The Innovation Risk

Apple recently launched the new ultra-portable computer, the MacBook Air. For Apple fans, there is no shortage of reasons to buy this product.

For us, it's not its magnificent design, size, flash memory hard drive nor its weight (unrivaled within the industry) that makes it so special. It's more so the vision that guided Apple to develop such a product.  Without an optical reader or an Ethernet connection, the product relies on a courageous choice of wireless technology.

Apple is defining the future of the portable computer.  They envision a notebook with a permanent high-speed WIFI connection, enabling access to all necessary information anywhere, anytime. Therefore, the computer would have access to images, music, movies and all other kinds of data through a wireless internet connection, rendering obsolete the Ethernet connection and optical drive.

The MacBook Air may be a risk on Apple's part, but aren't risks symptomatic of innovation? Let's not forget: who took them seriously when they stopped including the floppy drive in their computers? There is much for innovative companies to learn from this...