God's way of telling you that you have more money than common sense

[BlackXList]

Funny, the number of people who haven't heard of Ive.
Funnier, still, the number who don't credit him.

Can you name a 'better' current industrial designer? What company makes better-designed products than Apple? The only slight that might be attributed to Ive is that his designs owe a lot to Braun. But, everyone is inspired by someone or some thing. Good, that Ive had the good sense to choose someone worth emulating.

And, no, the most defining aspect of Apple's design is NOT miniaturization.

I'm not sure what you mean by "not groundbreaking." What IS groundbreaking, and who does it in a practical sense? It's actually easier to design 'revolutionary-looking' stuff than it is to make beautiful, simple, and usable stuff. Apple was a relatively small company not so long ago. And, now, everything everybody else produces is essentially a copy of an Apple product.

That all said, this one-off Leica is quite stupid.

The location of the On button on an Imac G5 completely blows any claims of Apple design being great.

Or the can't hold it without blocking signal Iphone 4.

I could go on at length, but I'll spare everyone.

Their products are visually pretty, but well designed? I'm not sure I can go that far, they're often the tech equivalent of the Stark Lemon Squeezer.

 

[BlackXList]

I may have the model number slightly wrong then, there's an imac where the power button is on the back of the monitor,

http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/5/56/Turn-on-a-Mac-Computer-Step-2.jpg/550px-Turn-on-a-Mac-Computer-Step-2.jpg


Apparently it's on the back on a mac mini too, which is appalling design, the fact that google brings up 1,070,000 results for "imac power button on the back!" and there is even a youtube video about it should hint towards a slight issue with the design.

Yes, it might make the front of the monitor look sleeker, but it's terrible design, (since "design" means more than "make it look pretty").

Considering Apple themselves acknowledged the design flaw in the Iphone4 (and tried to blame customers for "holding it the wrong way" shows that the problem with it is well known.

 

[Rogier]

I may have the model number slightly wrong then, there's an imac where the power button is on the back of the monitor,

http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/5/56/Turn-on-a-Mac-Computer-Step-2.jpg/550px-Turn-on-a-Mac-Computer-Step-2.jpg


Apparently it's on the back on a mac mini too, which is appalling design, the fact that google brings up 1,070,000 results for "imac power button on the back!" and there is even a youtube video about it should hint towards a slight issue with the design.

Yes, it might make the front of the monitor look sleeker, but it's terrible design, (since "design" means more than "make it look pretty").

Considering Apple themselves acknowledged the design flaw in the Iphone4 (and tried to blame customers for "holding it the wrong way" shows that the problem with it is well known.

Mac's are seldom tuned off... They keep running and dont' need restarts as as often as Windows boxes.
What about PC towers sitting on the floor under a desk, how convenient is that power button?

 

[peterm1]

No matter who designed it , I still think it looks like something this guy would use.

http://0.tqn.com/d/scifi/1/0/6/9/1/...-bicentennial-man-1999.720p00913121-04-32.jpg

Or more particularly something a 1950s Sci Fi film art director thinks he would use.

Sorry guys no matter how celebrated the designer I don't get it. Which is Ok since as I don't have the money I cant get it.

 

[bobbyrab]

the design flaw in the Iphone4 (and tried to blame customers for "holding it the wrong way" shows that the problem with it is well known.

It turned out the wrong way was wearing rubber gloves and wellies at the same time, one or the other was fine.

 

[jszokoli]

With all the bash Apple/defend Apple, bash Jony Ive/defend Jony Ive posts, I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that it will not work as a camera.

Industrial design is one thing but the item needs to work!

The shutter speed dial is buried. The shutter release is as well, it's the opposite of a soft release, you would need to poke the tip of your finger at it.

And the lens I don't know where to start...

Joe

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

Entirely fair comments, but hold on: is this not consistent with a distaste for "celebrity culture"? He has repeatedly been referred to as a great and even celebrity designer.

Sellebrity culture has long annoyed me on a number of levels. Making a fuss about Jobs or Ives, strikes me as an insult to the many thousands of people who contribute to Apple products.

The same applies to any hero worship, so far as I'm concerned. I fear that it opens the way to the darkest impulses of our nature. The views of others may be different, though, and like Voltaire, I will defend their right to express themselves, though not necessarily to the death. 😎

 

[Out to Lunch]

I think it's a beautiful design but the only element that doesn't fit ... the Leica red dot.

 

[wolves3012]

Purely as a matter of personal taste, I think it's hideously ugly. Seems to be more designed for the designer's concept of aesthetics than purpose though (I'd expect that from Apple's designs anyway). If someone's willing to stump up the asking price and that money goes to a decent charity, however, who am I to question it?

The title of the thread could be applied to any number of "exotic" products - supercars, watches and so on. Many of those are made for an aesthetic in the mind of a designer (stylist might be a better word) and it's something you tend to "get" or not. Stratospheric price tags in themselves appeal to many.

 

[bobbyrab]

Sellebrity culture has long annoyed me on a number of levels. Making a fuss about Jobs or Ives, strikes me as an insult to the many thousands of people who contribute to Apple products.

The same applies to any hero worship, so far as I'm concerned. I fear that it opens the way to the darkest impulses of our nature. The views of others may be different, though, and like Voltaire, I will defend their right to express themselves, though not necessarily to the death. 😎

I need to know, please tell us, what are the dark impulses that concern you?

 

[peterm1]

I think it's a beautiful design but the only element that doesn't fit ... the Leica red dot.

Its a matter of personal taste so by all means if you like it that's up to you and I certainly wont criticize you for it.

But in my view if one adopts the old adage that form should follow function then I have to ask, for goodness sake, what function is this serving?

It seems to me that in this case, function has been subordinated to a designer's vision of "good design" without that designer really having a good comprehension of the function it is to fulfill. It suffers accordingly. It is a discordant design that grates like fingernails down a blackboard (IMHO) :^).

Back in the days of "seat of the pants" flying (I am talking pre WW2) the old time aircraft designers used to say "If it looks good it is good" meaning if the aircraft's design was sleek and elegant then probably the aircraft was going to successfully fulfill its role. This was what was said of the spitfire for example. Adopting this rule of thumb, the design is poor and it just does not look right.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

The money goes to charity and better spent that way than fixing an election (USA).

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I need to know, please tell us, what are the dark impulses that concern you?

I can't do that without mentioning the 'N', 'F' and 'S' words, but I rather think you knew that already. 😉

 

[steveclem]

The Apple cadre are deserving of their own thread really.
I-clones for days.

 

[bobbyrab]

I can't do that without mentioning the 'N', 'F' and 'S' words, but I rather think you knew that already. 😉

I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you are alluding to, I really don't.
I can see celebrity culture being vapid, shallow, mind-numbingly vacuous, or any number of criticisms you could make of it, but dark impulses no. However I'm intrigued, even if you can only give us a clue, point us in some direction.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

There is never any excuse to use the "N-word" on the RFF, anyone who does will be permanently banned.

Which is exactly why I didn't use it.

The point I was making was not to be unpleasant but simply to point out where unquestioning hero worship may, unfortunately, lead.

 

[David Hughes]

I can't do that without mentioning the 'N', 'F' and 'S' words, but I rather think you knew that already. 😉

Hi,

Like boobyrab who said "I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you are alluding to, I really don't. "

Anyway, shouldn't it be K, F & S as the word begins with a silent letter? Anyway, what have Knives, Forks and Spoons got to do with it?

Regards, David

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

what have Knives, Forks and Spoons got to do with it?

If people didn't emulate sellebrities by using knives and forks, there would be far fewer accidents. As for spoons, well, surely you don't need me to tell you where that leads...

😉

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

OK, at the risk of being permanently barred, I was talking about the Nationalsozialismus, the Partito Nazionale Fascista and Stalinism - the three cults of hero worship which killed around 80 million in six years, with a little help from Japanese militarism and their own cult of hero worship.

I'm sorry that you thought I was referring to a different word; my fault for being coy.

 

[lewis44]

did you try google?

What is Google?

( Response Sent Via US Postal Service as I can't figure out how to use my iphone )