I didn’t really get the appeal of Apple’s “i” Product line until Mitel’s 2011 Business Partner Conference.

Since the conference was being held in Hollywood, Florida, my wife and I decided to build a family vacation around it. While there, my then 3-year-old son latched onto his older brother’s iPod Touch and quickly “mastered” its usage.

While it’s obvious (IMHO) that he’s a genius, it is also important to note that he can’t read yet, doesn’t have a diploma of any kind, and doesn’t yet tie his own shoes. How could he possibly manage to manipulate this seemingly sophisticated piece of technology so effortlessly?

The answer, quite literally, is simple. The device is simple. The interface is simple. The software is simple. In fact, if it wouldn’t offend a large portion of their target audience, they could use my example as their slogan… “So simple even a three-year-old can use it.”

You can argue the coolness factor, the status symbol, the elitism, the persona or lifestyle it expresses, but when it comes right down to it the devices are so popular because they’re simple.

Simple to operate. They’re intuitive. They’re obvious. They’re fun. The experience is consistent across every device in their product line.

No, they don’t do everything some other devices can do. No, they’re not infallible. No, the iPad can’t truly replace a laptop or desktop (yet?). No, the iPhone doesn’t have the feature set of a business desk phone. But they get the job done much of the time in a way that is acceptable to many people.

I had a meeting with my staff a few weeks ago, and in it I used the iPad as an example of the kind of solutions we need to aspire to deliver to our end-users. Our solutions need to be simple and intuitive for end-users. Since we’re talking about internal business applications, we may not be able to make them truly “fun,” but they also shouldn’t feel like “work” either. The days when a developer could simply create a program and tell a user, “Here you go, now go use it,” are over.

Apple is not the only company who is seeing this change in their users. For the last few years, I’ve witnessed Mitel’s progression from a hardware company to a software company. During that transition, I’ve also seen them drawing similar conclusions about their product lines. From simplifying the Administration console of their systems, to embracing vmWare and virtualization, to creating applications for BlackBerry and other softphones, right down to the little things like the soft labeling of the phone sets themselves, Mitel has shown a commitment to their customers to innovate and simplify their solutions.

As today’s systems become increasingly complicated on the back-end, consumers will continue to request, expect, and eventually insist that the front-facing portions of those solutions be simple in the extreme. Companies like Apple and Mitel continue to lead that charge down the road toward more and more simplified answers to today’s technology needs. Adopters of their technology and that philosophy of simplicity will be right there with them enjoying the benefits of their labors.

My son and his generation will be there. My team and I will be. Will you?

Jason Spainhour

Jason Spainhour is the Director of Information Systems for SkillPath Seminars, headquartered in Mission, KS. SkillPath is the premier provider of business training in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He also currently serves as vice president of the Mitel User Group. In his spare time, Jason enjoys spending time outdoors and working with his children’s youth sports teams.