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While my personal opinion regarding skeumorphic design falls very much in line with the author's, I don't think that there is a contradiction in Apple's design

by laibert 14y ago

While my personal opinion regarding skeumorphic design falls very much in line with the author's, I don't think that there is a contradiction in Apple's design philosophy. The hardware is minimal because its true purpose is to let the software shine. It's a magical box that can become anything, from a calendar to a photobooth to a music studio. Apple's visual design choices in software have always seemed to fall under the skeuomorphic end of things (faux brushed aluminum?) and having a minimal hardware accentuates these flourishes.

barista 14y ago
Besides people have proved that they like Apple's approach to design. Whatever the philosophy is, if it has succeeded in the marketplace isn't it superior?
- overcyn 14y ago
  People have proved that they like Apple's products. Skeumorphism is but a fraction of the entire user experience.
- terryven 14y ago
  If we're judging by success in the marketplace then surely Windows XP is the most loved design on earth, right?
terryven 14y ago
Au contraire, people buy iOS for the beautiful hardware. Apple hosts mainstream events to reveal new hardware, not new software. Their most famous designer, Jony Ive, is a hardware man. At most you reduce the relationship to an equal partnership. But Apple's attempts to reduce software sales to commodities clearly shows that they consider software as intended to make the hardware shine.
- laibert 14y ago
  True. I'm not trying to diminish the importance of Apple hardware, but the design philosophy of the hardware is minimal because the software is the focal point. In the end, the phone is a rounded rectangle of varying degrees of thinness. IOS is the reason why the iPhone is a joy to use: the metal does its best job to stay out the way. Responsive touch screens and awesome cameras allows the user to forget they're even using a phone.

by laibert 14y ago

barista 14y ago

Besides people have proved that they like Apple's approach to design. Whatever the philosophy is, if it has succeeded in the marketplace isn't it superior?

overcyn 14y ago
People have proved that they like Apple's products. Skeumorphism is but a fraction of the entire user experience.
terryven 14y ago
If we're judging by success in the marketplace then surely Windows XP is the most loved design on earth, right?

terryven 14y ago

Au contraire, people buy iOS for the beautiful hardware. Apple hosts mainstream events to reveal new hardware, not new software. Their most famous designer, Jony Ive, is a hardware man. At most you reduce the relationship to an equal partnership. But Apple's attempts to reduce software sales to commodities clearly shows that they consider software as intended to make the hardware shine.

laibert 14y ago
True. I'm not trying to diminish the importance of Apple hardware, but the design philosophy of the hardware is minimal because the software is the focal point. In the end, the phone is a rounded rectangle of varying degrees of thinness. IOS is the reason why the iPhone is a joy to use: the metal does its best job to stay out the way. Responsive touch screens and awesome cameras allows the user to forget they're even using a phone.