Steve Jobs managed to overshadow the President’s State of the Union address with the announcement of the launch of the all new iPad.

Love or hate the product.  Love or hate the name.  The one thing everyone can agree on is that the announcement made a splash, got people talking online and off and overshadowed the state of the union.

The media reviews have been mixed.   The Onion took pot-shots claiming that it was nothing more than nine iPod Touches taped together.

But the biggest buzz is about the name, iPad.  It probably wouldn’t have been so scandalous if there wasn’t a comedy skit from 2006 that had already used the name, iPad.  Naming experts from around the globe have gone crazy dissecting the name and pointing out all of the reasons why the name is the worst one ever.  Sure, there have been thousands of jokes and puns about the name and it’s similarity to a feminine hygiene product - and some of the jokes have been pretty darn funny.  Whether a name is good or not should be based on memorability and connection to the product - and once again Apple accomplished that tenfold.  You all know the name and the company that released it, right - so mission accomplished.

Stacey Grow, Account Executive at Russo, had this to say:

There are lots of opinions already about the iPad.  My favorites (aside from my own) are from a set of columns focusing on the 5 best and 5 worst surprises of the new gadget.

To quickly summarize my view of this device:

Best Pros:

Large screen for easier browsing and easy email reading

Price of device

Sharing hilarious videos around the table

Worst Cons:

Not enabled for flash

No camera

No multi-tasking ability

While this device is exciting and entertaining, I think Apple missed the boat on a few key components that would make up for the guilt of spending more money that would be better off saved, rather than spent on another fun, new technology.  However, if someone wants to buy one for me to test it out, I’ll be happy to follow up this blog with a more in-depth review.

So, what say you?  Did Apple pull off another coup?  This is already being proclaimed as the biggest consumer electronics launch since…the iPhone.  What do you think?  Planning on getting one?

Apple is the example that every company should look towards to better understand the way to best build a brand.  When everyone was wringing their hands about illegal pirating of songs online, Apple changed the conversation and built iTunes.  Apple’s strategy has always been focused on building their brand through an emotional connection.  They don’t develop consumers, they build brand advocates that border on fanaticism.

Do your consumers love you this much?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to this blog via email or RSS 2.0 feed to have future articles delivered to you. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.