Why do some people find Apple's products creative sleek and fashionable..?

Me too, but I know that I’m not in the majority.

A bit dated, but… boom.

I find them sleek because it’s obvious someone took time to design the thing. They turn out things that are clean-looking, have the right kind of bells and whistles yet somehow manage to be simple, basically their stuff looks good and they pay attention to how stuff is really used, making it elegantly functional.

Don’t get me wrong, I kind of hate Apple as a company (and defected to PC years ago), but honestly, they have some real purdy equipment.

I think they’re elegant, myself, but I can understand why some would people think they’ve gotten boring. So many other companies have copied Apple over the past few years that it’s hard to remember when their’s was the only one-piece, or when the iPod first came out and blew every other MP3 player away.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities I do like the minimalism, and that’s why I Google instead of Yahoo! or Bing, but I don’t think Apple’s minimalism is necessarily sexy, especially since it comes along with an air of unearned superiority.

@Austinlad But wasn’t that because of how much it could hold and because it didn’t take a textbook to learn how to use it, not because of it’s shell design?

iTunes 10 looks so depressing to me,yuck!

I feel like i am part of a minority when i surf the internet and read that ‘everybody’ has iApples.
I own nothing of them.
And okay, their stuff looks sleek, but so does a lot of other stuff from other manufacturers.

I don’t have any Apple products, but I like that they’re so shiny. Sadly, I’m not being facetious.

@rebbel Yeah, the last time Apple was unique in their sleekness, I heard someone say “Oh, the iPod? Yeah, my neighbor’s rich brother owns one”.

They pay attention to detail and focus on minimalism. I don’t design hardware but I design software. It is easy to toss a ton of features into a product for a bullet list. I shoot for simple and keeping my mom from being confused.

Because they are sleek. This is my iMac, well not mine, but an image of one just like mine. It’s not just that I find it sleek, it is sleek, it’s not just a feeling.

The only thing I have ever owned of Apple is a sticker, and I found that in an old drawer in an old house.

The last time I used an Apple product was in college.
That there was a Mac lab in an engineering department was flat out insulting, not to mention a complete waste of money. Says a lot about how dysfunctional the school was.

I think their products look good, and that unfortunately comes at the expense of major incompatibility. I never liked their obsession with propriety (I should be able to change my own mp3 player battery) and they are way overpriced. They are like the Sony of the 21st century.

Other companies are finally catching up on the looks front (e.g HP although their customer service is non-existent, in fact they go out of their way to not help you).

The iEverything has become played out and monotonous.

@lilikoi and that addresses the “creative” aspect of the question “Other companies are finally catching up…” Apple creates, they are innovative and then everyone else scrambles to “catch up.” But I agree, Apple products, at least the computers, are expensive when compared to PCs. I was willing to pay a premium when I purchased my iMac, but my laptop is a PC because Macintosh laptops are just too expensive for what you get.

Because they are.

Apple products and customer service are world class (and super creative and sleek), but some fine jelly posted this hilarious iPhone 4 consumer spoof a while back. (unfortunately I don’t recall who, and can’t get a hit using the Fluther search function.)

I think people are more turned off by the all-trusting white plastic Apple Nation; more so than they are of the actual physical products.

..In my experience.

Some people like to be cool by bonding together and pointing out how uncool another group is. It’s an emotional edification thing. A pack animal thing – finding fault with the [market] leaders.

I find Apple products very sleek and fashionable. Certainly much more than competitor products.

It’s okay if you don’t like their design choices, (why should I tell you you’re wrong if you don’t like the color red?) but their extreme focus on design and their commitment to clean and sleek products and interfaces is just so pleasing to the eye.

Here’s an example of Apple’s commitment to design and detail. Do you know how much work and thought goes into that tiny white LED light on a Mac? More than any other company that’s for sure! (read the link)

Apple’s designs are so psychologically pleasing that this is what tends to make Apple users so attached to their iDevices. Not only are their products clean, simple (for most people), and so well designed, they’re actually fun to use! (ex: iPad) Try and say that with your desktop PC or PC tablet.

I think that companies should put more focus on design. They go out saying “we focus more on functionality” without realizing that good design is part of functionality!

So anyways, not everyone may like Apple’s design, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but a hell of a lot of people do, way more than any other products you’ll find.

Wondering where Apple’s get some of it’s design inspiration? Meet Dieter Rams.

@rawrgrr If my PC and phone weren’t so fun to use, I would use them for 99.9% of the time that I do. They aren’t iThings.

@papayalily Rocks where fun to use when I was a kid, but think about how “fun” electronics used to be (and still are) compared to some iThings you’ll find today. Look at how much technology’s dramatically changed!

We live in a world where we need computers, where we need phones almost as much as we need water. That doesn’t mean they’re still a pain to use. I hated my old LG Chocolate phone but I needed it as a phone to stay connected and facilitate communication. Can’t tell you how much I love m iPhone though. Nobody used to spend the kind of hours we spend on our phones today, now what company do you think was the cause of that?

@rawrgrr For me, it was LG. I spent huge amounts of time on that phone.

I know that it’s changed, it’s just not more fun for me. To me, Apple’s just groundbreaking in the idea to make all computers bright colors instead of addressing larger concerns.

Aw, crap. ”...my PC and phone weren’t so fun to use, I would use them for 99.9% of the time that I do.” SHOULD be ”...my PC and phone weren’t so fun to use, I wouldn’t use them for 99.9% of the time that I do.

I absolutely love Apple’s look ‘cause I’m infatuated with minimalism.

It’s branding. I can look through a sea of devices and point out an Apple product a mile away. The only thing I know about PC is the 4 colored flag. (Branding FAIL) It also creates that affection that every Apple owner has for their devices. You talk to any Apple owner and one of the favorite parts of buying an Apple device is unpacking it. We just got new iMacs in my office at work and I almost cut off the IT’s hand when he tried to unpack mine. It’s like a ritual, it’s all so purtty!

And honestly, what kinda answers did you expect? lol. All the mac lovers are just gonna tell you “Cause they’re Apple! Duh!”

So yeah…
They’re Apple! Duh!

I love Apple, but iTunes 10 sucks, sorry…

@Pistol PC is just the term for all the computers that aren’t Apple’s. I couldn’t pick the PC brand out of a lineup, because there is no such thing. The 4 colored flag is Microsoft, and for the most part, they only do software. My computer is made by HP, and it runs Microsoft’s Windows operating system. It’s not a branding fail because you’re under a mistaken impression.

B/C they are . . . Please tell me, what do they look cloned from?!

@papayalily And what are these “large concerns?”

Look, I’ve heard the “Apple only focusses on design instead of functionality” talk a bagillion times.

Let’s take a look at the personal computer. Before you had to memorize complex tasks and codes to simply open a file. People didn’t even dream of such a device in almost every single home. Why was this? Computers were clumsy and inelegant, and for the first time Apple showed us a better way. They decided to make a pretty bold move. They created a computer that, instead of adding things on and adding extra complications for the user, removed layers of abstraction. They created a computer that worked completely different than the typical computer with pretty colors and big pictures. A computer than was much better designed that had for the first time a fancy “bright” graphical user interface that could finally be used by a regular person. Why was this? Apple’s commitment to design and user friendlyness. If we threw those kinds of thoughts out the window we’d probably be still typing infront of a black screen with a blinking cursor waiting for commands. Nobody wants that! Isn’t technology supposed to make life easier?! And although the Mac numbers are relatively small compared to Windows PCs the original Mac genes are in all of our computers today, including yours.

We now have kids that are video chatting with friends. Sure we’ve had it before and there was nothing new about it but the amount of effort put into the seamless experience by Apple when making a video call is just great. This is what makes life easier, not harder. Try doing the same on an HTC EVO. Haha most people can’t even figure it out themselves. They just decided to slap on a front facing camera instead of actually putting in the effort of giving us an enjoyable video chatting experience. This is why whatever Apple touches turns to gold, they know how to do it, they know what people like. So stop comparing things on paper. It’s these good design choices that make a product successful Good design is meant to help people!

I hope you get what i’m saying. Can we please stop thinking of “design over functionality?” Design is part of functionality. The whole purpose of technology is to make life easier, not a chore. Don’t believe me? Just look around you, the proof is everywhere.

@rawrgrr Yes, how dare I have a different opinion than you, how dare I see something you do not see, or not see something you do see. You truly have the Divine Opinion on this one.

Really, when I say Apple put design over functionality, I’m talking about the design of the shell, not the design of the software. I agree that the design of the software and how user-friendly it is matters greatly, but I’ve never had bigger problems with user-friendliness than with Apple. I cannot find my way around their stuff, and never have been able to. I agree that the point of personal technology is to make life easier, although not all technology by any means. That doesn’t mean I think Apple accomplishes that.

If the HTC Evo is so complex for a simple task, why are so many dropping hundreds of dollars on them and then not returning them within the 30 day refund period (or however long it is)?

Yes, Mac inspired the way PCs are today, just like PCs inspired the way Macs are today. That doesn’t actually prove anything except that time is linear.

You obviously don’t understand design, functionality, usability, aesthetics, craftsmanship or user experience.

iEverything
iWork, iLife, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac

Everything Else
Macbook, Macbook Pro, Mac Mini, Macbook Air, Mac Pro, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, Final Cut Pro, Quicktime, Logic Studio, Aperture, Airport Express, Airport Extreme, Time Capsule, Mac OS X, Safari, Mac OS X Server, Xserve, Xsan, Apple Remote Desktop, Apple TV, Mobile Me

I fail to see how everything is ‘iSomething’.

They have been top of the industry for quite a while in the design of their products and the other things I mentioned which you don’t understand.

Don’t generalize a company and their entire line of products based only on the 3 popular ones you know of. Because that just shows you know nothing.

@papayalily Sorry if I made it sound like that. My apologies, but the design of the shell is also important.

The design of the shell is part the user experience. The sense of sight is the fastest sense of all five and absorbs the most data than any of your senses (obviously) and this is why it is said that big pretty pictures actually help you learn things faster and easier, reduce strain, and some scientists even describe it as a relief in the mind. The eye is extremely sensitive to bright colors and patterns, it’s the language of the eye. It makes things more pleasing to the eye and easier to figure out. This is why so many users love their iDevices. They just become attached to the beautiful UI and it makes it more of a joy to use.

The new iTunes for example isn’t my favourite. There are much less colors which make it a bit more difficult to see things at a glance and the inconsistency with the rest of the system isn’t very appealing. The bright colors in the older iTunes made navigating a bit easier since everything really “popped.”

There’s nothing wrong with not liking Apple products, not everyone likes everything, but theres a reason it really seems to just click with lots of users. I hope I didn’t offend you so please don’t be offended.

The HTC EVO is not a very bad phone, yes there are people that pay for it (and you cant be sure there arent people that arent returning them). If it’s easier to use for you them by all means go buy one. I was just pointing out how video calling hasnt taken off since it was introduced years ago because of its poor implementation and user interface. Most people can’t even figure out how to video call someone!

@papayalily I’m not under any mistaken impressions. I know what PC means. I generally associate PC with Microsoft because most PC’s out there use Microsoft Windows OS. So I miscommunicated.

So let me retract that statement and say this; Microsoft has a branding fail, decent branding I guess when it comes to commercials but Microsoft isn’t very good at designing attractive packaging, software etc. PC’s in general dont really have any bold or sleek designs either. I’ve never looked at a Dell and thought “Oooooh thats pretty!” I’ve never seen an Alienware computer and thought “Oh I want a clunky computer that got their designed from a 50’s space movie!”

It comes down to Apple having complete control of their brand from start to finish. Their software, hardware, and all the way down to the finishing touches like packaging and such.

As a designer, It’s all just looks well thought out to me. It’s a good design that not everyone might like but in design standards a very very solid brand nonetheless.

I see other products out there and I like certain aspects but they just don’t seem as thought out completely as Apple’s is.

Not to mention @papayalily you seem like you’re trolling more so than trying to state an opinion. You seem to have a retort to a lot of the comments on here. I know people aren’t going to agree with my Alienware comment. I’m sure plenty of people love Alienware’s design concepts but that’s just my opinion. Mac has an incredible design and if you don’t agree, that’s fine (In fact I’m not really happy with a lot of Apple’s design choices lately either) but go be a jelly troll somewhere else.

link(Mashable)

Perfect example of Microsoft’s crappy branding. lol

[mod says] Flame off, folks. No need to make this personal.

My question is still unanswered OP . . . what do Apple products look like cloned versions of?