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Everybody has an opinion on the iPad and not all are as positive as Apple would like.., poor Steve.

I believe the “problem” is more fundamental and will play a big part in future Apple products.., or at least the launches of said products.

Just imagine the following, you’ve never seen a keynote by Steve before.., you do not have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you do read books, listen to music, surf the Web and are looking for a device that can deliver just that. Then you see Steve’s keynote. I’ll bet you would be impressed.., and that you soooo would want an iPad.., quickly.

Jobs

Jobs reinvented the slideshow (PowerPoint) presentation, he very successfully transformed something we dread into something we enjoy. He took one the most boring events during any presentation and turned it into entertainment.
He (or Apple) does that with everything. It is a joy to work with a Mac, or with Apple software.., it’s beautiful, intuitive and stable.

But, as with everything, we get used to things, we get spoiled, take things for granted.
As is the problem with the iPad keynote. Sure, they added a chair to the stage, but that didn’t do the trick. We are used to the Steve-Talk.., the words Amazing, Beautiful, Love, Stunning, Great.., etcetera do not get us going anymore. We don’t buy it anymore.
Steve cried Wolf too many times.

Add to that the overwhelming rumor machine on the Web, nobody wanted to be left out and everybody had a wish-list, or rather.., a demand list, and you have a recipe for failure. Steve couldn’t live up to the hype.

Keynotes

Normally the keynote would deliver, but I recon the last (really) successful keynote was the launch of the iPhone, and even then it was losing it’s credibility.
As always Steve’s keynotes are well rehearsed and well thought out. He doesn’t make mistakes (the lack of Flash support was intentional, don’t think otherwise).
He creates moments for audiences to react, to give feedback, as any good entertainer does. If you pay close attention to Steve you can see these moments. But the audience doesn’t always react the way you plan, it happens. In the old days they did, the keynotes where new, the products exciting and the Internet rumor mill not so well organized.
And the audience reacted accordingly with their wows and whoops at the moments Jobs wanted them.., he owned the crowd.

Not so much these days.

Reinvent

Steve (and Apple) do not need to invent a new device.., I believe now (after a couple days) that the iPad is a great toy and that it will find its way into people harts and homes.
No, in order for Apple to Wow us again, to get us on our feet again, to make us applaud or react at the moment Steve wants us to, they need to reinvent the way they present a new product.
The hype(s) are too great, no man, no company can live up to this, it’s undo-able.

You can’t sell the same stuff in the same way over and over again, no matter how many times you say it’s Awesome.

My prediction is that this was the las of the Keynotes as we now them and loved them.

Rogier Apple Apple, iPad, keynote, Steve Jobs