Business Coaching

Apple is beginning to market its iPad to seniors.

Apple probably never really thought about the need to tap into the market that’s age 65 and up, but with the iPad, it makes enough sense that they’re trying.

Think about it: senior citizens have lots of time, money and curiosity…if they also want to take the time to learn how to use “newfangled gadgets.”

Why not push beyond its traditional customer base — the younger, tech-savvy crowd?

According to an article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the iPad’s “book” size is appealing to an older crowd, and it’s forgiving of mistakes when using it, unlike a PC. Another plus Apple is saying about the iPad? It could help seniors fight dementia.

It doesn’t sound all that impossible when you put certain factors in perspective…do you think Apple can successfully market the iPad to the elderly?

India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal displays the low-cost tablet at its launch in New Delhi.

Do you want an iPad?

Many business owners see the benefit to owning one, but with the price starting at $499 and a lot of people tightening their belts around their finances, now might not be the best time for them to splurge.

But what if you could get something similar to an iPad for about $35?

That is what developers in India are hoping as they recently unveiled a tablet PC similar to the iPad.

The Indian tablet PC was developed through a sponsorship by the Indian government in response to a project completed at MIT a few years back.

At MIT, Nicholas Negroponte built a $100 laptop computer intended for underdeveloped countries or poor people all over the world.

After the prototype was released in 2005, the Indian government decided it could do better. They went about developing an even cheaper computer that could be used by students in India.

Now that affordable computer is developed and ready to be produced, once a manufacturer has been chosen for the project.

The Indian computer uses the Android operating system and will come in three screen sizes from five to nine inches. It will be equipped with 2 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 2-watt power supply. A solar power option will also be available for an additional charge.

The computer will be equipped with many open-sourced applications. Standard on the tablet will be a web browser, the OpenOffice office productivity suite, a PDF reader, video conferencing capability, a media player, content viewer, and remote device management capability.

So why is the new Indian tablet PC so much cheaper than the iPad?

The main reason is the fact that it doesn’t use a hard drive like the iPad, but instead uses a memory card similar to the ones used in cell phones, giving it less power to handle certain tasks.

Another reason for the low price is simple business. The iPad was made by Apple to specifically drive profits while the Indian tablet PC has been developed by the Indian government to help that nation’s students learn and build a better standard of living.

The $35 tablet PC is part of an ambitious government-sponsored technology initiative that aims to bring all 25,000 colleges and 504 universities in India online with broadband connectivity and make course material available via the Internet. The government may even subsidize the computer, lowering the price to about $20 for students.

What do you think of this cheap alternative to the iPad? Would you be interested to own one? Could it help your business? What about the Indian government’s commitment to innovation? Would government commitment to innovation work where you live?

The iPhone 4 still has unresolved issues.

In the wake of  Apple’s press conference and all sorts of issues with the new iPhone that are making people unhappy, Apple unveiled details of its bumper/case-giveaway program today while at the same time announcing that there will be further delays on the availability of the white iPhone 4.

“White models of Apple’s new iPhone have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year,” Apple said in a statement. “The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.”

Why the white model is more challenging to produce than the black version was not explained.

But to deal with the antenna issues now, Apple is giving customers who already bought an iPhone 4 a “bumper,” or phone case. The cases ship in 3 to 5 weeks once customers request one.

Here’s how to get one: download an iPhone 4 Case Program app from the App Store and launch the app on your phone using your iTunes Store account or Apple ID. You then select your bumper or case. Apple will check the serial number to verify you have an iPhone 4.

In addition to Apple’s own bumpers, you can choose cases from Incase, Belkin, Griffin and Speck.

For iPhone 4 purchases made before July 23, you must apply no later than August 22; otherwise customers must apply within 30 days of your iPhone 4 purchase. To qualify for the program, customers must purchase an iPhone 4 by September 30, 2010.

For those who’ve already bought a bumper from Apple, they’re eligible for a full refund including taxes and shipping fees. If the bumper was bought by credit card, Apple says it’s already refunded the account, though it may take a full billing cycle for the refund to appear. If you paid cash, check or used a gift card at an Apple Retail Store, you must return to the store with your receipt by Sept 30.

As announced on its earnings call earlier last week, Apple expects the bumper/case giveaway program to cost the company about $175 million.

Anyone think these antenna issues are going to cause iPhone users enough of a hassle to get them to stop being a faithful Apple customer?

Now iPhone users will be able to say, "Can you hear me now? Good."

A major change in the cellular phone world here in the U.S. is on the horizon as Verizon will most likely begin selling iPhones early in 2011. This change signals a major shift in the in the marketplace for Verizon, Apple, and AT&T: AT&T has been the exclusive US seller of the iPhone since its inception.

That’s right, iPhone users — no more dropped calls!

For Verizon, there doesn’t seem to be a downside to this change. They expect to gain at least 900,000 subscribers after the change is implemented, not a major bump for such a big provider, but certainly more than a drop in the bucket. Most importantly, Verizon will be able to directly compete with their biggest competitor in a growing industry field. Verizon has already tried to compete with the popular iPhone with their smartphones, but customers have been clamoring for the iPhone and everything it has to offer.

Meanwhile, AT&T may see some serious challenges. Because it was the exclusive seller of the iPhone in the United States, AT&T and Apple were able to keep a tight rein on iPhone content.  Because the iPhone was tied to a single carrier, many aspects of its performance caused frustration for customers. For instance, Apple has cut off Flash development for its platforms, affecting many Adobe and Web iPhone users. AT&T is also notorious for dropped calls and not being able to keep consistent connections. All of these issues may force many of AT&T’s customers to switch to Verizon because of its strong network.

For Apple, this seems to be a good move financially. There is really no downside to opening your product to millions of new customers but since they will working with different carriers, it seems they may lose some control over content provided on the iPhone. Still, the ability to reach new markets and create new revenue streams can only be seen as a positive.

The shift from AT&T exclusively selling the iPhone, to sharing the US rights with Verizon can be seen as a victory for Verizon, its customers, Apple and the public at large. What do you think will happen to the cell phone market with this change?