I have been using iBooks for the last couple of weeks now and I love it. Amazon’s Kindle software makes for a great reading experience as well. Though they have their slight differences, neither of them really stands out from the other. But I have a suggestion that would be a welcome addition to either of them (at least from me).
If you are an avid reader or if you’ve spent any time in college, you are probably familiar with the fact that you have to consume a ton of info in a very short amount of time. Having the ability to speed read is a major advantage.
For those of you that have tried speed reading and you have attempted to do use these methods on the iPhone or iPad, you have probably discovered that it is nearly impossible to do.
There are tons of online tools that have been built to help you learn how to speed read. I can’t imagine that it would be tough to build this type of tool into either iBooks or Kindle – a simple highlighting or underlining tool that could be adjusted based on your desired reading rate.
I’d also guess that given Apple and Amazon’s demographics, adding in a speed reading tool into these programs would also be a welcome addition.
What do you think? What types of improvements would you like to see made to iBooks or Kindle?
A few days ago, my buddy Steve and I grabbed lunch at a local restaurant. We are both Apple geeks, so naturally our conversation turned to the iPad for a few minutes. He mentioned that HP was supposed to be launching their iPad killer sometime in the near future. This got me to thinking about the iPad, Apple’s history with such devices and what we can learn from this revolutionary device.
Introducing the iPod
First, let’s go back in time. Long before the iPod, there were a range of MP3 devices on the market. They varied in size, shape and capabilities. I had the Rio Karma. It was a slick little device that held a ton of music (considering the time in history). There were dozens of companies battling for superiority in the MP3 market at the time, all of them offering different features and supporting a wide range of music formats. For us techies, it was a lot of fun. For the general public, it was often confusing and down right irritating.
Along came Apple, who introduced the iPod. The iPod was simple – in fact, if offered far fewer features than most of the other players. It was easy to use. Apple had worked hard on developing the iTunes platform that made it easy to get your music from CD onto your iPod. I remember reading a book by Guy Kawasaki where he discussed how passionate Steve Jobs was about making his designers continually go back to the drawing board in order to make sure that iPod users could do anything on the iPod with no more than three clicks.
That’s the beauty of Apple. They keep things simple. The offer few features, when they could just as easily offer many more features. But they understand their consumers better than most other companies as well. They get that most of us just want to purchase well-designed products that do what they are supposed to without too much work. For Apple, it’s all about beautiful design paired with utility. Check out Steve Job’s original introduction of the iPod:
There is no mistaking who won this battle. Apple is still the dominant player in the portable music player business. There are alternatives and there are those who enjoy fumbling around for hours to get their alternative players to work correctly.
The iPad versus the HP Slate
We now sit on the brink of another device war – HP is set to launch its “iPad killer.” The interesting thing about this battle is that this time around, Apple was first to market with it’s unique device. Once again we have had the opportunity to see Apple’s remarkable design team at work. They created an elegant device and is still about utility.
I played with one the other night at a Best Buy store. Basically, there is one way to connect the device (via Apple’s proprietary connection cable or dock) and there were about four buttons. That’s it! It is simple to use and it accomplishes exactly what it was meant to accomplish. It is a beautiful piece of hardware that allows you to consume (not really create) the Internet, email, music, books, etc. Sure, you can create some content, but the true purpose behind the iPad is that it acts as a media interface.
The other part of the iPad that is remarkable is its connection to the iTunes interface and iPad-specific apps. Apple understands that their consumers have different needs. The app store allows them to take their iPad and make it fit their lives. Muck like the iPhone, the iPad remains a utilitarian device that is wildly customizable.
The HP Slate promises to do much more. But that is the problem. Some folks with appreciate this. It has more ways to input data. It has many more buttons. And it will do more.
But go back in time for a minute – who won the music player battle and how did they do it? If you’ll recall, it was Apple and they did it by offering a device that did less (in just three clicks).
This will be a fun battle to watch, but if I may be bold for a minute, I’d still put my money on Apple.
Doing More with Less: What Companies Should Learn from Apple
In the book “Rework” (affiliate link) by Jason Fried and the team at 37signals, Fried discusses how small businesses should look to Apple as a model to learn from when developing their own products or services. The premise is simple. Offer a few features and do those few things better than anyone else around.
This was the model that Google built its success upon in the early years. Both Google search and Gmail took complex tools and made them simple and easy to use.
No matter what type of business you own, there is a valuable lesson to be learned in this. The best products and services are those that easy to use and beautifully designed. The majority of consumers don’t want to spend days, weeks or months trying to figure something out. They want it to work “out of the box” without much hassle:
Keep your products and/or services simple.
Think ease of use.
Make them beautiful.
Being remarkable with you one feature is far more powerful than what your competitor will ever do when he offers dozens of features and does them all in a mediocre or poor way.
Two nights ago, Cassie and I went out to dinner with the in-laws. It just so happened that Best Buy was located in the same shopping area. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the Apple iPad for a test drive.
All I can say is “wow.” The iPad is an amazing device. I’ve been following all the pre- and post-launch hype. It all seems worth it now that I’ve had an opportunity to play with on.
Here’s the challenge. How do I talk Cassie into letting me purchase one? I am open to about any suggestion at this point.
I have already tried a few things:
First, I started with the “you would love it” approach. Cassie isn’t all that technically savvy and the iPad would be the perfect device for her. It’s easy to use and, because it is more about consuming info (accessing the net, reading email, listening to music, reading books, etc.), it would provide her with a user-friendly way to accomplish the things she needs to access. She didn’t buy this idea at all.
Second, I tried the “I could get rid of the reading light I use” approach. I read at night before I go to bed and I have a nice little book light (no, it wasn’t included in a Snuggie delivery) that is extremely bright. Yeah, this was a really lame one, but I had to try.
Third, I attempted a direct approach – “I’d really, really like one!” Once again, she called me on it.
The Reality of It All
Truth be told, I don’t need one. I want one. I don’t have any real reason other than it would be a pretty cool way to consume my ebooks, music and access the Web. I spend the vast majority of my time creating content. The iPad just wasn’t designed for this (no matter how much you might wish it was). So for me, an iPad would simply amount to a fun way to do a few of the things I love without having to pull out my laptop.
So here’s where we leave this topic:
Is it worth getting?
If so, how would you recommend that I talk Cassie into letting me get on?
Ever since I finished reading Bob Gilbreath’s “The Next Evolution of Marketing,” I have been on the hunt for marketing efforts that are providing solutions for people’s lives, connections through experiences and entertainment, or achievement by empowering people to make a difference in the world. Finding these types of marketing is tougher than it might seem; however, they are out there. You just have to look for them. I ran into two of them this last week, one totally by accident, the other one was hard to miss.
Earlier this week, Cassie, my beautiful and amazing wife, decided that she had to do something to fix the pain she had been experiencing in her foot for the last couple months. I had suggested that she visit a podiatrist, but she was a little stubborn and refused to go. When she couldn’t stand it any longer she broke down and asked her general practitioner. He politely informed her that she has high insteps and that she could either get special shoes or she could look for a good set of inserts. Dr. Scholl’s popped into her mind.
Our local supermarket actually has the official Dr. Scholl’s Footmapping system by their pharmacy. Cassie had seen it before and we finally had a good reason to go take a look. Now let’s get something straight – you can get shoe inserts almost anywhere and most stores sell them for a reasonable amount of money (anywhere from $5-20). But what Dr. Scholls has done with their footmapping technology is incredibly meaningful. Instead of hoping that you select “the right insert,” the company is providing consumers with a tool that maps their foot and then helps them select the correct custom-fit insert for their particular foot type.
Cassie tried it out and was amazed. The footmapping technology was easy to use and it did not take much time to do. More importantly, Cassie loved the inserts and has found that her feet are no longer bothering her.
Dr. Scholls has found a significant way to stand out from other shoe-insert producers and by providing a meaningful solution, they are able to charge a premium price for their product (around $50 per set). They are also first to market with a solution that most retailers will only want one of in their stores.
The other example of meaningful marketing that I ran into this week was hard for pretty much anyone to miss. As you are probably aware, Apple launched the iPad earlier this week. It has been interesting to watch all the discussion surround the launch, both prior and after, but one thing is certain, Apple has changed the game yet again.
Like the cell phone makers that berated the iPhone, there are many laptop and PC users out there who are now bashing on the iPad. The problem these guys face is that all of them keep building products their way and then expect consumers to fit their lives around the products. Apple doesn’t approach it this way. The company’s designers look closely at consumers’ lives then create amazing products that fit them.
Apple first did this with the iPod. The figured out how consumers were listening to music and how it fit into their lives. They then created a product for them that made music listening fun, easy and convenient.
The iPad is a similar product. It’s unlike any computer we’ve ever seen before. More importantly, it is made to fit our lives, not the other way around. It won’t be replacing our laptops or desktops. It will fit nicely into another part of our life – casual computer and Internet use. But I am apprehensive about saying too much. Given the iPad’s app development, it is hard to say just where people will go with it. My best guess is that we will be seeing them used in a lot more places and ways than we could ever image.
If you haven’t seen the launch video, it is worth a look.
Bonus read: Who got more buzz this week – Gates or Obama? Find out.
I have been using iBooks for the last couple of weeks now and I love it. Amazon’s Kindle software makes for a great reading experience as well. Though they have their slight differences, neither of them really stands out from the other. But I have a suggestion that would be a welcome addition to either of them (at least from me).
The HP Slate promises to do much more. But that is the problem. Some folks with appreciate this. It has more ways to input data. It has many more buttons. And it will do more.
Two nights ago, Cassie and I went out to dinner with the in-laws. It just so happened that Best Buy was located in the same shopping area. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the Apple iPad for a test drive.
,” I have been on the hunt for marketing efforts that are providing solutions for people’s lives, connections through experiences and entertainment, or achievement by empowering people to make a difference in the world. Finding these types of marketing is tougher than it might seem; however, they are out there. You just have to look for them. I ran into two of them this last week, one totally by accident, the other one was hard to miss.
The Blog of Jason W. Sokol 