Elegant Technology

You know how it is, you sell something on eBay and your buyer uses PayPal. Then you have a few £s ($s) accumulated and think ‘What shall I do with this money?’.

I think I first read about insanely great tees on the Gizmodo web site. When I visited the ‘tees web site I thought how well it was designed.

I saw a couple of designs I liked; ‘I’m a mac’ and the ‘iPod’ T-Shirts and duly placed an order.

Although it look a couple of weeks for the ‘tees to arrive in the UK (not that bad really) I was more than satisfied.

The T-Shirts are of a very high quality and the printing clear and sharp.

If you want a T-Shirt with a Mac or iPod or Apple theme then I recommend you give them a try.

Share This

Like many I am impressed with the iMac in it’s new 2007 form. Especially after seeing it at an Apple store. I like the 20″ version because the depth of the aluminium on the sides of the iMac are smaller than those of the 24″. You can never be too thin.

I also want to get Leopard when it comes out in October but because Apple have not made public any upgrade path for the OS for people who buy a Mac today I think I will wait until the end of October.

To help those of you like me who will get an iMac at the end of October (the earliest date when it will be available with Leopard) I include the following countdown timer…

 

UPDATE: Now that the general feeling is that Leopard will be release on October 26th I modified the countdown.

[UK Time]

Share This

Like many, I waited with bated breath for the announcements that Apple made on the 07 August 2007. Based on what I had read on the web I was pretty sure that a new iMac would be amongst the announcements.

At about 19:00 UK time I got to see the first pictures of the iMac and a period of analysis ensued.

As a fan of the colour white (see many previous posts) I hoped for a new mac following on in this recent direction where consumer products were primarily white.

My first analysis was of the new aluminium keyboard which I judged to be a success. This keyboard also makes sense as if fits into and matches many of the other products that Apple sells like the Aluminium Pro Mac and the MacBook Pro (they also should sell quite a few of these to existing owners). I never liked the old keyboard and think the new design works much better aesthetically

Then I shifted my thoughts to the computer itself. Firstly I was disappointed that my favourite colour, white, had been dropped in favour of black. From the back the new iMac looked fine (baring the colour) as it is basically the same as the previous model. From the front however, I could not decide whether I liked it or not. That black bezel framing the screen. The black Apple logo. I started to imagine what the new design would be like with white accents and contrasts. In order to judge this further I quickly edited some pictures and placed them side by side for comparison. These pictures can be seen above.

My decision is that the design choices that Apple have made with the new iMac are better in black than white but I still think the overall form factor is better in solid white. The changes make the computer seem more serious in some way. I also think that Apple could add new models to the range by changing the back case and the logo to new colours like those found on iPod nanos. Alternatively they could anodize the aliminium with different colours (especially black).

What I hoped for was a mac with a light coloured case where the screen seems to float in space; ultra thin and with lots of transparency. Maybe next time.

Share This

Whilst checking my Yahoo email this morning I noticed an RSS feed from Macworld UK …

As I am looking forward to the release of the iPhone in the UK, I clicked on the feed link only to get this …

Mmm … Wonder if Macworld were instructed to remove the article.

Share This

Another smart watch from Fossil designed by Philippe Starck.

Manufacturer’s Description
‘This clean and contemporary analogue time piece effortlessly combines modern and organic lines and textures to create a fresh new look. White genuine leather strap, white dial and complimentary polished stainless steel case and bezel. Comes in a Philippe Starck museum box’.

From the Fossil web site
‘S+arck again pushes the pursuit of changing the face of time with this piece that features a floating hour hand that magically circumnavigates the dial while the minute marker is represented by the Starck logo on a minute disc. The case is contoured to minimize it’s presence on the wrist. Continuing the attention to detail, this style incorporates the dish dial effect as well creating a seamless look from the dial to the case’.

Of course I like this watch because it’s white, understated, and pared down. Having just bought the Swatch ‘Icy White’ watch below (details here) I feel I should wait a few days before ordering another.

Share This

‘Sensual Surfaces’ is the term given to a new direction in the ‘finish’ applied to vehicle interior and exterior elements.

Modern cars essentially function, and are as reliable, to the same degree. Many also share major components through joint ventures and supplier partnerships. The only differentiators are design, materials, and customer service (brand experience).

In an effort to differentiate their products, manufacturers are turning to ‘Sensual Surfaces”. These include exterior ‘soft touch’ and silky matte paint finishes that encourage an owners tactile experience. These surface treatments complement new colour directions that highlight the design detailing.

Of these colours, the purity of white is being used to clarify the ‘language’ and form of the vehicle body. Matte black is being used to enhance road wheel design and to deliver ‘special effects’.

The fact that these finishes are essentially ‘painted on’ means that they may well be used in other areas of industrial design.

Share This

I just stoped by the Apple website and noticed the article on their latest Design Awards.

As soon as I saw the award itself I had to find out more.

A quick search on Google presented me with a number of images and with a bit more effort I found a website from an award winner who actually x-rayed their award to find out how it was made. Check out the website here

The care that Apple puts into everthing they do is evident even here. The Apple logo on the award lights up and the x-rays show the extent of the engineering and design that Apple undertook.

I wish Apple would re-introduce the Cube computer especially if it looked like this.

Share This

Another weather station from Oregon. I use one designed by Philippe Starck at present which works really well. It has an alarm, it updates automatically via radio waves, and it gives simple weather forecasts.

I like the design of this new one. It seems to illuminate the appropriate weather symbol (embeded in the crystal top) based on it’s forecast. It also updates automatically and works anywhere in the world.

Product Features via Oregon Scientific

Weather station with laser engraved 3D icons in crystal

View the weather forecast at a glance with colour illumination

Precise, worldwide time keeping with radio-controlled clock reception

Change the display mode between time and indoor temperature with just a wave of your hand

Easy-to-read animated display of time and indoor temperature with bright LED backlight

Share This

As the Apple world waits for the announcements that will be made at the Mac Expo in San Fransisco, I hope that there will be a new iMac announced.

I currently use a MacBook (see here) but before this (and an earlier PowerBook) I used a G4 Cube. What would be cool would be if Apple Inc. kept it’s white design but made it thinner. I think that the current design thickness is determined by the fact that the cables plug into the back and a certain depth is needed to do this. Perhaps the sockets could be sited along the bottom of the case around the stand area (so they would be hidden) OR a separate connector box a la B&O could be used to feed all connections in to the iMac via one combined power/peripheral port. The connector box could have all the traditional items like USB, Firewire, Etc.

I would also like to see the keyboard redesigned as I cannot see the reason behind the raised section around the cursor keys on the current version.

If anyone comes across any pictures of the new iMac from the Expo then let me know.

Share This

In my email inbox today was an email from Bang & Olufsen.

The email featured the new, more afordable, Beovision 8 LCD television.

This television is important not only because it introduces a HDMI input on one of Bang & Olufsen smaller screen offerings (26 Inches) but also because, in the UK, it will retail for £1800.

The TV also comes with the Beo4 remote control and a 16 page manual. Beauty in form and function.

Personally I think it’s worth sacrificing screen size for the aesthetics of this TV. It also looks different from the mass of other LCD TVs on the market.

On the B&O discussion board there seems to be a concensus that there will be a 32″ version available later in the year.

Now, where can I lay my hands on £1800?

Share This