Think Apple's designs are new?

Pyro Pilots Lounge. For all topics *not* covered in other DBB forums.

Moderators: fliptw, roid

Post Reply
User avatar
Top Wop
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 5104
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2000 3:01 am
Location: Far from you.
Contact:

Think Apple's designs are new?

Post by Top Wop »

Nope.

http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-p ... les-future

An interesting look on how Apple obtained some of their ideas for product design.
User avatar
WillyP
DBB Ace
DBB Ace
Posts: 461
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:57 pm
Location: NH
Contact:

Post by WillyP »

I hardly think so. Explain to me how these two are so similar, that any simularity is not just a matter of following the same, common design philosophy:

Image


You might as well say Apple copied this:

Image

But of course, Rams has always been credited as an influential designer, and certainly the designers at apple where aware of his works... It's just kinda silly to pick one designer out of the many and say 'oh look... apple must'ave copied this or that...'
User avatar
Genghis
DBB Newbie
DBB Newbie
Posts: 1377
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 1999 3:01 am
Location: Ithaca, NY, USA

Re:

Post by Genghis »

WillyP wrote:I hardly think so. Explain to me how these two are so similar, that any simularity is not just a matter of following the same, common design philosophy:

But of course, Rams has always been credited as an influential designer, and certainly the designers at apple where aware of his works... It's just kinda silly to pick one designer out of the many and say 'oh look... apple must'ave copied this or that...'
Not only did you post one of the least convincing pairs of photos in the article, you also seem to have missed the end of the article, where it concludes (just as you do) that these are not "copies" but rather just influences.

But you seem to know who Rams is so you probably know more about the subject than I. I'm just saying that yes, some of those resemblances are pretty uncanny.
User avatar
WillyP
DBB Ace
DBB Ace
Posts: 461
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:57 pm
Location: NH
Contact:

Post by WillyP »

I picked those two pictures mainly because they were first. My point was not that Dieter Rams was not influential on Apples designs, but that there were so many other designers who also were. Singleing out one particular designer is implying that Apple copied this designer. Sure, there are some simularities, but there are thousands of products out there you could say that about.

Take the perforated metal on the radio. That design has been used on radios since before Rams's time. The pic I posted is of the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, sometime prior to 1956. It's all about clean, functional design, as opposed to the ornate design previously known.
User avatar
Duper
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 9214
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2001 3:01 am
Location: Beaverton, Oregon USA

Post by Duper »

*shrug*

fashion is fashion. There hasn't been anything truly original in decades.
User avatar
Pandora
DBB Admiral
DBB Admiral
Posts: 1715
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2000 3:01 am
Location: Bangor, Wales, UK.

Post by Pandora »

Braun's products are famous for their industrial design (even now). I think you can hardly find a more flattering comparison for Apple.
It's all about clean, functional design, as opposed to the ornate design previously known.
Exactly. That's one of the reasons I like Apple so much: at the moment they seem to be the only one's in the whole industry who a are interested in this philosophy of design at all (with the exception of Audi in the car business). And it shows not only in the industrial design of the products, but in the design of the OS's GUI as well.
User avatar
JMEaT
DBB Meat ByProduct
DBB Meat ByProduct
Posts: 10047
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 1999 3:01 am
Location: USA

Post by JMEaT »

Some of those comparisons are a stretch...
User avatar
Kyouryuu
DBB Alumni
DBB Alumni
Posts: 5775
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 1999 2:01 am
Location: Isla Nublar
Contact:

Post by Kyouryuu »

Insomuch as I used to bash Apple, my attitude about them really changed when I broke down and bought an iPod. I really think it exhibits brilliant industrial design. The click wheel is one of the most elegant and intuitive control mechanisms I've ever seen on a music player, although it would be all for naught if the UI didn't follow in the same simple, straightforward design. Fortunately, it does.

I think here lies a strong difference between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft's approach tends to take something that is complicated and graft enough tool tips and help text onto it until it \"becomes\" user friendly. Apple's approach has deeper roots - make it uncomplicated in the first place and the rest is gravy.
Post Reply