Only Apple

Thursday, 8 March 2012

“Only Apple could deliver this kind of innovation, in such a beautiful, integrated, and easy-to-use way. It’s what we love to do. It’s what we stand for. And across the year, you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started.”

That was Tim Cook, closing yesterday’s event introducing the new retina display iPad. Here’s the thing: he was right. To pretend otherwise you have to put your head in the sand (or some other hole).

Cook’s remarks may be immodest, but they are not hyperbole. No other company could today produce something like this new iPad. Not at these prices, at these quantities, at a worldwide scope, with a content ecosystem and user experience of the iPad’s quality. Apple is in a league of its own, and the iPad exemplifies it.

Two years after announcing the original iPad, Apple has produced a version that simply blows that original model away in every single regard. It’s faster, it’s thinner, it feels better in hand, it supports LTE networking, and yet battery life is better. The retina display is simply astounding to behold. Eight days from today they’re shipping a product that two years ago would have been impossible at any price, and they’ve made it look easy.

Nothing is guaranteed to last. The future’s uncertain and the end is always near. Apple’s position atop the industry may prove fleeting. But right now, Apple is Secretariat at the Belmont. And the company, to a person, seems hell-bent on not letting any competitor catch up.