Why can't Apple be like Harry Potter?

You might recall me recently moaning about vendors treating New Zealand as part of Australia. Well, some of them do treat us differently, but not in ways that we Kiwis would like.

Years ago, I would sometimes hear that New Zealand was often the test market for some product or service, so we would get something first.

We were seen as a small, English-speaking highly developed country, ideally suited to be someone's guinea pig. And by and large we were happy to be as it put the country at the forefront of some technological developments.

That, however, doesn't seem to happen much nowadays, just look at Apple.

Apple is giving New Zealand second-class treatment with regards to its iPad.

Australia enjoyed the launch of the iPad on 28 May, but New Zealand will have to wait until late July.

Now with the iPhone 4, the US and UK can look forward to a 24 June launch, while we will both be waiting until July.

It all seems somewhat bizarre that Apple can simultaneously launch one product but not another.

Doing it at the same time for everyone will add to the global excitement about a product launch.

I remember the fun and hype some years back when reporting on the queues in Queen Street, Auckland, as iPhone Jonny became the first in the world to buy a 3G iPhone, something later discovered to be a PR stunt.

The time difference allows New Zealand to be the first to see the sunrise, as we were with the Millennium, so sometimes we are used to being first.

It is possible. It's not too much of a hardship. Some organisations are well practised in this.

Publishers manage to give us the latest Harry Potter book, movie or DVD a couple of hours before everyone else, so surely the tech giants can do the same.

By the time the iPad arrives in New Zealand, all the hullabaloo about it will be over.

Yes, organisations and people will still want it, but I am sure it will have lost much impact in the publicity department.

Those who will be interested or bothered will have read about its launch in Sydney, London or wherever, so by the time it arrives in New Zealand, iPad will be old news.

Many of those who want one, will have also gone shopping in Sydney or bought them online.

Trade Me already has iPads on sale. eBay will have too.

Of course, when it comes to launching a product, much depends on the size of the market and its maturity, as some companies treat some countries better than others.

Thus, it is with great satisfaction we can report that Microsoft has given New Zealand a promotion.

Redmond has awarded New Zealand Tier One status, putting us up there with the big boys like Australia, the US and Britain.

Now, we will effectively get the product launches at the same time.

Therefore, not only will our companies join in with the global fun and hype of product launches, but we will be able to enjoy the same economic benefits as those overseas.

Furthermore, Microsoft staffers and their partners will also find it useful to be on the same level as for their compatriots overseas.

The only benefit I can see for being kept waiting, Apple-style, is that we might learn from whatever mistakes vendors like Apple make overseas.

I guess that means the world is now our guinea pig!