31 January 2010

design restraint

At Apple, there is a similar link between the ultimate design-team leader, Mr. Jobs, and the products. From computers to smartphones, Apple products are known for being stylish, powerful and pleasing to use. They are edited products that cut through complexity, by consciously leaving things out — not cramming every feature that came into an engineer’s head, an affliction known as “featuritis” that burdens so many technology products.

"A defining quality of Apple has been design restraint,” says Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster and consultant in Silicon Valley.

Steve Lohr, "Steve Jobs and the Economics of Elitism," New York Times, 29 Jan 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/weekinreview/31lohr.html