I don't agree with how you have framed the product or the relationship between tech driven product and UCD. The negative side of tech driven product, and in fact the counter position to UCD, would be that either technology was placed in the product 'because they could', or that the tech spec drove the interface. In the case of the later, the VCR display is the classic example, with both a display and interfaces driven by maximum functionality and not by usability. I see no such examples in the case of the AIR. If you back track the features, they are perfectly reasonable, user driven feature that take advantage of the most recent affordable technology (affordable comes into question when considering the solid state drive).
I have no insight into whether apple has any notion of UCD process at work. But designing with the latest technology for both performance as well as competitive reasons, is certainly not in conflict with UCD. User needs (wireless computing) are clearly driving the design. Mark On Jan 15, 2008, at 6:34 PM, Andrei Herasimchuk wrote: > On Jan 15, 2008, at 2:26 PM, pauric wrote: > >> also, not to sound like a broken record, but integrated battery?? >> That alone is a huge show stopper for any remote work. One of the >> killer features of my g4 powerbook is the hotswap battery option. >> And >> am I to assume the unit must be returned after the battery stop >> charging after ~1000 cycles? They did this with the iPhone, I guess >> they dont anticipate much user pain. > > A little while back, David Malouf mentioned that building products > based on technology, not on user requirements, yields good results. > (And I quipped that for that very reason I find "user centered > design" to be an inherently flawed term and approach to product > design.) Apple is classic at doing this and have done so since they > started making computers way back in the day. They build a lot of > products based on an idea or strong concept, user needs or > requirements be damned. And it's largely how they get innovation. > > If you watch the promo video on Apple.com, you'll hear the guy in the > presentation talk about Wireless computing. That was the idea this > time it seems. How do you make a laptop that is truly small, thin and > all that which makes it perfect for traveling and moving around, > assuming it is optimized for wireless use. Why do that? Because > wireless is where the world is going and Apple is pressing forward > regardless if everything is in place yet or not. > > The MacBook Air is about wireless computing with a razor thin > footprint, and in that regard, anything that added to the system that > bogged that goal down was tossed aside, to be figured out later. > Apple has done this so many times in the past, and sometimes it works > and sometime it doesn't. But what it does get them is all sorts of > unique innovations and design that keeps them ahead of everyone else. > > I won't be getting a MacBook Air because I need a laptop that is also > my workhorse design machine that I take with me everywhere. But the > MacBook Air is pretty damn cool and should get a lot of use as a > laptop for folks who only need consumer level applications (like > iLife and iTunes), email and internet connectivity, integrated > battery be damned. > > -- > Andrei Herasimchuk > > Principal, Involution Studios > innovating the digital world > > e. [EMAIL PROTECTED] > c. +1 408 306 6422 > > > ________________________________________________________________ > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
