iPad: Why hype always leads to a fall

We got as excited as everyone else about the Apple launch (see our post about the iPad hype). Despite our years of consumer technology industry knowledge we really thought the new gadget, when it was revealed, would be hailed as the saviour of everything from the newspaper industry to Pop Tarts. But, of course, we should really have known that the reaction would be a big ‘is that it?’ because that’s human nature.

Apple actually did nothing to fuel its own hype except announce a launch date. But then, it didn’t have to. It used inaccessibility and an enigmatic silence to get the rumour mill turning, which is an age-old PR trick for sought-after brands.

So the hype bubble grew to epic proportions, in the tech press anyway, and it became increasingly unlikely the new release could really live up to it, even if it DID have a camera, a USB port and a proper keyboard. The problem is, people don’t want to be told what to do and think and like to bring inflated claims down to size.

Of course Apple doesn’t mind either way; at least nearly everyone on the planet now knows about the iPad and whoever is in the market for “an oversized iPhone” will buy one. In the words of Ivana Trump, it is what it is.

Pic courtesy of Gizmodo.com.