Maybe There Will Never Be A Competitor To The iPad?

When the iPod first emerged it was so far ahead of it’s time that it took the entire tech industry years to catch up. It was like nothing that had ever been seen before and it become an absolutely must have item for many. Within a year there were copy cat versions of all shapes and sizes trying to replicate the success that the iPod had but as the years went by and with hindsight to benefit from we can see there never really was a true iPod competitor. Nobody could better the original or even get close to it for that matter.

This brings us to the iPad today. It’s coming up on 2 years since it was first revealed and the rumors are already swirling around about the third edition which should launch early next year. Apple were ahead of the game and caught all of their traditional competitors with their pants down yet again while defining and owning an entirely new sector. Once again the competition are playing catch up but big release after big release has come and gone and still Apple doesn’t have a real competitor. Some even argue that the original iPad is still better than anything competitors are able to muster up today and it’s starting to feel like Apple might dominate this space just like they did the personal music player with the iPod.

I think this quote from Jason Fried the founder of 37 Signals sums it up best…

If you’re planning to build “the iPod killer” or “the next Pokemon,” you’re already dead. You’re allowing the competition to set the parameters. You’re not going to out-Apple Apple. They’re defining the rules of the game. And you can’t beat someone who’s making the rules. You need to redefine the rules, not just build something slightly better.

More choice will emerge in the tablet space as it becomes more popular and Apple will certainly face competition at the lower end of the market because their products are not cheap. Nothing else has the cool factor to compete with the iPad but one interesting play will be the Amazon tablet that could launch within the next month. The don’t often get things wrong and they have the content (books and streaming) to become a powerful force in the space. The problem with competitors is that while they fight to keep up with the iPad 2 and copy it’s best features and get a horse in the race Apple is more than likely just starting the development of it’s iPad 4 as we speak.

Everybody always said the iPod would eventually eclipsed by competitors once they caught up but they never really did. Could we be witnessing the same thing with the iPad right now.