Apple is known for its innovative products, but will it be paving its path into the vaping industry with a potential product called iVape?
The idea seems tantalising on the surface, but it seems a little too soon for a company of Apple’s stature to make such a bold move. After all, the company is in the business of selling technology products.
The question started when Apple filed a patent dedicated to vaporising materials. After numerous people had taken the time to investigate, they recognised that the patent was exclusively filed for vaporising metals (as opposed to liquids).
The fact that multiple people even considered that Apple might be making their foray into the vapour market suggests that e-liquid flavours and e-liquid suppliers are becoming hugely popular. To the point that several thought leaders in the vaping industry, are considering which big company will aim to take their slice of the share of this market.
Not too long ago, e-cigarettes and the like were seen as a niche product. Today, however, the vaporising industry is taking its foothold in the economy. It’s staking its claims towards replacing cigarettes. And in the coming decades, it might just do that.
Challenger companies such as Airbnb and Uber have changed their respective industries. With the prior, you no longer have to book a hotel, to find a place to stay. With the latter, you can conveniently get picked up wherever you are in the city. You don’t have to hail a cab, or even make sure you have enough cash on you.
The innovative products of the future, whether digital or physical, sell time. Meaning, they make things easier for the average person who wants to find a nice cheap apartment, get a ride to a particular spot, or in the case of vaping: smoke without the nuisance of having to buy a pack of cigarettes every so often.
But in the case of vaping, it takes things further, by being a healthy replacement for an existing product that’s been responsible for a wide variety of illnesses. From that viewpoint, e-cigs could be likened to health products.
We’ve seen the insurgence of smart watches, and fitness trackers over the coming years. Vaping at the moment seems to be a little too early in its infancy, to be marketed as a health/technology product. Perhaps with over the coming years, a company may look at the existing line of e-cig products, and provide a technology based evolution.
You could, for instance, see vaping products that sync with your smartphone, allow you to re-order cartridges online, and the like. While it’s too early to tell, we’re excited about the future of vaping.