It is actually very Apple, and perhaps even more so at post-Jobs Apple.
The iPod wasn’t as good on paper as the Rio or Rune. Cost a LOT more too.
The original iPhone wasn’t great, but it was good enough to capture the imagination. It certainly wasn’t cheap.
The Series 0 Watch was also pretty ordinary, especially when compared to other smart watches. Expensive too.
Same with Siri, the HomePod and Apple TV, but these haven’t quite hit the mark. Probably not failures (except maybe Siri), but not in the best of Apple category.
All of these early products were for the bleeding edge. They provide the feedback and insight into how the product is going to be used.
Apple’s special ability is to find the essence of what a good product needs to have, quickly. Sometimes they don’t nail it first time, but they excel at finding out and then iterating until it does.
