<![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future - Gizmodo Comments]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future - Gizmodo Comments]]> http://gizmodo.com Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:44:47 EST Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:44:47 EST http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c4111295 I guess, it wont be surprising if someone point out the similarity between the Samsung's NV series camera to some 6's Leica camera. - Haobam

haobam

]]> 4:343641:c4111295 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:44:47 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3973621 I found many of the above comments fascinating as so many in the US still think of Braun as the company that makes coffee machines, hairdryers and electric tooth brushes and very little else. As many will know, it's very different in Europe where Braun produces a seemingly endless range of Bauhaus inspired objects covering virtually every branch of consumer electronic needs. A good example of this occurred in the early eighties when Dieter Rams attempted to export the Atelier sound system components to the US. In spite of the fact that Braun had a long and respected history in Western Europe for middle to high end stereo equipment, America still thought they were best at producing coffee machines and likely ill equipped to produce much else, let alone high end stereo equipment. Consequently the Braun Atelier system was marketed under the ADS or A/D/S labels and to this day many are surprised (and even slightly disappointed) to learn it was actually designed and manufactured by D. Rams and his designers at Braun A.G.

I think it's very encouraging to see a large receptive audience for the terrific designs Apple has been producing lately and although they are in fact not quite as original as most might think, they are at least (for the most part) clean, elegant and functional designs that often reflect the old Ulm school principals.

We have (hopefully) survived Memphis, Alchimia and Post Modernism. I'm pleased to see so many so pleased with good old fashioned design again.

Now if Apple would just get rid of that gaudy chrome on their current iPods, iPhone's etc I might remain a steady customer.

RNJH

]]> 4:343641:c3973621 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:29:04 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3858065 I had the incredible fortune to grow up in a house, where Braun-design was sacred. My parents owned the reel-to-reel, record player (without radio or cassette-deck), alarm clocks and calculator.

These things had a strange pull to them that our other electronics could never match. The materials and the feel of them are just incredible. It's hard to understand, if you've not held them in your hand. It's very much a tactile experience.

I swear, my parents still own all these things, some thirty years on; they seem unbreakable. Lack of obsolence is perhaps bad for business (to quote Asterix:Obelix & Co.), but incredible for consumer loyalty. To this day, my father will still pick the Braun-model over any competitor.

BTW the record players buttons function by way of a circuit, that connects when you touch them, and thus it registers which button you've pressed. Check out the close-up in the gallery. It is one sexy stereo component, even in the drab greenish-greyish colour Braun favoured.

Sorry if this post is a bit on the mushy side. I am still in love with these designs, for they are truly classic. Thanks to Jesus for taking the time to re-acqauint me with things long forgotten.

QueerPunk

]]> 4:343641:c3858065 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:18:01 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3808200 I also dig the philosophy of Jacob Jensen. Check this quote about perfecting designs:

[blog.convos.com]

trush

]]> 4:343641:c3808200 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:56:10 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3805580 Jesus: Awesome post. I want to have your baby.

antonalfon

]]> 4:343641:c3805580 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:56:51 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3794329 :oD
Maybe we could name the next generation: Mac Shave Pro…
If we look at all articles like this one, It's clear that nobody has invented anything really new. Multi touch is an old project, Windows was "influenced" by MacOs who was "influenced", an so on. New stuffs works fine in a era, but not in others.
Anyway Man has never "created" something, but always improved by things around him. So Ive's not more a sponge than anyone else. It's just good to know that and sometimes surprising to see what it gives at last.

seboulba

]]> 4:343641:c3794329 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 06:18:30 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3758732 not all these designs are dieter rams, reinhold weiss gets confused for him all the time.

ewhewell

]]> 4:343641:c3758732 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:38:17 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3746813 Jonathan Ive is a sponge! Figures that this was all too good to be real...

djuoh

]]> 4:343641:c3746813 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:14:17 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3736243 Well thank god he's (strike) copying (strike) being influenced by a decent designer. But this observation isn't new; I mentioned it in a post on our blog ([www.rmmlondon.com]) and I'd taken that from an article in the FT ([www.ft.com]).

leoryan

]]> 4:343641:c3736243 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:53:51 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3733415 there is nothing creative in cutting someones else work and pasting it into a new piece...
and even iPod navigation is ripped - shit and ive loved it

its like:
-Jonathan we need design for our new "iGPS"
-ok ill check what else i can use

well there is more:
[youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com]





gardlo

]]> 4:343641:c3733415 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:57:09 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3728801 Props Jesus, very interesting.

Can you do a balance article on another computer/phone/software/music player company and dig up their design influences ... oh wait.

I suppose you could do Sony but then I don't think their influences are as clear cut as Apple's.

Maxwells_Nylon_Hammer

]]> 4:343641:c3728801 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:47:26 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3727322 I want those square lighters, and maybe that TV.

Jonn

]]> 4:343641:c3727322 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:08:16 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3714742 @Paducah:

Thanks for pointing this out, I was going to as well. Apple is just following a revised "modernist" theory that was perpetuated by the De Stijl movement and Bauhaus design philosophy. Instead of steel, glass and concrete, it's plastic and aluminum. Oud's "Voids, Spans, and Spaces" philosophy is close to what Apple likes. I don't think Apple is ripping off anything, they are just following a design philosophy that's been here since the 1900s.

Sweet article.

SubKamran

]]> 4:343641:c3714742 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:13:37 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3712425 More like Apple derived the design for the G5 and Power Mac case from Lian Li.

skallah

]]> 4:343641:c3712425 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:04:35 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3711423 I think these rules are not only good for product design but for communication design too. Everyone in the business should re-check their advertsing if it meets these rules, even the part "unobtrusive"!

KMTO

]]> 4:343641:c3711423 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 05:30:27 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3711069 A schoolmate had the white Braun stereo, so great.

Dieter Rams predates Bang & Olufsen, and he's Bauhaus not Danish modern.

The Braun wristwatch is PERFECT. I think Dietrich Lubs working under Dieter Rams designed it. There are many variants, none better than the AW20 with black strap... unhhhhharggh oooooooooo And compared to Bauhaus wannabes from Georg Jensen and Xemex, it's cheap (~$85 before the dollar tanked). In the '80s it was in all the museum stores, then Gillette (who own Braun, sacrilege!) gave it away with shavers, now it's unobtainable in the USA. I ordered several of them, plus the platinum AW50 and spare straps from timedesign.de.

"less, but better"

skierpage

]]> 4:343641:c3711069 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:38:47 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3709601 1. Garageband = [gizmodo.com]
damn

Macbook Air? or perhaps [gizmodo.com]

WalkerP

]]> 4:343641:c3709601 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:55:40 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3708583 Wow... Un-thought-out comment of the day award should DEFINITELY go SWAMPAPE. Way to comment on the article without even reading it.. or understanding copyright law, on even a fundamental level.

lpranal

]]> 4:343641:c3708583 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:18:33 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3707917 Hi! I'm Diogo, from the Mac & Etc blog at O Globo Online. Just wanna thanks Gizmodo guys for crediting my post on this article. I love this site and it's really really cool "being here", specially cause my site isn't even in english (but i think images do the work here).

My post was collection from a few other blogs posts. And searching for two or three of these references on google images i ended up finding the others. I just took these articles and put them all together. And still... you also found out a new one!

Diogo Werner

]]> 4:343641:c3707917 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:23:27 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3707656 I'm surprised no one mentioned that the picture "braun79" looks just like the Dash GPS.

TheCapt

]]> 4:343641:c3707656 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:02:44 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3705816 I do like Deiter's design, they still look nice today. I owned both an iMac G4, and iMac G5. Frankly, after looking at the iMac G4 for about 3 months, I thought the iMac G4 was still different, but was basically ugly. I thought that until I discarded it when the performance was unacceptable. I never really liked the style of the iMac G5, I bought it for the G5 processor, and 20" screen. A big chin may look good on some famous people, but I do not want a big chin on my computer.

Some people probably like the style of the G4, and G5 iMac's. I repect their opinions, I just have a different opinion about the designs after using both.

jimtravis

]]> 4:343641:c3705816 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:02:30 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3705689 I wish my tv-b-gone would turn this article off.

stinko

]]> 4:343641:c3705689 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:54:45 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3705456 They are similar because design is an artform - and artforms get perfected over time - so I think you are right on the money. That's why the many patents that get filed on interface designs are absurd.

LynnFredricks

]]> 4:343641:c3705456 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:43:16 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3705385 wtf. i love mac, always have, but the rip offs here are astonishing... isnt that copyright infringment?

SwampApe

]]> 4:343641:c3705385 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:39:23 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3705261 @Shoe: The calculator similarities were pointed out a long time ago. The original article on the UI is linked in the lead of this article.

I haven't included UI in the article because Ive is not responsible of that dept. (although it's logical to think the whole company is influenced by the works of Rams' as a product of the hardware design.)

Jesus Diaz

]]> 4:343641:c3705261 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:33:23 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3704567 oh crap- its right above me. what a silly man I am.

Shoe

]]> 4:343641:c3704567 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:00:10 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3704547 By the way- look at the Braun Calculator at the end of the photos. Those buttons are almost DUPLICATE of the calulator interface on the new iPhone. I really believe that all this similarity is no coincidence, and that Rams may indeed be a huge influence on Ive. (If someone else already posted this then my apologies- I came late to the game and didn't have hours to read all the cool discussion.)

Shoe

]]> 4:343641:c3704547 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:59:29 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3704430 Dieter Rams is one of the best designers EVER - and of COURSE Jonathan Ive will use him for inspiration! Open the calculator on an iPod touch and hey presto, you have a Dieter Rams Braun calculator! NOT Rip-offs at all - simply paying homage to one of the greats. I still have an original one of those calculators sitting on my desk in front of me!

ecobore

]]> 4:343641:c3704430 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:53:05 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3704332 Great article. I hadn't seen the T1000 radio before. I do have the fan, two watches, a clock and calculator, all Rams' design.

Maladjusted

]]> 4:343641:c3704332 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:48:15 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3701500 nice article, not in terms of Apple's Secret, but it's cool to revisit such beautiful designs 5 decades ago/

kittenman

]]> 4:343641:c3701500 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:02:54 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3700372 [www.vitsoe.com]

I have a few of his shelf systems integrated into my living room and office layout.

And, yes, I'm an unapologetic Mac user and enthusiast.

littleSavage

]]> 4:343641:c3700372 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:23:22 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3700162 Great article Jesus! LOL, I felt kinda religious back there for a moment. :P

Gonna store this on my favorites to shove it in Apple fanboys faces whenever they brag about Apple designs being SO ORIGINALLLLLL

I mean, it really is beaufiful. But even Jobs admited copying stuff once. And the worst type of fanboy is the ones who doesn't even know what they are talking about...

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

]]> 4:343641:c3700162 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:15:13 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699754 To be fair, the T3 pocket radio was "modeled" after a similar-looking Stone Age innovation -- the rock.

Suss--

]]> 4:343641:c3699754 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:59:55 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699560 I wouldn't be suprised if Steve Jobs had asked Ive to copy designs.

You have to admit, Steve was probably impressed at the time during his youth by designers from Braun, the designer of the egg chair, and not to mention all those James Bond movies.

I always imagined him as a martini guzzling, smoke jacket wearing, and schmoozing guy wanting to collect all the Nordic peoples' designers and put them in protective mylar while he tries to bid on Ebay for any house featured in a James Bond movie.

Jobs. Lounge Lizzard for life.

Kendra

]]> 4:343641:c3699560 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:53:00 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699531 @Jesus Diaz:
Ah, gotcha.

P.S. I like how you didn't defend yourself against my accusation, hehe.


packetsniffer

]]> 4:343641:c3699531 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:51:58 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699417 Big deal. You see rectangles and circles, you see white and aluminum. So they are similar? C'mon, gimme a break.

Design is about solving problems. Take apart an Apple product and study how Ive solves the user-problems, production-problems, and aesthetics-problems ( details ). It's friggn' insane. You can't get that kind of artistry without full understanding of the product and trying hundreds upon hundreds of good ideas and prototypes that's just not-quite-perfect.

liin

]]> 4:343641:c3699417 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:48:14 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699395 While Jonathan Ive may have blatently copied the LOOK of some of Dieter Rams designs, he HARDLY applied Rams philosophies. All Apple products are based on the concept of function following form. There is no greater example of this than the puck mouse. Remember that? The iMac it came with was equally dysfunctional in having a 13-inch screen in an era of 17-inchers, and no method for expandability other than a few serial ports.

As a matter of fact, it wasn't until the most recent of Macs that Apple supplies a mouse that finally catches up with designs dating back to the 20th century. Please.

The G5 may be a nice-looking machine, but don't accidentally smack body parts into it. I've had a fractured knuckle from trying to plug a USB cable into the front port by accidentally hitting the sharp, hard edge. No fun.

So no, while he may have copied the LOOK of Rams designs, he did not implement COMMON SENSE into the designs. In the world of Apple, looks are everything, functionally MAY be an option.

vidrazor

]]> 4:343641:c3699395 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:47:13 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699173 I find it disconcerting that Ives' original iMac design was garishly colored -- and frankly a bit tacky -- and his Braun-inspired work is so clearly different. It just seems so clear that Ives has become a celebrated designer as a direct result of the influence of the work he's decided to "appropriate."

Granted, Ives' contemporary re-imaginings of Rams' designs are beautiful and thoroughly modern. I much prefer Apple's designs to those of any other computer/CE manufacturer. I just wonder what Dieter Rams thinks of it.

mrface

]]> 4:343641:c3699173 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:39:10 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699156 Great article Jesus!

WE_DELIVER

]]> 4:343641:c3699156 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:38:33 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3699112 Wow, those folks really did some excellent original designs!

strider_mt2k

]]> 4:343641:c3699112 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:36:25 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3698619 Damn, just a little too late for the Sprokets reference. The influence is strikingly obvious; has Ive ever made mention of Ram's work as an inspiration?

miken32

]]> 4:343641:c3698619 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:19:48 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3698424 Deiter, would you like to pet my monkey and experience an ecstasy unparalleled only by walking naked through the downtrodden locales of South Berlin? enough! This is the time on Sprokets where we dance!

Seriously, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Dimplemonkey

]]> 4:343641:c3698424 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:12:05 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3698053 nice comparison!

chopstickhero

]]> 4:343641:c3698053 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:57:50 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697988 This is a great article, I wouldn't call it "rip-off's" they are inspirations. Both designers have created great products. If only todays Rock music would have more classic rock inspiration there would be more new music that was worth a sh!t.

RemyRed

]]> 4:343641:c3697988 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:55:41 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697949 I know I've seen that calculator before: iPhone...

For those who claim 'rip-off', know this: Shakespeare did not write original pieces, his work was mostly borrowed from other sources. Inspiration is not the same as 'rip-off'.

TC2COOL

]]> 4:343641:c3697949 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:54:04 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697861 Thank you, Jesus. Now I can say, "but, honey, it's ART!" when the FedEx guy shows up with my MacBook Air. ;)

bobdobbs

]]> 4:343641:c3697861 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:50:42 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697788 Just look at the calculator on iPhone and iPod touch....
A full copy of Rahms most famous calculator for Braun!

awheintz

]]> 4:343641:c3697788 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:47:33 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697622 @Jesus Diaz: Agreed.

hanswurst0815

]]> 4:343641:c3697622 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:41:46 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697605 Reel-to-reels ROCK!!!!! Wish there was some kind of modern equivalent...

Nothing said ''I'm smokin' hip'' like reel machines spinning back in the pad...

Just check ''Pulp Fiction''

W

Turbo Driver

]]> 4:343641:c3697605 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:41:16 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697578 Huh. That's actually interesting. I'm not sure we're going to see lighters tomorrow, but who knows?
Can't have fire without air...

Okay. I'm sorry. I'll go stand in the corner for that.

It was funny though.

munan

]]> 4:343641:c3697578 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:40:14 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697202 From Bauhaus, trace back to classical greek proportions and the golden section.

You can learn a lot from less is more.

RocketScientist

]]> 4:343641:c3697202 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:23:44 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3697150 @LittleJon: Everyone lives in my head.

jellobrains

]]> 4:343641:c3697150 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:21:18 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696966 It's important to appreciate that good design isn't just cooked up in the mind. It's inspired from other great designers too. Good design even from decades past shouldn't be abandonned for it's age, it should be given new purpose in ours. I think that's what Ive does.

scandalmonger

]]> 4:343641:c3696966 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:13:10 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696961 One of my favorite quotes (that i would have never known if not for Civilization 4)

"In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
Saint Exupery (apparently)

This seems to be very true for the designs that are so popular from Apple - not jamming latest doohicky-mobob just for the heck of it!


ChiefoftheChiss

]]> 4:343641:c3696961 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:12:55 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696937 Picasso once said that originality lay in having the most obscure sources for your ideas...

(and yes I know Rams is not obscure within design circles)

Death

]]> 4:343641:c3696937 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:11:38 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696928 @ Jesus Diaz - Great post. Totally inspiring.

imTheKing

]]> 4:343641:c3696928 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:11:23 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696654 Its just about clean lines people. The design truths are universal. Copying is done when there is no understanding of the product. Great art is all similar because it understands the design principles.

pancreas

]]> 4:343641:c3696654 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:00:13 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696550 @Jesus Diaz: OK, I've gotta give you that ;)

k3of4

]]> 4:343641:c3696550 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:56:07 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696268 Wow, scary when you see the radio next to the iPod.

Adam Rock

]]> 4:343641:c3696268 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:43:46 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696212 Have been on MoMa for about 3 times now. never notice tht similarity.

I guess because i just went on the free friday, and the museum was packed, with tourists

Jeremias

]]> 4:343641:c3696212 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:41:40 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3696043 @k3of4: No, if Microsoft does it, it's also art.

The problem is, they don't.

Jesus Diaz

]]> 4:343641:c3696043 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:34:57 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695976 It's only called a "rip-off" if Microsoft does it. For Apple it's just recycled art.

k3of4

]]> 4:343641:c3695976 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:31:48 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695968 wow the calculator is the SAME as the one on the iphone.

MrBlahBlah

]]> 4:343641:c3695968 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:31:25 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695918 @Jesus Diaz: THANK YOU, you do commercial art a great justice. Jesus you are great.

oo0cyst0oo

]]> 4:343641:c3695918 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:29:32 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695833 O.W.N.E.D.

Skoove

]]> 4:343641:c3695833 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:25:59 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695731 Incidentally, the Wikipedia article on Dieter Rams finishes with, "Rams' designs have been very influential on Jonathan Ive of Apple Computers, designer of such products as the iMac and the iPod."

LittleJon

]]> 4:343641:c3695731 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:22:24 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695581 @packetsniffer: Yeah. Artificial design > design that doesn't come from a natural need in the product. LIke adding a handle where no handle is needed just for the sake of it, because the designer thinks it looks better.

Jesus Diaz

]]> 4:343641:c3695581 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:16:01 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695451 Nice post, Jesus. Thanks for the overview. I was already familiar with Ram's work and it's influence on Ives but seeing the examples next to each other was definitely illuminating.
@DJ_Cob and Snoogans: Nope that's not it at all. That's like saying that Braun ripped off the watch face because it's round and has numbers and hands to point out the time or that every example of the numeric keypad we use today on phones , computers, and calculators are rip-offs of Rams keypad design for the Braun calculator. Both are technically true but meaningless.
A big part of design process is knowing what to leave in and what to leave out and what works and what doesn't work are is unlikely to work. Knowing what has worked in the past is a huge piece of the puzzle and suggesting that a design is stolen simply because it acknowledges prior work instead of emerging from some vaporous part of the artists imagination that is completely untouched by memory is moronic.
The iPod scroll wheel is a perfect example of something that was invented for one technology then retrofitted to fit another. It actually made more sense on the iPod 30 years later than it did on the radio.
That's not stealing. It's not even homage. It's just good design at work.
That Ives understands so well how that process works is a big reason why Apple is Apple and everyone else is trying to catch up.

The kool-aid works whether you drink it or not.

djfred

]]> 4:343641:c3695451 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:10:08 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695394 "...The similarities between products from Braun and Apple are sometimes uncanny, others more subtle, but there's always a common root which provides the new Apple objects not only with a beautiful simplicity but also with a close familiarity..."
Jesus, seriously, you sound near-orgasmic during this entire article.

"with no artificial design"
And what the heck are does that mean?



packetsniffer

]]> 4:343641:c3695394 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:07:21 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695357 Apple's design really isn't that innovative, however what it is is very un-American (I mean that in the sense of being not typical of an American company, rather than unpatriot!). Their look is very much grounded in European minimalism that dates back to Bauhaus in the 1920s.

While the US has had its (important) proponents of minimalism, the movement didn't have the same wide-spread impact that it did in Europe. As a result, Apple's design seems a lot more revolutionary to most Americans than it does to Europeans.

I'm not trying to take away from Apple's design work - I'm a fan of Jonathan Ive's work, but it has to be understood in the the context of all the great design that came before it.

p.s. What are all the "Lame" comments supposed to mean? That the central thesis of this article is false, or that Apple's design is lame? Or what? It's not for me to tell people how to post, but please write so that other people (who are not living in your head) can understand what your point is!

LittleJon

]]> 4:343641:c3695357 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:05:56 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695217 Had this been any other company the article would have been very different. Replace "Apple" with "Microsoft" for example and you wouldn't call it "a great evolution to classic concepts" but rather "yet more proof that Microsoft is incapable of innovation".

BoinK

]]> 4:343641:c3695217 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:00:08 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3695151

Amazing design never goes out of style.
by silverdote.

These are exceptional examples of good design, both in their genesis and modern use.
by the_caveat.
....
In the spirit of the article, recognizing those that have already said it clearly and succinctly.

92BuickLeSabre

]]> 4:343641:c3695151 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:57:42 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694757 I was shaving with my iPod just this morning.

geschmidtt

]]> 4:343641:c3694757 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:42:53 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694691 Wow! I totally had that squirrel-cage fan when I was younger (in the 80s). Really powerful for its size and whisper quiet. I had no idea it was a celebrated design.

adholmes

]]> 4:343641:c3694691 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:39:43 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694575 LAME.

theMockingNoob

]]> 4:343641:c3694575 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:34:53 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694574 thats kinda creepy.

Lavallee017

]]> 4:343641:c3694574 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:34:52 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694219 Dieter Rams' work for Braun has pretty much always been hailed as classic even when it was new. ICON magazine did a retrospective of his work a few years ago and the influence he had on Ive's work was mentioned there too.

nevin

]]> 4:343641:c3694219 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:20:46 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694149 Well done, the comparisons are great!

fusedinertia

]]> 4:343641:c3694149 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:18:14 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694141 Wow, my first read over here after 4+ years of Engadget, great article.

I'm somewhat surprised that it's Braun, the products pictured have more of a B&O look to them. I guess my only experience with Braun is standard looking coffee makers.

homant

]]> 4:343641:c3694141 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:17:53 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694113 Acually Dieter is a follower of the early 20th century Bauhaus School of Design - which created a modern 'less is more' and 'form follows function' in graphics (Helvetica type), products (Braun), and architecture (the glass and steel skyscrapers).

So Apple is not ripping of Dieter, they both were and are following the same design philosophy.

Paducah

]]> 4:343641:c3694113 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:16:34 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3694102 I suddenly feel the urge to listen to Kraftwerk now.

jonnyobrien

]]> 4:343641:c3694102 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:15:53 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693993 @Pope John Peeps II: Agreed. It might not be <200 words, but its a thinky-worthy, somewhat-servicey piece.

joshalism

]]> 4:343641:c3693993 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:11:14 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693877 Well... If you're going to steal, steal from the best.

These are exceptional examples of good design, both in their genesis and modern use.

/not a mac user
//design fanatic

the_caveat

]]> 4:343641:c3693877 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:05:55 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693819 If you think this is nifty, wait till you see what Andrew Ryan has come up with...

JesusDeSaad

]]> 4:343641:c3693819 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:02:38 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693711 GREAT ARTICLE: fascinating! When I was a kid I love Led Zeppelin because of their "originality." Then I found out years later that Jimmy Page was notorious for "Taking inspiration" from many sources and blatantly ripping off some old black artists who had no rights to their own material at the time. There's even a compilation CD called "Led Astray" featuring many of those tunes. But in the long run, like with APPLE, it's who refines the idea and gets it to market that gets rewarded. Sorry Dieter, life's not fair. Go APPLE!

bramachari

]]> 4:343641:c3693711 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:57:46 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693694 Wow! So cool to see that everything old IS new.....when i was a kid, we had a neighbor who was an artist---he had one of those cylindrical fans that moved a ton of air silently. Amazing design never goes out of style.

silverdote

]]> 4:343641:c3693694 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:56:42 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693691 @mrnako: Well, when retards find great articles lame, Giz knows it's doing something right. Why don't you plug back into Halo 3 and stop pretending you're interested in "reading" "words" about "ideas".

This is a terrific article. Those Rams designs are phenomenal! That watch is classic, and I really want one.

Pope John Peeps II

]]> 4:343641:c3693691 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:56:37 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693682 "Good artists copy, great artists steal"

showdoc

]]> 4:343641:c3693682 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:56:07 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693659 Man, that camera with THAT microphone is SO PORN!

Palestina

]]> 4:343641:c3693659 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:54:46 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693633 Gizmodo has once again proven that there is nothing new under the sun. Great article!

zenpoet

]]> 4:343641:c3693633 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:53:12 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693591 Superb Article!

aphex

]]> 4:343641:c3693591 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:50:58 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693544 So basically this article is saying that Apple really doesn't have any original ideas of their own despite what everyone thinks and just copies stuff from the 1960's that their target audience wouldn't recognize and pass it off as their own unique creation?

When Apple does it, it's a "great evolution to classic concepts." But when a company makes a cell phone that is rectangular and has buttons it's a rip-off. Once again iSheep have consumed the iKool-Aid.

Snoogans

]]> 4:343641:c3693544 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:48:40 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693525 ...so there is no such thing as an Apple rip-off? Just Braun rip-offs? Apple has been ripping of Braun... I feel like a college kid who just figured out that "Mrs. Robinson" by the Lemonheads was a remake. Oh well, que sera, sera.

dj_cobb

]]> 4:343641:c3693525 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:47:15 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693260 Really, really nice head-piece, Jesus. Really well-done. Most people don't realize that under the covers of our consumer culture there is a history of design and engineering that we all (hopefully) benefit from. Good companies leverage that history- and bad ones produce the Zune...

nat lyon

]]> 4:343641:c3693260 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:33:11 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693071 There's some seriously beautiful stuff there. The lighters make me want to smoke again, especially while listening to music on that wall mounted reel to reel... Then I'd head out with me droogs for a bit of the old ultra-violence.

hhaller

]]> 4:343641:c3693071 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:22:54 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693069 Awesome feature! Really shows how design comes around again.

Can't wait until rotary dials come back to phones...then my nightmares will be complete. CAN'T...DIAL...NUMBER!!! Anyone else in their 30s have nightmares of not being able to dial out since they were a kid? I think the only thing that would make rotary phones worse is if the holes were razor-sharp and the handset dispensed lemon juice.

rxse7en

]]> 4:343641:c3693069 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:22:50 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3693021 Nice job gizmodo!

PDSM

]]> 4:343641:c3693021 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:19:49 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3692982 even the braun calculator and the one on the iphone :) that is neat.

sryidc

]]> 4:343641:c3692982 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:17:27 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3692972 The MacBook Air is definitely an ultra-thin clock radio. With an iPod dock.

matt buchanan

]]> 4:343641:c3692972 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:16:58 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3692969 Wow this is lame.

mrnako

]]> 4:343641:c3692969 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:16:42 EST <![CDATA[1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future]]> http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future#c3692925 So... pocket calculators and record players for Macworld?

Gizmo

]]> 4:343641:c3692925 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:14:25 EST