Other companies that I think we could compare Apple with is Dyson or BMW. Dyson and BMWs cost more than their competitors, and are less reliable. However, they are distinctive in design and engineering. That makes the user feel something while they use it.
Unfortunately, Yo is right. One person doesn’t change a company unless they own it. Some consultants I’ve talked to have told me they present out there ideas to clients, but also safe options. The clients almost always go safe.
I’ve said this before with the iPod…I’m sure a consultant showed a client an MP3 player (or CD player, tape player, radio) with an extruded aluminum enclosure in pink. The client said, “whoa…that’s putting us over our price point!” and “whoa…no one else is doing this, what if the clients won’t pay extra!” I’m sure it happened hundreds of times. It took someone with vision to go, “let’s do it”. It turns our people do see the value.
I think the unfortunate thing today is that at Dell, Compaq, HP, Acer, Lenovo, whoever, there are designers presenting equally wild ideas. I don’t know what they are, but they are unique and exciting. Unfortunately, Apple nor anyone else has those concepts in production, so people are scared to take the chance. What I’d like to see is management that will trust design as much as Steve Jobs.
Here’s what we’ve said about the iAesthetic: