Exploring the iPad Market
The preparations for a new product line The fact that they are trying to launch the iPad (3rd April 2010) in the more developed countries is somewh...
The preparations for a new product line
The fact that they are trying to launch the iPad (3rd April 2010) in the more developed countries is somewhat of a disappointment to me. The developed countries already have so much and it seems a little unfair that they continue to dominate the market for modern technology. Nobody has made any efforts to consider whether developing countries might want some form of iPod. This is despite the fact that the mobile phone has been a spectacular success in the developing countries because it has managed to link people from all walks of life. How unfortunate then that once again the poorer members of the community are left behind?
I know that there are specific technological and financial constraints that limit the effectiveness of marketing within the developing world. However these are not new problems. We have always known that poor people might not have the money to buy the latest gadget such as the iPad. Why then are we using the same old tactics that have continued to create great inequality across the globe? It would have been far better to try and work out an innovative strategy for ensuring that even the poorest countries in the world could access this vital technology.
How the product could be made more accessible
The best people to tell you how to improve a program are the ones who use it. If the manufacturers of the iPad really want to penetrate the developing world, then they need to do some focus group work. All you need to do is explain to a cross section of people from the area that you would like to bring new technology to the area and that it is proving difficult because of infrastructural difficulties. You will be amazed at the quality of ideas that can come out. If we take the case of the iPad, what might appear to be insurmountable difficulties might have a solution round the corner.
Just taking the issue of the cost of the iPad, there are many community sharing schemes that could possibly work but unless the manufacturer goes out into the field and explores them, the chances of winning this battle are slim to none. These innovative solutions can even extend to the technology itself. All that is required is for the proper consultation to take place. The mistake we make is to assume that everyone in a developing country cannot think imaginatively.
I then move on to the iPad as a development priority. If we are going to take people out of poverty and ignorance, then we need to make sure that they have access to modern technology. Rather than wasting billions buying luxury cars for the corrupt elite, I would rather spend the tax dollars on development projects such as the iPad. Unfortunately the motives of the developed governments are always exploitative and wicked at heart. They are happy to keep a large majority of the world in relative underdevelopment so that they can provide a ready market for manufactured goods.
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