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Dell (and Others) Trying to Catch Up with Apple's Style
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It's not how it looks, it's how it works...
I can't believe no one posted the Jobso quote yet:
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think its this veneer that the designers are handed this box and told, Make it look good! Thats not what we think design is. Its not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/november#wed-28-stupid
I can't believe no one posted the Jobso quote yet:
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think its this veneer that the designers are handed this box and told, Make it look good! Thats not what we think design is. Its not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/november#wed-28-stupid
From the specs it doesn't work as good as the iMac anyway, which is why this thing isn't worthy of begin called an XPS, which are in many ways better than the Apple desktops. This machine just doesn't cut it design wise either way.
I thought people knew designing in committee didn't work ...
At Dell, in 2001, some were even lobbying for the elimination of the Design Director job as it was seen as "unnecessary". At the time, Dell only employed 6 designers, but this number has been increasing in recent years and is up to 90 as of today.
No the world knows they make those pretty white Macbooks and that touchscreen iPhone. But I think Apple forgot they make towers too, so why not the rest of the world?
Noooooo.... Mies would never spring for a tripod base like that... Didn't you see how his furniture often blends the vertical and horizontal members into one bar:
Actually a more similar combination of minimal parts with multiple functions is the folded base of the ACD
That Dell monstrosity is way too busy... the standalone tripod base isn't integrated, and the speakers in the glass are unnecessary. Maybe for teens who want a gaming screen with a juvenile sense of "design", this is the ticket, but for more austere, sophisticated design, one would have to look elsewhere.
Ummm, no
This thing is a polished turd. And a poorly one at that. A glass stand is just tacky. And the way the back casing of the computer comes up to a point a poor design. Every single piece of the computer looks individual and does not come together as a whole. The tacky glass base and the hard edged metal stand don't go together and neither does the way the stand goes into the back of the computer. They had to put a bevel on where the stand goes in and it dips in instead of having a continuous integrated flow. And the speakers on the side look like dumbo ears. Oof, just not working.
This thing is a polished turd. And a poorly one at that. A glass stand is just tacky. And the way the back casing of the computer comes up to a point a poor design. Every single piece of the computer looks individual and does not come together as a whole. The tacky glass base and the hard edged metal stand don't go together and neither does the way the stand goes into the back of the computer. They had to put a bevel on where the stand goes in and it dips in instead of having a continuous integrated flow. And the speakers on the side look like dumbo ears. Oof, just not working.
On eBay and CraigsList. And they'sll still run OS X -- unlike the $400 Dells.
You're not gong to find an XPS1 for less than a comparable iMac. If you don't believe me or Mossberg, price them for yourself. And the cheapest XPS1 has integrated video -- even the cheapest iMac has a separate video card.
"God, the industry". Can I copyright that? Would be an awesome brand name
I also use "Mark Of The Unicorn" (MOTU) products. I just like fancy brand names.
My 2 yens
I disagree with you on this one. Usually, when dealing with illustrations that have values, it is good practice to add a thick true black border to get an idea of the contrast within the image. I don't think apple decided to randomly add a black border on the screen. I think they added it so we could get a better contrast. Plus it matches with the cool black apple .
I disagree with you on this one. Usually, when dealing with illustrations that have values, it is good practice to add a thick true black border to get an idea of the contrast within the image. I don't think apple decided to randomly add a black border on the screen. I think they added it so we could get a better contrast. Plus it matches with the cool black apple
.
We use Dell at work. I have to use one every day Haven't seen one with a good design so far. I hope that will change.
Haven't seen one with a good design so far. I hope that will change.It's better than their other computers but nothing still compared to the iMac. Not to mention it is expensive and thats not even with a 24" screen lol. But I do think the whole all in one design in general is appealing to consumers and I think that Apple should make a fullsize wireless keyboard and wireless mouse standard!!! That and drop the DAM& Combo drive already (in the MacBook), GEEZE!
AMEN!!! Those speakers are the fugliest crap I have ever seen lol. And how do you put two of these monitors next to eachother??? LOL
I think that Dell monitor is a tad bit overrated. It would have been nice 3 years ago but now it's kinda plain. The clear case is nice as is the built in speakers but the tripod stand is AWFUL!
I say make it a TV and call it a day.
I say make it a TV and call it a day.
And I won't disagree with you. It's time for an update to those, but at least they came out 3 years ago and not a year from now.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you. If you go to the product page of the One, there are plenty of reviews of people that love Dell and the One. One review actually says that Dell stays on top of design and innovation (now whether those are real reviews are not is another topic, but I tend not to be a conspiracy theorist).
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean that everyone else agrees with you. There are plenty of Dell, PC, and Windows fanboys and lovers. God bless 'em.
And, I love Apple's products. But, my loving the products doesn't make everything else crap. And, it won't be the end of the world if someone chooses to use a Windows computer.
While I genuinely have to agree that the XPS One is awful, I do have to admit that the Dell Crystal LCD they are putting on-sale is very nice in terms of Industrial Design. It also doesn't ape on the Apple look but goes it's own way which to me is a definite first for PC ID.
That said... it's exorbitantly expensive for what amounts to being a 22" widescreen HD monitor for a computer. It makes the price tag and featureset on the Mac Cube seem competitive with the old G4 towers it was underfeatured/underexpandable in comparison to. By comparison, the stylish Mac mini (despite the argument made about the use of the laptop hard drives cutting into storage capacity for the person wanting to build up a huge iTunes or iPhoto library) brings awesome styling at an affordable pricepoint in what can truly be called a "modular" computer that is less about upgrading and more about replacing every few years. Even Apple didn't get it with the cube, but they certainly have gotten it with the mini's pricing... even if there's many that have hoped for more out of the mini since it went Intel. Of Apple's designs, it's the one that's really seen the least amount of time and effort spent into... it's used the same motherboard design pretty much since the Intel mini's birth. While the Macbook didn't stray far from the iBook design, similarly to the Macbook Pro from the Powerbook G4... the guts have been bumped a few times. The G5/Mac Pro similarly hasn't changed visually, but considering it's purpose... it's a workhorse and honestly... even it's guts have seen an array of changes.
If there's one thing to be said... Dell and the rest might finally be stepping out of the dungeons into the light, but they're not assessing what their primary competition's past successes and failures have stood to show. Style, does *NOT* outsell convenience and usability, you can't go Bang and Oluffsen like Apple did with the Cube and various iterations of "the Anniversary" Macs with design at outrageous pricepoints and expect huge sales. True, a Dell doesn't have to be a boring beige box (most are black today; the XPS towers are colored and honestly... despite following the gamer "in your face" aesthetic, they're still relatively attractive machines), it doesn't have to be an AT-standardized tower in casing design (which most desktops are, or are Flex-style designs). Yet... trying to gussy up a monitor with tempered glass to the point it costs 4x's the competition... just to be stylish? I don't see the volume sales in that. In fact... I don't see many sales in that, period.
The iMac is truly ingenious design, it's attractive in styling... all the more now that it's draped in aluminum and a sinister black motif that breaks free from the shackles of white and silver. The material selections = awesome. As a non AIO guy and one that hopes to see Apple give us a stylish headless wonder or two (i.e. Santa Rosa-based Mac mini's in black/silver... perhaps a *new age* cube above it in a similar black/silver motif with regular desktop drives and dedicated GPU) in a week or two... even I am somewhat smitten by the iMac redesign. I still dislike AIO's for the overall conglomeration of parts that are fused into one package and the lack of option to upgrade that breeds... but I can respect the look of the new iMac moreso than any iMac prior. In fact... considering I have a Xerox XG-91D on my Mac mini, even the glass on the display is a selling point to me (enhances color definition, protects the screen, helps boost color contrast... everything looks crisper IMHO) vs. the bane it has been for others.
That said, good design does not mean it has to cost significantly more than a current desktop. The XPS One does offer a lot for the $, but it still looks like they glued the guts of a desktop into a fattened up version of their pre-existing LCD monitors. From a design standpoint, it's still the same old bland design with a set of speakers stuck to it's sides. Dell's LCD's = good pieces to be sure (dad's Mac mini has a 20" Dell widescreen on it, it's quite a nice piece for the $), but they're more about usability than stylishness. I mean, comparing the looks of a Cinema Display to a Dell LCD, it's a no contest deal. I love the Cinema's, I just can't justify the cost difference... color correction or not (not like my dad's a graphic designer). In fact, the later Samsung's (on which Apple and Dell have shared their panels with) are far more stylish than Dell's options, looking much like their very attractive piano black LCD and Plasma TV's. That said, if I can snag a Dell LCD at the right pricetag... I can overlook the casing it comes in for the awesome LCD panel it has. That's what I generally end up looking at more than not staring at a LCD anyways.
Compared to an iMac, it's not even close for Dell. Given an XPS One with the styling of the Crystal LCD at the same pricepoint as the XPS One, one could finally argue that Dell is starting to get it. The Crystal LCD is beautiful in it's own way, it's just ludicrous in it's own way as well. Until then... no, no, no, and no. It's probably not a bad machine for a PC, but once again... when comparing box x, y, and z... what you see is pretty much, par for the course. The XPS One is no exception. It's still too "no frills" in aesthetic to really make the proper chic statement.
That said... it's exorbitantly expensive for what amounts to being a 22" widescreen HD monitor for a computer. It makes the price tag and featureset on the Mac Cube seem competitive with the old G4 towers it was underfeatured/underexpandable in comparison to. By comparison, the stylish Mac mini (despite the argument made about the use of the laptop hard drives cutting into storage capacity for the person wanting to build up a huge iTunes or iPhoto library) brings awesome styling at an affordable pricepoint in what can truly be called a "modular" computer that is less about upgrading and more about replacing every few years. Even Apple didn't get it with the cube, but they certainly have gotten it with the mini's pricing... even if there's many that have hoped for more out of the mini since it went Intel. Of Apple's designs, it's the one that's really seen the least amount of time and effort spent into... it's used the same motherboard design pretty much since the Intel mini's birth. While the Macbook didn't stray far from the iBook design, similarly to the Macbook Pro from the Powerbook G4... the guts have been bumped a few times. The G5/Mac Pro similarly hasn't changed visually, but considering it's purpose... it's a workhorse and honestly... even it's guts have seen an array of changes.
If there's one thing to be said... Dell and the rest might finally be stepping out of the dungeons into the light, but they're not assessing what their primary competition's past successes and failures have stood to show. Style, does *NOT* outsell convenience and usability, you can't go Bang and Oluffsen like Apple did with the Cube and various iterations of "the Anniversary" Macs with design at outrageous pricepoints and expect huge sales. True, a Dell doesn't have to be a boring beige box (most are black today; the XPS towers are colored and honestly... despite following the gamer "in your face" aesthetic, they're still relatively attractive machines), it doesn't have to be an AT-standardized tower in casing design (which most desktops are, or are Flex-style designs). Yet... trying to gussy up a monitor with tempered glass to the point it costs 4x's the competition... just to be stylish? I don't see the volume sales in that. In fact... I don't see many sales in that, period.
The iMac is truly ingenious design, it's attractive in styling... all the more now that it's draped in aluminum and a sinister black motif that breaks free from the shackles of white and silver. The material selections = awesome. As a non AIO guy and one that hopes to see Apple give us a stylish headless wonder or two (i.e. Santa Rosa-based Mac mini's in black/silver... perhaps a *new age* cube above it in a similar black/silver motif with regular desktop drives and dedicated GPU) in a week or two... even I am somewhat smitten by the iMac redesign. I still dislike AIO's for the overall conglomeration of parts that are fused into one package and the lack of option to upgrade that breeds... but I can respect the look of the new iMac moreso than any iMac prior. In fact... considering I have a Xerox XG-91D on my Mac mini, even the glass on the display is a selling point to me (enhances color definition, protects the screen, helps boost color contrast... everything looks crisper IMHO) vs. the bane it has been for others.
That said, good design does not mean it has to cost significantly more than a current desktop. The XPS One does offer a lot for the $, but it still looks like they glued the guts of a desktop into a fattened up version of their pre-existing LCD monitors. From a design standpoint, it's still the same old bland design with a set of speakers stuck to it's sides. Dell's LCD's = good pieces to be sure (dad's Mac mini has a 20" Dell widescreen on it, it's quite a nice piece for the $), but they're more about usability than stylishness. I mean, comparing the looks of a Cinema Display to a Dell LCD, it's a no contest deal. I love the Cinema's, I just can't justify the cost difference... color correction or not (not like my dad's a graphic designer). In fact, the later Samsung's (on which Apple and Dell have shared their panels with) are far more stylish than Dell's options, looking much like their very attractive piano black LCD and Plasma TV's. That said, if I can snag a Dell LCD at the right pricetag... I can overlook the casing it comes in for the awesome LCD panel it has. That's what I generally end up looking at more than not staring at a LCD anyways.
Compared to an iMac, it's not even close for Dell. Given an XPS One with the styling of the Crystal LCD at the same pricepoint as the XPS One, one could finally argue that Dell is starting to get it. The Crystal LCD is beautiful in it's own way, it's just ludicrous in it's own way as well. Until then... no, no, no, and no. It's probably not a bad machine for a PC, but once again... when comparing box x, y, and z... what you see is pretty much, par for the course. The XPS One is no exception. It's still too "no frills" in aesthetic to really make the proper chic statement.
Wow, 90 designers. And this is the best they can come up with. Anyone know how many designers (aside from Jonny Ives) Apple has?
it looks as if they tried way too hard, it def. looks like something apple would have come out with. knowing dell it will cost a million and one dollars.