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Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

baekdal.com

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Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#91

Post by jessriedel »

Xuzz wrote: post #37

See, to me, Samsung does have an issue here, but it's not about the "rounded rectangle" shape or the "reasonably thick black bezel": it's the fact they have both of those, like the iPad, but then also surround them with a marginal silver border. I own both the Galaxy Tab 10.1" and an iPad 2, and I actually do get confused between the two all the time, when looking at them from above. They're about the same thickness…

My understanding is that this is a patent dispute, not a trademark dispute. Therefore, the fact that you confuse the two isn't really relevant.

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#92

Post by webjprgm »

They could have made the margins with a raised border, like the Kindle, and still had a black border, rectangular with rounded corners, flat back tablet that didn't look quite so much like an iPad.

They could have put their logo in a shallow etching on that margin.

The margin could be plastic, rubber, or any other material more comfortable for grip and/or better for protecting the screen.

They also could easily have the thumb margin on only 1 side, provided their software allows the user to flip the device upside down to switch between left-handed and right-handed users.

They could have put the speakers as a visible part of the top or bottom margin.

They could have the margin be a screen that does not have touch capabilities and is there simply to extend the background color all the way to the edge.

They could design a new battery that would fit around the outer rim of the tablet internally so that the middle of the device could be thinner. This would be technically difficult and expensive though.

Also, simplicity is very obvious when you see it, but before you see it you might not think of reducing things down quite that far. Case in point: Apple's device is not as simple as the one the author at baekdal.com designed because Apple's has a home button, a lock button, and volume buttons. Those are not necessary, but Apple designed them into the iPad.

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#93

Post by mannicken »

bornon5 wrote: post #40

I'm not convinced that rounded corners are anything more than a trend right now. Aesthetically, many beautiful objects have sharp corners - tables, windows, and computer screens, not to mention the universal reading tablet, a.k.a. the piece of paper. Our eyes haven't had a problem staying focused inside these rectangles. The big draw for rounded corners is comfort. But we've been using sharp rectangular folders, bind…

Actually, yes. The research in neuroaesthetics has shown some interesting results that point out humans' natural preference towards straight, rather than oblique lines: http://www.wfu.edu/psychology/faculty/pubs/schirillo/Article...

I do not know where the author got his "curved lines pull people in" effect.

I also feel like simple vignettes on the corners would make tablets seem much more sophisticated and intricate.

Another related URL: http://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/147/ here Lebedev talks about the difference between simplicity and primitivism. This probably most closely hints at what I think is wrong with Apple's design.

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#94

Post by shinratdr »

cma wrote: post #81
Xuzz wrote: post #37

See, to me, Samsung does have an issue here, but it's not about the "rounded rectangle" shape or the "reasonably thick black bezel": it's the fact they have both of those, like the iPad, but then also surround them with a marginal silver border. I own both the Galaxy Tab 10.1" and an iPad 2, and I actually do get confused between the two all the time, when looking at them from above. They're about the same thickness…

Black bezel, marginal silver border, years before the iPad, made by Samsung: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/1/SAMS.jp...

Damn. Probably would have been a good idea to patent that, eh?

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#95

Post by funkah »

> Apple never designed the iPad. They undesigned the tablet. They focused on creating the simplest form possible. Every single decision is based on usability, readability, comfort, and focusing your eyes on the content itself.

IANAD, but everything I have read about design indicates that this is precisely what design is. So, the premise that Apple "undesigned" the iPad is a shaky one. That doesn't make Apple's list of demands any less silly, though.

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#96

Post by tedunangst »

jessriedel wrote: post #91
Xuzz wrote: post #37

See, to me, Samsung does have an issue here, but it's not about the "rounded rectangle" shape or the "reasonably thick black bezel": it's the fact they have both of those, like the iPad, but then also surround them with a marginal silver border. I own both the Galaxy Tab 10.1" and an iPad 2, and I actually do get confused between the two all the time, when looking at them from above. They're about the same thickness…

My understanding is that this is a patent dispute, not a trademark dispute. Therefore, the fact that you confuse the two isn't really relevant.

Design patent.

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#97

Post by samtregar2 »

robin_reala wrote: post #59
samtregar2 wrote: post #56

That's amazing - this site managed to come up with CSS that prevents the font from getting bigger even when I ctrl-+ the page. Thanks for making it impossible for me to read, asshats.

Upgrade from IE - it doesn’t resize fonts specified in pixels in text resize mode.

You wound me sir. I use Chrome on Linux. Linux user since v1.2.3!

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#98

Post by webjprgm »

blhack wrote: post #71
Terretta wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think his point is the original JooJoo design, which he provides, looked a lot less like the iPad.

But it fulfills most of the things apple is claiming that Samsung infringed upon except the color black.

No, it also looks like the border is slightly raised more like the Kindle.

This is the form factor that I would have thought of naturally, before seeing the iPad, since it's similar to the designs that existed for computers at the time. Compare it to previous tablets/slates, laptops, Palm pilots, Newton. Most of them have some kind of raised plastic border (and often not black but some shade of gray).

Re: Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it

#100

Post by Terretta »

ctdonath wrote: post #41

Apple need be careful what they insist others do - it may be done, and well, and Apple prohibited from doing it too. Example: the color of the margin should be the same as the background color of the content This after insisting on a sufficient inactive margin, and going on to say the technology doesn't exist. The thought ends with the conclusion of a one-inch-ish black margin. But wait: what if a tablet DID run its…

In reading his description of the inevitable black border, I was thinking about Philips Ambilight[1] and how useful it would be for the border to be page color (white or black) when reading, or even to pick up the bgcolor or background from web pages.

It's not that much of a stretch to think of it working for black or white borders. Perhaps it could even be done with a type of e-ink so it wouldn't need power except when changing state from light to dark or back.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCrKVKT-b1k

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