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As a software developer I am of course biased but I feel like Ive wielding so much control without a strong technical counterpart is a mistake. The first eviden

As a software developer I am of course biased but I feel like Ive wielding so much control without a strong technical counterpart is a mistake. The first evidence of this in my mind was the iPhone 5C - a cute shell around 1 year old technology. It's too early to tell but I feel like the Apple Watch has similarities - cute designs and features without compelling utility or really any sort of technical innovation, which is surprising. You also see this in the lack of focus on stable software throughout Apple's ecosystem which I honestly think has gotten a lot worse in the past year. I can appreciate what Apple has done for industrial design, user interfaces, and heck even in packaging, but there is a tipping point.

sbuk 12y ago
The shell isn't all what Ive and his team does. They will work closely with the electronic engineering team. They also will have a decent level of technical knowledge themselves; that is what an industrial designer is. Industrial design degrees tend to be bachelor of science degrees...
- bsdpython 12y ago
  I didn't say they only design the shell for everything - the shell was the only change for the iPhone 5C so for that particular product that is all they did. It's not even about how technical the design team is, it's that they are making the majority of the decisions and hold clout over other teams within the company.
  - brenschluss 12y ago
    Uh, that was the whole point. The 5C was not a new phone, but a way to gradually introduce a low-budget iPhone so that, one year after its introduction, Apple could offer an iPhone free with contract, expanding their market share and App Store consumption.
jkestner 12y ago
What exactly do you think is the mistake in the iPhone 5C? Does every new product have to be technologically more advanced than the one before? Market segmentation by introducing lower-cost models is nothing new. Also no technical innovation: iMac, iPod, etc.
- bsdpython 12y ago
  "Market segmentation by introducing lower-cost models is nothing new." That's not how Apple became the most profitable company in the world. The first thing Jobs did when he returned to Apple was cut out all of the excess product lines.
  - scott_karana 12y ago
    I guess you're not being sarcastic. The iPhone was perhaps the only line without a entry-level component: the plethora of iMacs, iPods, and iBooks each had expensive/professional and entry/cheap lines, if not more than two. And even then, Apple typically left the previous iPhone model around at a discount so price-sensitive consumers could buy a discounted 4S instead of a cutting-edge 5, for example.
  - jkestner 12y ago
    Yeah, that was triage. He then immediately introduced a low-cost PowerMac called the iMac. Repeat with iPod Mini/Nano, MacBook Air (second take), iPad Mini, Macintosh LC, and so on. I did say "lower-cost", not "low-cost". Interestingly, the iPhone 5c may not be designed to sell like hotcakes itself, but to frame the higher models as better deals. That's what I meant by market segmentation. I also suspect it was harder to keep their margins on the newer CNC'd metal iPhones as they dropped to the entry-level tier. The iPhone, even more so with the 6/6+, currently seems to be the only line that bucks the trend.

sbuk 12y ago

The shell isn't all what Ive and his team does. They will work closely with the electronic engineering team. They also will have a decent level of technical knowledge themselves; that is what an industrial designer is. Industrial design degrees tend to be bachelor of science degrees...

bsdpython 12y ago
I didn't say they only design the shell for everything - the shell was the only change for the iPhone 5C so for that particular product that is all they did. It's not even about how technical the design team is, it's that they are making the majority of the decisions and hold clout over other teams within the company.
- brenschluss 12y ago
  Uh, that was the whole point. The 5C was not a new phone, but a way to gradually introduce a low-budget iPhone so that, one year after its introduction, Apple could offer an iPhone free with contract, expanding their market share and App Store consumption.

jkestner 12y ago

What exactly do you think is the mistake in the iPhone 5C? Does every new product have to be technologically more advanced than the one before? Market segmentation by introducing lower-cost models is nothing new. Also no technical innovation: iMac, iPod, etc.

bsdpython 12y ago
"Market segmentation by introducing lower-cost models is nothing new." That's not how Apple became the most profitable company in the world. The first thing Jobs did when he returned to Apple was cut out all of the excess product lines.
- scott_karana 12y ago
  I guess you're not being sarcastic. The iPhone was perhaps the only line without a entry-level component: the plethora of iMacs, iPods, and iBooks each had expensive/professional and entry/cheap lines, if not more than two. And even then, Apple typically left the previous iPhone model around at a discount so price-sensitive consumers could buy a discounted 4S instead of a cutting-edge 5, for example.
- jkestner 12y ago
  Yeah, that was triage. He then immediately introduced a low-cost PowerMac called the iMac. Repeat with iPod Mini/Nano, MacBook Air (second take), iPad Mini, Macintosh LC, and so on. I did say "lower-cost", not "low-cost". Interestingly, the iPhone 5c may not be designed to sell like hotcakes itself, but to frame the higher models as better deals. That's what I meant by market segmentation. I also suspect it was harder to keep their margins on the newer CNC'd metal iPhones as they dropped to the entry-level tier. The iPhone, even more so with the 6/6+, currently seems to be the only line that bucks the trend.