NEWS ANALYSIS
Or take the AirPods, which Ive once said were
informed by the design of Star Wars stormtrooper
helmets.Notonlydotheylookdistinctive,butthey
offerfeaturesthatcomparably-pricedwireless
earbudsoftenlack.(Andthat’snotevenmentioning
their stylish case.) Books could be written about this,
and suchbookshavebeenwritten.
NowApplefindsitselfinasupremelyunenviable
position. The problem with relying on one person’s
visionforsomanyyearsisthatsuchreliancemakes
that onepersonextremelyhardtoreplace.Ivemay
still beworkingwithApple,butmostfutureproducts
we’llseefromthecompanywillbefromadifferent
Appleandapprovedbyadifferentmind.Almost
bynecessity,they’llprobablylookalittledifferent,
lest Applefallintofurtherstagnation in misguided
attemptstoriffoffofIve’sdesign.The iPhone 3GS
maintained a synthesis
of function and beauty