Political Science
Why the hell do I have to keep updating apps on my iPhone all the time?
“No”
Apple’s products say “no” a lot. No, you can’t have that hardware keyboard or removable battery. No, you can’t install that app. No, you can’t have that feature. [...] As Apple has grown, so has the number of people who have fallen on the wrong end of its opinionated product design.
Marco Ament on the strange levels of anger Apple seems to create. He is immediately called out by angry Android users who blame, naturally, Apple.
“Shades”
…the modular, sleek SpectreOne desktop machine may have shades of an Apple iMac…
I don’t want to exacerbate the pissing contest, so will merely say this: Giggle.
QotD: Innovation
If Apple doesn’t want other manufacturers to do this then Apple should change their design a little more often instead of having the same design year after year.
I’m just going to assume this is irony. (From I’m seeing a lot of innovative notebook designs at IFA)
QotD: iTunes
It’s a constant race between people making things idiot-proof and the universe making better idiots.
One Thing Well
I use WriteRoom more and more these days. This spartan writing application is surprisingly attractive due to of its complete lack of distracting elements. That, of course, is WriteRoom’s entire point, its raison d’etre. (I’ve also tried using Ommwriter, another minimalist, full-screen writing application, which sports a serene winter landscape background and a soothing new-age soundtrack, without quite falling in love.)
Still, I find myself more and more attracted to single-use applications these days, and many seem to agree. (As a matter of fact, I’m rather late to the party.) Granted, the “one thing well” is partly the fad du jour, but after years of trying to find The One Perfect Application, I finally admitted to myself that it just doesn’t exist, and probably never will. (More after the jump…)
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
When Steve Jobs passed away, it nearly broke the Internet. Few CEOs have inspired both such accolades and such diatribes. He was clearly a corporate dictator; the argument is mostly whether or not he was a benign one. He’s been acknowledged as a dick since the 80s, but on the other hand, he had extremely high standards and ideas that he rigorously applied to Apple and its product line, which in turn has made Apple the largest company on the planet.
I didn’t know the man, but I’m going to miss the Stevenotes. Even Apple haters have to admit that he was a showman par excellence. I know it was all scripted, but I don’t really think he had to fake his enthusiasm when he whipped out whatever cool new product he was launching. The fabled RDF was probably made up of a lot of enthusiasm. I’ve been an Apple user and fan for about 15 years now. I’m not among the crazy ones looking for converts, but very simply put, it works for me. I have an iMac, an iPad and an iPhone. As a designer, I appeciate how Apple stuff looks and feels better, smoother. I know – your mileage may vary. I don’t really care. (More after the jump…)