In the accompanying article/slide show, the ideas covered are:
• Apple Auto: Wes Brown, Partner, Iceology
• Public Transit: Jesse James Garrett, President, Adaptive Path
• Social Apple Stores: Victor Ermoli, Dean of the School of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design
• iPod Projector: Bruce Claxton, Senior director, design integration, Motorola
• Folio Laptop: Marc Gobe, President, Emotional Branding
• A Greener Apple: Tadeo Toulis, Creative director, Teague
• Don’t Forget the Pros: David Tonge, Co-founder, the-division
• Video Camera: Geoff Vuleta, CEO, Fahrenheit 212
• Personal Finance Software: Chris Conley, Professor of Design, IIT, Partner, Gravity Tank
• Simple iTunes: John Maeda, President-elect, Rhode Island School of Design
“Jobs’ game plan for Apple has been apparent since he took back the reins of the embattled Cupertino (Calif.) company in 1997. Products, from the original iMac, which was launched in 1998, to the iPod, have focused on relentlessly reducing complexity, honing the brand’s image for clean, simple design,” Vella writes.
“What’s more, additional products—from a new Apple operating system to media devices and computers—all fell into a well-designed ecosystem for a seamless user experience,” Vella reports. “Jobs also encouraged socializing so users could easily share music, movies, or videos. Executives asking themselves how their company might create a product as successful as the iPod are barking up the wrong tree. A better question, according to designers and innovation consultants, is: ‘What would Apple do?'”
Vella reports, “Many of the Mac faithful simply long to see the Apple logo slapped on a wider range of consumer electronics devices, including ever smaller computers, touch-screen-enabled tablets, video cameras, and multimedia-infused living rooms. Despite competition, almost all of these are probable, according to Geoff Vuleta, CEO of the New York-based innovation consultancy Fahrenheit 212, because Apple ‘knows how to swoop in late and slash the nonsense out of a product.'”
Vella reports, “Even the most outlandish Apple wish list reinforces the company’s stellar reputation for elegant, easy-to-use products and services. Which is exactly why asking what might be next is an effective way of peeking into Apple’s method of innovation.”
Full article here.
The article/slide show discussing the individual ideas here.
“”I’m an expert’s expert and there are some things I can’t do,” says Maeda. He suggests Apple break up and distribute iTunes’ functionality into a group of distinct applications. He also envisions Apple simplifying the user interface and making it possible to sync digital devices such as the iPhone without having to open the iTunes application. “
I have to disagree here. More little apps, even though each are less complex than iTunes, does not make for a more simple user experience. Is it really more simple to have to go to four programs to manage four things on the iPhone? No.
Frankly, I would prefer Apple moved the opposite direction – a greater ability to manage devices via iTunes. For example, managing ringtones.
Sure, iTunes should not be bloated, but I think the bigger issues are streamlining the use rather than removing features and uses
Zune Tang is my hero. I just can’t believe he didn’t mention that Apple must – MUST – support WMA. And I want “Paint.”
Absolutely come up with personal finance app. Intuit lves jerking Mac users around with its ever-increasing;y crappy Quicken. What competitor there is does not fulfil all the needs of one’s finances and tend to be US-centric.
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When the app is out then show Campbell the door
One of Zune Tang’s funnier posts today…
“OSX Pussy”
LOL!
@RIP Ragged
I’m not your hero. The true heros are Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. A little bit of history: When Microsoft revolutionized computing and invented an
” rel=”nofollow”>elegant GUI OS with a desktop metaphor ‘Paint’ software was included. Of course Apple copied all of Microsoft’s hard work to make the MAC OS including ‘Paint’ and had to call their bitmap editor ‘MacPaint‘.
Don’t worry. When Apple comes to their senses and replaces OS X with Vista you’ll get the wonderful WMA format. Our day is coming.
Your potential. Our passion.™
I want to see Apple get into the dashboard. Something with the features of the Pioneer AVIC-Z2 but with an Apple interface, not Pioneer’s hideous interface (click the More Images link to see just how ugly it is), and with an iPhone-like touch-sensitive matte glass screen, not the plastic mash-your-finger-into-the-LCD screen of the Pioneer. Oh, and make the hardware buttons much bigger.
I want monochrome and color laser all-in-one printers with all the software made by Apple. I’m sick of the convoluted and non Mac-like (heck, not even Windows-like) conglomeration of dog doo all the printer manufacturers bundle with these things. It’s criminal!
Has anyone tried to host two or three iPods with one Mac? It’s a mess. Different accounts try to hijack the devices and playlists. I’d like to see this fixed. The “digital hub” is growing up and needs to be less self-centered. More of a “digital mesh.”
Guessing,
Please don’t encourage Zune Tang. Praising him has the same effect as taunting a tiger. It just causes problems. Let’s at least try to keep him in his enclosure.
Jeff J,
“I want to see Apple get into the dashboard.”
I replaced my dashboard Jesus with a Steve Jobs bobblehead doll.
The technology isn’t very advanced, but it makes me feel good.
is it true that Mico$oft is going to come out with the Zune Tang File System (ZTFS) to compete with ZFS????
I also heard Zunny is going to be on stage during the stevenote at some point.
“I also heard Zunny is going to be on stage during the stevenote at some point.”
Yes, Steve and Zune Tang will be performing that old song and dance routine ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ as seen in the movie ‘Young Frankenstein”, which was so wonderfully done by Gene Wilder and Steve Ballmer.
I can’t freakin’ wait!
I think it is very possible that Apple could get into partnerships with auto makers to work on computer interface issues, but having worked for two auto manufacturers, I can tell you that the design, production, distribution of cars is far more complex than that of computers. Government regulations and the costs of meeting them, to name one.
Probably on the order of the iPhone multiplied by 100, all things considered. Per model. The average car has 44,000 parts.
Countless companies over the last century have tried to build practical cars. As I said, Apple could help in some areas, to build a complete saleable car, no. Only in partnership with someone.
I yearn for the iBarrow (an Apple branded wheelbarrow). Make one of those and every lawn worker in North America will want one.
In the short term: Allow the Apple TV to be controlled via the iphone/ipod touch. This would not only be a better remote, but could be used for a gaming device to compete with the Wii. Accelerometers are alreasy inthe iphone, and motio sensors could be added. Given that both the Apple Tv and iphone are built on OSX, gaming should not be too hard. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this happens at macworld.
Apple should simplify the computing experience further. While Leopard is good, I think after 25 years of the home pc, OS’s should be much more intiutive. The iphone and Nintendo Wii are currently the best user OS’s around. They should also move toward epaper and eventiually holographic projection of images pulled straight from a wireless spectrum via a mobile device, and eventually via waerable jewellery such as rings that have microphones and touch sensors.
Ozz said “Go and take the enterprise over!”
It’s practically impossible to “slap the nonsense” out of IT. It’s such a part of their life it would be like taking the sand out of the Sahara.
I would love to see Apple products made in the USA again.
Every now and again I see an Apple computer made in the US.
It would be great to have more American company jobs back here where they belong.
Steve will suddenly stop everything Apple does and split up the profits amongst the employees, who’ll all go home as a major (insert Nelson, Haha) Hippy move to show all you oinkers how pathetically you’ve caved to the system and turned out to be like your fascist, war mongering, parents!
That or they’ll do something mundanely, business like, with Keynote presentations and Numbers spreadsheets, all the time droning on about how Mr. Smith should be running this country or how many languages Enoch Powell can speak.
…and Watney’s Red Barrel for everyone?
Must have been magic ‘mushroom’.
Wingsy,
“It’s such a part of their life it would be like taking the sand out of the Sahara.”
What would be left if all the sand was taken out of the Sahara?
Zune Tang wrote:
“I have a couple of ideas.
1. Get Ballmer onstage with Jobs at Tuesday’s keynote.
This is critical. Apple has been stagnant for years with an aging and disappointing product mix and Apple needs to demonstrate they are committed to innovative partners. The association with Microsoft would be PR coup for MAC World which the media and Apple’s miniscule fan base have lost interest.
2. EOL OS X Pussy and license Windows.
Apple will finally realize that it can’t survive spinning it’s wheels at 2.5% market share. Cupertino also desperately needs a competent gaming platform.”
OS X Pussy. hahahaha Are you a stand up comic on the side, Zune Tang?
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“What would be left if all the sand was taken out of the Sahara?”
One big ass staging area for The Flintstones triumphant return.
Zune Tang is a moron? 2.5% Market Share? where in the hell do you get your information?
It might be better PR for Microsoft to admit to all of their customer base that VISTA is a crappy product and they should begin giving refunds to anyone who purchased that junk OS…..
“Your potential. Our passion.™”
Isn’t this more like:
Your frustration. Our fault.™