Design and Shlock
Here is yet another example of the difference between Apple and Microsoft. This pic is M$'s newest keyboard. It looks like something you might see in the next Batman movie in the Bat Cave. Not on millions of desktops. Talk about ugly. Does Apple really have the market on good designers all locked up? I have a hard time believing M$ can't come up with something better. Even Apple's failures are better examples of good design than M$'s best work.
I have to believe it comes from the attitude and culture in Redmond. There is some kind of vortex of mediocrity that pervades the entire company. I recognize it because I have experienced it. It's weird. Examples of good industrial and UI design are few and far between at M$.
The next example of bad design will be M$'s new Zune iPod mimic unit to debut later this year. Have you seen pics of it? Ick. It's like they have made a conscious decision to have bad design. I can hear the conversation in executive offices in Redmond now, "Well, Apple has all the good design. So, what do you say we be number 1 in bad design! Yes, let's start a new business unit, fund it with 1Billion dollars and 2000 people and get right to it."
posted by Kevin @ 4:49 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with the Zune. It's ugly as hell, Microsoft will not initially have video downloads, and Apple has really set the stardard with the look and useability of iTunes.
The Zune has some interesting features... It's screen is twice as big, wifi, DJ mode (broadcasting), and FM radio. Interesting, but how useful? Did they pack too much in instead of doing one thing *really* good- like an iPod? These additional features, aside from wifi, would seem to be targeted toward teenagers.
I really thought we'd see a larger screen in the video iPod and wifi. However, I have to believe that Jobs isn't asleep at the click wheel here... Of course, like you, he may just be looking at the Zune and thinking "what? me worry? you couldn't give that ugly piece of crap away!"
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