Having just conducted a search of the 415 comments on this story and discovered only three references to the BUTT UGLINESS of this Zune thing, I'm worried. I'm worried that people's appreciation of beauty is fading.
Are we so spoiled by Apple's products that we think any old poor rip-off will do?
Industrial design? Did someone say "Industrial Design"? This is industrial design C 1974. No, my Sinclair Cambridge calculator was a hell of a lot better looking. Those lines do still appear on the backs of Dell PC screens, but that's no reason to copy them.
The corners are mean and aggressive. That DeLorean style cutaway that's mirrored on the back has no purpose. Is that good design? It's not even adornment masquerading as good design. Is that 'industrial design? Only if your name is Doc Brown!
This is the kind of thing you expect to find as a prop in a bad Sci-Fi movie, you know, the device they find on the alien craft. That ridiculous symbol on the back seems to echo this things true origins - on a movie back lot.
One very good way to work out if you've come up with a good design, is to ask a woman what she thinks of it. Women [and yes I'm generalising here], generally know what looks good and will usually tell you - pretty quickly. There's rarely any debate.
So, if you want to sell a phone to a woman, and it's not pink, you'd better get that design right. Not the pointless bits [read DeLorean cutaway], but the overall shape. Women generally warm to gentle curves. Yes, gentle curves are sexy. They always have been and they always will be.
Now take another look at that Zune. BUTT UGLY. DeLorean. Dell. It shouts male arrogance and retro garbage. I predict it will fail as well as the original Zune turd.
