Simple Design

I'm thinking about design right now and reflecting on Apple's success. It seems that almost everything they design floors people.

But when I first looked at the Nano, I thought, "So?" It looks just like the iPod (regular), but smaller. Nothing has changed.

Precisely.

It actually got simplified even more. My iPod Mini looks like a clunker compared to this sleek little machine.

When I popped into the Apple store in Palo Alto, I asked the salesguy about added features. Not much more. Colour screen. Photos (thumbnails, not storage).

"Um, does it take my audiobooks and podcasts out of my music rotation?" No. "Is there a way to transfer my Mini data onto the Nano?" Um, no. "Does it have bluetooth?" No.

"Oh...okay. I still want one. Could I get the 4 gig to go?" Sorry, we are sold out and have a 50 machine backup. Would you like to get on the list?

Well, of course!

Of the two people I've physically encountered that already bought the Nano haven't even appeared to put songs onto it. I swear, they bought it to gaze longingly at it.

Many people have asked me, "What it is about the iPod that makes it better than other MP3 players?"

Well, duh, it's pretty. And simple. Dead simple. It may well do stuff I don't know about, but all I care is that it looks good and plays my music. There aren't any additional 'quick' anything buttons to clutter it up. The menu is extremely simple. They don't try to accomodate everyone's needs.

They wait for the marketplace to do that. Plug and play. Anything beyond that is excessive.