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I tuned in to the TechCrunch Live Blog today to get the dish on iPad2. I was skeptical about this launch. Rumors were it would be thinner, lighter, would have a camera, and so on. I didn’t care much for any of that, so I kept my expectations low. I already own an iPad and I wasn’t going to rush and get a new one just because. Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple stuff, but I am not total nuts to get every little version that comes out.

But now after ready the details on the iPad page at Apple.com and hearing about it via the live blog, I am impressed. I am impressed by the two Apps featured in the launch and look forward to getting GarageBand and iMovie on my iPad. I am not so hot on the white iPad, but who knows, I might change my mind after looking at the real thing. I also love the iPad Smart Cover, which is brilliantly designed, so simple.

Coming to why Apple rules…it is all in the way you think about a product.  Steve Jobs said when he closed the show with a statement:

“A  lot of folks in this tablet market are rushing in, looking at this as the next PC. hardware and software are done by different companies, talking about speeds just as they would with PCs. Every bone in our body says this is not the right approach.”

This is a fundamental difference between Apple and all the other wannabes, in how Apple (and Jobs) views a product: as an integrated system  (of hardware, software and user experience) and eco-system (Apps, Books, Music, Movies, Videos, …). This is the reason why no one is going to beatthe iPad / iOS for some time to come, in spite of all the hoopla about Android based tablets. Google is just beginning to think about the eco-system, but has no integrated vision like Apple. All the other device vendors are beginning to create their own fragments of marketplace which in my only makes it confusing and difficult for the users. Besides, I am not convinced that users will pay for mediocre content, apps or experience. Apple has set the bar quite high and others are only getting started. Which means, they have a lot of catching up to do. While they do that, Apple is not staying  put, they are forging ahead. So I am convinced that it will be difficult for other tablets to achieve the level of commercial success the way iPad did for Apple. It is not about the OS (Android or iOS) or how many Android devices are shipped compared to iOS devices. Those stats only tell you just that, not how much revenue the devices are generating. The difference is what Apple has been known for for decades: They just “Think Different!”