[Sigia-l] Re: Design(ers) [was: is bad design a choice?]

[Karl Fast]

> And is there a bigger factor than (hw/sw/overall system) design that
> has contributed more to iPod's success?

Some possibles:

One could argue that the whole Napster-P2P file sharing thing which
preceded the iPod created a demand for digital music. Prior to that,
music was always associated with physical media. So the iPod didn't
need to convince people of the value of digital music. That was done
for them.

One could argue that increased storage capacity and decreased form
factors were critical. You couldn't build something that small until
a few years ago. It would be too big, require too much power,
generate too much heat, and hold too little tracks. Apple timed it
beautifully, something they didn't do with the Newton (the Palm got
it right) or the Cube (the mini timed it better).

One could argue marketing. The iPod marketing is superb. Much better
than products from anyone else. Jobs announces the iPod nano and it
makes headlines on CNN. When did that happen the last time Creative
Labs released a new MP3 player?

One could argue market segmentation. Whereas competitors like iRiver
and Creative Labs have over a dozen products, Apple has a handful.
And it easy to understand how each of them is different. Too much
choice can overwhelm consumers. The iPod choices are enough to cover
most of the market.

One could argue that the resurgence of Apple itself, prior to the
iPod was important. OS-X, iMacs, Powerbooks, iBooks, and so forth.
The company was stronger. There was excitement about Apple in
general. That makes it much easier to introduce a completely new
product line.

I think design is definitely a big factor. And perhaps the primary
one. But it seems a bit simplistic to call it the only factor, or
even the only important factor.

Still, saying that design is the biggest factor does mean that
designers everywhere can feel important about their work. And we
(designers) tend to think that we don't get enough credit. 



-- 
Karl Fast
http://www.livingskies.com/