iApple.

Yesterday three events captured the attention of millions of American’s. In no particular order of importance, just based upon the timing they occurred, Apple launched it’s new iPad, American Idol travelled to Los Angeles, and President Barack Obama gave his annual “State of the Union” address. Now in normal less euphoric times these events would be in reverse order, but we are not in normal times.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPad, it was as if the “next big way of technology” was being introduced to us. Oh, it was. What we are about to encounter, and Mr. Jobs does say it well when he starts a meeting with the following…”We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product today”…is something that will likely be found in briefcases, backpacks, and bedrooms for years to come. You might be thinking, heard that one before…and yes, you did. He said something similar when he introduced the iPod and the iPhone. These were not new category launches---we did have MP3 players and cell phones after all--- but these products turned their categories on their heads.

Not bad for a company a little less than 10 years ago was slated to be out of business in a few years.

I am an Apple user; I have been for years. You know you are different when people who are sitting next to you on a train or in a public area ask, “How do you like your Apple?” I have never asked anyone, “So how do you like your Dell?” When I had an iPod, I remember people asking, “What is that?” They would say, “It really can play that many songs?” It could. Now if I still had it, I would be laughed at for using something so big and not being able to take video, watch shows or looking at pictures on it. Oh, iPod envy.

What should be interesting is when in the next couple of years the iPad becomes a staple at schools. The belief behind it is, this product will replace many forms of media we currently use. It could likely become your newspaper, magazine, music and television all rolled up into a small tablet. How cool is that?

Remember, when the iPod came out iTunes was not around. In a matter of a couple of years this too changed the way we bought music. No more CD’s, now we just buy a song that we really want---and not the songs we use to get as part of the CD. Apple is now the world’s largest music store---that only took less than 6 years to achieve.

If you think I own Apple stock you are wrong; I would like to have bought a lot when it was trading at $5.00 per share….it now trades at $200. I would not be worrying about money any more had I bought it.

The photo above was taken at a car show in Idaho. As this big “candy apple” red Caddy maneuvered its way into a space, I couldn’t help but think about how not so long ago this size car was the norm and small cars were rarely seen. A lot has changed since this car rolled off the assembly line; we now listen to music on a device no larger than a pack of thin cigarettes, we talk on phones that have no cords, and now we have a small tablet that’s about ready to change our lives. Get ready for the future---you could be holding it soon in your hands.

Thanks for stopping by.