Business Topic- The Apple iPad.

The New Apple iPad is set to be released sometime next month. It is interesting to see the mixed reactions to this new product. The majority of students that I've talked to on the Utah State campus are not interested in purchasing this new "gadget". There are a couple of reasons that explain this lack of enthusiasm for the iPad. It is likely that with this new release, Apple is targeting those who own iPhones, iPods, iMacs, and other apple products. The iPad allows users to read books, check email, surf the internet, and listen to music. Isn't that already available on an iMac and an iPhone? It seems as though Apple has failed to conduct sufficient market research to release a "new" product that doesn't overlap with its own product line.
What do large technology companies do to figure out what their customers want? In the iPad situation, the researchers that work for apple feel that this product won't be as immediately successful as the iPhone or iPad but there is enough demand to justify its production. The researchers may be right but my own research has revealed that purchasing an iPad is comparable to taking the screen off of a laptop and carrying it around along with an iMac laptop and iPhone. It doesn't look like Apple is creating a lot of value to its company, rather it wants to just sell "something" because it has a loyal enough fan base that will buy anything with the Apple name on it.