Apple Succeeds with Outside→In™ Development Approach
Posted by Mary Lee Shalvoy on Wed, Jun 23, 2010
Today, Erik Sherman writes about Apple's success with the iPad on BNET.com and we think it's a perfect example of the Outside→In™ approach in action:
Apple's iPad Is Wildly Successful Because... Apple Actually Thinks About Users
"Apple (AAPL) announced that it sold 3 million iPads in 80 days — better than a million a month. At this rate, the iPad will blow past my conservative estimate of adding low double-digit annual growth by itself to Apple’s revenue and probably surpassing IBM’s (IBM) net revenue within a couple of years."
Though Mr. Sherman is referring to product development, Apple's combination of development and marketing translates to an enormous rate of sales for the company. He lists some of the reasons for Apple's home run with the iPad:
"Apple succeeds because it delivered the following:
- an easy interface
- uncomplicated operation
- relatively light weight
- long battery life"
It's not the first time Apple has struck a chord with consumers. (How many iPods do you have in your home? At last count, there are 5 in mine.) It's amazing what can happen when you listen to your customers--in this case, an entire marketplace--and act accordingly. Eventually, we will all be working on Pads, whether they carry the Apple logo or not.