United States with international rollout, whilst unconfirmed by Apple, expected to follow soon after. Apple claims that the iPad falls under a totally new genre of device, and is positioning the product somewhere between the laptop computer and the mobile smart phone.
The iPad is being priced according to this market positioning, with US prices ranging from $499 to $829. International pricing is yet to be announced which will clearly affect the uptake of the device. If the market does not respond as favourable to Apple’s initial proposition, there is currently speculation that the pricing may be dropped to increase the uptake.
Think about how the iPad will feel in your hand. Is it really just a ‘large iPhone’ or is it an opportunity to create a brand new interface with your content? Web has traditionally been a 3 to 4 vertical column set up, mobile a 1 vertical column set up, but the iPad has a dynamic, flexible grid like structure that opens up great new interface opportunities. Of course content creators can treat it like a large iPhone, but those content owners who create a unique interface that captivates consumers will win. As content moves to become ubiquitous it is the user interface that will define choice of content provider. Make sure your interface is so great that consumers will pay for it and can’t wait to virally share it with their friends.
TigerSpike_iPad_WhitePaper_February2010.pdf 209.75 kB