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iPad is to the Laptop What Wii is to the Video Game System

There are two important things that the iPad and the Wii share: a sharp focus on what the customer really needs and a deep understanding of the power of the platform.

Nintendo Wii Wins Customers by Being Clever

The most remarkable thing about the Nintendo Wii is how its cleverness counters the oneupmanship of raw processing power offered by the other video game systems.

Nintendo got out of the race to put the most powerful microchip into their machine and into the race of giving the customer the easiest-to-learn, most immersive, and fun experience.

In this way, they open up the market to whole new demographics—people who had never played video games before. The company recognizes that there a limited number of people who have the coordination and skill needed to play traditional video games. Instead, Nintendo set out to make the games simple enough that they did not require high skill levels but sophisticated enough to make them fun.

They revolutionized gaming not by doing more of the same but by doing the same thing but better and bringing new customers to the plate.

Apple iPad Does More by Offering Less

Apple, with yesterday’s announcement of the iPad, has a similar strategy. It is not aimed at nerds like me who have three computers at home: a desktop, a laptop, and an iPod touch.

Instead, Apple has created the experience that should have been the general public’s introduction to personal computing thirty years ago.

It puts laser-sharp focus on getting your tasks done without any distraction from computer nerd minutiae. You just turn it on and get your stuff done. Well, not quite: The truth is that people spend much more time on their computers consuming information than creating it. Apple recognizes this so it prioritizes consumption over creation. Like Nintendo did with the Wii, Apple has pruned the iPad’s feature set appropriately.

The iPad isn’t for me, but it is for people like my parents in their seventies who have never owned a computer before and don’t have Internet access. The iPad with 3G wireless access would be perfect for them because it’s so intuitive. It hides the nerdier aspects of computer culture and is simple yet powerful. (My only concern would be if the iPad requires that it be paired with a desktop or laptop—especially for backing-up data, but I think you may be able to get around that by using online backup.)

Apple’s Deep Platforms Make A Solid Foundation

The other remarkable thing about the iPad is not just the product itself (though its technology is pretty amazing) but the interlocking platforms that Apple has created around this and other of its products:

• hardware accessory ecosystems,
• iTunes Store,
• App Store (including the whole category of apps written by media companies to publish their content),
• iBookstore,
• Apple Retail Stores, and
• the pre-paid 3G wireless store that will launch with the iPad.

The iPad enjoys instant support from all these platforms right from day one; it will not be born into a vacuum. Apple has created a fantastic and unmatchable set of supporting platforms. There are even platforms within these platforms (such as iTunes U within the iTunes Store). You can buy the iPad without worry that this support will disappear. Even if the iPad is so terribly unsuccessful that Apple stops making it, you can bet that it will have the support of these platforms for a long time.

Apple knows the power of platforms. It’s been the victim of it at least once before. It learned its lesson and is now using multiple platforms to fight its way to the top.