I love the iPad myself, but I think the customers who appreciate it most are my parents who are in their 80s. Many times they wanted to try a PC, as it is a great way for them to be open to the world. My mother used to be able to send/receive e-mail, using the service of the land-line telephone company. However, the service was discontinued and we had no other way to communicate than fax or telephone.
I thought about buying a simple PC for them, but every time I decided against it. The more I think about it, the more convinced I have become that it might be just too much for them. They have never touched a PC. The procedure for starting a PC and getting it to work is very simple to those who use it every day, but for those who have never used it, it is overwhelming, I concluded.
Here comes the iPad! I bought two in New York City, as I heard it would take a while to buy it in Japan. I gave one to my parents and taught them how to read e-mail, my blog etc. Now they can read my e-mail which I send very often and my blog where I write every day, sometimes with photos. It is great for them to be able to enlarge letters, photos etc. What is most important is that it is such a user-friendly device. All they need to do is turn it on, hit one button, etc. Every movement is so intuitive, simple and easy to follow.
Recently I saw several columns and articles saying that the Apple is now appealing to the elderly, in addition to the traditional young hip customers. I agree.
Yoko Ishikura is a Professor at Hitotsubashi University ICS in the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Japan. She has held positions as a professor at the School of International Politics, Economics and Business of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, as a consultant at McKinsey and Company Inc. Japan and a visiting professor at Darden School.
Professor Ishikura is a consultant to a number of multinational companies and has been a frequent speaker at management conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the world. She was a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee for the Japanese government and the International Competitiveness Commission for METI. She is currently a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum.
She is the author of Strategic Shift from OR choices to AND paradigm, Building Core Skills of Organization , and the co-author of the following publications: Managing Diversity in the 21st Century, Strategy for Cluster Initiatives in Japan , and Building a Career to the World Class Professionals – all in Japanese. Her books in English include: Asian Advantage, Hitotsubashi on Knowledge Management and Trust and Antitrust in Asian Business Alliances.
Professor Ishikura’s current research interests are focused on global competition, innovation, and knowledge management. She received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; and DBA from Harvard Business School.
