Apple sold about 300,000 iPads during its first day on the market in the U.S. alone, according to analysts. And Apple said it sold more than one million apps from its App Store and 250,000 e-books from its iBookstore on Saturday—again, the first day of sales.
In a tight economy that’s already seen Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook and HP’s upcoming Slate e-reader, how is it possible to sell that many iPads and related paraphernalia in 24 hours?
Possible answer? Shininess.
We’re drawn to anything new, slick and guaranteed to entertain like basset hounds are drawn to bacon strips. In fact, I’d bet that just moments after his invention was revealed, Johannes Gutenberg’s neighbors in Germany were saying, “Honey! Move the table! We’ve got to get one of those printing presses. You should see the sweet things this guy can do with text!” (Forget the Joneses and Kardashians. In the 1400s one kept up with the Gutenbergs.)
Well, OK, maybe not. But I still don’t doubt the power of new gadgets over people who long to press buttons (or, in this case, slick touch screens).
So where do you think the iPad’s sway over consumers comes from? Is it justified? Or, conversely, why do you think the iPad is not all that and a bag of microchips? And are we ever silly to chase after the latest and mostly untested “toy?”
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