Months of speculation finally ended on Wednesday, January 27, 2010, when Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, announced the release of the company’s latest gadget offering on the market: the iPad. Apple, the company that introduced revolutionary gadgets like the MacBook and the iPod, hopes that the new iPad will be the next big thing in the technology market. A slender tablet computer, the iPad looks like a crossover between the laptop and the smart phone.

However, the biggest question still remains as to whether or not this new gadget will duplicate the success that other Apple gadgets have had with consumers and the over-all market. The iPhone, another very popular gadget released by Apple a few years back, has the distinction of transforming the telecom landscape and forcing other mobile phone companies to catch up with its technology.

The device will be available worldwide this March and it is being positioned by the company as a “pioneer in a new genre of computing.” Steve Jobs admits that the bar has been set pretty high, and that is why the iPad should do better than its competitors in the key areas where it is expected to deliver.

The device is 0.5 inch in thickness and weighs around 1.5 pounds, making it very sleek and easy to carry around. The iPad will accommodate eBooks, newspapers, web pages and videos; all in its 9.7 inch glass touch screen. The release of the iPad opens up a new market for publishers to enter, especially since print media has been steadily declining through the years.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iBook application integrated into the newly-launched gadget, he added that five of the world’s largest publishing houses have already agreed and promised to provide eBook content for the new Apple tablet. These publishers include the HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan.

The financial crisis spelled losses for everyone. However, Apple is not just “anyone.” Apple made good calls in the past, which had led to their stability and even growth opportunity despite the economic turmoil. Strategies implemented for marketing, position and sustainable growth have all proven to be extremely wise investments.

One of the prime examples of this is how Apple’s “perfectly timed negative ad campaign” secured for it the opportunity to conquer more of the market. Apple spent a staggering sum of $486 million on the “Get a Mac (definitely NOT a PC)” campaign. The negative campaign strategy is extremely potent, but equally risky. This double-edged sword can either turn off consumers with the crossfire, or if wielded properly, can render incapacitate the competitor. From where they are standing now, every cent of advertising was worth it.

In the campaign, the Mac was personified as a cool young guy who targeted the real, commonly-complained-about problems of a pudgy, middle-aged person who represented software giant Microsoft. The contrast was even highlighted with the release of Vista. All it took for the campaign to succeed was a few 30-second spots featuring the two characters.

Although no one factor can be used to peg the success of Apple, advertising would have due recognition. The company’s revenues for Q4 were $7.895 billion, 27% up from the previous year’s $6.22 billion. According to NPD, a renowned research group, Apple’s current market share of the retail market for computers (desktop and laptop, worth over $1,000) is at 60%. As one of Fortune’s Blue-Ribbon Companies, Apple ranked first in the Computers division of America’s most admired companies.

With Steve Jobs as the head, it comes as no small wonder that Apple has become an industry leader. He has constantly been used as a model leader when it comes to making things simpler when possible, developing an eye for innovation, and being truly passionate about the work one does.

San Francisco-born Steve was adopted by Justin and Clara Jobs. He showed a marked interest for computers even when he was young. In college, he dropped out but continued to take auditing and calligraphy classes. The Apple company was founded in 1976, when with A.C. “Mike” Markkula’s funding, Steve and Stephen Wozniak’s legacy began.

Article Source: Bnet.com.

An example of a negative Mac ad.

This writer is wondering if Apple is eating into Vista.

Microsoft criticizes Apple Ads.