Business

How Apple’s iPad Possibly Benefits/Hinders Today’s Computer Information Systems

Case Introduction

            Manufactured by Apple Incorporated, the iPad can be defined as a tablet mini-laptop that is designed for both audio and visual outputs. The product was initially released to the market this year in April and it has been customized in terms of its weight and dimensions to fit between a smart phone and normal laptops. The iPad is similar to the iPhone and the iPod by the fact that the three appliances use a similar operating systems (OS) program. However, the user possesses the ability to alter the OS in order to diversify the number of programs that are compatible with the gadget. Features of the iPad include an accelerometer, multi-touch display, compass, amplifier, Wi-Fi, microphone, keyboard and Bluetooth. The iPad has been received rather well in the market by consumers on a global scale as it was noted that its sales nearly surpassed those made by a similar product in the market known as the Mac. By the month of October, iPad had realized 3.27 million sales while the Macs were leading with a margin of 200,000 sales only. This factor as well as others has achieved a considerable amount of criticism from such organizations such as Microsoft and Intel.

Background of the Organizations

Apple Incorporated was founded in 1976 and it is famous for its revolutionary product customization and designs encompassing computer and technological industries. The company is well known for the production of the Mac OS.

Information System Problems

The iPad cannot operate using Windows or Mac programs, and neither can it offer multiple tasking capabilities to the user. This is a significant constraint to the user especially in a setting where most PCs and other types of computers offer this type of feature. The OS that is used on the iPad is customized for its compatibility purposes. To ensure that the iPad only employs the given program, the appliance has been secured in a way that only allows other appliances and programs can only work within a limited set space. This is unlike the flexibility that has been achieved on other types of computers where any document despite the type and place of creation is able to be stored on any desired location. Tunes used on the iPad are also customized to iTunes only. Apple Incorporation has been feuding with Adobe and this has led to the total exemption of Adobe applications like Flash being supported by the iPad. With this form of limited entry (marketing strategy), Apple has the ability to protect both its hardware and software since the user has to comply with the given specifications only if they want to employ the services of an iPad. Note that, although the usability is undermined by the given restraints, the iPad supersedes other forms of tablet PCs like the windows-based appliance that depreciates in terms of services over a given period regarding the number of times the user sets up various software.

Possible Solutions

To protect its products and achieve a level of customization, Apple should ensure that other software institutions are able to fashion programs that are compatible with the iPad, as this will preserve the current and potential market for iPad. As the computer market is within an oligopolistic setting, it means that if one or more of the other companies (competitors/rivals) retaliate with a similar product that capitalizes on fixing the constraints discussed above, then all rational consumers would shift to the new product. The company should therefore offer incentives to the rest of the software institutions such that they are able to manufacture their own programs that are attuned with iPad’s OS. Alternatively, Apple Incorporation may work with web programmers to create an intermediary application that may connect the iPad technology to the target program.

Conclusion

As Apple now rates as the second highest producer of tablet computer applications, it would be prudent to create joint ventures or mergers that would reduce its number of competitors as this offers it a better opportunity to work towards becoming the dominant player within the given market. It should also focus on a customer-centric approach in its marketing and production process that will ensure that the customers’ needs and requirements are ascertained before actual manufacture as this will ensure that the product has been created to solve a given want.