Colin's Corner

Apple's iPad - an impressive product gives Apple significant competitive advantage

The Steve Jobs iPad Tablet media show today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco was always going to have a hard time living up to the ridiculous pre-launch hype that's been circulating around the web. 

Steve's presentation was more moderated than at previous product launches as he tried to manage expectations positioning the device as a tweener product - "more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone.''  

By the time we emerged from the iPad presentation and the demo area where, under the watchful eyes of the Apple execs and security staff we were allowed to play briefly with the device and the few announced accessories, it was obvious that the world was very much the same as when we went in. 

This was always going to be Apple's toughest audience. The crowd reaction was generally positive if rather muted. Of course, the group was largely press who have a tendency to be ultra critical and even cynical given the amount of marketing and PR hype to which they are subjected. People also react to what they know and understand and have more difficulty seeing the longer-term vision and opportunity.

A big challenge facing Apple's iPad is that unlike phones and laptops this is a nice to have, not an essential to have product. But it's a very slick device and a lot people will want one even if they don't absolutely need it. It's a product that will evolve and build over time rather than being an instant success.

The light and thin iPad has a bright and crisp resolution, the performance is fast. Web sites (well those without flash) look great. Unmodified apps scale up to full screen and generally are acceptable while the Apps written for the enhanced iPhone operating system raise the bar significantly.  

A typical reaction of it's just a big iPod Touch is understandable as that's what it looks like, but that does not start to do justice to the device and the engineering effort that went into the product and supporting eco-system.  Customers understandably may see this as a bigger iPod touch but its no trivial matter to take a multi-touch captivate screen to 9.7 inches. 

The "magic" in Apple iPad is just how seamlessly it appears to work. It's going to be a while before Apple's competitors can match the functionality in a similar form factor, which could give Apple an 18-24 month lead.

There are some notably omissions - if the devices is positioned as a great web browsing devices, the lack of flash support is a problem - especially with video streaming fans. . While Apple may be moving to HTML5, Adobe's Flash is going to be around for a long time.  Mulit-tasking would have been nice.

There is no camera - the device seems a natural for video chat - but then again we don't have iChat on the iPhone. However the camera is an essential tool to bring together the physical and digital worlds. Augmented reality and digital over lays can greatly enhance a users experience. Given Apple has pushed video cameras in the desktops, laptops and in the iPhone (but not iTouch) the lack of this feature is really surprising. Maybe it's just as well Apple is positioning the product as environmentally friendly and recyclable as I have a suspicion that, as with the iPhone, I could be upgrading each year. 

Given I carry around an iPhone all the time, having a tethering option for the iPad or Laptop would be welcome rather than having to sign-up for another data plan.

The virtual keyboard is thankfully enhanced by physical keyboard options - either dockable or via Bluetooth. However, the iPad does not support Apple's Bluetooth mice so extended activity within iWork may be problematic. While it was good to see the iWork applications, the target audience release of iPad iLife applications would have been more appropriate - but expect them to appear relatively soon after launch.

Apple has added the iBook store to its iTune and Apps stores but other than announcing support for the ePub format it made no reference to enhancing the SDK with tools that could make it easy for publishers to easily create dynamic multimedia content. While the iPad offers great potential for book, newspaper and magazine publishers there will have to be significant iPad sales before publishers invest considerable resources to create content that takes full advantage of the device. 

Newspapers and magazine are obvious candidates for the iPad but we'll have wait and see if publishers will develop their own apps and go direct or look at platform players such as Skiff, Zinio,Texterity and others to act as intermediaries. For customers who just want to read trade books a dedicated e-reader may be a better option than the extremely bright LCD iPad screen. Reference books will benefit from enhanced multimedia and social networking but it remains unclear just how much of that functionality is currently offered within the SDK.

The opportunity for publishers to connect directly with their customers is extremely appealing. The analytics that will be built into the SDK will provide valuable customer engagement information and in application ad servicing will provide additional revenue streams over and above paid content models. 

This is a product that is likely to grow on you and it has enormous long-term potential. Its immediate strengths are in entertainment - games, movies and music. The opportunity for content publishers is significant but needs a lot more work. While I have already signed up to be notified of when I can purchase an iPad, the absence of a camera and video chat prevents me from granting the device the "magical" status Apple has already bestowed on it. Check one out when you can.

Additional coverage

Steve Jobs Takes Gamble on New iPad

Why the iPad will kill Amazon's KIndle or perhaps not

iPad No Thanks

iPad Specs

Apple's iPad mobile device is 0.5 inches thick (or thin) with a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display. Storage options of 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB are offered. The device is powered by Apple's custom A4 1 GHz "Apple A4". Pricing starts at $499, $599, and $699 for the varying capacity Wi-Fi models without 3G, and $629, $729, and $829 with 3G. Wi-Fi (802.11n) only models are scheduled to ship in 60 days with 3G-capable model shipping in 90 days, pending FCC clearance. The US 3G data plans will be offered by AT&T at $14.99 for 250 MB and $29.99 per month for unlimited usage as well as free access to AT&T hot spots. No long-term contracts are required and the products, which use GSM micros SIMS, will be unlocked. Plans for non-US users should be in place around June / July.

iPads feature an accelerometer, compass, speakers, a microphone, and 30-pin dock connector features. The iPad offers a claimed 10 hours of battery life for viewing video and 1 month of standby battery life.

Apple's slate a "Sumerian" publishing eco-system for mobile mass media

In April 1977, Steve Jobs introduced the break-through Apple II. 26 years ago on 24th January 1984 the Macintosh, in October 2001 he brought us the iPod and at Macworld Expo in January 2007 he introduced the iPhone. Tomorrow on 27th January 2010 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco it's widely expected that Steve Jobs will unveil Apple's new creation - a mobile digital tablet.

Some see the product, as a super iPhone or potential laptop replacement - but Jobs, who over the last thirty years, has dramatically influenced the Personal Computer, Music and Phone industries will hardly be content simply to announce a new device. 

Apple's visionary goal could be no less than the recreation of the whole publishing industry by providing an integrated  hardware, software and distribution eco-system. A total system that will start to change the way content is created, consumed and purchased on mobile devices.  

It's quite possible that Apple will reference or evoke the Sumerian clay tablets dating back 5,000 years. These tablets written in cuneiform scripts are the earliest known writing system. They chronicled stories of creation, the Flood and the arrival of Halley's comet as well as the commercial activity of the period. 

Apple may believe that their electronic slate will have as dramatic an impact on information as did the ancient Mesopotamians. 

Of course, Apple is not new to driving dramatic change in the publishing industry. In the mid '80s, Apple's Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the Macintosh along with Aldus (PageMaker), Adobe (PostScript) and Hewlett Packard (LaserJet) introduced Desktop Publishing and gave powerful but easy to use tools to a new generation of designers.  

For the last decade and a half, digital publishing has been evolving from print to the web. Generally, it's not been a happy experience for publishers. The traditional print models have not transitioned well.

Brands' direct interaction with their readers have been weakened, audiences fragmented and content is widely created and distributed across the web. Search and social networks have had a dramatic impact on traditional publishers.

Trying to protect legacy businesses by trying to create digital replica models of print products especially magazines and newspapers resulted in a dreadful user experience. Content, which had been designed for viewing in portrait orientation, was forced into a landscape mode forcing the reader to pan, scroll and zoom.

For centuries, print publishing has been a world of publisher controlled, static information. However, we're now on the verge of having dynamic real-time, multi-media content delivered to our personal mobile computing devices in a format that is optimized for the device. Publishers now have another opportunity to work out the digital opportunities. 

Mobile is offering publishers a reset opportunity to deliver target content in formats that work for the consumers and the mobiel devices they are using. Because of the personal nature of mobile devices, brand have a better opportunity to directly connect with their audiences than is possible online.

Apple is likely to provide tools for the creation of great content available via new software development kit (SDK) and is able to deliver a massive buying audience via iTunes. 

Publishers will have an opportunity to experiments with variety of revenues models. Analytics built into the SDK will allow publishers to truly measure the engagement of their audiences and better understand their interests.

Already books are the second largest iPhone Apps category. Expect to see exponential growth in the broad category of content - books, newspapers and magazines as publishers sign on to Apple's distribution services. 

 If Apple manages to pull this off, it will be both potentially devastating and liberating for legacy publishing industries. 

(image credit Dale Stephanos ) 

Bright creative entrepreneurs will change the moribund textbook industry, children's books with be brought to life via multimedia, the travel guide industry and special interest publishing will be revolutionized, comic books anime and manga will reach massive new audiences.  Where it makes sense text can be enhanced by audio and video, readers can be connected to discuss and share content, and new business models can be developed that take account of how readers want to access and consume content. The whole of the publishing industry could be revitalized. The journey is the reward.

Apple cannot save the publishing industry but it can provide great tools to help publishers save themselves.  

Tomorrow Apple's is likely to showcase an incredible consumer device that will raise the bar for the a number of industry, not least publishing. 

As with the launch of the Mac, iPod and iPhone it took time to fully appreciate the devices impact.

Over the last three decades Apple has released devices that excites and engages their customers - products that makes them go "wow - I want one, now! The Apple tablet will continue a great tradition.

For additional insight on the true significance of the tablet - read Fake Steve Jobs  and WIRED on content to be the tablet's focus , Bloomberg's Apple Tablet May Lure Publishers With New Features, the WSJ article on the pricing discussions going on between Apple and publishers and the NYTimes on why the media is hoping for a payday.

Technology is Changing the Real Estate Business

After 16 years of living, working and raising three sons in San Francisco, Sue and I recently decided to swap our city life for a more relaxed and sunny one in the Marin town of Tiburon. 

The process of buying and selling has changed dramatically, since we purchased our first property in the San Francisco Cow Hollow area. Moving from the United Kingdom, the prices back in 1997 gave us sticker shock at the time but had incredibly tripled by the time we sold in 2004. 

With the current economic challenges, prices have fallen back considerably but are still significantly above those back in 1997, a fact that initially concerned us as we entered our property search. Do property prices have even further to fall even if there has been a recent uptick in prices ?

Current economic problems, unemployment and looming credit card debt issues and mortgage rate resets may still have some damage to inflict on a weak property market. However, we have watched over the last few months as decent properties in Marin County and the Bay Area were still snapped up for close to the asking price almost as soon as they go on sale. In addition we want to get on with our own plans so decided it was the right time for our move.

The level of transparency on the residential property market and ability to properly research such a key purchase has thankfully improved dramatically over recent years. Online services such as Clean Offer, Great Homes, Zillow and Trulia made it easy to identify properties that fit our criteria. When away from the laptop, other useful Phone Apps we referenced included: Zillow, Trulia, Smarter Agent, Homes.com, and Blue Atlas Broker.

In addition to our own comprehensive research, we used the services of a realty agent, Patricia Navone, who works for Morgan Lane, part of Mark McLaughlin’s McLaughlin Ventures. Patricia is a friend and previous colleague at Macworld Communication, Inc. who over the last several years has shown us around Marin County with great patience, as we considered which area would best suit our needs. She has extensive knowledge of the Southern Marin property market and was an invaluable asset throughout the process. Text messaging, complemented e-mail communications and enabled us get a swift answer from her even when she was with other clients.

We now live in a world of mobility where access to data and information is nearly always within an arm’s reach. Smartphones such as the iPhone are complementing and even replacing laptops in some cases.

While some research was easier to conduct in front of my MacBook Air , the iPhone apps proved extremely useful when out scouting potential areas. Whilst driving around, Google maps and iPhone Apps such as Around Me made it easy for us to see what other local services were close to the houses we were considering and also gave us alternative routes and views so we could get a broader sense of access, location and local facilities.

Entering a critical negotiation period just as we were on our way to Rockport, Maine to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary we thought it was going to be difficult to access, sign and return the documents given our travel schedule.

However, technology came to our aid. Flying to Boston with Virgin America we were able to keep connected throughout the flight. Ordering drinks and snacks from the touch screen whilst flying kept us fuelled while I worked and Sue enjoyed the in-flight entertainment

Using the Gogo Inflight Internet service I was able to access my email and the Internet, which allowed Sue and I to sign the offer papers electronically at 30,000 feet using the secure DocuSign e-signature service.

Additionally, I was able to transfer money in flight between my bank accounts to make the deposit available. 

The ability to make use of the mobile in-flight service reduced our stress, made the procedures seamless and most importantly meant we did not have to take up any vacation time dealing with physical documents. By the time we arrived at baggage claim, Patricia had already presented our offer to the listing agent.

Professional help and emotional support from our agent plus our own solid research resulted in the successful purchase of a greta propertywe believe meets all our needs for the foreseeable future.

Technology - a great enabler throughout the whole process.