An artist is truly in it for themselves – not just for reasons of wanting to get rich, or get famous, or find a path to comfort. The artist needs to understand the truth that lies at the bottom of an enigma. In Jobs’ case, he painstakingly pursued the question of what a digital ecosystem that transcends mere relevance and basic needs could mean for modern and future culture itself. We buy his products not just because they function, not just because they are well designed, but out of respect for the integrity of his work – because we buy into the vision of the future world he was trying to create and the values they represent for us. For this, we are happy to be tithed a little extra.
If Design’s No Longer the Killer Differentiator, What Is? | Wired Opinion | Wired.com
This paragraph gave me pause; I do, indeed, not mind paying extra for Apple’s products, because they are better-designed than the alternatives. But it’s been quite a while since I thought of Apple’s hardware or software as visionary—since the OSX debut, in fact—nor do I think Job’s, or Apple’s, vision of the future and values necessarily match my own.
Here are things about Apple, at least, that I do think are remarkable and sometimes visionary: the App Store ecosystem. The marketing campaigns. The lack of apology and (often corresponding) self-aggrandizement. But I’d never want to start or run a company that was similar in those particular ways.
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apple jon maeda product design ux design values pw
