I’ve read a Swedish blog post today saying there is no tablet market, because it’s an iPad market. That blog post referred to an older English blog post. There really isn’t much of a tablet market.
I don’t see any reason to write that blog post again, but it made me think about the difference between an iPad copy and a Rolex copy.
Twenty years ago, it was enough to sell copies of products like Rolex or Sony Walkmans, and for many buyers, the main reason was that they wanted others to see they had this special item. They wanted to brag and create an illusion; the functions weren’t that important because there weren’t many who would ask them to demonstrate their fake Rolex watch or a cheaper fake Sony Walkman. It was enough if the Rolex showed the time and if the Sony Walkman look-alike could play some cassette tape music.
The current situation with iPad and iPad wannabes is different, but the hardware producers don’t seem to understand it. They keep on making their fake iPads. Oh yes, they have their own brands and product names, but everyone knows that every tablet’s secret wish is to be reborn as an iPad. Today, it’s not enough to create a product that looks like an iPad. Customers do like the design, but they are in love with the way iPads work. That’s why almost everyone who buys a non-iPad tablet will feel disappointed. They want to have the functions and access to all the cool apps.
The only hardware producer that seems to have got it is HP, and that’s why they decided to stop producing their tablet and focus on their WebOS. Their shareholders didn’t get it, though, because the stock price fell the day after the announcement.
Maybe I should feel sorry for all the PC makers who haven’t understood this? But no, why should I? They have had every opportunity to evaluate the development, and they also have many experts working for them. Apple has done a lot of things right, and I understood that in 1989. I hope that Apple will keep on making the right choices.
