Is it simple and does it solve are two questions I ask myself when forecasting the success, or lack there of, for a new product. Complex products that are complex to use rarely succeed. And products that don’t solve a consumer need or problem often fail. When a product has both it’s destined for greatness. The iPhone is a shining example of a product that was very simple to use and solved the consumers’ problem.  Before the iPhone, even the smartest of smart-phones, were dumb.  They were heavy.  They were clunky.  They were slow.  They lacked personalization.  The iPhone eschewed us into the future and made us wonder how it was we got by with Palm Treos and Blackberries.  And  by making the entire face touch screen based, the entire interface was simple, palatable and natural.

A product can find success if it’s difficult, but clearly solving for a problem. For example, think about early VCRs. The certainly solved for the consumer need, but they were insanely complex. People tolerated the complexity because the need was so great. However, you’ll your head trying to find a successful product that which simple to use, didn’t solve for a problem.

It’s in this land of simplicity without solving a problem that the iPad lives. I’ve been using the iPad every day since its launch and though I try to find the problem it’s solving, I’m unable to.

Don’t get me wrong. There are several niche problems the iPad solves. For example the battery life is amazing. You could watch movies on it cross country and back without recharging. That’s impressive and a major step up from the iPhone and MacBook (even the air).  It solves the weight problem of laptops, but it also creates a weight problem for iPhone users  The iPad offers up some great drawing tools that make sketching, concepting and sharing ideas simpler.  But, again, these are niche solutions.  The iPad doesn’t solve for anything at “scale.”

The sad fact is that the iPad, as “hardware” has the ability to be successful.  I genuinely believe that.  It’s lightweight, the perfect size, has a gorgeous screen, and the touch screen is extremely responsive.  The problem of course is that the iPad is crippled by the Apple/iTunes ecosystem.  The draconian approach Apple has taken renders the iPad a big giant iPod Touch, instead of a super powerful, scalable, “magical” and game-changing device.

Apple would tell you that this approach makes the iPad simple.  It sure does, but in making it simple they’ve created more problems than they’ve solved.  And, that is why the iPad won’t succeed.

UPDATED: I just came across this great article from FastCompany that does a great job of examining how the current “software” or as I called it, ecosystem, is holding back the iPad.  Give it a read here.

What an awesome little discovery I made the other day. I stumbled upon this page from Google while looking for their “Don’t be evil” language. I’ve outlined the 10 principles and offered some commentary.

1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, their dreams: Amen! The more we can keep the user, the person, the mom, the dad, the teacher, etc. at the core the more we’ll be seen as useful. What this means though is that not every initiative is an ROI driven one.
2. Every millisecond counts: Yes, I don’t have time to wait.  A minute waiting for a site to load is just too long.  Heck 10 seconds seems to long.  We expect instantaneous results.
3. Simplicity is powerful: It’s very possible to convert seemingly complex things into very simple and intuitive experiences.  If it’s possible, why don’t we do it more?
4. Engage beginners and attract experts: I love this one.  Experts and knowledgeable members keep a community alive and useful.  But, a community of just experts is useless.  It’s like watching of doctors in a room trying to agree on the right course of treatment.
5. Dare to innovate: Don’t rest on your laurels.  Keep thinking ahead and more importantly, keep asking WHY and HOW CAN I MAKE THIS BETTER.
6. Design for the world: I’m a little torn on this one.  Conceptually I get what Google’s saying, if you design/develop/build for a small segment, you’ll never be able to scale and thus grow.
7. Plan for today’s and tomorrow’s business: Kinda straight forward.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind: This is one of the toughest things to do.  I can you delight and surprise me without making it too complex to comprehend.  I hate to say it, but this is exactly what Apple does so well.
9. Be worthy of people’s trust: If they don’t trust you, they won’t use you, and they won’t become your advocate.
10. Add a human touch: No one wants to be a number, a line in a database, or a 1 and a 0.  Make your experiences personal.