Apple’s Plan to Conquer the World

The Apple iPad was released over weekend, and there was tremendous publicity and no small amount of punditry on the topic. Of course, as is only fitting for something released on Easter weekend, the Apple fans have said it’s the greatest thing ever, about to change the whole market, and no doubt going to raise the dead, heal the sick, and make the lame whole. Naturally, there are also the naysayers, a lot of whom have concentrated on how the iPad can’t possibly live up to the hype. In particular, they noted that the iPad isn’t going to save the magazine publishing industry because, as one research report put it (in all caps in the original):

Even if iPads fly off the shelves magazines will still only realize a small percent of their overall print revenue.

So let’s cut through the hype for a few minutes. Yes, I do think the iPad is a pretty terrific device. (I should have a review of my first experiences with one in the next couple of days.) It’s not something unexpected, though — it’s really the first halting steps toward the “next computer” I predicted two years ago in one of my first pieces in Pajamas Media. It will change the world of computing, maybe as much as Google did, but don’t depend on it to raise the dead or even cure your cold....

I too bought an iPhone way early on. Kept it about six months, never could adjust to the keyboard, and moved back to Blackberry. Gave the iPhone to my son the MacHater and he fell in love with it.

Now I have a Blackberry AND the latest iPhone (long story as to why I have two cellphones:-) and I love the new iPhone. I do all business from the Blackberry, since I can type fast on its keyboard, and do all my fun stuff on the iPhone.

I spent about 20 years selling to the printing industry but that ended 30 years ago. A lot has changed since then. However, your experience is with, and you talk about, book publishing. This article was primarily about newspapers and magazines. Each of those require large quantities to be printed daily, weekly, or monthly, unlike a book publisher.

With a book publisher most of the pre-press work is done by the author and the publisher rather than the production people. Therefore it is easy to deliver camera ready copy to the printer. I say camera ready because most printing is still lithography.

Because of that you still have to make negatives and lithographic plates before you go to the printing presses. Some of these pre-press operations are unionized.

Then you go to presses of multiple sizes and capabilities depending on the needs of the job. All newspapers and most high volume magazines are printed on web presses from large rolls of paper. Most web presses will also do the finishing work of folding, trimming, cutting and assembling the individual signatures (multi page images). However, with books and some newspapers and magazines there are bindery operations still to be done like inserting supplements and advertising pieces and putting on covers. Both the press crews and the bindery workers are members of unions.

Then stacks of various sizes must be bound and moved to the shipping department and loaded on trucks. Those workers are also union members. Some times they are part of the bindery workers union and sometimes not. The truck drivers are also union members, teamsters.

That is just a brief overview of what goes on in the production of books, newspapers and magazines. There are numerous areas for disruptions of the process as well as the union mandated work rules. This adds a lot of costs to the production of newspapers and magazines.

You were saying ...

Are you kiddin’ me? You have to pay another 30 bucks to have the ability to connect a USB device? .......and you say you don’t know why anyone would need a USB port?

I've noticed that one thing Apple does not do with its products is 'include everything and the kitchen sink too" -- with its products and its designs.

It turns out that with certain products there are certain things that go naturally with them (whichever products you're talking about) for just about everyone, and then there are other features that are used by a certain segment of the user base, varying anywhere from a large portion to a very much smaller portion.

Somewhere along that line of a very large segment to a smaller segment of the user base -- Apple has a cut-off line and Apple has always been sparing on hardware features so as to not compromise the overall integrity of the product.

And sometimes Apple also segments a product into a high end and a lower end version, in which some of those features are included in the one and not the other.

It's all part of the design, the overall integrity of the product and then, market differentiation, too.

Those happen to be "design and marketing" choices that has made Apple very, very successful in their products. That's at the core of what makes Apple so successful, I think .. and Apple knows it too.

What I see from other manufacturers is they try to "throw in the kitchen sink" so to have a "features list" which they can then list and basically try to compete (market-wise) on that "paper list of features" -- and completely ignore the "design and use" factors.

Apple doesn't do that... and that's precisely what has made Apple so successful.

Well you admit it only differentiates in “design” and “interface” (really, just say “interface”; nothing special about the design).

OK, so the world loves the Apple touch interface. Good. I get it. Always have “gotten it”. They did a great job on it for their phone, .mp3 player, etc.

I’m saying that’s ALL they have with this platform. As for their decision to eliminate so many things due, as you are suggesting, to superior engineering design is utter nonsense.

Here’s a pen drive with a 15 GB file. Let me see you get it onto your iPad without a 30-buck add on “dongle” to have USB (want to talk about ‘outdated approaches’??). That is just one example...now watch how many here will jump on “Jeez, you don’t NEED a USB, you dinosaur!” while ignoring the point.........again.

You were saying ...

I’m saying that’s ALL they have with this platform. As for their decision to eliminate so many things due, as you are suggesting, to superior engineering design is utter nonsense.

They have superior engineering, to be sure, along with their design choices (which does also happen to be a part of superior engineering) -- and the ability to identify what the consumer wants, and present it to them in a package that exemplifies "synergy" to the utmost.

They have synergy in their superior engineering, synergy in the company, synergy in their great design, and synergy in the product, "as used" by the consumer. In fact, Apple should be listed as one of the "definitions" of synergy in the dictionary, since they exemplify it the most of any company in that industry ... :-)

When consumers see that superior engineering in the synergistic format that only Apple appears able to give the consumer -- you get winner after winner, from Apple.

I can't find a problem with that, at all... :-)

You were saying ...

Here’s a pen drive with a 15 GB file. Let me see you get it onto your iPad without a 30-buck add on “dongle” to have USB (want to talk about ‘outdated approaches’??). That is just one example...now watch how many here will jump on “Jeez, you don’t NEED a USB, you dinosaur!” while ignoring the point.........again.

Well, perhaps it's "you" that needs it because of some special situation or set-up that you have and that you want to make work for your situation. But, not everyone needs it for the purposes for which they will be using the device.

And it's pretty simple, actually -- if you need a different kind of device than the iPad, because of your special situation (outside of the design parameters of the iPad and for the consumer audience it was designed for) -- well then ... you know you're not part of that specifically designed audience for which it was intended.

Or else, you simply get the $30 device and you accommodate your need that the rest of the target audience doesn't require.

Apple isn't going to "throw in the kitchen sink" just to please everyone (as in a very small segment of their target audience) -- and especially you, when you say it's not designed for you.

Actually, when you think about it -- it's the stupidest thing in the world to listen to those who say they would never get it in the first place (even if it did have what they criticize it for) -- and expect Apple to put it in there for an audience that is not the target, would not buy it anyway -- and expect that Apple is going to "make a successful product" by listening to the "naysayers" and by listening to the "nattering nabobs of negativity"...

I've got to laugh real big over that one. It's like these "nattering nabobs of negativity" are saying to Apple, "You don't even have x, y and z in there, and even if you did, I would never buy it anyway!" ... LOL ...

Yes, that's an excellent methodology for a company to design it's products for -- design your products around the criticism of all those that say you should have "this" -- and even if you do, "I'll never buy it!"... sure ... :-)

That’s a red herring. Did I imply that I’d never buy one, let alone say it? What I am saying is so damned simple, yet it is eluding you and others here.

It’s a crippled product, period. Argue til you’re blue in the face. It lacks too many basics (say they aren’t necessary all you wish). It’s a glorified gadget that may have promise in the future, but this thing ain’t God’s gift to computing.

Repeating again: Apple could have produced a revolutionary product. They didn’t. It’ll sell like hot cakes because it’s Apple, period.

So anyhoo....enjoy your new toy.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.