We all wish Apple would give us every feature at once, that each new release of a product such as the iPad would leapfrog all possible competitors. Or when they come up with something totally new (such as the iPad), why not give us the camera, for instance, that is rumored for iPad 2?
One reason, of course, is a balance between cost and supply and the sheer physics of putting these things together.
But I really think there is another factor at work here. It's something I've been thinking of as I watch CES and see all the me-too tablets getting announced. Whether Apple invents a feature or merely popularizes something that someone else invented, once Apple has a hit the industry starts to copy what Apple did. That's why most smart phones now look like an iPhone (but none did before the iPhone), and why most tablets now look like iPads (but none did before the iPad).
Apple knows this will happen. So they release the iPad and know the next year will be a feverish attempt to catch up and surpass iPad 1 specs. Then just as the competition releases their tablets that trump the iPad on the spec sheets, Apple releases iPad 2 and suddenly the industry has to chase Apple again.
In other words, the more Apple puts into the first version, the more the industry is tipped off as to what they have to copy. If you hold back a few features for the second release, the industry can pat themselves on their backs for "beating" the first release, and then Apple comes along and makes a second release. Apple knows the tech world watches them, so they control what gets out and when. We might want more but from a business strategy perspective, Apple keeps everyone else chasing them, and that's pretty smart.
One reason, of course, is a balance between cost and supply and the sheer physics of putting these things together.
But I really think there is another factor at work here. It's something I've been thinking of as I watch CES and see all the me-too tablets getting announced. Whether Apple invents a feature or merely popularizes something that someone else invented, once Apple has a hit the industry starts to copy what Apple did. That's why most smart phones now look like an iPhone (but none did before the iPhone), and why most tablets now look like iPads (but none did before the iPad).
Apple knows this will happen. So they release the iPad and know the next year will be a feverish attempt to catch up and surpass iPad 1 specs. Then just as the competition releases their tablets that trump the iPad on the spec sheets, Apple releases iPad 2 and suddenly the industry has to chase Apple again.
In other words, the more Apple puts into the first version, the more the industry is tipped off as to what they have to copy. If you hold back a few features for the second release, the industry can pat themselves on their backs for "beating" the first release, and then Apple comes along and makes a second release. Apple knows the tech world watches them, so they control what gets out and when. We might want more but from a business strategy perspective, Apple keeps everyone else chasing them, and that's pretty smart.
