This week we were treated to several new product
announcements. As always, the world was firmly focused on Apple, who once again
left everyone (or at least me) wanting just a little more. I have to say, they
certainly learned something from last year; do not reveal your products all at
once. By releasing new products at various intervals, Apple ensures that they
are currently in the news. From the constant speculation (what is going to be
released, and when), to the pre-announcement buzz (we know the date, but no
product specifics), to the actual announcement (yay product!), to everyone’s
impression of the product (reporters, go!), to the actual release of the
product (now the early adopters can finally buy one), to the announcement of
how many Apple sold in the opening weekend (millions and millions), and back to
the buzz of the potential next product (iWatch anyone?). This is an endless,
and incredibly smart media strategy on Apple’s part. But I’ve gone a little off
topic. Here is another one of those ‘impression of the product’ posts I
mentioned above.
Apple announced
the new iPad Air, following in the footsteps of their greatly successful
Macbook Air series, with Air being used to indicate just how thin and light the
product is. The iPad Air is barely 1 pound, and 0.29 inches thick. What’s
missing, is a fingerprint sensor, which many people thought was an obvious
addition after the iPhone 5S. Apple has also stuck with their standard colour
scheme of white and black, no option for a gold iPad to match your gold iPhone.
The new iPad mini will have retina display and an updated processor, almost
literally becoming a mini version of the full iPad. The biggest difference
between them? The price. The iPad mini 2 will start at $399, while the iPad Air
will start at $499.
Apple has clearly decided not to fight the market share
battle, but to focus on keeping their high margins. They announced that they
will be discontinuing the 4th generation iPad, but will continue
selling the iPad 2 for $399. For the same price, you can the iPad mini 2 which
has a faster processor and retina display. For another $100 you can get the
iPad Air. Why would anyone purchase a device that is 3 generations back,
especially in an industry where changing is occurring so quickly? The main
reason for keeping the iPad 2, is to show the stark difference between it and
the new iPad Air. The $399 price for the iPad mini 2 is also surprising,
considering that for $249 you can buy the Nexus 7 FHD, which is a wonderful 7”
tablet with HD resolution (not quite as good as the retina display), and comes
with the newest version of Android.
Apple also announced their new operating system, Mavericks.
They are giving it away for “free”, as opposed to the $20 they usually charge.
Many have claimed that they are taking a direct shot at Microsoft with this,
but clearly people don’t understand the concept of free. To download Mavericks
you need to have purchased a Mac (minimum $1000), and at least have snow leopard (3 operating systems ago), or pay to get snow leopard, and then download Mavericks
for free. Windows 8.1 was just released and it was also “free” for users who
had Windows 8. I certainly don’t think the lack of a $20 fee for an operating
system upgrade is going to have any impact on whether consumers choose Mac or
PC. Considering there was a lot of backlash for OS 7, we will see what people
think of Mavericks.
Apple introduced the Mac Pro, and a new set of Macbook Pro’s,
but what I want to mention is what Apple didn’t talk about. They didn’t
introduce a cover/keyboard for the new iPads, which I think is a huge mistake
considering how wonderful Microsoft’s keyboard covers are. Apple has this whole
attitude of integration, yet they are allowing third party companies to
continue to make the keyboards, none of which work quite as well with the iPads
as they should. Perhaps they don’t believe anyone needs a keyboard to enjoy
their iPad, but with the discussion swiftly turning to tablet vs. laptop,
people are starting to use their tablets to do more and more. Apple also didn’t
mention AppleTV or anything about an iWatch.
Overall, I think Apple once again failed to introduce
anything new or different. Perhaps we’ve come to expect too much from them, but
you wonder at what point the world starts to look elsewhere for something
innovative. The floor is definitely wide open for someone to come in and steal
the show.
Let me know what you thought of Apple’s announcement; were
you disappointed? Or did you find it exciting?
Definitely disappointed
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