After more than a decade of designing products and services in the USA, Europe, Asia and South Africa, we wanted to reflect our global perspective in design, in a new name. We are happy to announce that Readymade has become Terrestrial. Our new site is here and you can also follow us on twitter or facebook.
Whether or not you believe in the latest hype surrounding the rumors of Apple’s tablet launch, Apple has almost always delivered new breakthrough devices and services that changed the landscape forever. Be it mp3 players, digital content delivery, computers or phones, things will never be the same again after Steve Job’s ‘one more thing’ announcement. On the 27th of January Apple has invited people to “Come see our latest creation”; a tablet device that has been developed over 25 years. The device, which could be called the MacBook Touch, iPad, iSlate, or iTablet or several other speculative names and designs, will be a ten inch touch screen that combines computer and phone operating systems that is not just aimed at the usual Mac user.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs. The tablet will hopefully incorporate design features from unibody MacBooks, touchscreen technology and a multi-touch user interface system that uses the back of the device for additional controls, expect to see a combination of materials on the back that is just as exciting as the user experience on the front.
Who is the Macbook Touch aimed at? It will be media driven, with indications that newspapers and magazines are looking to strike partnerships plus it could build on education platforms as Apple already has a few success stories. Apple has a huge stake-hold in music, but will now also push into gaming more aggressively. If Apple launches a tablet that combines the functionality of a netbook, the user experience of an iPhone , the stability of Mac OS and that competes with e-books and is well priced we could see a lot more younger Mac fans, we could see something like this.
Steve Jobs has said, in reference to the forthcoming Tablet, "This will be the most important thing I've ever done" and “the new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.” Apple.
Aliph has launched a new Jawbone bluetooth headset range called Icon, the six designs are small and very elegant and Wired.co.uk calls them the best thought-out product they saw at CES. See Engadget’s review here.
The Stanford d.school has shared, the basics of design thinking,as taught in their introductory class called the "design thinking bootcamp". The ‘Bootcamp Bootleg’ is a pdf file that contains a bunch of great methodologies for observation, data collection, brainstorming, prototyping, and concept generation. Design thinking is gaining more credibility in business as more IDEO alumni are starting to make their way into the CEO suites of prominent U.S. organizations.
Sugru is a pretty amazing product that looks like modeling clay, but cures at room temperature, is self adhesive, waterproof, flexible and is even dish-washer proof, that can be used to fix or hack products. The silicone based Sugru was developed by designer Jane ní Dhulchaointigh with the help of material scientists over a period of six years. See some of the hacking on Sugru’s blog. Via DesignBoom.
Tasos recently wrote an article for DESIGN>; ‘The Power of Industrial Design in Africa’ which explains the process of design and should inspire future designers. You can also read it here.