So the big day has finally arrived and Apple have released their tablet - the iPad (not the best name in the world). It has been 8 years in the making, and reactions are mixed - ranging from "wow, this is the best thing ever" through to "ho hum, its just a big iPod".

Personally, I think Apple did not take enough risk with this product - I would loved to have seen some pushing of the touch interface and some good use of gestures - but hey, its a first generation product. It is clearly aimed at the Netbook segment, and will do well. It is well designed and well priced, and will carve out a very profitable business for Apple - but is this disruptive technology?

In answer to that question I would ask - if you attended the launch of the original iPod in 2001 what would your impression have been? Video below.

I would suggest that when the original iPod launched (I still own one), that there was already a nascent market. There were already some portable MP3 players in existence (although not particularly functional), and the true potential of the iPod (including the whole content eco-system) was yet to be seen. Always 20-20 vision in hindsight!

One of the key characteristics of a disruptive technology is that it typically comes to market with less functionality than the comparable market leader (contrast high-fidelity CD's versus low-quality MP3's) - that's what makes it so dangerous - market leaders tend to ignore it until its too late. One thing that Apple is great at is defining its own markets - this is one of the hallmarks of disruption - seeking a user base that will value the current features of your new product rather than chasing the wishes of an existing user base. 

Only time will tell how successful the iPad will be, however given their track record I would suggest that Apple have every intention of making it a success.

The Amazon Kindle is an electronic book reader sold by Amazon.com. The device has been around for a while, however is was only recently launched internationally. I got my hands on one and have been really impressed!

Whilst the device itself is nice, the most impressive part is the business model. Every Kindle ships with free wireless 3G mobile access. What that means is that you can browse the online Amazon book store and buy books from anywhere, anytime. Waiting at the airport and need a new book to read? A quick browse on the online store and 60 seconds later you have your new book downloaded onto your Kindle. You can even download the first chapter of any book for free to see if you like it, and then purchase the full book if you do.

The convenience is outstanding. I read a lot of books and usually have several on the go at once. The beauty of the Kindle is that I can carry them all with me wherever I go - in fact the Kindle will hold around 1000 books - enough for even the most avid reader. Plus you can archive books to Amazon's website and re-download them whenever you like. For students this will be a godsend - I remember having to lug tonnes of heavy textbooks around during university - and Amazon have also just released a larger, textbook sized Kindle DX aimed at this kind of use.

The reading experience itself is quite good. The Kindle has a digital ink screen - so it looks a lot like paper and is far easier on the eyes than reading off a computer screen. I thought it would take me a while to move away from the feel and sensation of paper, however after an hour or two reading on the Kindle became quite natural. You can also highlight passages, search for text and bookmark pages. Under normal usage, and with the wireless turned off the battery life runs into weeks.

For me the Kindle is a lot like the iPod. It's not just a technology device, but an end to end business model - which extends the content right through to the device and makes the user experience great. The Kindle and its successors will be as disruptive as the iPod - even now e-books outsold print books over Christmas.

Have you tried a Kindle? Did you like it? Do you think that paper books will eventually go the way of the vinyl record?

Update: Amazon has announced the Kindle DX will be available internationally from Jan 19th.

So if the media are to be believed the sky is falling ... and whilst there is no doubt that a lot of industries are feeling the pain of the current economic downturn, it is interesting to see a very defensive approach to business. In my discussions with business leaders three topics seem to be front of mind;

1. Doing More With Less
2. Establishing a Competitive Advantage
3. Staff Engagement

Given these priorities, I believe we will see innovative and aggressive businesses further exploit disruptive technologies such as Open Source Software, Software as a Service, and Corporate Social Networking to gain an advantage over the competition.

Open Source Software

Firstly, lets start with open source software. Open source is the poster child for technology disruption. Software is typically developed by a community (many of whom do so in their spare time), is typically distributed for free, and innovation is shared by all. For business, open source provides not only a very cost effective solution, it also provides a very open platform for innovation. In an environment where CIO's are being asked to deliver more with ever shrinking budgets, open source has to be a serious contender in any major technology decision. Open platforms and open ecosystems are disruptive and a huge competitive advantage as they allow others to extend your business and create a richer offering. The big players in this space include Red Hat (Linux) and Oracle (MySQL) (via the Sun acquisition).

Software as a Service

Software as a Service has many names - you may have heard it referred to as SaaS, Utility Computing, Cloud Computing or On-Demand. Regardless of what you call it, SaaS providers typically deliver an application over the web - you get to use the application - the provider worries about the technology stack (hardware, databases etc). Most services are sold on a subscription basis. A simple example of SaaS would be an online email account like gmail or hotmail. You get mail, Google operates the mail server. The beauty of SaaS is that small business can have access to the same leading technology applications that large companies do, without the capital costs of buying a whole lot of IT infrastructure. The advantage for a large company is that SaaS allows you to focus on your core business ... and not have to worry about having a huge IT department. SaaS is disruptive as it gives businesses a lot of agility and levels the playing field. The big players in this market are companies like salesforce.com (CRM), Google (apps), and Workday (HR); but a wide variety of applications from ERP to email to office productivity can be delivered via SaaS.

Corporate Social Networking

The new buzz in tech is "social", and even corporates can't avoid getting involved. Even with the hype, corporate social networking will become the logical evolution of today's corporate intranets - the big difference being interactivity. The typical corporate intranet is quite stale - information rarely gets updated, and content creation is usually centralised. The "social" extension of intranets will allow employees to more easily connect with each other, create content, vote for and suggest new ideas and initiatives - and do this in same way they already do on sites like facebook and twitter in their personal lives. Increasing your ability to engage with your employees, crowdsource ideas, and grease communication is disruptive as it fosters a more grass-roots culture of innovation and collaboration within an organisation. Some players in this space include Jive and Yammer. 

So whilst its never a bad idea to tighten the belt on the financial aspects of an organisation, in a contracting market, I believe there is a huge opportunity for innovative companies to establish solid competitive advantage and differentiation though the use of disruptive technologies - with very little if not zero investment! The great thing about the internet is that experimentation is usually low cost or free - it just takes a little sweat and a little vision.