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Do you remember where you were when Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone?
Okay, for most people, it’s not a time like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the moon landing, or the fall of the Berlin Wall. I remember this because I was doing the same thing that I usually do when companies advertise interesting things: observe the market. And the market really liked this ad.
But I remember Apple and its iPhone because I sat down and thought, “Jobs has something great there.”
This smartphone was going to be everything we needed. It was stylish, powerful, and easy to use. It had the “cool” factor that Apple had established with the iPod years before.
We are facing another “Apple moment” with a company that has made some amazing technological innovations while making them sleek, easy to use, and cool.
It started with a car
Tesla took the next step by trying to revolutionize the way we think and use energy for our daily needs.
The first step was with his Model 3, the first electric car, connected to the Internet and autonomous. The company has taken roughly 400,000 pre-orders for this car worth more than $ 10 billion, and it’s not even scheduled to launch until the end of this year.
This sleek-looking car has an affordable entry price of $ 35,000 and appeals to millennials by being environmentally friendly while also giving them access to the latest technology.
Additionally, Tesla comes with an innate “coolness” factor, as it is at the forefront of the latest innovations.
And now Tesla wants to have a hand in your house … well, your roof to be exact.
State-of-the-art technology for your roof
Tesla recently announced that it had started taking orders for its new sunroof system with the so-called “infinite” warranty.
Rather than adding today’s huge solar panels on top of your existing roof to capture the sun’s rays, Tesla has created shingles that look like normal terra cotta, slate, or asphalt shingles, but are actually a type of glass. with the solar cell. built inside. And the Tesla warranty claims that the roof will last longer than the life of your home.
So instead of having the unsightly panels, you can get shingles that look like normal shingles. Tesla has made solar energy collection aesthetically pleasing … and it’s cheaper than many analysts anticipated. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that active tiles would cost $ 42 per square foot and inert tiles would cost $ 11 per square foot.
Bloomberg estimated that renovating a 2,000-square-foot house in New York with 40% active tile coverage and a battery to store the energy would cost approximately $ 50,000 (after federal tax credits), but would generate $ 64,000 in energy over a period of time. time frame. 30-year period. It’s not a bad deal, especially if your home has good sun exposure.
Musk’s vision is that his home will collect solar energy through the tiles and the energy will be stored in a central battery. From that battery, you will be able to charge your electric car. All your energy needs will be covered in one place: clean, efficient and easy.
Capturing the Apple moment
We’ve been here before … in 2001, when Apple released its first iPod, revolutionizing the way we carried and listened to music. Sure, an iPod was a bit more expensive than other devices at the time, but the technology was state-of-the-art and offered everything we wanted at our fingertips.
Apple did it again in 2007 when it released its first iPhone, and people flocked, allowing the iPhone to sell more than 6 million units before moving on to the next generation.
Now, I’m not saying that Tesla is going to get 270,000 pre-orders for its sunroof like Apple did for its iPhone for the first 30 hours. The price is certainly higher, but Tesla is playing the same combination that Apple handled years ago: cutting-edge technology, ease of use, an affordable price, and a certain “coolness” factor that other solar companies simply haven’t been able to. achieve in the past. Plus, 400,000 pre-orders for the Model 3 mean the company certainly has the world’s attention.
Tesla is an excellent example of the kind of technological innovations and opportunities that are on the market right now.
You don’t want to miss the next Apple or Tesla moment.
