20100929

Your Opinion, While Interesting, Is Irrelevant*

With the recent introduction iPhone OS 4.1, Apple is creeping forward in functionality. Much like iOS4, this latest release mostly contains enhancements which I can't use (HDR photography is iPhone4-only) or don't care about (GameCenter/Ping). One welcome and less-publicized feature is full Bluetooth AVRCP support, which means that I can finally use "forward" and "back" controls when the phone pairs with my car.

The iOS platform now represents about 1/3 of Apple's revenue, so it's hard to argue with success. There are dark corners of the user experience on this device which haven't received much attention since launch. As a product manager, these would annoy me like a sore tooth. There is a truism of product development which states "If you're not embarrassed by your v1.0 product, you waited too long to release." All products, no matter how mature, will always have some sort of deficiency. Deciding which ones are important to your customers and which ones just irritate a niche subset is a critical skill.

* Title inspired by Pragmatic Marketing, taking the ego out of product management one framework at a time.

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