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Apple iPad
Prepared for:
Apple Employees, Executives & Representatives By
Janaki Douillard
Date April 3, 2010
Source: 1
1
iPad Media White Paper
1Apple’s newest product the iPad, albeit surrounded by much hype, has been the target of an uncomfortable amount of negative media coverage. This negative coverage if left unanswered could result in the loss of potential profits and the possible failure of the iPad altogether. This paper will address these concerns by starting with a history of Apple’s past and current marketing strategies. Then it will refute the negative claims about the iPad in the order of general questions to hardware and then to software questions because the questions build on the previous answers. Marketing Plan Many pointed questions addressing iPad features and functionality are likely to be asked because of the novelty and also because of Apple’s current marketing plan. This plan consists of presenting the iPad as a “magical and revolutionary product”2
and focusing on solely the potential lifestyle and benefits it can provide. In general, this type of marketing campaign works well for Apple products, but in order to ensure a complete positive representation of the iPad, talking points will ensure that all Apple representatives are repeating accurate information to consumers.
Apple Marketing History A positive holistic public perception of the iPad from all departments and Apple affiliates can be crucial to the success of this product especially given that tablets are still a very new type of product. “What really is a tablet?” Is it the size? Touch Screen? Stylus? This controversy could be answered with the successful launch of the iPad by setting the standard for what consumers expect out of a tablet. As some people may remember, the launch of the Apple Newton PDA failed in large part due
1 Cover Page: http://www.komonews.com/ 2 Apple, Inc., “iPad.” http://www.apple.com/
“A Magical and Revolutionary
Product”
Apple iPad
Source: http://www.apple.com/
2
to the surrounding ridicule by comedians for supposed inaccurate handwriting recognition3. As you can see, perception can hugely influence the success or failure
of a product. History of Tablets The history of failure for tablets would make one assume that they are not a worthwhile pursuit for Apple. Some of the most popular tablets introduced to the market have been the Wacom Tablet, the Lenovo ThinkPad and the Fijitsu Lifebook Tablet; but these never truly took off. Their failure has been largely due to their bulkiness and inability to address a need for something more portable and similarly capable to a laptop. As Lev Grossman in his Times Magazine iPad review said “Jobs likes nothing better than frolicking in the graveyard of other companies' dead products. Digital music players had been around for years before Apple made the iPod.”4 Apple has a knack for making products consumer friendly
and the iPad has the potential to make that happen for tablets. General Questions Essentially, two overarching questions seem to be continually repeated throughout the press. First, what is the market for a tablet computer such as the iPad? Second, is the iPad just an oversized iPod Touch or iPhone? Addressing if there is a market for a tablet computer or iPad is a tricky question because of the history of tablet computer failures. There are many reasons these previous
3 Derek Slater, and Joe Sullivan. "Good idea, bad timing." CIO, August 15, 2001, 129-‐130. http://www.proquest.com (accessed April 26, 2010). 4 Lev Frossman, April 1, 2010. “Do we need the iPad? A TIME Review.” https://www.times.com, Accessed April 3, 2010.
Apple’s First PDA: the Newton
Source: http://www.walletpop.com/
Steve Job's Keynote Slide
Source: http://www.youtube.com/
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devices failed, ranging from inadequate operating systems, unresponsive touch screens to poor battery life and unreasonable weight but the iPad redefines the what a tablet is and what users want from this device.5
Apple iPad Market Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, explained in his iPad Keynote that Apple believes there is room for a new category of device between smart phones [iPhones] and laptop computers [MacBooks] if it does some key functions better than either alternative. These functions include browsing the web, email, viewing and sharing photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games and reading books (eBooks). Apple is confident that the iPad does at least these seven functions better than its mobile counterparts. Interesting examples of markets already currently experimenting with the iPad’s functionality are travelers and students. A pilot program, at Alexander Dawson School in Colorado, is providing iPads to their 5th and 6th grade classes as an experimental learning program. This preliminary test group will provide important information on the benefits
of this technology in a classroom environment, which is valuable data for Apple, Columbia University, University of Colorado, the Educational Records Bureau and potentially many others.6 The advantage for students is the replacement of heavy backpacks full of textbooks and notebooks with a small 1.5lb iPad that will contain all the necessary texts as well as all class notes. Apple iPad Innovation? The other big question being thrown around about how different the iPad is from the iPhone or iPod Touch can be addressed through a deeper understanding of the apps available specifically to the iPad. “Apps” is short for “Applications” and Apple has coined this abbreviation to specifically mean applications that can be downloaded directly onto their iPhone, 5 Jim Raposa, 14 January, 2010. “Tablets, Slates Have Been Tried Before and Failed Before—Why is Now Different.” http://www.eweek.com. Accessed 5 April, 2010. 6 Vanessa Miller. “Lafayette’s Alexander Dawson School swapping books for iPads.” Daily Camera, 6 April 2010; available from http://www.dailycamera.com; Internet, accessed 11 April 2010.
iPad iBooks App
Source: http://www.apple.com/
iPhone supersized = iPad?
Source: http://www.dump.com/
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IPod Touch or iPad product. The feature that many of these new apps are able to take advantage of is the “oversized” or larger display, but there are also other invaluable hardware advances that run in the background to support these new apps’ seamless performance like the increased hard drive capacity, faster processor and longer battery life. The iPad supports a maximum hardware capacity of 64GB, which is a significant increase from the iPhone’s maximum of 32GB7. Some of the apps that are currently exclusive to the iPad are iBooks (Apple eBooks Store and Reader), the iWorks Suite which has been redesigned specifically for the screen size and processor capacity of iPad, and various new 3rd party apps. Some such apps include The Wall Street Journal, E*Trade Mobile Pro, and games like Asphalt 5 (car racing) and Scrabble. Hardware Questions A few specifically hardware questions that have been circulating do not have answers that are readily available, which is why a predetermined response is very important. Some of these questions include topics like sunlight glare, battery life, USB port, and Camera availability.
Sunlight Glare LCD screens are known for being less than average in the sunlight and when compared to other eBook readers like the Kindle or the Sony eReader, many critics love to point out that their electronic-‐ink displays read just like paper so there is no glare in the sunlight. Although the technology doesn’t exist yet for perfect outdoor LCD viewing, there are available anti-‐glare screen protectors that cut down the sunlight glare significantly and
serve as a great solution. Anti-‐glare screens work by reflecting the light wave back on top of itself at a half wavelength difference which negates the wave altogether8. Battery Some critics have experienced battery lives longer than Apple’s advertised 10 hours but there are still questions as to what specific tasks yield different battery lives.9
7 Apple, Inc., “iPad Tech Specs.” http://www.apple.com/ 8 Brian M. DeBroff MD, and Patricia J. Pahk MD. "The ability of periorbitally applied antiglare products to improve contrast sensitivity in conditions of sunlight exposure." Arch Ophthalmol, 121, July 2003, 129-‐130. http://www.archophthalmol.com/ (accessed April 26, 2010). 9 Walt Mossberg, “iPad More Than an Oversized iPod Touch.” Wall Street Journal. Accessed March 29, 2010. https://online.wsj.com
iPad Antiglare Screen Protector
Source: http://www.dhgate.com/
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The guaranteed 10 hours is for any task and this can be extended all the way up to a month the a sleep or standby setting.
USB port The fact that there is no USB port on the iPad has created substantial outcry, but the iPad is intended to be a modified version of a computer and not a full functioning computer itself. The incorporation of a USB port would mean a thicker, heavier device and new operating system functionality in order to support file saving of which common USB devices like flash drives operate with. All of these additions would create an increase in the iPad’s already controversial price.
WebCam & Camera Although video chat programs like Skype have become increasingly popular, the iPad does not come equipped with a webcam. Eagle-‐eyed followers like Wired.com have noticed that Apple is hiring a quality-‐performance engineer for the iPad Media division to “test still, video and audio capture and playback” and that the existing iPad has a “take picture” button within Contact book implying that even the iPad thinks it has a camera.10 The camera feature is obviously a work in progress and is something that maybe available in a 2nd generation version of the iPad. As with many other possible features, keeping the price relatively low was a big concern with releasing a new category of product so that it may be immediately available to a large percent of the population. Software Questions Adobe Flash Probably the largest and most controversial software question that abounds is Apple’s decision to not support Adobe Flash on either its iPhones or iPod Touches and now the iPad. The nasty speculation circulating on the web regarding Apple’s cold shoulder for Flash, for example rumors that Apple is unwilling to relinquish 10 Brian X. Chen. 9 Feb. 2010. “Apple Job Posting Hints at Webcam in Future iPad.” http://www.wired.com; accessed 11 April 2010.
iPad thinks it had a Camera
Source: http://www.wired.com/
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complete dominance over the software of their products11, makes a real explanation critical. Steve Jobs explains that the incorporation of Flash on the iPad would reduce battery life from 10 hours to 1.5 hours and that Flash is the #1 cause for crashes on Mac Computers.12 Apple wants to provide the most enjoyable web browsing experience, but the frustration with crashing, high CPU usage and dramatically reduced battery life would be irritating at a minimum to consumers. iBooks Another concern raised about the iPad is how similar the iBooks app is to Amazon’s Kindle. One of the major reasons the iBooks app unique is the full color 9.7” LCD display. Readers will now be able to view books, like textbooks and children’s books, that have colorful images. Both markets have been largely ignored or neglected by the Kindle and Sony eReader because of their limitation to black and white electronic-‐ink screens. Textbooks on the iPad, as mentioned above, are not only a unique opportunity for students, but could revolutionize newspapers, magazines and comics. Operating System A last large software concern that has been brought up is the limited iPad operating system. Apple’s concept is that the iPad is intended to make computing easier, faster and more enjoyable than on other operating systems. The iPad has been compared to cars using an automatic transmission instead of manual. Automatic cars still shift
but it is done without the driver’s attention to it. Similarly, the iPad operating system still has a hierarchical file system but users aren’t required to navigate it.13 Similarly, there are tradeoffs and experts often enjoy the control of a more hands-‐on system, but for the modern day casual user, the iPad OS is a much more enjoyable interface.
11 Brian X. Chen. 17 Nov. 2008. “Why Apple won’t allow Adobe Flash on the iPhone.” http://www.wired.com; accessed 11 Apr. 2010. 12 Betsy, Schiffman. 2 April, 2010. “Apple’s iPad Snubs ‘Lazy’ Adobe and Flash.” http://www.dailyfinance.com; accessed 4 April, 2010. 13 John Gruber. 28 Jan. 2010. “Various and Assorted Thoughts and Observations Regarding the Just-‐Announced iPad.” http://www.dailyfinance.com; accessed 4 April, 2010.
iBooks Children's Books in Full Color
Source: http://www.apple.com/
“The iPad is like Automatic Transmission for Computers”
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Conclusion It is imperative that Apple executives, employees and affiliates are capable of clearly and concisely addressing these various questions circulating the web and press. In an effort to prepare Apple employees for the inevitable encounters where they will be questioned on and off the clock; this paper discussed the doubts and misconceptions that the Apple marketing team determined to be the most common. Employees and executives alike should study these answers in order to use them as talking points that can be repeated and discussed whenever they might be asked about the Apple iPad. Accuracy, standardization and clarity in discussing and presenting the iPad is critical to its success.