Nik Cubrilovic argues that the design of the iPad is a natural evolution of designing tablet computing devices, using the idea that the Crunchpad (later the JooJoo) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab (currently in spat with Apple) share similar maxims of tablet design that Apple does.
The iPad’s design itself is quite simple: a flat glass surface with a tapered aluminum back, rounded corners and a button on the front. The design is “sketch able” and had these days become the defacto standard for someone prototyping a tablet. Apple argues that only industrial engineers with years of experience could come up with that design, but Nik and his crew as “casual observers” came up with the design just the same.
Are people really buying the iPad for it’s design anyway? There are many other reasons for the iPad’s success: a thriving developer community, market incumbency, and economies of scale to name a few. People are buying iPads for the whole package — not for the design. Whatever Apple is trying to cling on to is pointless — the iPad will continue to be successful even if future designs “copy” that of their own. Innovation and first-mover advantages are important, but establishing an ecosystem and refining processes will go farther in the long run.