500,000 iPad shipments later, Apple's latest device seems to have no shortage of demand. Despite the jokes and nay-sayers, the iPad is doing quite well. I still don't fully understand what its exact function is. Does that matter?

I think not.

People love Apple devices.

They are expensive.
And as a result they create what Godin calls a tribe. Every time Apple releases a new device, plenty of customers pre-order. And even then they are only allowed to pre-order a limited number of devices. People show up in long lines in front of the Apple store the day-of release to try and get their hands on one. And this creates a small population of people that have one, and a much larger one that does not. The haves and the have-nots.

They are pleasing to use.
You can argue functionality and features on Blackberry vs iPhone, but the iPhone wins – no-contest – on experience. My MacBook is so much more pleasing to use than my Dell Inspiron. Apple devices seem to engage my right brain, not my left. So when I'm not thinking spreadsheets, I'm much more likely to enjoy computing on an Apple device.

They create space, rather than take it up.
iPod created a whole new way of experiencing music on the go. iPhone created a new device that gave me more than just a phone. Not sure yet what iPad does, but I believe that's because Apple just created a new category that no one else has yet to define.
Its not a Kindle. Its not a Netbook. Its a ________?

I want one.

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