Snippet: The iPad Paradox ☇

Michael Gartenberg for iMore (via Jason Snell):

With some products, including TiVo, there’s a distinct conflict between consumer understanding of the features and the value assigned to those features. While the internet was filled with a rabid fan base of customers who loved and praised TiVo at every opportunity, most consumers didn’t understand the value of a $500 “digital VCR.” […]

In short, if you met a TiVo owner at a party, they were rabid. It was like being cornered by an insurance agent. They wouldn’t leave you alone until you tried it. When most people tried it, the lightbulb turned on. TiVo was not an expensive VCR — it redefined watching TV.

I suspect iPad is suffering from the same paradox. Customers who buy an iPad Pro understand the power it unlocks relative to a Mac. The more they use it, the more it displaces their Mac.

As regular readers of this site know, I’ve gone “iPad mostly” for awhile, and tried even on an original iPad, with my Mac relegated to some specific tasks and not much else. While it’s still somewhat of a hard-sell, as a computer is perceived as being able to do more, and larger phones have also become part of the conversation, I think more people will discover that modern iPads pack a lot of power for everyday tasks, especially as a personal, home computer to complement a work-issued one. Apple just needs to start advertising what’s possible and convince people to give it a try.