I bought one of those ny coffee mugs at alphabets on 6th and a about 3 years ago. That's my favorite coffee mug by far. Besides the cute factor, it just feels really good in your hand. Hard to describe, but it has a nice tactile feel to it, I really like the fake paper seam up the side.
It's just plain stupid to advise against cases. I just shelled out £200 for a new 3rd gen 32GB iPod touch and the first* thing I did was shove that motherfucka in a nice Belkin leather folio case. Provided you don't get a shit ass case your iPod/iPhone can look just as good wrapped in something that protects both its form and its function.
I generally like to preserve both these aspects of my devices. But if I have to sacrifice one it'd be the looks every time. A broken device is useless and therefore its design is useless. There's only so much you can appreciate about the design of a paperweight.
Plus unless you have money to burn on replacements then if you crack or scratch your phone generally its design and beauty are ruined anyway so you've lost both. Better to sacrifice some measure of style for the security of keeping your investment intact.
My advice is just don't buy ugly cases. Get a nice one, keep your beautiful screen unscratched and fully functional.
Only way I'd want a gadget case is if it was that fancy-pants new case Apple's using on their iPods for point-of-sale with the card swipe and barcode scanner on it.
There was a really good short series on BBC I think a few weeks ago called 'Stephen Fry in America', in which he had a short interview with Johnathan Ive in the last episode. I recommend watching the series if you can, if not for that part then because it's an interesting narrative of America from a Brit's point of view, and Stephen Fry is a freaking genius. You know Hugh Laurie from House? He would be NOTHING without Stephen Fry. #jonathaniveobjectified
I found the little bit about the indicator light interesting, because I never really did see much value in all of the little lights lined up on a lot of other laptops, not even the HD access light. #jonathaniveobjectified
@Kaiser-Machead: Those lights drive me crazy. When I look at PC laptops, I see so much that does so little.
Apple has been hiding indicator lights for a while, but I first noticed this style of hiding an LED behind a metal bezel with micropores on one of the portables as part of the integrated iSight. I think it was the first intel MacBook Pro. #jonathaniveobjectified
@ludwigk: I believe it was the second revision of the MacBook Pro. The first had a standard led, flush-mounted in the bezel. I noticed because I had a first gen, and when the new one came out, I saw the actual led was hidden and thought "Holy smokes, that's brilliant." #jonathaniveobjectified
@ludwigk: The first mac I had with a hidden indicator light was a G3 iBook. Not the clam shell one, but the first all white one, it had a very cool indicator light hidden next to the display release button.
And my big problem with PCs in general is the feeling that they just sort of figured out how bit the product would be, surrounded it in plastic, and called it a day. If it even looks like they tried to design a part, then it has touches, and finishes that look like they'd appeal to 7 year old Joel, not 25 year old old. Like that HP laptop that was on here not too long ago, it was obviously "inspired" by the macbook pro, but then they put that weird circular pattern thing on some of the surfaces that just looked ridiculous. I mean don't they realize adults are their main market. I'm not discounting kids that get computers, but c'mon, why does it have to look like something out of a bad sci fi. #jonathaniveobjectified
@Mark Zegarelli: You could be right. I've got the 2nd gen sitting in front of me now, and whenever I use the isight, its a tiny spark of joy to see the status LED. #jonathaniveobjectified
@ludwigk: Oh, yah, fair enough, I have a macbook pro now, with the iSight light, and the first time I saw that, I was super confused, I thought "did I not notice the little black dot in my bezel before" so I closed out, and it just went back to looking like metal. And then I was really impressed... I still would like to know how they do that. #jonathaniveobjectified
Just saw it yesterday and the thought about the software was the same reaction I had. I felt like they touched onit only slightly, then never mentioned it again at a deeper level. But otherwise an amazing film.
What amazes me is how many objects we interact with every day feel like they weren't designed on purpose at all. I can't count the number of times I've said, "Didn't the guy who made this ever try *using* it? How could these faults not be obvious?"
Digital clocks are probably the worst. I tried to write a book one time about good design and poor design, but I never got beyond my hatred for digital clocks. They've finally started getting a little better in the last 5 years or so.
That reminds me of the Sony digital alarm clock/radio at the "Hotel Del" in San Diego about 3 years ago. I, an engineer, could not figure it out. When I called the front desk for guidance, they said they could not operate them either!
11/27/09
11/27/09
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11/27/09
They are stupid expensive but worth it.
11/27/09
Until the replacements are on his bob, that pretentious bloke can piss off. There's nothing wrong with iPhone cases.
11/27/09
I generally like to preserve both these aspects of my devices. But if I have to sacrifice one it'd be the looks every time. A broken device is useless and therefore its design is useless. There's only so much you can appreciate about the design of a paperweight.
Plus unless you have money to burn on replacements then if you crack or scratch your phone generally its design and beauty are ruined anyway so you've lost both. Better to sacrifice some measure of style for the security of keeping your investment intact.
My advice is just don't buy ugly cases. Get a nice one, keep your beautiful screen unscratched and fully functional.
* The second thing I did was jailbreak it.
11/27/09
11/26/09
11/25/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
Apple has been hiding indicator lights for a while, but I first noticed this style of hiding an LED behind a metal bezel with micropores on one of the portables as part of the integrated iSight. I think it was the first intel MacBook Pro. #jonathaniveobjectified
11/07/09
11/08/09
And my big problem with PCs in general is the feeling that they just sort of figured out how bit the product would be, surrounded it in plastic, and called it a day. If it even looks like they tried to design a part, then it has touches, and finishes that look like they'd appeal to 7 year old Joel, not 25 year old old. Like that HP laptop that was on here not too long ago, it was obviously "inspired" by the macbook pro, but then they put that weird circular pattern thing on some of the surfaces that just looked ridiculous. I mean don't they realize adults are their main market. I'm not discounting kids that get computers, but c'mon, why does it have to look like something out of a bad sci fi. #jonathaniveobjectified
11/08/09
11/08/09
11/08/09
05/18/09
04/23/09
04/22/09
Digital clocks are probably the worst. I tried to write a book one time about good design and poor design, but I never got beyond my hatred for digital clocks. They've finally started getting a little better in the last 5 years or so.
04/23/09
That reminds me of the Sony digital alarm clock/radio at the "Hotel Del" in San Diego about 3 years ago. I, an engineer, could not figure it out. When I called the front desk for guidance, they said they could not operate them either!
04/23/09
Just stick with my mobile's alarm clock, which, interestingly, is rather well designed...