Yeah, we're surprised to hear it too. Nevertheless, word coming out of the SegwayChat forums has Doug Field, Chief Technology Officer at Segway, heading to Apple as VP of product design. What makes the move oh so interesting is the history between Jobs and Field. See, back in the early days, when Segway was still Ginger and Dean Kamen was harvesting pre-launch industry reactions, Kamen brought the people mover to Steve Jobs. El Jobso's reaction to Field's design is the stuff of Harvard Business school legend:
"I think it sucks," said Jobs, "Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic."
How times do change.
Read -- Doug Field joining Apple
Read -- Steve Jobs' thoughts on Segway design
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Josh @ Jul 7th 2008 2:19AM
They still have Jonathan Ive. They still are completely set.
Noir @ Jul 7th 2008 1:01PM
Yar, Ive is seriously a talented engineer
Anamorphy @ Jul 7th 2008 4:54PM
- Knock! Knock!
- Who´s there?
- Interrupting El Jobso
- Interrupting w...?
- YOU SUCK!!!
V3LOCIP3D3 @ Jul 7th 2008 2:20AM
Damn, Jobs is so right!
I can never find products that feel anthropomorphic enough these days . . .
MarkZ @ Jul 7th 2008 6:47AM
I think it's quite clear: Steve Jobs is a disgusting furrie.
Cunthor @ Jul 7th 2008 2:24AM
How can a quasi-wheelchair be 'elegant'?
andy @ Jul 7th 2008 3:52AM
ask quasimodo
Steventm @ Jul 7th 2008 2:28AM
Macs on wheels? This will get the company rolling.
yode @ Jul 7th 2008 2:43AM
oh I see what you did there...
TC @ Jul 7th 2008 6:23AM
I now see what they mean about Apple Servers not falling over....
Jason @ Jul 7th 2008 2:32AM
Time to sell my Apple stock...
wait, just kidding, I can't afford Apple stock
Kizorblade @ Jul 7th 2008 10:42AM
Apple stock is a poor man's Google stock.
thewanggao @ Jul 7th 2008 2:38AM
Wow. Tables turning! Hope Apple can keep designing works of art!
Alexander
http://fastforwardrevue.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/411-a-google-odyssey/
DYMongoose @ Jul 7th 2008 5:30PM
I don't want my computer to be a work of art, I want it to be functional and fully compatible with as much as possible.
twentythousandleaguesunderthesea @ Jul 7th 2008 2:43AM
I always though Jonathan Ive was Apples SVP of product design. I now find he actually is senior VP of industrial design. How do these two positions differ? Does the Product Design president decide what a product will do and how it will do it, while the Industrial Design person decides what it will look like?
JeffM @ Jul 7th 2008 3:05AM
@ 20kluts: My experience is generally as you've stated- Industrial Design guys own things like the plastics and exterior design- depending on the company and the product they can manufacture things from the outside in (like Apple seems to on many of their products) or try and wrap plastics or some type of case around a printed circuit board (Korean and Chinese manufacturers of adapters & key drives for example)
Ryan Valle @ Jul 7th 2008 2:45AM
perhaps, they are finally working on that "iCar" and needs somebody to design it?
digitallysick @ Jul 7th 2008 2:48AM
Segway rocks , i think its amazing technology and i love the idea
Steven @ Jul 7th 2008 4:16AM
Maybe it does, but it doesn't sell. Jobs wants to sell, make money, preferably lots of it.
From a business perspective he was right when he dismissed the Segway, but he uses the wrong adjectives (not innovating?).
The Segway's failure doesn't mean that there should be anything wrong with Field. Things like this happen when you want to be innovative. Jobs probably remembered Lisa. We'll have to wait and see what Field can do for Apple. If his first two products for Apple fail, you may say he stinks.
sinai @ Jul 7th 2008 3:00AM
now all Jobs needs to do is hire someone with the last name "Reality" and another named "Distortion"
allislost @ Jul 7th 2008 3:26AM
Dude you're in engadget. No one is gonna get that joke.
Brentt @ Jul 7th 2008 3:49AM
kekeke
loosely_coupled @ Jul 7th 2008 5:14AM
That was a terrible..
Mile @ Jul 7th 2008 7:04AM
I don't get it.
Kevin @ Jul 7th 2008 12:34PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field
deyanimay @ Jul 7th 2008 8:39AM
"Reality" "Distortion" "Field"
Josh* @ Jul 7th 2008 9:47AM
Hey, I got it.
But then I do work at Apple
Mile @ Jul 7th 2008 1:30PM
Might be easier to just hire one person named Baseball.
AdamK @ Jul 7th 2008 3:48AM
The segway may be hideous and perhaps a little uncool, but as digitallysick said, the segway contains some revolutionary technology. Perhaps the iPhone comes with no dock is a future plan to make it balance itself...okay...that's absurd, disregard.
o rly @ Jul 7th 2008 3:59AM
Hypocrisy from Steve Jobs? that's unpossible!
Steven @ Jul 7th 2008 4:18AM
What hypocrisy? He buys Field, not the Segway.
And even if he bought the Segway, he can always say he changed his mind. Happened to me once.
Zak @ Jul 7th 2008 12:25PM
Why is it hypocrisy on Jobs' part? Is it not possible that Field just thought a job at Apple suited his talents better than working for Kamen?
Geir E @ Jul 7th 2008 4:24AM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nEVO2ywceyk
this is a classical 'opinions change over time' video to remind the anti-apple fanboys that their cult leader hasn't always kept direction.
But fun to see what the new blood can do, the macbooks and (i)mac have kept its shape for quite a while now. Time for some new ideas.
Zak @ Jul 7th 2008 12:29PM
How do you know Jobs' opinion of the Segway has changed? He's not hiring the Segway or Kamen. For that matter, Field didn't design the Segway - he was Kamen's CTO. Kamen designed the Segway.
To be extra super clear, Field is taking a different job at Apple than the job he had with Kamen. CTO for Kamen, VP of product design for Apple. Two different things.
erikcantu @ Jul 7th 2008 6:30AM
i bet The Woz is stoked about this
CosterMonger @ Jul 7th 2008 9:52AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pld9t19WGSc
you said it.
ShadowKain @ Jul 7th 2008 8:22AM
Quite hilarious guys, its like Jobs coming to terms with that kid he didnt like from junior high. Play nice Steve Joobies!
neofolklore @ Jul 7th 2008 8:23AM
"You see me roll on my segway
I know in my heart they think I'm
White and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Can't you see I'm white and nerdy
Look at me I'm white and nerdy "
I saw this coming from a mile away actually.
MickeyMoo @ Jul 7th 2008 8:33AM
re: Hipocracy: One of Jobs money quotes was that the "ginger" was so revolutionary - so game changing that cities would be re-architected for it. reading the linked Harvard article one gets the impression he flip-flopped on that one.
re: industrial design vs product design - one chooses the plastics most likely to yellow or crack with use (macbooks, cube) the other decides that your keyboard should look like a cheeto dust terrarium.
Decoy @ Jul 7th 2008 3:59PM
Interesting, post a link.
Pochi @ Jul 7th 2008 8:55AM
Insightful.
theyer @ Jul 7th 2008 9:00AM
It's a weird combo, but what I really wanted to say was, great illustration! I regularly chuckle at your graphics, but this one's great.
Blaktornado @ Jul 7th 2008 10:19AM
The iPod Touch will literally become the training wheels of the iPhone!
roach @ Jul 7th 2008 12:22PM
Apple been pumping out nice design product with little in regards to ergonomic...maybe they felt it was time to start adding ergonomic to their design.
Devon @ Jul 7th 2008 1:11PM
Excellent. Two companies with completely useless products coming together into one techno-fashionista bundle that no outargeously-priced-style-over-substance connoisseur will be able to resist!
OddManOut @ Jul 7th 2008 1:21PM
"I think it sucks," said Jobs, "Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic."
Funny...I've always thought this about most APPLE products...which are nonetheless wildly popular (in theory anyway...the iPod most definitely is in the market place as well, and since iMac and OSX they haven't really had a computer design that didn't do reasonably well, even though their market share is technically small...). Sounds like they've got the right man for the job...
Well...'elegant' ? I guess most Apple products do have the elegance of simplicity...which (more on my personal opinion) I do like. But 'plain+white' is hardly innovative...
In any case, I don't think his Steveness personally designs very many of Apples products anyway...so what does his personal taste really matter ? I think one of the hallmarks of a good 'brain' (business leader / tycoon / entrpenuer(sp?) / huckster) is being able to relegate personal taste (and occasionally morals) to the background, and focus on pleasing the potential customer.
ie Jobs doesn't have to like something in order to sell it...
And, in the realm of Apple products, sometimes I think the public doesn't have to like a product before they BUY it...Mac Book Air anyone ?
lowdef @ Jul 7th 2008 3:01PM
actually jobs dictated to designers how the iphone was to be laid out...he wanted a phone with no buttons and i guess they failed him and had to put on 4 buttons and a silent/ring switch...they were never heard from again...
Frankie Levin @ Jul 7th 2008 1:43PM
isn't apple already so far ahead of the competition when it comes to design? oh, there's the Samsung Instinct now though.
Unknown @ Jul 7th 2008 2:28PM
Ok, I read the article about the meeting to introduce Ginger to Jobs and the other key players. Have to admit, my admiration of Jobs has grown exponentially. I think it would be challenging to work with him, but man does he possess a savant type wisdom about business & technology or what? Majorly impressed.
rongold @ Jul 8th 2008 12:38AM
As I remember "It", Steve Jobs was the primary proponent of the Segway. All the enthusiasm that surrounded "It" was born from Jobs.
People should get their facts straight.