Happiness lessons from Apple’s iPad

Happiness lessons from Apple’s iPad

I must admit I watched, over the past few weeks, the build up of hype and excitement about the launch of Apple’s latest product, the iPad, with a sense of curious bemusement.

On the one hand, I quite like gadgets and techno toys although I’ve never really seen them as anything more than something fun to play with and/or something to help me be more productive and efficient.

On the other hand, especially in the shadow of the global financial crisis, I was somewhat dismayed that so many people were getting so excited about what is, essentially, a luxery item. Aren’t we supposed to be living now in a time of greater modesty and less extravagance?

Anyway, putting that aside, I did follow the launch and quite clearly, so did many millions of other people all over the world. And I did find myself thinking, as I so often do, whether there might be any lessons in all this from the perspective of someone dedicated to promoting the principles of positive psychology and spreading happiness.

For those of you who’re interested (and still reading), I formed a few conclusions…

Athough there’s little doubt that Steve Jobs and Apple are master marketers and guru designers there’s also no doubt that they’re super good at a few other things which are more relevant to those of us here in this happiness context. What are these things?

Well how about the fact that Apple seems to be superb predicting what people want and need before they even know what they want and need. And further, what they seem to be exceptionally good at is making these things ridiculously easy to use and to enjoy.

So what’s the lesson here?

Well, given that relationships are so important to happiness, what do you do to predict what your friends and colleagues need/want before they even tell you? And what do you do to make their lives easy or easier before they even ask you for help?

Happy people are undoubtedly people who don’t just try to feel good but they also make sure they do good…to and for others. This week, give some thought to what those around you might need and want and then, give some thought to what you can do to make this easy for them.

Maybe we can create a new movement…iHappiness!