iPad 2 - Instant Hit

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is the number one technology company in the world!

iPad 2 has three things going for it which will make it an instant success!

1. Price - Very, very attractive starting at $499!
Believe me, as the current user of iPad, this is a screaming deal! I need to upgrade mine, soon! None of the new Tablets such as those from Motorola and Samsung can match this drop-bottom price. Apple has done something really great with the iPad line for which it doesn't get much credit - "Apple has made this amazing device very affordable for the average consumer!"

2. New Powerful Features (and looks)
In particular, the all new Video camera and Faster Processing! Current iPad is really fast... But with dual processors, the additional performance will come in handy for multi-processing and running all those powerful business and entertainment apps. And did I mention that the new iPad is thinner, lighter, sexier and available in a very cool white color. I love my black iPad!

3. Apps! Apps! Apps!
Apple has upped the ante on Built-in Apps including FaceTime, Photo Booth, enhanced Mail, Video, and the iPad finder (no more losing your iPad).
More importantly, there are now over 65,000 iPad dedicated Apps! Some of my favorites are the Project, Wall Street Journal, Pandora, Kindle for iPad, YouTube, Netflix and OGoing. I also enjoy many of the games on the iPad... There are apps for Business, Communications, Entertainment, Productivity, and every industry... "There's an app for that"

Why I love my iPad?
I find that my iPad is very easy to use, performs extremely well, never crashes, is ON in seconds, and works all the time! I enjoy the music, movies, photos, surfing and the entertainment features. I love the fact that the iPad runs for 10 hours without having to recharge! My daughter loves it too for the many games, drawing, and the intuitive, easy touch interface! I do have a wish list for Steve Jobs and Apple - a. File folders to store docs, photos, files b. Flash video support. c. USB or external drive

Check out Apple's Innovation Strategy, and learn to innovate like Apple and Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder, chief innovator:
http://www.innovationmain.com/Apple-eBook.html

What's amazing is that the tablet market surpassed the mature eBook reader market owing to the Apple iPad in 2010! IDC is predicting shipments of roughly 50 million tablets for 2011, with Apple owning 70%-80% market share, or shipping at least 35 million iPads.

Best Three Technology Innovations of 2010

PCWorld scanned the entire universe of technology this year--HDTVs, phones, tablets, PCs, e-book readers, storage, software, services, apps, digital cameras, camcorders, printers, and more--and picked the best 100.

Whereas the PC World top 100 list is interesting and subjective, here are my picks of the Top Three Technology Innovations of 2010. I have picked my best three innovations in 2010 based on the following three criteria:

a. Commercial Success - number of units shipped, new revenue generated and market share gains
b. Ease of Use - how easy, simple, and intuitive the product is to use, reuse, and enjoy
c. X Factor - how sexy is the product, fan following, viral appeal, user ratings, and customer loyalty

Here are my Top Three Technology Innovations of 2010:

#1. Apple iPad - The wildly successful Apple iPad re-created the Tablet PC marketplace single-handedly, and started a whole suite of Tablet competitors from Samsung, HP, Dell and more... Apple iPad is elegant, sexy, engaging, interactive, extremely easy to use, and has endless applications. The other day, my wife's neice's 8 month old baby boy was enjoying Baby Piano, Sound Touch and Virtuoso on my iPad... And he was loving every moment of it and laughing his heart put. My daughter loves the drawing app and various games, and since my son bought the Need for Speed game over this holidays, I am addicted to it. Apple sold over 7 million iPads within the first six months of launch, and will likely sell at least 5 million iPads in the holiday quarter. Suddenly, Apple iPad will generate over $7 Billion in new revenue for Apple in 2010. The Apple iPad phenomenon could generate over $21 billion in revenue in 2011 for Apple. iPad anyone?

#2. Amazon Kindle 3rd Edition - Amazon's third Kindle is on the money. The form factor, ease of reading, looks, and the huge selection of eBooks. A must have reader if you love reading (and who doesn't). Amazon Kindle started the eBook reader revolution, and its competitors including Sony and Barnes & Noble aren't doing that bad either. Yesterday, while waiting in line at the DMV, this woman in front of me was quietly reading her novel on the ultra cool white Kindle, and she was really enjoying reading it. I also peeked and read a few pages while she was reading, and the display was immaculate. With estimates of about 8 million Kindles sold in 2010, Amazon has quietly created a Billion Dollar franchise! Amazon just announced the latest innovation of sharing Kindle eBooks with a friend or relative for 14 days. Very Cool! What's amazing is that Amazon Kindle sales have been least impacted by the Apple iPad onslaught. A difference of over $350 in price between the base iPad and the Kindle would mean a clear sailing for Amazon in 2011 and beyond.

#3. Microsoft Kinect - Microsoft has created something new and exciting that no other game console maker has been able to do yet. Nintendo Wii created a huge following with the wireless controllers which you can wave, move and play. Microsoft one-upped Nintendo, Sony and others by removing the controllers altogether. Rather, you become the controller. No wires, no joysticks, no mouse, no controllers, no gadgets. Simply plugin the Kinect to the Xbox 360, and play your games by moving around, jumping, jabbing, running, kicking, smashing, speaking, singing, and more. Kinect uses advanced entertainment technology to respond to even the sound of your voice. You can just say “Xbox” to start, and even control HD movies with the sound of your voice. Can Kinect replace the remote? Microsoft has changed the playing field entirely for video games, and with more games arriving that will implement the Kinect technology, Microsoft is onto something huge in 2011. There are estimates of over 5 million Kinects sold in 2010 ( Kinect was only introduced recently ), and Kinect technology has likely pushed the sales of Xbox 360 to new levels in this holiday season.

These are my picks of the top three innovations of 2010.

Leading Creativity and Innovation eBook.
Business Innovation Resource Kit - 212 pages Definitive Guide, 439-slide insights Innovation Bootcamp, Annual Innovation Report. 212-page collection of over 55 best practices, case studies, and insights on the current state of Creativity and Innovation in Business at Top Innovators including Apple, Google, Netflix, 3M, Frito Lay, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, GE, BMW, Deloitte, Southwest, Nike, IBM, Dell and more. "Your report from the eBook and definitive guide was the primary reference that we used." Used by over 650 leading organizations including HP, Pepsi, EDS, Nokia, J&J more... Learn more...

Can HP Slate challenge the Apple iPad?

Courtesy: Engadget

Rather than focus on technology, I would like to create a new comparison matrix between HP Slate & Apple iPad:

	HP Slate	Apple iPad
Ease-of-use	Maybe	Yes
Intuitive Touch Screen	Maybe	Yes
Simplicity	Maybe	Yes
Fun to Use	Maybe	Yes
eBook Reader	Maybe	Yes
Video & Music Player	Yes	Yes
Video Camera	Yes	No
Web Browsing	Yes	Yes
Great Apps	Maybe	Yes
Millions of Users & fans	No	Yes
Connectivity	Yes	No
Battery Life	Short	Long
WOW FACTOR	No	Yes

Bottomline:

Apple sold over 300,000 iPads on the first day of launch... "Apple also announced that iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple’s App Store and over 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day."

“It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it’s going to be a game changer,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”

What this means to Apple's topline is new product revenue in the billions (yes, you read it right!) from Apple iPad sales in 2010 (check Apple iPad will ignite the eBook market...) but there's more... Apple will generate new product revenue for the apps and eBooks... which could be another billion dollar business in the making!

All this means is an uphill climb for HP Slate... and it's all going to come down to ease-of-use, fun to use, intuitiveness and the coolness factor (and not the bells & whistles)! HP Slate doesn't have the X-Factor that an Apple iPad has. On the other hand, HP Slate can make a killing in the Netbook market... but that's not the game Apple iPad is playing. Can Mark Hurd provide the oomph that HP Slate needs to become successful overnight? He better be calling Steve Jobs...

How does Apple, the #1 innovative company in the world, innovate and create game-changing innovations such as the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad and more? What is Apple's secret recipe for innovation success?

What is Apple's Innovation Strategy? Download these Apple Innovation eBook insights and learn to be like Apple... like Steve Jobs, the innovator and CEO of Apple.


― "There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote
that I love. 'I skate to where the puck
is going to be, not where it has been.'
And we've always tried to do that at
Apple. Since the very very beginning.
And we always will." —Steve Jobs

Apple innovates through:
• Creativity and Innovation
• Innovation in Products
• Innovation in Business Model
• Innovation in Customer Experience
• Innovation and Leadership
• Steve Jobs

This Apple Innovation Strategy ebook provides insights, strategy, best practices, facts and much more...

Apple has built an Innovation Factory – one that harnesses creativity in its people, stimulating new ideas, and launching successful, profitable new innovations... Apple leverages its diverse culture, innovation processes, partners and networks to seize the new opportunities in the marketplace and grow its business...exponentially…

How did Apple do it?
• Increase revenue more than 400% in 8 years…
• Increase net profit more than 650% in 8 years…
• Increase market cap more than twenty times to over $170 billion and
counting…

Download Apple's Innovation Strategy and learn to innovate, like Apple, today!! Download here...

HP (NYSE: HPQ) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) are two of the top 20 innovators of the Innovation Index.

Selected references:
Leading Business Innovation eBook & Resource Kit
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world