I think the real criticism with Apple is simply this. They have failed to come up with anything truly innovative and have resorted to sexy packaging to try to win hearts.
As a caveat to all of this, I am the first to say that I am thoroughly disgusted with Windows 2000 and Windows XP and don't feel compelled to defend their own ugliness.
Feeling pride in comparing yourself with the next to worst thing is like patting yourself for not choking when eating your dinner.
But let's get back to the issue at hand.. the new iMac.
The new iMac boils down to one thing - Design:
It swivels! Neat. So does my $9 Ikea desk lamp. But my desklamp has 3 joints in it. It allows me to move my lamp in all sorts of directions. But simply offering a single joint, I don't think I really gain desk space - to have it at the correct height, I might to move it down, but then it also moves forward and I lose the desk space for my keyboard and mouse.
It reminds me of the urinal puck design of mouse of the original iMac. (Finally a quicker way to get carpel tunnel syndrome and sue my employer!)
A good design is not one that just looks neat - it's one that serves it's function as well. "Form follows function" and that is the key to really great design. It need not be sophisticated - it just needs to work - and there is awesome beauty in elegant designs.
The iMac is a form looking for a function. It tarnishes the reputation of the once great Apple computer.
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I think the real criticism with Apple is simply this. They have failed to come up with anything truly innovative and have resorted to sexy packaging to try to win hearts. As a caveat to all of this, I am the first to say that I am thoroughly disgusted with Windows 2000 and Windows XP and don't feel compelled to defend their own ugliness. Feeling pride in comparing yourself with the next to worst thing is like patting yourself for not choking when eating your dinner. But let's get back to the issue at hand.. the new iMac. The new iMac boils down to one thing - Design: It swivels! Neat. So does my $9 Ikea desk lamp. But my desklamp has 3 joints in it. It allows me to move my lamp in all sorts of directions. But simply offering a single joint, I don't think I really gain desk space - to have it at the correct height, I might to move it down, but then it also moves forward and I lose the desk space for my keyboard and mouse. It reminds me of the urinal puck design of mouse of the original iMac. (Finally a quicker way to get carpel tunnel syndrome and sue my employer!) A good design is not one that just looks neat - it's one that serves it's function as well. "Form follows function" and that is the key to really great design. It need not be sophisticated - it just needs to work - and there is awesome beauty in elegant designs. The iMac is a form looking for a function. It tarnishes the reputation of the once great Apple computer.