Artists and Engineers are very different, but then they are not!
Confused?
Ever saw an engineer’s product? In most cases, the focus is on function.
It may look bad but it will work. And in most of the cases it will work well.
Compare that to an artist’s work. It will be beautiful. It will look good. Work? It ,ay or may not.
Why am I talking about this all of a sudden?
Well, the point came from me switching to Safari from Chrome.
I was just comparing the philosophy and working style of Apple and Google.
Apple: Design That Just Works
“Design is not how it looks, it is how it works” - Steve Jobs
With Apple, everything is designed to work. You take an Apple product in hand and it works well. Anyone can use an iPad. Even 6 year eneducated boys can!
Apple charges more but the products look great, and work really well.
And when they do not, Apple is not afraid to replace them. (Ask me, I am going to get a new iPhone as a replacement in 2-3 days!)
It’s no surprise that designers are more powerful at Apple. Unlike normal tech companies, where products start in Engineering Department, Apple starts with designers.
This results in great design.
Apple is not the first to introduce new things, but when they do, they do it really well.
Apple spent most of its time as a computer company.
Why?
Because they were doing that one thing well.
They did not branch out to other fields just to earn more profits.
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs
That is the viewpoint that I love. Why do something that you are not good at?
Anyway, back to Apple, they entered phone market in 2007 with lot of things up their sleeves and turned everything upside down.
2010, they did it again with iPad.
Apple was not first company to make a phone or a tablet but when they made one, they made a great one.
This pursuit of excellence is that I love. That’s why I love Apple.
Google: Constantly Evolving
Google is at completely opposite end. They are not afraid to bring new and unfinished things to market.
They move at fast speed picking up what seems to be future and profitable. Everything that is not that useful is left behind.
Fast and simple. And I like this too!
Just look at their products. They are not completely finished at any time. New features are added and removed regularly. Take recent redesign of black bar. They removed it first in favor of a hovering menu.
When users complained, the black bar was back!
Google evolves constantly. But what I do not like is that they are completely focused on Engineering side. Google’s designs used to be plain and simple until they hired someone from Apple.
When it comes to Android, I just hate it.
Why?
First, it is copied. Second, it is not copied well!
It is confusing! I recently tried using an Andoird phone. My first 15 minutes were really bad. There were many UI inconsistencies.
Back button in one app takes you to last page. On another app, it goes to menu. On yet another one, it goes to home screen!
Compare that to iOS, where Home buton takes you only to one place: Home Screen.
I don’t hate Google but I do not like them either. Search, it’s great! So is GMail and Reader, but recent pushes like Android, Google+ are too bad.
Samsung: Jack Of All Trades
If Google lies on completely oppsoite end of Apple, Samsung are two steps more opposite to Apple.
Samsung wants to do everything in every market. They will make phones, TVs, washing machines, kitched appliances and what not. While they do well in most of the things, they are not on the top in most of the markets.
They can be second or third. For them, it is presence that matters. Presence, and some small profits!
And that’s where my hate from them comes from. They don’t do things well.
Yes, they make good things. But they make them for sake of making something.
There’s no design, there’s no love for the product, there’s no excellence.
That’s why I love Apple. They are artists, they love creating!