Innovation and Apple

For years now, people associate Apple with innovation, and most of that innovation came from its founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs. It's not surprising that the company is held in such high esteem when the company has managed to successfully launch game changing products and services to much critical acclaim and public fanfare time and time again. The company's line of iDevices and the platform they're connected to, iTunes, is the perfect example of innovation, but when delving deeper into the subject it is important to understand the approach in innovation Apple took. For this discussion, an analysis of the iPad will be made to determine Apple's strategy in terms of technology innovation.

An analysis of the features of the iPad clearly shows that the product is an example of disruptive innovation. It is an off shoot of personal computing while simultaneously opening up a new market in the industry. When viewing the tablet as a personal computer, it clearly pales in comparison to the real thing. The iPad lacks USB ports, a CD/DVD drive, and it is not as comfortable to use for work purposes as a desktop or a laptop. For more intensive work based applications, the iPad pales in comparison. On the other hand, it has clearly opened up a new market and has satisfied a demand no one knew existed. The iPad has become a platform where people can easily combine all forms of communication, entertainment, and computing (to a certain extent). The interface is extremely simple to use and allows for clear organization of different applications. While clearly lacking in certain functions, the tablet clearly redefines the personal computer market.

Tablet computers are not a new thing. They have been around for a long time, but it wasn't until Apple unveiled the iPad that the idea crossed over into the mainstream. So what did Apple do to make diffusion so successful for the iPad? First of all, it is important to realize that Apple already had traction with the various iPhones, so diffusion regarding touch devices really started then. Because Apple realized these touch devices would be difficult to describe to the public, they offered the products through various other retail stores in order to allow the public to better understand what they were. This helped the general public as a whole better digest this new concept. In addition, Steve Jobs would regularly hold conferences when unveiling the latest products. He would describe the functions and their specifications revealing them to many tech writers and influencers within the tech industry. Combined, these methods helped Apple's innovations diffuse throughout mainstream society.

Looking at the iPad, it is clear it is a perfect example of disruptive innovation. The machine, when viewed as a personal computer, is inferior compared to other computers; however, it opened up a new area in entertainment and connectivity. The iPad was also able to achieve successful