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I'm not a fan of their thin-first addiction, but when in the history of Apple have they asked customers what they want? Steve Jobs: "Some people say, "Give the

I'm not a fan of their thin-first addiction, but when in the history of Apple have they asked customers what they want? Steve Jobs: "Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do."

psweber 7y ago
Well, sure, but that only works when the leader has a product vision.
- Paperweight 7y ago
  He/she has to be a total design nazi to get it implemented, too, or else it will be ruined by the bean counters, "experts", and committees. "Sure, by using a crappy keyboard/display/_______ we only save 89 cents per unit - but multiply that by 100,000 units!" (99% of laptop manufacturers)
  - psweber 7y ago
    It doesn't seem like that is the problem with Apple's keyboards. It's Tim Cook not knowing the difference between aesthetics and the qualities that give a product an overall "high end design" feel. You know, like, how it is to actually use it. The bean counter issue is causing them to leave out the extender part of the power cord and the basically required USB hub with all the ports that "Pros" need.
    - utopian3 7y ago
      And “thinner” has led to multiple device families being easily bent
    - Paperweight 7y ago
      "organizations which design systems ... are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations." - Conway's law I mean that a perfectionist dictator must be in charge of design if a company is to make truly differentiated and tasteful hardware, instead of trending towards the mediocrity pumped out by typical corporations. It's riskier, of course, but that's how you make a $1T company, and it's the only way to overrule the bean counters. It's like making art as an individual instead of handing everyone a paintbrush. Apple's design is (or was) completely under the control of Jony Ive, due to the leadership of Steve Jobs. He is an opinionated, controlling industrial designer and, although you may not like his designs, he sticks to his principles. It is much easier to lead the way - and screw up - as an individual. You can't please everybody, but you can at least have a cohesive whole. Same kind of thing with Tesla vs every other major car company.

psweber 7y ago

Well, sure, but that only works when the leader has a product vision.

Paperweight 7y ago
He/she has to be a total design nazi to get it implemented, too, or else it will be ruined by the bean counters, "experts", and committees. "Sure, by using a crappy keyboard/display/_______ we only save 89 cents per unit - but multiply that by 100,000 units!" (99% of laptop manufacturers)
- psweber 7y ago
  It doesn't seem like that is the problem with Apple's keyboards. It's Tim Cook not knowing the difference between aesthetics and the qualities that give a product an overall "high end design" feel. You know, like, how it is to actually use it. The bean counter issue is causing them to leave out the extender part of the power cord and the basically required USB hub with all the ports that "Pros" need.
  - utopian3 7y ago
    And “thinner” has led to multiple device families being easily bent
  - Paperweight 7y ago
    "organizations which design systems ... are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations." - Conway's law I mean that a perfectionist dictator must be in charge of design if a company is to make truly differentiated and tasteful hardware, instead of trending towards the mediocrity pumped out by typical corporations. It's riskier, of course, but that's how you make a $1T company, and it's the only way to overrule the bean counters. It's like making art as an individual instead of handing everyone a paintbrush. Apple's design is (or was) completely under the control of Jony Ive, due to the leadership of Steve Jobs. He is an opinionated, controlling industrial designer and, although you may not like his designs, he sticks to his principles. It is much easier to lead the way - and screw up - as an individual. You can't please everybody, but you can at least have a cohesive whole. Same kind of thing with Tesla vs every other major car company.