Why My Holiday Gift List Starts with "i" |
December 03, 2010 |
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Posted by Don Dunnington at December 3, 2010 10:48 AM |
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People have asked me what gifts are on my short list for those wanting the latest in technology. The short answer is anything that starts with "i" as in iPhone and especially iPad. The iPhone set speed records for its rate of adoption, and the iPad is proving to be even more phenomenal.
The business world's road warriors have led the charge. On every flight I take I see an increasing number of iPads as I walk down the aisle towards my seat. Before the flight they're checking last minute email, or getting the latest news. During the flight, they're watching a movie, reviewing a document or working on a presentation. You could do all these things with a notebook computer or a smart phone, but the iPad makes it so much easier and far more fun.
In September I talked with a lady at the Cincinnati airport, one of a half dozen or so using iPads as we waited for our flight. She's a corporate trainer, mostly working with small groups. With the iPad she can leave the PC and projector home, reducing both the weight and complexity of the equipment she must carry. Her company wasn't ready to spring for this new technology; so her husband bought her one for her birthday.
The iPad is one of those unique gifts that fits everyone of every age. I know a physician who is giving iPads to all five of his children, who range in age from 8 to 18. I'm giving one to my wife for Christmas, and I know several other men whose wives are getting the same. On Thanksgiving Day, my four-year-old grandson walked in the door playing "Angry Birds" on his mother's iPad.
It all started with the iPod, and with each new addition to its cool iTools, Apple has created what Seth Godin might call an iTribe. In his classic little book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, Godin describes how today's successful organizations have leaders, not managers. Managers are cynics. Leaders have hope and infect their followers with hope. And magic. Every Apple iProduct has been filled with magic. The first time people hold the bright iPad screen in their hands, they say "Wow!"
That's why, like so many others, I put the iPad at the top of my gift giving list this year. It's magic.
