Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > Does Apple Have an Inconsistent Design Aesthetic?

Does Apple Have an Inconsistent Design Aesthetic?
Thread Tools
Salty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 21, 2016, 12:12 AM
 
So I was just reading an article about which devices Apple had unveiled at town hall events, and it mentioned that the 5C and 5S had been unveiled there. They mention how the 5C matched iOS 7. And then it kind of hit me, You can argue that White+Silver, Black+Silver, Slate, and Space Grey might all act as a neutral back drop for iOS's bright poppy colours. But seriously, what about Gold and Rose Gold?

If anything the vibrant blue and pink available in the iPod touch line fit better with iOS's current colour pallet.

I feel like you can make the argument that Apple's Mac line up is designed to make a design statement as a part of the physical world in your home or where ever you're using them. (And they do.) But particularly the under stated colours Apple has been using lately really don't match the vibrant colours of the OS. I think gold was picked solely to drive sales in China. (And it worked) and Rose Gold was picked to drive sales among women (and dudes who like pink) and the name Rose Gold was picked particularly because of Asia's infatuation with anything called gold.

I'm not really arguing for a change mind you. Apple is selling boat loads and more than ever that's their goal. (Which kind of sucks, I feel like they keep trying to increase their profit margins more and more while not necessarily giving more every time. (Think of the original iPods, they always came out with twice as much storage back in the day until it got absurd. We still have as much storage now as was available on the iPhone 3GS!)
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 21, 2016, 10:34 AM
 
Does a Thread About Apple's Design Aesthetic Belong in the Lounge?
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 21, 2016, 12:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
So I was just reading an article about which devices Apple had unveiled at town hall events, and it mentioned that the 5C and 5S had been unveiled there. They mention how the 5C matched iOS 7. And then it kind of hit me, You can argue that White+Silver, Black+Silver, Slate, and Space Grey might all act as a neutral back drop for iOS's bright poppy colours. But seriously, what about Gold and Rose Gold?
Note that the front is still just black or white, so the neutral canvas argument still applies. Personally I'd love for Apple to start adding some more chromatic colors to the lineup - solid dark red and blue instead of the metallic and pastelly stuff - but it is hard to argue that what they're doing isn't working for them.

Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Does a Thread About Apple's Design Aesthetic Belong in the Lounge?
I can move it if you like. Not sure that there is a more obvious spot - did you think about the iPhone forum?
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 21, 2016, 12:43 PM
 
I did not think.
     
Salty  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 21, 2016, 09:42 PM
 
Given how little new posts get made in this forum these days. Perhaps you guys might want to rethink the whole endless sub forums routine. You don't have a forum about Apple in general, therefore this doesn't fit in any forum. Therefore I put it in the lounge.
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 22, 2016, 04:17 PM
 
I often wondered why they never extended the vivd colour choices from the later generations of iPod Mini as CTO options for Unibody MacBooks.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 22, 2016, 05:38 PM
 
iMacs would also be cool in anodised colours.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
besson3c
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 22, 2016, 07:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Does a Thread About Apple's Design Aesthetic Belong in the Lounge?

I give up, what does DTAADABL stand for?
     
besson3c
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 22, 2016, 07:06 PM
 
Maybe we need a new subforum for us to decide where posts should go?
     
Salty  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 27, 2016, 11:53 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I often wondered why they never extended the vivd colour choices from the later generations of iPod Mini as CTO options for Unibody MacBooks.
I would love if they did BTO options for case colours.



Imagine if they had Macs in those colours.

Of course they'd need to have less of an ADD approach to colours if they did that. The band colour options they've had lately are so spastic, good luck picking one to accessorize with. But I would totally pay an extra 50 or 100 to have a bright blue or green MacBook!
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 28, 2016, 09:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
I often wondered why they never extended the vivd colour choices from the later generations of iPod Mini as CTO options for Unibody MacBooks.
I suspect there's a substantial drop-off in the numbers of people who would purchase a cheap, colorful little music player versus the number of people who would want to be seen with something larger (and more expensive) like a Macbook in a bright color.
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 28, 2016, 04:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
I suspect there's a substantial drop-off in the numbers of people who would purchase a cheap, colorful little music player versus the number of people who would want to be seen with something larger (and more expensive) like a Macbook in a bright color.
Maybe so but if you make it a CTO option and every one ordered makes you an extra $80-90, why wouldn't you?

When I worked in a reseller I toyed with the idea of building custom one-off Macs and selling prize draw tickets to win them. Boss never went for it but I was planning a glossy black unibody MBP with SSDs and maxed upgrades, then I was going to dye a white MacBook pink. Charger cables and all. I know demand would have been sky high for that one.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
ort888
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 28, 2016, 04:38 PM
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere that offering a rainbow if iPod colors was mostly a marketing gimmick and that like 75% of people just went with black.

Anyway, back to the original question, Apple has had inconsistent design hiccups since at least the 90s when I started paying attention. It's always been the case.

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 29, 2016, 02:58 PM
 
Actually different colours were popular in different regions to an extent.

Gold ones were popular in the middle east, green is lucky in the far east I think but was least popular in Europe and the US.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 29, 2016, 04:34 PM
 
I think it would make sense for Apple to offer special edition Macs in different colors at a higher cost, but failing that, it can't be too hard to figure out the colors that would sell. A bright red, like the Product (red) iPods, would certainly sell - it is not uncommon in gaming laptops on the PC side. Jet black too, although I understand that they've had problems with that color on metal. After that I think the volumes would drop off rather quick.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Salty  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 2, 2016, 11:15 PM
 
Okay so why did nobody ever tell me that next to any black screed aluminum Apple products, it's really hard to tell that Space Grey isn't the same colour? I had a glaring white iPhone for years when I could have just had a Space Grey one and it would have looked super similar.

On a related note, loving my SE and 9.7 inch Pro!
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 4, 2016, 11:17 AM
 
I'd love them to do an iMac with a brass finish. I have a few customers with stately-type homes. Leather wingback etc. etc.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 4, 2016, 11:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
Okay so why did nobody ever tell me that next to any black screed aluminum Apple products, it's really hard to tell that Space Grey isn't the same colour? I had a glaring white iPhone for years when I could have just had a Space Grey one and it would have looked super similar.

On a related note, loving my SE and 9.7 inch Pro!
On the 5s, there is a real difference between the black plastic (or whatever) and the Space Grey metal. Is it darker on the new iPads?
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Hawkeye_a
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Apr 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2016, 09:30 AM
 
Touch ID, OLED touch bar to highlight thinner MacBook Pro models in Q4

So the MacBookPros will get updated in the fourth quarter? That's pretty darn long since the last update, which was a minor one at that.

And the iPhone7 (according to rumors) looks to be no more than an "S"-type iteration to the 6S (as far as physical design goes).

Apparently(according to rumors) MacOSX's big new feature will be siri integration (which will prolly mean a 45 minute demo @ WWDC). Ugh

What are they doing? /end rant
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2016, 10:17 AM
 
This. I really hope they're wrong about that rumor, the MBPs are way overdue an update, and I need a new one.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2016, 11:43 AM
 
Same here.
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2016, 01:16 PM
 
If it is an analyst, he may mean Apple's financial Q4, which is calendar Q3 and could mean July, but if he really means Q4, it should come with Kaby Lake. Apple will have skipped all of the extremely delayed Skylake. No, this should be wrong.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Hawkeye_a
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Apr 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 8, 2016, 09:47 AM
 
Anyone else surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for WWDC? I thought it was just me getting old and grumpy.

Apple’s WWDC 2016: Siri, iOS 10, Apple Music, and what else to expect | The Verge

Anyone excited about anything mentioned in that article? I'm not

     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 8, 2016, 10:22 AM
 
No hardware=no excitement. I need a new MBP, the MP and the Cinema display are hilariously overdue for a refresh and would be of interest to the developer crowd, and essentially everything except the iMac and the Macbook One could really use an update.

Meanwhile, they're apparently talking about all the things i don't much care about. Siri on a Mac? Sure - but I have three devices already that support that thing, and I could leave the old iPad connected to power constantly as a "Hey Siri" device. Apple Music? Couldn't care less. Apple Pay? Not much call for that in countries that have had chip-n-pin for decades at this point, and nobody wants to replace their POS terminals. Renaming OS X? BFD.

Truly hope that someone is doing expectations management so there is more of a reveal.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Ham Sandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 8, 2016, 03:58 PM
 
No hardware?

So, no new OLED "swipe to unlock" touch bar for the Pro MacBooks?
     
OAW
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 8, 2016, 05:34 PM
 
Siri for the Mac should certainly exist. But I'm not particularly excited about it because I'd rarely use it. 9 times out of 10 I'm on my Mac at work and talking out loud to my laptop in a corporate environment is just NOT going to happen. I am excited to see an overhaul of Apple Music that hopefully will bring some UI simplicity and consistency between iOS, macOS, and tvOS. Hopefully there will also be some bug fixes to tvOS. Like the broken badges in the iTunes TV Shows app. And perhaps we might finally be able to rate iTunes Movies and TV shows on the Apple TV itself.

OAW
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2016, 04:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by And.reg View Post
No hardware?

So, no new OLED "swipe to unlock" touch bar for the Pro MacBooks?
Current rumors are that they're coming, but maybe not to WWDC. Which is extremely annoying, because if they planned to launch them next fall, they should have made a straight refresh of the old ones with Skylake some time last fall or early spring.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2016, 06:00 AM
 
Next fall? Surely this fall? I've been waiting forever for a new MBP.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2016, 06:31 AM
 
Yes, this fall. But even that would be extremely late.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Salty  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2016, 11:12 PM
 
I hope the new MacBook Pros with the OLED Bar come soon. My Sandybridge 2011 13 inch is getting a little long in the tooth. (Hopefully available in space grey!)
     
Ham Sandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 10, 2016, 03:03 PM
 
Wait until four years when holographic displays come out.
     
Hawkeye_a
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Apr 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 14, 2016, 02:49 PM
 
Anyone see anything exciting @ wwdc keynote? I was glancing at the ars feed, and thought the entire event was just filled with "noise". WatchOS, tvOS and even macOS and iOS. Everything seemed to be very cloud centric.

Turns out i wont be able to get the new macOS even if i wanted to(no support for my 2008 macbook), and im not even disappointed.

The only thing i found vaguely interesting was post-keynote news about AppleFileSystem.
     
ort888
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 14, 2016, 03:31 PM
 
I'm happy that they had the courage to take the entire watch UI and toss it in the trash for something way better.

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:41 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,