Ideas for success

Creating something new? Does your new product have all the elements listed below?

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/kanter/2009/11/find-the-15minute-competitive.html

For fun, let's apply these elements to the controversial iPad, where 1/3 of the people say it's great, a 1/3 of the people say it's a total dud, and a 1/3 just don't care:

• Trial-able -- can customers try the iPad on a few apps (news, games, videos), and have the option to use it more or not use it at all? Sure. Check.
• Divisible -- can users adopt iPad one app at a time? Can they use it in parallel with current paradigms? Sure. Check.
• Reversible -- if people hate iPad, can they return to whatever they were using? They can use the laptop, computer, or iPhone. Sure. Check.
• Tangible -- does it offer concrete/tangible value? Does it make a huge difference? For iPad, this is very controversial. No one MUST have an iPad, as it doesn't offer 100X better usability or efficiency than laptops. It may offer 10X or 5X better portability, but then again, this depends on who is using it and what that person use it for. No check.
• Fits prior investments -- prior time/money spent applies to iPad? If you bought Apple DRM music and apps, sure. Check.
• Familiar -- very familiar with iPhone UI and laptop. Big check.
• Congruent w/ future direction -- does it align with Apple's other product directs... more apps, more features, better efficiency, etc? Check.
• Positive public value -- does this make the users of iPad look good? It depends. The Zune in many sense was superior than the iPod (more features) but no one wanted it because it wasn't sexy. The iPhone has been built and marketed as a luxury product that increases one's reproductive suitability (like BMW or Armani suit). Does the iPad make people look as smart and sophisticated as the iPhone user? Time will tell.

The iPad gets 6/8 checks (and 1 more may be) on my book. For a controversial product where 1/3 of the people absolutely abhor it, this is not bad. If anything, I'd say if Apple marketing plays the right cards, it'll be as desirable as the iPod and iPhone. The rule of thumb for manufacturing price is that as the production volume goes up 10X, the cost will drop 1/2. I have no doubt that iPod demand will go up in time, and that the cost will drop to 1/2. That's a price that'll surely kill the Kindle.

How about YOU. What are you working on (social web site, B2B niche site, advertising, inventions, etc)? How do these elements fit in the product you're working on? Does your product have all of these elements for success?