Features are commodities

I think my more recent enthusiasm for apple products (as opposed to, say, three years ago) can be attributed in part to a larger trend in consumer electronics: features are becoming commodities.

Pretty much any mp3 player on the market will play music. They’ll play mp3 files and they’ll probably play some proprietary format that someone dreamed up in some dark room. So assuming you aren’t incredibly tied in to one format or another (and most people aren’t), then how do you decide what music player you get?

Simple: which one has the interface you like best.

When features are commodities, it’s time to start making consumer choices based on other criteria, like ease of use.

This is why Apple is leaping ahead of other companies in all areas of technology---because suddenly, starting in the past year or so, “pretty” actually matters. It’s a major factor in consumer buying decisions.

I used to want computers and a network in my house that ran a lot like the Millennium Falcon: only if you have a toolkit handy every time you want to turn something on. And there’s still a part of me that really enjoys opening things up and tinkering, but increasingly I want elegant solutions.

If you’re in the technology space, it’s time to start focusing on differentiating your product with design and user interface. Aside from Apple, the only other company I’ve noticed really going after that angle is Sony.

It’ll be interesting to see if anyone else is following suit this year at CES.