iPads for Everyone

No, that title isn't Oprah's latest giveaway. This week, our beloved retail god, Target began to sell the iPad (16G WiFi version only). At first you think, "wow, what a great idea - now I can get all my essentials in one place - nailpolish, toothpaste, iPad - perfect" but then you think, "hmm, do I really want to get an iPad with my toilet paper?"

It isn't the first time that Apple products have been available outside their signature white stores, but it is clear that their selling strategy has clearly shifted. And this isn't without reason.

Take the iPhone. While we are inundated with iPhone apps, maps, ads, covers and capabilities each day they make up only 23% of the smartphone market. Google Android phones surpassed Apple's share in August with 27% of smartphone sales for the first time ever. So, 1 in 4 smartphones are iPhones - not bad, right? But what you may not know, is most Americans don't even have smartphones - only 17% of us. Which, in the mobile market is barely a dent (so don't think that an iPhone app will solve the world's problems - it won't).

The fascination with Apple is arguably a lot in the design and the difference they have brought to usability of their products. You go into an apple store and you have the opportunity to interact with the product, see what the capabilities are first hand instead of reading about them on the back of a box. The store experience enhances the brand. The white walls make products pop and the Genius Bar, is, genius. When mixed with a bunch of starburst signs and bulls-eyes, you are no longer capable of having the Apple experience - especially when you have to track down the nearest employee that is half way across the store to undo the locks to touch just the box that your iPad is in. It is understandable from a business standpoint to soak these high traffic retailers like Target with Nanos and iPads but what happens to the consumer experience? What about up-selling? C'mon, you know you NEED that Macbook Pro too if you get an iPad...

The essence of the brand gets lost when it is sharing shelf space with $59.99 digital cameras. While convenience and mass appeal shines - the allure dulls. No longer do you have to enter into the trance of an Apple store - just follow the bulls-eye.