Some people just don’t get it.
Gina Trapani (founding editor of Lifehacker) has posted a new entry on Fastcompany’ blog called “Why You Shouldn’t Buy an iPad (Yet)”, giving us some arguable points about why we should skip the current iPad generation (let’s simply call it iPad 1st gen) and wait for better, less buggy, cheaper device next year.
I’ve never understood this way of thinking, and never will.
As Gruber also pointed out on Daring Fireball, sure there will be a better iPad next year, with better battery, more features and refinements. The problem is, if we take this approach (and you can apply this to gadgets, movies, cars, whatever product you want to buy or life experience you want to go through) you’ll always be waiting for something better to come your way. You won’t enjoy anything because you think something bigger-faster-better-stronger will come, and you would regret your first choice for that. You shouldn’t buy an iPad now because a better one will be released next year. You shouldn’t have bought an iPhone 1st gen because the 3G was released an year later. Hell, you shouldn’t even read this post now because I’ll post a better one tomorrow.
Back in 2007, I managed to get an imported iPhone 1st gen and, guess what, it’s a purchase I’ll never regret. I can see that as the moment I realized I could make a living out of my passion for talking about Apple products. Too personal? Fine. I’ll never regret that because the iPhone 1st gen, a product for suckers, showed us that mobile phones could have been better than what we were used to, even if there weren’t native apps, App Store and no Flash. Oh wait, that’s still missing. But the point is, if people wouldn’t have purchased the iPhone 1st gen back then, we woudln’t be here now talking about iPhones and iPads. And seriously, don’t tell me that only Apple fanboys purchased an iPhone in 2007, because Apple definitely didn’t base this new market on fanboys. The iPhone 1st gen was a huge success and, yes, the 3G was even better. So what? Are you asking me if I didn’t enjoy the first generation iPhone, Trapani? I did enjoy that. Or are you perhaps focusing on casual users, like my father, that surely aren’t Apple “fanboys”? Hey, he enjoyed that a lot. And when I told him a new iPhone was on its way, with new features and faster, he said “Great”. And no, I didn’t pay him for saying that. He enjoyed his first phone and happily upgraded to the 3G.
The point is, you can’t tell people what they should or shouldn’t purchase. People aren’t “lemmings with no self-control and excessive disposable income”, they just want to buy new products, enjoy them, upgrade to the next one. As far as I know, it’s always been like this. Be it videogames, Apple products or hard disks. I don’t have money to waste, but I don’t want to spend my life waiting, either.
Some people just don’t get it it. They don’t see opportunities like we do.
