Apple has proven that once it takes root in a market, it’s incredibly difficult to uproot. Countless contenders to the iPod have come and gone and iPod still has more than 70 percent of that market. The iPhone has come from nowhere to gain significant smartphone market share, and it’s growing fast.
Now there’s the iPad, a success story in a market that has only known failure, the tablet space. Mike Elgan argues that if no alternative emerges fast, Apple’s hegemony will be extended to another area of computing. Decide for yourself if that’s a good thing.
I’ll say it as plainly as I can: The iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad succeed mainly because of their user interface.
No, it’s not because of Apple hype, fanboy delusion, media gullibility, dirty tricks or anything else. Apple’s multi-touch user interfaces are appealing to use for reasons most users, reviewers, bloggers and journalists don’t fully understand.
