Apple 2007 = Braun 1960

[Sirotnikov]

http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future

Apparently many many design elements were 'inspired' by 1960's products made by Dieter Rams.

[Asher]

Cue the hypocritical defenses of the brainwashed masses.

Apple's been doing this **** since the very beginning. It's fundamental to their business model. The only innovation they provide is new ways to convince their hapless followers into forking over more money.

[VetLegion]

The only conspicuous similarity is between the dials on the two gadgets from the first pair.

The rest is nonsense.

[Sirotnikov]

Cue the hypocritical defenses of the brainwashed masses.

To be frank, I knew you'd post first

[snoopy369]

An homage to a design genius

Most of innovation is taking old designs and making them new again

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sirotnikov
To be frank, I knew you'd post first

Oooo, they only let the smart ones in the Israeli military!!

[Whaleboy]

Asher

[Asher]

Whaleboy
Spam
Whaleboy's stalk-spam

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by VetLegion
The rest is nonsense.

QFT

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by Asher


Oooo, they only let the smart ones in the Israeli military!!

well that, and they check for exceptionally large penis size

[Jon Miller]

I have seriously thought about getting a MacPro.

JM

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by VetLegion
The rest is nonsense.

QFT.

Can anyone tell me what the third and fourth things on teh left actually are?

[Wiglaf]

Originally posted by VetLegion
The only conspicuous similarity is between the dials on the two gadgets from the first pair.

The rest is nonsense.

And the click/scroll wheel isn't the same as a dial, anyway.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Can anyone tell me what the third and fourth things on teh left actually are?

A speaker and a radio.

But read the article. They aren't saying Apple is ripping off the designs (well, some may think they still are, but that isn't the jist), but Apple is following the design philosophy of Dieter Rams who was Braun in the 60s (isn't a bad person to follow, mind, since a number of his designs are in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC) and in some instances are an homage to them.

Btw, in the article see how the radio has the same perforated edges as a MacPro, its kinda cool.

[-Jrabbit]

This thread is already a great example of people seeing what they want to see. Asher sees ripoff repackaging; VetLegion sees no obvious similarities.

Snoopy must have actually read the article: It's about the fact that Apple's lead industrial designer (Ive) is an unabashed fan of Dieter Rams.

The gist of the article was admiration for timeless industrial design:

Some people will probably call these examples a "rip-off" but, in a world where industrial design and art is constantly being recycled into new work, I just see Apple's products as a great evolution to classic concepts. Now, as I look at Rams' work I can't help but to wonder: which of these old Braun designs will Apple revive next?

Properly done, industrial design -- especially the form factor and functionality of a new product -- is a sort of truth serum for a brand. Apple's consistency of design aesthetics has created a sort of "design language" that speaks to people. Like it or hate it, Apple products look, feel and act like Apple products.

My old company strived for years to attain that sort of consistency in product design -- creating products that not only met the needs of users, but that were consistent physical manifestations of the brand. We had hits and misses. It's a tough gig, especially if (like most companies) you are working with outsourced industrial designers. Fit and finsih, materials selected, form factor -- all these things are part of a unified whole that (properly executed) conveys the brand essence.

Creating a product that speaks in a brand-consistent design language while still meeting all its functional goals is a difficult and admirable accomplishment.