What happens when it's all glass?

- Apple is pushing the boundaries of minimalism with their industrial design (to absurd levels in cases like the control-free iPod Shuffle). This is not necessarily better design, but it is the currently fashionable design. I would argue that the single button interface on the iPhone/iPad is an example of moving too far towards minimalism (from a purely functional perspective). The same button now performs different functions depending on how many times you press it and where you are when you press it, yet there is plenty of room for a second button.

- In my opinion, Apple's software is a mixed bag. I love the user experience in iOS, and OSX is my favorite desktop operating system, but I think iTunes is among the worst commonly used desktop applications available.

- All of these devices will be judged on categories beyond hardware/software in the future. For example, I expect a phone's ability to connect with important services to become increasingly scrutinized. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before we're all using something like Google Voice to manage our phone numbers. A device's ability to interface with these types of critical services could very easily become the killer app.

- A small point, but I think the comparison between a MacBook Pro an a Lenovo is a bit odd. ThinkPads are not far off from Apple in terms of build quality and are certainly more durable.

"One of our biggest insights [years ago] was that we didn't want to get into any business where we didn't own or control the primary technology because you'll get your head handed to you.

"We realized that almost all - maybe all - of future consumer electronics, the primary technology was going to be software. And we were pretty good at software. We could do the operating system software. We could write applications on the Mac or even PC, like iTunes. We could write the software in the device, like you might put in an iPod or an iPhone or something. And we could write the back-end software that runs on a cloud, like iTunes.

(ca. March 2008 via http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0803/gallery.job... )

This is assuming that once it's all about glass there isn't anywhere to go. Apple has become a leader in UI design and glass happens to be the current popular choice for devices. 10 years before the iPhone few people would have predicted a phone with no buttons and a glass screen would become popular, and a few years after its release everyone in the industry is imitating...same goes for the iPod in relation to CD's or even cassette tapes. I would venture a guess that few people now know types of devices that will become commonplace in a few years.

As long as Apple is able to stay ahead of the curve and continue to stay a leader in making new things that people want to use I don't think will have a problem staying relevant. So to answer the question is that once it's all glass Apple will probably be on to new and better things.

That's Apple's edge. No one in their right mind can call the technology that RIM, Palm, or Google come out with as anything but outstanding...yet Apple still has that edge and their products are always "great" while the others will always be "plenty damn good".

Perhaps it's because they control all the process (sans manufacturing). Maybe it's a different philosophy. But it really seems that no one cares about every minute tiny detail like Apple does.

Apple has always cared about the small things. That's why I don't see their perceived reputation going anywhere. As long as they keep doing that, they'll still be different.

Yes, ThinkPads are still some of the most sturdy laptops around while MacBooks tend to need more support/repairs. Of course Apple's (repair) service is very good, and MacBooks do look nice(r), but "build quality" means something else to me.

This is a good thing!

This can dramatically lower the barriers to entry for great interface design by exposing more of the end user experience to programmers. Just like the move from desktop to browser, the cream will rise even faster. What a great time to be a software hacker!

That surprised him, and got him thinking about what we now know as 'interaction design'. (Incidentally, Moggridge coined the term shortly after his experience with the laptop).

He describes his experience as: 'being sucked into the screen.' Which is true, if you pause to think about it: the design of the laptop only matters when you're carrying it around with you - when you're working on it the screen overrides almost everything else.

Glass is not the end of history. Apple could include thermosensors, audiosensors, or miniature holographic projectors. It could go towards flexible screens or wearable computing.

But new hardware is buggy before it's commoditized. The reason Apple's touch sensitivity is so good is in part because they control both the hardware and software layers. Any kind of temporal or spatial variation in touch detection at the hardware layer due to manufacturing issues can be corrected at the software layer.

It's that vertical systems integration which lets them push the envelope on technology. Others can easily copy, but they will only be followers unless they play to their strengths (e.g. Android with search).

All are benchmarks of the industry.

I'm not a blind fanboy, just impressed and happy to witness a company constantly iterating and making themselves better.

Apple's dominance isn't from hardware alone. But they are exceptionally talented at it. It isn't in software alone, but again, they know what they're doing. They've got a lot of mature, battle tested code and an outstanding developer community who knows how to wield it. It's not in digital distribution alone, but yet again, they got there very early, have a lot of practice and many deep relationships with the rogue states (thanks, PG) who bully would-be media companies.

Marketing isn't their top achievement, but they love the things they make and the authenticity of their marketing works very well for them.

I could go on and on, but you probably get my point.

Apple's core strength isn't any one thing first, then something else second. Their strength is their ability to see the whole board and make every single thing they do complement everything else in a very meaningful, very equal way. It's an absurd game they play, a combo of three dimensional chess and hacky sack, but their focus makes it work.

No one can compete with Apple by trying to crib any one of their strengths. To be successful, you need to be able to attack several of them at once, and that's very challenging.

They've created an absurdly defensible position. The vision needed to get there makes my brain hurt. No matter how you feel about Apple, you can't argue that their organizational synergy is an incredible force.

It assumes that there is no place for innovation in industrial design with glass. Apple's dominance in industrial design has given them the advantage to set the standards for industrial design.

Additionally, I think Jason assumes that industrial design and software design are mutually exclusive. He ignores that part of the beauty of Apple's products is the interaction and combination of software AND hardware and the quality of interaction between them.

Sure, Lenovos look like shit next to a MacBook, but people buy Lenovos for entirely different reasons and the rugged design plays in their favor.

Other competitors offer laptops with near Apple levels of hardware design — certainly near enough to meet Jason's criteria of "immediately obvious".

I think software is the primary differentiator between iPhone and some of the better looking Android devices, between MacBook and some of the better looking PC laptops. Software, and some of the, by Jason's definition, "less obvious" hardware attributes, like screen quality, UI responsiveness, precision, etc.

The simpler the hardware gets, the more important and immediate these attributes become. This only plays in Apple's favor, and is in my opinion what has already been so hard for Nokia to deal with; they're a hardware company with poor software chops. Superficial industrial design is easy to emulate or fake, to a certain point. After that, it becomes hard, and not many companies other than Apple have the skills or the patience for it. Look at the tragic excuse for a Windows tablet HP is releasing for another example.

I worry more about shaking-to-undo on my iPad and faux leather buttons in my Calendar app than about other companies figuring out there is more than plastic to build with.

Take iChat, for example. So limited, even the supposed features it has do not work (Bonjour for iChat fails to work to let me and my wife chat via her MBP and my iMac). Indeed, the entire Bonjour system and file sharing is so annoying and cumbersome. Finder can see the other computer, but it can't actually go there, even when they are sitting next to each other.

Then you have iTunes. iTunes loves to create duplicate music files. The best part is, when I tell iTunes "Yes, control the management of my music" I suddenly end up with three copies of every song. Then there is the disappearing devices. Why, my iPhone/iPad/AppleTV where there a minute ago. My iPad/iPhone are still plugged in. Why can't I access them anymore?

Then their is iPhoto. Which controls movies. And photos. Sort of. Movies!? In iPhoto? iMovie uses iPhoto to import movies? And then outputting movies is so confusing. So many different options, and then you can't just have iTunes pick it up, you have to load up iTunes, tell it to import the movie, and going through numerous other steps to get it onto your Apple TV.

But back to iPhoto. You ever create a slide show with iPhoto? I did. iPhoto is the only application I know that showed me a preview of the movie it was going to create, and then the output changed the complete order of the pictures. How does this happen?

Let's not forget the harassment iPhoto inflicts on users by default whenever you plug anything in. It snatches focus away, loads up, just to import. Oh, sure, you can set your iPhone to import quietly, but even having done it, I forget where the setting is buried.

And then there is the default way you install software. Now, I know, it's simple enough, right? No, it's annoying. I have to drag an icon into a folder? And then I have to dig through that folder and find a generic icon just to find the application, and then launch it. Why not just let me click a button to install, and then be like "Hey, you just installed this app, which means, you probably want to run it, well, do you?"

And that's just the beginning. Let's not forget Time Machine randomly barfing because your Time Machine drive suddenly lost power, or not importing pictures as events by default properly, or just countless other problems.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a Mac user. My house hold is filled with Apple products (1 iMac, 1MBP, original AppleTV, iPhones, iPods, iPad). But if Apple wants to compete on the software end, they need to up their game and really focus on finishing their half-complete products.

Edit: To be fair, I think Apple can do it. They don't have to do everything, but what they do, they have to do well. And that means not abandoning projects simply because they lose interest.

My suggestion is that probably at that point, Apple will continue to have sleek, advanced products that dominate the high end of the market.

I've had a dream that someday the White Sox would build a stadium where Meigs Field once stood with the wall behind the bleachers being entirely made of transparent glass. You could have a view of the most beautiful skyline in the world during action, but it'd turn into the most amazing widescreen scoreboard/video screen for replays and stats during breaks in the action.

- Use the golden ratio whenever possible/practical.

- Be careful with the rounding of the edges. (Sharp corners aren't good, but rounded with unused potential screen real estate and subsequent violation of golden ratio is bad too.)

- Don't skimp on thickness. At least as thick as a Kindle 3.

- Like the author said, the software UI and UE should be tailored to the screen width and input method.

But maybe people prefer the silver paint rubbing off under their palms because their laptop is really made of cheap black plastic.