Comments on: Every Apple Design Ever in 30 seconds

By: jimmoffet

jimmoffet — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Antinous, you’re usually on, but here you’ve missed the point entirely. Foxconn could only be Foxconn in light of demand. To argue that China’s China-ness is the culprit is way off.

Companies have a choice of where to do business.

With their status, if Apple demanded of Foxconn basic concessions like an 8 hour day and task-rotation within shifts, they would be implemented immediately. Where Foxconn goes in this regard, other major employers will have no choice but to follow.

It makes sense to single out Apple because they have arguably the most power to make change in Shenzhen, certainly more power than the local government. It also makes sense to single them out because a focused campaign against Apple has a much greater chance of succeeding than one against say, HP.

By: jimmoffet

jimmoffet — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:07:00 +0000

With power comes responsibility. Apple has the power to change how manufacturing is done in China and therefore they have the responsibility to do so. You can argue that things are fine and what they’re doing is enough, but you can’t argue against singling them out. It always makes sense to hold the most powerful to the highest account.

When apple wanted to change iPhone screens at the last minute, they put in a call and Foxconn managers woke up workers at midnight after getting off a 12 hour shift at 7 and put them back on the line. Apple calls this “breathtaking speed and flexibility”. No one should have any compunction about criticizing them. The fact they they are the “least crappy” company is completely irrelevant in light of the previous statement (that’s an Apple exec quoted by the NYT, btw).

Labor costs account for ~1% of the retail price of an iPhone. Apple could demand 8 hour shifts and task rotation within shifts, along with a five day workweek and overtime pay, and it would change their market position and profitability not a wit. Foxconn would implement this with the exact same “speed and flexibility” if it meant to prospect of losing their contract. Where Foxconn goes, other major factories must follow.

They have the power to change working conditions dramatically, without jeopardizing in the least their status as a market-leader. That’s why they deserve to be singled out.

That said, other tech companies deserve the exact same treatment, but if you have limited resources, it makes sense to focus on Apple.

By: Martain Chandler

Martain Chandler — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Apple Pippin, we hardly knew ye. *cries*

By: dculberson

dculberson — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:03:00 +0000

Yeah, try turning subtitles on while watching a movie without having to pause the movie, turn on a light, and stare at the remote for 10-15 seconds.

Contrast to even the Microsoft media remote, which at least lights up and has different colored buttons. “Black grid of buttons” went out in the 90′s.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:10:00 +0000

When I studied ICT ‘back in the day’ I was told it was health thing. Something to do with balancing the light between the screen and the surrounding environment (it was part of an ergonomics unit). The move to black was purely aesthetic, however.

I may have been misinformed though, I’m not placing any bets.

By: Aaron Swain

Aaron Swain — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:53:00 +0000

That was awesome

By: Bevatron Repairman

Bevatron Repairman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:59:00 +0000

There were more Babbage Engines than NeXT machines come to think of it.

By: Ripcord2

Ripcord2 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:04:00 +0000

The first video? That’s the closing credits from a 1980s Hanna-Barbara cartoon, Paw Paw Bears.

Second video is the Neverending Story instrumental theme (or instrumental part).

By: Art

Art — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:32:00 +0000

You assume incorrectly, as I’ve actually purchased many Braun products since the early 80′s

But, yes, Rams was the key designer I was referring to.

By: RinrinFibonacci

RinrinFibonacci — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Please oh please let us know: where did the retro musical score come from? It sounds like a mash up of 1970s TV shows.

By: Ultra Fem

Ultra Fem — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:49:00 +0000

Yeah, definitely! It’s the Paw Paw Bears end theme that makes it all happen! LOL

By: Ripcord2

Ripcord2 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:46:00 +0000

I’m not ashamed to say that I recognized the “Paw Paw Bears” closing theme in about 5 seconds of watching the Apple video.

By: Madeline Ashby

Madeline Ashby — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:42:00 +0000

Bill Buxton did an installation of mice and other interfaces that achieved a similar effect. I’m glad people who couldn’t visit that exhibit can see a supercut version like this one.

By: lutzray

lutzray — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Pffft! And what about the NeXTStation Turbo Color with ADB keyboard and wedge sound box? And 21″ Megapixel Color Displays?

http://blackholeinc.com/specials/blackhardware.shtml

By: twodimensionalme

twodimensionalme — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:45:00 +0000

Where’s the Wall-E girlfriend?

By: apenzott

apenzott — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Look at 0:09 in the upper right.
(The frame right before the Macintosh IIcx/IIci is shown in the upper right.)

By: stovedoor

stovedoor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:59:00 +0000

That was a little freudian.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:32:00 +0000

I guess the couldn’t find an Apple II gs ?

By: selfish

selfish — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:21:00 +0000

I assume you haven’t seen anything Braun has made in the past forty years? Rams would be a more appropriate source of inspiration, and that said, only relatively recently.

Also: this reply should be to the comment above yours.

By: Philip Hades

Philip Hades — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Starting with the Macintosh it was Jerry Mancock:
“This concern for detail and endurance included even the colour of the plastic, a tawny brown called PMS 453 that Jerry Manock thought would age well, unlike the lighter plastic of the Lisa which shifted with prolonged exposure to sunlight to a bright orange”

By: penguinchris

penguinchris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:14:00 +0000

Really? I don’t think it’s particularly great, but you essentially only need to use two buttons on it (select and back) plus the direction buttons so I never need to even look at it. I guess you might use the pause and play buttons too, but those are easy enough.

And I like that it’s bluetooth so you don’t have to point it at the PS3 (which for my setup is handy, hard to explain why but the cable box and ps3 are blocked).

So what’s so bad about it? Again, I agree that it isn’t great design – but a travesty?

edit: seems they came out with a new one with more buttons, that one’s got some obvious ease-of-use flaws compared to the original layout

By: Kenmrph

Kenmrph — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:42:00 +0000

only a peripherally related question, but who’s idea was it in the first place that computers should be beige?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:13:00 +0000

Foxconn is not Foxconn because “Apple!”; it’s Foxconn because “China!”

By: Art

Art — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:43:00 +0000

Good point!

Also, from the overview presented here on the vid it would be a stretch to ever compare Apple’s final products to Braun in terms of classicism and timeless design.

Apple’s stuff always seems to veer way over to the trendy moment and it didn’t find it’s legendary “Zen” design footing until much later in their line.

By: teapot

teapot — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

PS: I didn’t notice the ever-amazing U2 branded ipod.

edit: I stand corrected.. it’s there.

By: Shrine of Apple

Shrine of Apple — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Rob – Jonathan here from Shrine of Apple – AWESOME. We have another 300+ products in the queue (mostly peripherals) so I’m looking forward to a redux of this video in the future ;) Great job!

By: teapot

teapot — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:20:00 +0000

HP also monitor checkpoints in Palestine, as well as managing IT for the Israeli Navy, helping to facilitate the murder of activists aboard the Freedom Floatilla in 2010 - which is why you should never buy HP. Motorola are also quite culpable for the suffering of the Palestinian people, providing weapons components to the Israelis and monitoring of the Berlin Wall Mk. II More info

By: teapot

teapot — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Apple is the biggest seller of any one smartphone or tablet and positions themselves as a socially and environmentally conscious company. That is why people single them out on this. They are big enough to demand better from their suppliers.

I suppose extra vitriol gets thrown their way because they are an American company. You can’t entirely expect Asian tech companies to care as much as Apple should because work conditions in Asia are generally pretty shit compared to the west. Apple used to manufacture in the US – now they don’t. The assertion of responsibility is that ‘x’ number of manufacturing jobs used to exist on American soil where the worker would receive fair pay and legally enforced safety conditions. When Apple shifted manufacturing to China they did not shift workers rights over there too.

By: arikol

arikol — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:07:00 +0000

Well, I would suggest reading what a Chinese labor activist has to say about it (Li Qiang).

TL:DR version: Apple isn’t good enough, but is FAR above the rest. Apple seems to take this stuff seriously, others (such as HP) seem to say “yeah, mebbe sumthin’ wrong” and doesn’t take any drastic actions to fix the status.

What about not vilifying the least crappy company, but rather asking them to continue improving conditions, and shaming the other manufacturers? http://blog.laptopmag.com/labor-activist-apple-best-at-auditing-factories-still-not-doing-enough

By: Peter McLeod

Peter McLeod — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000

Agree with you and Scurra that it’s an industry problem. But Apple leads the industry by such a wide margin on so very many metrics that it seems right to single it out. You look to the leaders to take on the big problems, and the leadership behavior here would be for Apple to solve the labor conditions problem just as it has solved so many other challenges in IT with such aplomb. They are making some good moves right now on transparency, but it’s right to demand more.