Apple's Jony Ive waxes eloquently about new iMacs on video
By Donald Melanson 
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:48PM
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:48PM
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As a professional photographer looking for a new desktop, it would have been nice is Mr. Ives would have included a non-glare option to that "display, no display" iMac.
His pace reminds me to Leary... "...that there are 28 letters in between"
and a blu-ray player so that we could backup our home movies at $3/25GB and watch real HD content
This pic in the article SCREAMS for a "Dat ass" caption.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8309/reflectionsgg0.jpg
If you're a real pro, you shouldn't be using an iMac.
If you're a professional, you're not using your computer with a southern exposed window behind you, which is the only case where a reflective screen would bother you and a matte screen would be equally bad.
I love that guy. He's cool and humble.
I concur, this is one of the most humble and down to earth guys if you watch interviews, as apposed to people like steve jobs, or Dyson
ha ha the other guy looked like he was high, look at his eyes (they're read)
hahhaha, so lame. so, so lame. he acts as if its a brand new refreshed design that hasn't been around for years.
I don't see how it's lame... it's not revolutionary, but it's great to see someone who's this passionate about industrial design talk about the rationale that went into the finished product.
Yeah, if only he'd jump around like a rapid fat slob, errr... I mean Steve Ballmer.
"... this is one of those fantastic opportunities to be very clear about what's right and what we don't want to change so that we can put all of our energy behind those aspects of the product that we can make better."
This is a quote straight from the video. It sounds like he is acknowledging that this is an evolutionary product. How is he talking about it like it hasn't been around for years?
You have no idea what you are talking about.
To me, it sounds like Jordan is pretty much on target, if maybe a bit harsh. It's a brushed aluminum box with a screen. Everyone knows the smallest bezel possible is what you want. There's not much more to do with it. It's great that Mr. Ive is passionate about his job, but this is a slick video designed to sell Macs. I own Macs. I like Macs. But I don't think any reasonable person is going to jump up and down looking at the "new design" compared to the "old design".
...he looks like [in typical blithering idiot fashion]...
...he is trying to figure out how to eat something bigger than his head...
i wanna know what hes smoking!!!!
This pic needs an "invisible cheezburger" caption.
"It's just display, and then no display.."
He sounds like Nigel.
It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black.
"it's just display then a bit if black bezel that we coved with glass and then no bezel"
nah... doesn't have the right feeling. lets just not talk about that bezel.
It could be blacker. Blacker is more black than black.
"it's just display, and then no display"
When I read the review I was hoping that I could get 6 of these hooked together with a ATI 5870, and eyefiniti...but then I saw the video :(
it would be display, then really thick black, then more display, then really thick black.
I could probably fit several windows 7 task bars in all that wasted space!
"This piece is called 'Lick My Magic Mouse'."
Then what is that ugly aluminimum part with a weird black icon doing underneath that display? So it is "Display, then a fu-bar, then no display".
Display display display display... NO DISPLAY
It's magical.
it goes great in my office and in the no office too... (what?)
This guy is SO full of himself it is amazing!
Considering he's personally won awards for industrial design, and has been honored as a CBE in the Order of the British Empire, I'd say rightfully so he's full of himself.
"Nothing to get in the way of your content…" except a big Apple logo staring at me on the bottom.
I guess they presume if the screen is 27" you won't need to adjust the height on it?
Ya I'm pretty sure every review I read on monitors these days reams the manufactures for not adding height adjustment, mostly because its something that should come standard. But like I fully believe, Apple's Marketing Team does such an amazing job that they make you buy products that made by any other manufacture you would steer clear of.
There is 1 reason why there is no height adjustment: because you don't need it. I never-ever wanted to height-adjust my 30" HD Cinema display or my iMac.
not sure if you own an iMac or have used one at end. I have had my 24" iMac (old design with white case) for about 2.5 years now (when the intel versions first came out) and can comfortably say that at 24", when i'm working with the content on the screen, i don't see the apple logo at the bottom. on a 27" version - well, that can only be even less of a distraction. and height adjustment? it tilts, adjustment not needed. if you need height adjustment, you either have the wrong size desk which can be fixed with the simple solution of a few textbooks. i have never felt the need to adjust the height of my mac that couldn't be compensated with a slight tilt.
>and height adjustment? it tilts, adjustment not needed. if you need height adjustment, you either have the wrong size desk which can be >fixed with the simple solution of a few textbooks. i have never felt the need to adjust the height of my mac that couldn't be compensated >with a slight tilt.
Right, its just like when I got my new car. It had no tilt-wheel so I simply had to get my spine adjusted. The seat wouldnt move forward or backward either, so I simply got my legs shortened.
See, Apple computers don't fit into your world, you fit into theirs. You just need to learn to do without a 10-key, and you need to get a new desk, etc.
My god everybody that works for Steve Jobs talks EXACTLY like him. Its Hilarious!
+1
I've observed that also. Maybe it's like the movie "being John malcovich"... Steve has gone inside steve and is surrounded in world of steves. Hmmmm
And this is why Apple is kicking ass and taking names.
Except Mr Ivys is a British version of his Jobsness, oozing with that British accent. Yet trying to convey sweet nothings about the design.
Come on: Jonny. Give us "push pop-out" drawer type design for the RAM slots, for the HDD and for the DVDrom. It is the sort of practical design values users will really appreciate.
So... since these things support video IN, is it possible to use one in a small home theater setup by plugging an HD cable box into it or something? That would be nifty.
His pace reminds me to Leary... "...that there are 28 letters in between
All I heard him say is that they were too lazy to actually revisit the product and truly improve it. A larger display where the glass stretches all the way to the edge does not impress consumers.
"there are no visual interruptions, distractions. there's just no other noise" what about the apple?!
Read that quote over and over until you understand what he's saying.
Am I the only one that thinks that Jony Ive looks just like Jason Statham?
I think this video sums up exactly what bores me to death about Apple's hardware design; it's that laziness that sets in once they know they've "got it right". The only thing that follows the original visual wow is a series of marginal tweaks to the design and they *know* they don't have to challenge themselves because their current reputation as electronics design trendsetters allows them the luxury of not bothering to compete on visuals.
Even when they release an entirely new product, It's become entirely too predictable to guess what it'll look like because they have a house style that they'll never deviate from until a competitor takes a huge chunk out of their market share. The counter argument is that it's pointless wasting money on R&D to change up a notch if you're raking in cash, but as time goes on, it's that creeping complacency that's making Apple as unimaginative and bloated as they claim their competitors are.
I think that Apple are pretty good with evolving products, think of this compared to the original iMac with the CRT and plexiglass casing...
They do change up style, it just takes awhile. The powerbooks had the aluminum enclosure for years (2002 - 2008? something like that) before going unibody. The imacs had the half-dome body/neck/floating screen for awhile. Their products go through design iterations, but you don't fix what still works.
"Even when they release an entirely new product, It's become entirely too predictable to guess what it'll look like because they have a house style that they'll never deviate from until a competitor takes a huge chunk out of their market share."
Isn't exactly that what all companies are aiming for? Remove all the Apple logos and you still can say if it's an Apple product. They are unique. I'm pretty sure that they've already got plans for the next design evolution which is coming in a couple of years - but they use it just in time when it's needed. And that's when the competition starts getting good at copying.
Have a look at the new models of Mercedes. They look way more "Mercedes like" now. They had wonderful cars a few years ago, but they just looked like BMWs. Or watch how the design of Audi evolved during the last years. Not to speak of companies like Band & Olufsen.
Why change what works? The current iMac is really just an evolved version of the first Mac. While there have been large changes, they have been few and far between. The PowerMac line had some machines that were like larger versions of the first Mac. The first iMac got rid of some boxiness and the floppy. The G4 iMac was a fluke. The G5 iMac was a return to the old design with an LCD in place of the CRT. Conceptually, except for the disc drive being on the side, the current iMac is very similar in design to every computer Apple has ever made with a built in screen going back to 1984 except for the G4 iMac and the Lisa 2.
So you think they should change things just for the sake of it? That's silly. No need to mess with a good design.
@orinjz
I have to say, and I'm not trying to poke fun at Microsoft just for the sake of it, what you mentioned sounds just like IE. They led the browser market, then just didn't bother with it until Firefox started gnawing at their ankles.. to appropriate what you said:
"it's that laziness that sets in once they know they've 'got the market'. The only thing that follows the original feature extravaganza is a series of marginal fixes to the bugs and they *know* they don't have to challenge themselves because their current position as market share leader allows them the luxury of not bothering to compete on features."
The only difference is their motivation. Apple (or maybe just Jony) is focussed on bringing the best products—as they see it—to the market. The majority of Microsoft just seem to follow the path of least work—which does make business sense, if nothing else.
And to placate the fanpeople, I'm not too hot on some of Apple's design decisions the last few years; they feel like they're losing their touch with the userbase (replace the EC slot with an SD card reader 'cos no one uses it? wth?); on the other hand, Microsoft labs have some amazing things in development!
I love the fact that they show case the iMac as people would showcase a new design concept car.. or something like that. But overall, just love the way they market their products. However, I still can afford a mac :(
"...there are no visual interruption, distractions, no other noise...everything is about the display..."
well Jony, you missed that big black high-contrast Apple logo in the middle, not to mention the high-gloss reflection of your face, right where "your content" are...
Apple industrial design has always been very attractive since Ive joined Apple (except those original fruity iMacs). I'm not an Apple fan but I give them props there! If only they would get off the mirror-like displays I might actually consider buying something....
I think the design is wonderful, but they need to quit saying this nonsense about the display going to the edge. It doesn't. The glass does, but if glass = display, then I have a 150" display right in front of me.
Great Music. if anyone knows the name of the songs I'd appreciate the names. thanks
Most of you have no idea what it is to create or design something. It is easy to pick on the "flaws" of a design when you have not done it. It is human nature to nock down someone when we lack those skills or attributes, to make us feel better about ourselves.
If most of you can came up with better, instead of bashing or complaining about....go out and do it, improve on it, innovate!!! sell it, market it...unitl you do that you have no right to complaint.
No one is putting a gun to you heads and saying you have to like it....grow up people, I seen 2 years olds with more sense than these forums.
We are consumers.
We critique their design choices with our mouths and our wallets; they expect us to...if they don't, they're in the wrong business.
They should always have our interests at heart when they put pen to paper because WE'RE the ones who are going to use their products.
They should never be put on a pedestal because their breath taking visions can become our usability nightmare.
Incidentally, the old "if you think you're so great, why don't you do it" argument is the kind of spurious nonsense kids in the playground come up with in order to silence any and all criticism.
"Consumers" don't care about design choices. Microsoft for example knows what people care about, their advertising reflects it:
"Buy our shit, it's CHEAP!"
http://imgur.com/1fGNo.jpg
Yup, that's the "no display" zone alright...
Actually, I'm pretty sure that's where the LCD panel ends. When you buy a display, do you just buy an lcd panel and glue it to your wall? Give them enough time and they'll figure out how to push all the pixels to the edge. At least its a high contrast black bezel that draws your eyes to the LCD, instead of a cheap textured plastic bezel like their PC competitors. You might not like it, but you don't have to. Simply don't buy it.
I'm pretty sure he waxes eloquent. If he were to wax eloquently, there would be some polishing involved.
Wth is this guy talking about. This is redicoulous.
My iphone has display and then no display. Wait, so does my TV, and my pc monitor.
get out of here. I wasted 2 minutes watching that junk and he just talked about the screen. Hey they got the glass to go al the way to the edge of my ipod 5 gen!
screen no screen baby.
where is bruno when you need him. I am sure he would get the same results from this guy when he interviews a fashion designer
seriously the tag line at the end of that should be been
"Making simple things, simpler"...Or
"Making simple things, better"...Or my personal favourite
"Making simple things, dumber" to really capture the iMac audience
What annoys me about the iMac is how Apple gets the ergonomics so wrong while creating such a pretty display.
Having your display at the proper height is critical, and unfortunately it's difficult to do with the iMac since there's only one height option. Dell, HP, and other mid-range displays are all height-adjustable; my Dell 3007WFP-HC (which unfortunately I no longer haver) moved at least 6 inches up and down.
If that's not bad enough, there's the glare. Not all of us have well-controlled diffuse indirect lighting; I personally have a window next to my monitor, and I can tell you that a glossy display is a non-starter during late afternoon.
Add to that the fact that the ports are all on the back, which makes them impossible to see from the front. Want to plug in a USB flash drive? You're going to be feeling around under the iMac or getting up and looking over it to find the port.
The new mouse? Instead of gestures for going back and forward, how about a thumb button like my Logitech G5 has? How about two actual buttons instead of one and a touch-sensitive surface?
It's great that the new iMac has an IPS display (my S-IPS 3007WFP-HC blew away the cheap TN display that I'm currently using), it's great that it's low power and quiet, and it's great that it is compact. But it seems that every Apple release is two steps forward and one step back. Apple's new keyboards (no number pad) and mice (gestures for forward/back) look cooler, but they are less usable. Apple's new iMac has a better screen but is more susceptible to glare than the iMac from 3 years ago.
If only we could now get rid of the apple logo - that's the biggest distraction.