A few years ago, Apple was simply a company that used a different computer operating system than PC computers. There were a few loyal Apple customers, but not everyone even knew about the brand. Then Apple came up with a new idea for portable digital music and media storage.
The first iPod was a huge success and instantly transported Apple into a household name. From there, Apple continued to make new innovative products that completely changed the world of technology forever, including the iPhone and iPad.
So what makes these devices so beloved and successful? How did Apple suddenly become one of the most profitable companies in the technology world? What strategies did Apple use to implement their innovative ideas, and who was responsible for creating those designs?
Steve Jobs was the driving force behind many of the innovations that Apple created. His motto was to create simple, perfect pieces that preformed exactly as intended every time. Unlike PC products, which often freeze, break, or require a lot of hardware and software adjustment, Steve Jobs wanted all Apple products to feel and act consistently every time.
The element of design simplicity was inspired by Zen living and contentment. Nothing about a traditional computer or electronic device is Zen, because the user constantly has to make adjustments and struggle with the unit to get it to work. Steve Jobs wanted to create products that were effortless and easy for customers to use so they could enjoy the items without stress.
While Steve Jobs created many of the new Apple designs himself, today the person responsible for most of the Apple design choices is Jonathan Ive. Ive works with the same base beliefs as Steve Jobs to create perfect, simple products that are a joy for the user to experience and use on a daily basis. Calm and stress-free use was not the only goal of Apple products. The hardware itself needed to be perfect for Steve Jobs to be happy with the design.
If there was a design flaw that made the device difficult to use, Apple would replace it with a better hardware design. Many of the design tricks that devices use today, such as touch screens, scrolling wheels, and easy-to-read screens are inspired by the design decisions that Apple made several years ago. Apple products are also designed to last for years of use, maximizing the money that the user invests in the device.
All Apple products are designed with ease-of-use in mind. Most people do not want to have to worry about programming their device and ensuring compatibility between different devices. This is one of the reasons why Apple products are so successful, because they perform most of the hard work for you. Even people who are unable to work traditional PC computers can manage Apple products because they make using the product so much easier than most electronic devices.
In the end, Apple products are some of the closest electronic devices to ever come close to perfection. Most Apple product have few issues with freezing, crashes, read or write errors, or many other hardware failure problems that some other devices have.
The actual design of the product is so elegant, that many of the features and design style of Apple products can almost be seen as a work of modern art. When future cultures look back on the society of today, they will see how Apple products influenced all aspects of our lives, from entertainment, to work, to connectivity, to art, and beyond.
About the Guest Author:
This is a guest post by Andras Deak, an occasional guest-blogger and a full-time green design enthusiast. He works for Acrylicize, a UK based art consultancy company building the best office designs out there. When not in office, Andras likes travel a lot, his favorite destinations are the hidden places of Asia and Polynesia.
The first iPod was a huge success and instantly transported Apple into a household name. From there, Apple continued to make new innovative products that completely changed the world of technology forever, including the iPhone and iPad.
So what makes these devices so beloved and successful? How did Apple suddenly become one of the most profitable companies in the technology world? What strategies did Apple use to implement their innovative ideas, and who was responsible for creating those designs?
Steve Jobs was the driving force behind many of the innovations that Apple created. His motto was to create simple, perfect pieces that preformed exactly as intended every time. Unlike PC products, which often freeze, break, or require a lot of hardware and software adjustment, Steve Jobs wanted all Apple products to feel and act consistently every time.
The element of design simplicity was inspired by Zen living and contentment. Nothing about a traditional computer or electronic device is Zen, because the user constantly has to make adjustments and struggle with the unit to get it to work. Steve Jobs wanted to create products that were effortless and easy for customers to use so they could enjoy the items without stress.
While Steve Jobs created many of the new Apple designs himself, today the person responsible for most of the Apple design choices is Jonathan Ive. Ive works with the same base beliefs as Steve Jobs to create perfect, simple products that are a joy for the user to experience and use on a daily basis. Calm and stress-free use was not the only goal of Apple products. The hardware itself needed to be perfect for Steve Jobs to be happy with the design.
If there was a design flaw that made the device difficult to use, Apple would replace it with a better hardware design. Many of the design tricks that devices use today, such as touch screens, scrolling wheels, and easy-to-read screens are inspired by the design decisions that Apple made several years ago. Apple products are also designed to last for years of use, maximizing the money that the user invests in the device.
All Apple products are designed with ease-of-use in mind. Most people do not want to have to worry about programming their device and ensuring compatibility between different devices. This is one of the reasons why Apple products are so successful, because they perform most of the hard work for you. Even people who are unable to work traditional PC computers can manage Apple products because they make using the product so much easier than most electronic devices.
In the end, Apple products are some of the closest electronic devices to ever come close to perfection. Most Apple product have few issues with freezing, crashes, read or write errors, or many other hardware failure problems that some other devices have.
The actual design of the product is so elegant, that many of the features and design style of Apple products can almost be seen as a work of modern art. When future cultures look back on the society of today, they will see how Apple products influenced all aspects of our lives, from entertainment, to work, to connectivity, to art, and beyond.
Andras Deak
About the Guest Author:
This is a guest post by Andras Deak, an occasional guest-blogger and a full-time green design enthusiast. He works for Acrylicize, a UK based art consultancy company building the best office designs out there. When not in office, Andras likes travel a lot, his favorite destinations are the hidden places of Asia and Polynesia.