Slap an Apple Logo on Your Tablet; People Will Love It

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- When I was a kid, I watched "Saved by the Bell" religiously. Back in the day, my pillow doubled as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen more than once. So, you could understand why I was hurt when Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the actor who played Zack Morris, said that "Saved by the Bell" really was "not a great show."

Skip ahead to 2012, Tiffani-Amber and I are both in our mid- to late-thirties and over our teenage infatuation crushes. My child watches the modern-day versions of "Saved by the Bell," "iCarly" and "Victorious." I have to admit -- while "hokey" at times, for what it is, it's not bad television. Both programs do a nice job tapping into tween and teen culture.

"iCarly" created an excellent Apple (AAPL) parody -- the Pear Company. Characters on the show, as well as "Victorious," use PearBooks (first through fourth generation), PearPods (Touch, Shuffle and Classic versions), PearPhones, PearPads (including a PearPad Mini), PearTunes, PearChat, PearCloud, PearTV and more. Freddie and Sam from "iCarly" even took jobs at the PearStore in one episode; Freddie quit, Sam got fired.

There's little doubt in my mind that this extensive line of Pear products could put a dent in Apple sales, at least among the younger set, if somebody could pull it off without interference from Apple's bullpen of paralegals and lawyers. Kids might even turn their parents into Pear fanboys and girls.

Ultimately, to give what you produce mass market appeal and enormous sales numbers, you need proper marketing. Apple has Steve Jobs to thank for that. There's this elusive process products go through to become socially desirable. Once that switch gets flipped, you cross the line from niche or something that merely sells well, to global phenomenon.

Often, it happens on a smaller scale. At the higher-end, regional phenomena take hold among the affluent. Witness Lululemon (LULU) or what we might be about to see from Tesla Motors (TSLA). If $150 yoga pants or a $60,000 electric sedan could cross the line from aspirational excess to practical and affordable, these items might become as pervasive as iPods, iPhones and iPads.

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