iPad Mania

It was a crazy weekend ... not because of the holidays or the great weather or the sports tournaments. It was iPad weekend and everyone was all a flutter. Long lines at retail with all the early adopters. Debates raging on whether the iPad is "worth it". Random strangers stopping each other on the street to get their perspectives. Crazy.

But this is the Apple brand at its core. The new innovative products, the drama of the release, the resulting debates over the functionality, the trading of war stories, and it spins on. All part of a very carefully crafted Apple brand experience.

A brand fueled by the psyche of a rabid consumer base, and those that then follow them. The brand works with their consumers to create pent-up demand and a lively discussion for something that none of us even realized that we need. It then comes into the market with much hoopla and suddenly we all have to have it, and then the next generation of it too.

A proven formula for the iconic brand that has certainly worked before with its desktops, laptops, iPod, and iPhone.

Last week I taught a guest lecture at St. Joseph's University MBA program and we even talked about it there. The students commented on the Apple product life cycle. How the inadequacies of a new Apple release quickly become the next generation product. It's almost expected and a part of the brand experience.

I don't know if I am going to partake in this round merely because I just don't feel like I need another electronic device at the moment. But we'll see, I'm sure that the brand will suck me in. It always does.

What's your experience? Jim.