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If you were Apple, and the iPad2 was ready, would you launch before Honeycomb?

Piggie

Piggie

macrumors G3
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
9,294
4,337
Question as above.

If they could. Do you think Apple should launch the iPad2 before Honeycomb tablets such as the Xoom are released to the public?

What would be the best strategy?

If you launch early, then you may instantly get your sales, and people may not want to wait for Honeycomb/Xoom.

However this then gives the opposition to see what you have released hardware wise and at what price, so they can adjust what they do in response to your launch.

If Apple wait till after Honeycomb/Xoom launches, then they could have the upper hand as the opposition will not know what they are up against, they make have priced, too high and you can come along with a spec they were not expecting as a price they were not expecting, making them then have to react and back track on what they have done.

On the other hand, Apple may loose custom in they wait and people have already gone with the Xoom type machine/s as the iPad2 was not yet out.

Which do you think Apple should do? Launch before or After products like the Xoom launch?

Or don't you think it matters?
 
Piggie said:
Or don't you think it matters?
Click to expand...

This

I don't think it matters

Apple marches to a different drummer
There are pros and cons to both launches, so does it really matter?
Probably not

I think Apple already knows what the iPad 2 is
I think it is already in production and won't be changed
And I think they know their pricing

I think they will launch on their own schedule and let the others worry about their stratgey
 
I personally think the Honeycomb tsunami is a bit overhyped. Let's talk when we have a firm release date and price for devices such as the Motorola tablet.
 
They will release it in April like they did last year cause that's when Apple wants to do it. The announcement will happen in March.
 
I don't think either company would really be able to change anything aside from price maybe if the devices came out within a month or two of each other. The hardware and software would long be already set in stone I would think, it would take quite some time to go back and change the specs.
 
Normally companies don't like to launch at the same time as something else big for fear of media attention swinging towards their rival.

It would make sense launch in a reasonably clear media window, they you are guaranteed front page news (so to speak) everywhere.

I'd take a wild guess and say Apple will launch 1st.

The iPad2 is probably set in stone, if not already perhaps rolling off the production line as we speak. I would think they would be ready 1st, and want to capture the buyers.

Honeycomb could be delayed as there seems a lot of work left to do, and they know the last thing they want to do is launch with problems and look unfinished in comparison.

But I could well be totally wrong :)
 
After, because they are still competing with the first generation of iPad. Then 2 weeks after Honeycomb has launched, iPad 2 should launch and all the news media will be focused on the new iPad.
 
Of course ipad will take a hit in terms of market share but it should remain as a leader for sometime to come.

Apple knows this and will release their ipad 2 on its schedule.
I just hope that their hardware improvement is more than what they have been doing with mbp. LIke I been mentioning, in tablet, apple do not have advantage like in mbp(osx/looks that no one can match 'chic magnet'/trackpad).

In tablet, it doesn't have as many. OS is pretty much wash w/ android.(Even though I prefer simple interface of apple) Only place it has lead is app but even that will eventually catch on(or gap will get smaller).
Slight edge on look as well(after all, it is apple product, which means chic magnet).

Therefore, I really hope apple did it's best to improve the hardware w/ all these competition coming from droid.(dual core? You got to be kidding me).
 
Since were talking late Spring / Early Summer for Honeycomb, then the iPad 2 will have launched either simultaneously or just before regardless by it's predicted refresh cycle anyway. So the question is void is it not ?
 
I wouldn't necessarily change the date of release. But I would announce intentions relatively soon. It'll likely launch in the Spring like the last one, but giving a preview of whats to come might not be a bad idea just to keep yourself in the tablet spotlight as much as possible.

Apple played it pretty well with CES, they weren't there even there and a couple of their plays got a lot of news (Mac App Store, and Verizon iPhone). They'd do well to keep up the pressure in the new competing market, imo.
 
Apple

Almost no one knows what is going on in :apple:. Those that do would have their ***es handed to them if they told. :apple: is all about surprising people and trying to make their products sound way better than they really are. Plus :apple:'s trying to hold out on the ipad 2 and let the ipad sell more and more without reducing the price.
 
MacRumorUser said:
Since were talking late Spring / Early Summer for Honeycomb, then the iPad 2 will have launched either simultaneously or just before regardless by it's predicted refresh cycle anyway. So the question is void is it not ?
Click to expand...

Launch date for the Xoom could be as early as February according to various reports. Motorola states first quarter.

I for one cannot figure out how a unfinished Tablet waiting on a unfinished
Operating system could possibly be pushed through assembly and beta testing in a months time.

Maybe Motorola was just capitalizing on CES exposure but who knows maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

My guess is ipad2 launches before the Xoom but after Honeycomb.
 
Apple has a habit of stealing peoples thunder almost, er well, yes, very arrogantly. Apple doesn't go to CES, yet CES is dominated with accessories for Apple products, and just after CES Apple often makes a big announcement, as if to say, "Okay, that was cool, but now on to the big boy stuff". I suspect it will be the same way, Honeycomb hype will build up, and then Apple will come in and steal the thunder.

Or maybe not. Enter Apple v Microsoft circa 1980's. At the San Fransisco computer faire, Bill Gates was practically begging Steve Jobs for attention while people SWARMED around the Apple II, the machines Gates was working on, using his FORTRAN computer language, were a flop. The Macintosh KILLED DOS, and was THE standard for GUI based computing, really until Windows 95. But that's the key, Windows 95 hit (They were pretty neck and neck at that point, arguably Windows 3.11 was when the power shifted) and it since hasn't changed, the market favored licensure over developing for an entirely proprietary product. People would rather buy an NEC/IBM/HP Computer running DOS or Windows, over an Apple running Macintosh System.

Folks might not realize it but Microsoft was still just a handful-of-employees company operating out of a tiny Alberquerque New Mexico office while Apple was building their massive headquarters in Cupertino, Apple was the first king of the computer world but was eventually dethroned.

Android is still a real threat, BUT, so was the Zune, and any of the other "Superior" mp3 players out there. Somehow, Apple has held on for now 11 years on to the mobile media market, they created this market, only time will tell what they do. But one thing is for sure, despite their crippling decision all the way back in the 80's to stay proprietary, they haven't changed their mind. ever. It's not likely they EVER will.

I know, kind of straying off topic there but, yes, I think they will come in and steal the thunder, AFTER honeycomb makes a real-world debut, or, they will stick to schedule, be the cocky Apple they always are, and pretend like Honeycomb doesn't exist, convince themselves and tell their customers that nobody wants it and they don't see it as competition, and just do whatever the heck they please.
 
el-John-o said:
Apple has a habit of stealing peoples thunder almost, er well, yes, very arrogantly. Apple doesn't go to CES, yet CES is dominated with accessories for Apple products, and just after CES Apple often makes a big announcement, as if to say, "Okay, that was cool, but now on to the big boy stuff". I suspect it will be the same way, Honeycomb hype will build up, and then Apple will come in and steal the thunder.

Or maybe not. Enter Apple v Microsoft circa 1980's. At the San Fransisco computer faire, Bill Gates was practically begging Steve Jobs for attention while people SWARMED around the Apple II, the machines Gates was working on, using his FORTRAN computer language, were a flop. The Macintosh KILLED DOS, and was THE standard for GUI based computing, really until Windows 95. But that's the key, Windows 95 hit (They were pretty neck and neck at that point, arguably Windows 3.11 was when the power shifted) and it since hasn't changed, the market favored licensure over developing for an entirely proprietary product. People would rather buy an NEC/IBM/HP Computer running DOS or Windows, over an Apple running Macintosh System.

Folks might not realize it but Microsoft was still just a handful-of-employees company operating out of a tiny Alberquerque New Mexico office while Apple was building their massive headquarters in Cupertino, Apple was the first king of the computer world but was eventually dethroned.

Android is still a real threat, BUT, so was the Zune, and any of the other "Superior" mp3 players out there. Somehow, Apple has held on for now 11 years on to the mobile media market, they created this market, only time will tell what they do. But one thing is for sure, despite their crippling decision all the way back in the 80's to stay proprietary, they haven't changed their mind. ever. It's not likely they EVER will.

I know, kind of straying off topic there but, yes, I think they will come in and steal the thunder, AFTER honeycomb makes a real-world debut, or, they will stick to schedule, be the cocky Apple they always are, and pretend like Honeycomb doesn't exist, convince themselves and tell their customers that nobody wants it and they don't see it as competition, and just do whatever the heck they please.
Click to expand...

Good points, as strong as the Apple Juggernaut is, you have to think that Google has just as many bright minds capable of game changing innovation.
 
redshift1 said:
Good points, as strong as the Apple Juggernaut is, you have to think that Google has just as many bright minds capable of game changing innovation.
Click to expand...

Yep, another big difference there. Apple, and all of it's engineers working into the wee hours in the morning, were beaten by Microsoft, operated by Gates, Ballmer, and a handful of others in rented office space. This time, Apple is up against a company of similar size and similar resources. Only time will tell how this will end but some of the more experienced tech journalists (those who were reporting back in the time of the original Macintosh!) have said Android will win. Android certainly is going to be everywhere, there are already free Android handsets. Not particularly powerful, but there are lots of folks who just get the free phones when their contracts are up. For a developer, that's big, because for the first time ever you've tapped in to that market. Right now, most BIG developers develop on BOTH platforms, some only on iOS, some only on Android. I think eventually, developers will choose one platform or another, and if Android is on more handsets, it seems like the obvious choice.

I'll still prefer iOS, just like I prefer Mac OSX to Windows, but if history repeats itself iOS will hold on with pop culture for a while, and when the hype wears off, Android could very well reign. Only time will tell!
 
You are looking at it the wrong way, when Apple releases something then others start releasing their tablets and phones to keep-up on Apple.
 
el-John-o said:
I'll still prefer iOS, just like I prefer Mac OSX to Windows, but if history repeats itself iOS will hold on with pop culture for a while, and when the hype wears off, Android could very well reign. Only time will tell!
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about history repeating itself this time around. As I recall, in the Macs vs Windows race, Macs never achieved the market dominance that the iPhone had before the advent of Android. And as for the iPad, it currently has a ridiculous market share, like probably 90+ percent. Yes, that's because it has virtually NO competition, and obviously, there's nowhere to go but down as far as market share is concerned. Also, people are forgetting that the initial race was not so much Mac vs Windows but Apple vs IBM, and IBM was a industrial behemeth if there was ever one. Currently, there's no IBM, unless it's Apple. So while iOS vs Android does have some factors that recall Mac vs Windows, I think too many factors are different to declare it a situation of history repeating itself. Or to put it another way, I think Android phones and tablets could very well take 50% or slightly more of the market share, but I don't see Apple's share declining to 10% or less of the market as it did with PCs. At least not as long as Apple continues to be as innovative as it currently is.
 
Piggie said:
On the other hand, Apple may loose custom in they wait and people have already gone with the Xoom type machine/s as the iPad2 was not yet out.
Click to expand...
I don't see apple losing sales because of Xoom. People who buy the xoom probably aren't making the choice for that tablet because apple is slow to update the iPad. They're buying it because its suiting their needs in away that the iPad 1 or 2 is not.
Which do you think Apple should do? Launch before or After products like the Xoom launch?
Click to expand...
I think apple should release iPad when they're ready and believe the product is ready. It does no one any good to rush a product to market just because of their competitors. Apple would be better suited to making sure they have all of the loose ends tied up prior to releasing a new or updated product.
 
maflynn said:
I don't see apple losing sales because of Xoom. People who buy the xoom probably aren't making the choice for that tablet because apple is slow to update the iPad. They're buying it because its suiting their needs in away that the iPad 1 or 2 is not.

I think apple should release iPad when they're ready and believe the product is ready. It does no one any good to rush a product to market just because of their competitors. Apple would be better suited to making sure they have all of the loose ends tied up prior to releasing a new or updated product.
Click to expand...

But............ :)

Say you were having chats at Apple and lets say they settled on April 5th for the launch of iPad2.
They have this date set for a while, then they learn the Xoom is launching 2 or 3 days later.

Do you really think Apple would do nothing, knowing they would not have a clear press window for their product, and after 2 or 3 days the Xoom would be on the front page everywhere.

I don't think any company would want that. Apple may be more impervious to such an occurrence than others, but I think they would move their date either forwards or backwards so they had a totally clear media window for quite some time.
 
Apple launches when Apple is ready.

Other manufacturers react to Apple launches.

I guess that somehow makes Apple the leader.
 
Piggie said:
But............ :)

Say you were having chats at Apple and lets say they settled on April 5th for the launch of iPad2.
They have this date set for a while, then they learn the Xoom is launching 2 or 3 days later.

Do you really think Apple would do nothing, knowing they would not have a clear press window for their product, and after 2 or 3 days the Xoom would be on the front page everywhere.

I don't think any company would want that. Apple may be more impervious to such an occurrence than others, but I think they would move their date either forwards or backwards so they had a totally clear media window for quite some time.
Click to expand...

Seriously, I don't think Apple cares. Apple announces an event for April 5th, and Motorola announces an event for April 5th - where do you think people/media would focus on?

If the Motorola announces after Apple, then yeah they might get front page for <b>a day or two</b> and then the focus would go back to Apple or at a minimum sharing stories comparing the two devices.

If Motorola announces before Apple, then again they would head lines for a day or two - then the focus would shift back to iPad 2 rumors.

Go to www.cnet.com right now - Xoom or Motorola isn't even on the first page anymore.
 
Piggie said:
But............ :)

Say you were having chats at Apple and lets say they settled on April 5th for the launch of iPad2.
They have this date set for a while, then they learn the Xoom is launching 2 or 3 days later.

Do you really think Apple would do nothing, knowing they would not have a clear press window for their product, and after 2 or 3 days the Xoom would be on the front page everywhere.

I don't think any company would want that. Apple may be more impervious to such an occurrence than others, but I think they would move their date either forwards or backwards so they had a totally clear media window for quite some time.
Click to expand...

Well, sure, a few days this way or that way, I'm sure they do that. Like sometimes they announce a product and ship it the same day, and other times they announce and say it ships a week or a month later. I'm sure that's because they time their announcements for maximum media exposure, not on the exact day their products are ready to ship. But as others have already said, there's no point in shipping a product before they are ready to ship. Actually, remember the iPad was originally supposed to ship "in March" but didn't actually ship until start of April?

Anyway, so I think if Honeycomb comes out before iPad2, Apple might announce the iPad2 earlier, if they felt that would help. But the shipping schedule couldn't be changed. And same with the other companies too, really. They all announce at CES, but their shipping schedule is up in the air, meaning they'll ship whenever they are ready.
 
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