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Comment by gyomu | Hacker News Reader

The most disappointing thing about Jony as a designer is how nouveau-riche he is.

Since he left Apple, he’s been designing for Ferrari, King Charles, $2500 jackets, etc.

It feels quite at odds with Jobs’ original visions of products that were beautifully designed, but still remained generally affordable for students, teachers, small business owners, and Mr/Mrs Everybody in general.

Of all his tendencies that Jobs supposedly kept in check, I think that’s the most underdiscussed one. I guess the writing was on the wall with the $10k gold Apple Watch.

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To be fair, these are the companies that pay for the level of industrial design that Ive produces, and after spending the latter part of his career at Apple knocking out revisions of existing products, probably made a nice change.

I think it's fair to say that most companies building products priced for Mr/Mrs Everybody don't spend a dime on design where there is already a market leader to copy inspiration, or outright steal from (see almost every phone made since 2007).

The Gold Watch was probably an opportunity to work on an interesting project with a new material.

That's the celebrity excess that architecture and industrial design encourage.

It's a weird comingling of the field trying to pretend it's more important and cool than it is + rampant imposter syndrome in its superstars.

Ergo, they must pretend they're doing Very Important Work and are The Best in the World.

... meanwhile, it's fucking curves on corners. Throw a dart and pick one.

The real work is being done by unfamous, tirelessly toiling rank and file in both industries, quietly making the world a better place, bit by bit.

I don't think design and architecture are inherently as you describe.

When in the last 50 years of both fields have they not lauded celebrity practitioners with overinflated egos?

David Kelley, Niels Diffrient

$1000+ chairs aren't a great example of practical, ego-less design.

And academia is a cop-out.

I didn't think you would except any answers. Neither designer was an academic. I think you may have a problem understanding where value in a product resides. These values would be ergonomics and materials. $1,000+ chairs that last a lifetime and is repariable is a good value.

I guess everyone should work for free?

The thing that disappointed me the most regarding the Apple Watch was the innards couldn't be upgraded. The case and band I thought could be held on to like an heirloom. The digital stuff could have been designed as capsule.

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