Famous designer says Apple will reveal 'revolutionary' product within 8 months - Page 2

I'm convinced they're going to make a new product for automobiles.

An Apple 7" touchscreen on the dashboard with a non-beta Siri and Maps would be killer. Have it automatically sync with iCloud and iMatch and pull anything from iOS devices in range and you've got a product no one can match.

Add to that the fact that current audio/map interfaces in cars ALL SUCK. Now you've got a winner.

I wonder if they would come out with some way to link to your current car speakers, or if they would have their own speakers that you would place around the inside of the car? Stupid question probably, but it's non-trivial for a person to install their own car audio equipment...

It's a little blind fanboy praise honestly. You ignore the obvious, the screen in your living is driven almost entirely by content, content Apple does not own and currently cannot deliver, content that's already in every living room via a near monopoly that content controllers are reluctant to let anyone near their cash cow. Look no further than what's happened to Netflix. Until that part is worked out, it won't matter if the potential iPanel has Siri, a game console, Apple TV and a motion controller all built in...it's about content.

I couldn't agree more. What a horrrrrrrible photo. I only just now realized there is an iPod or iPhone on top of that shadow, errr I mean that large ugly monolith.

Blabbing frog can't keep his mouth shut.

Yes, I can see how you have more design sense than a world acclaimed industrial designer.


Because you should always match like with like when decorating, right?


First of all, the picture is from some magazine article or his website (one would suppose). It's possibly of his house. It's not supposed to "showcase the work of a talented designer" --it just features a couple of his creations on display.

Second, what you complained about above is called "interior decoration" not "industrial design".

You also complained about the picture's exposure. The picture was taken by a photographer, not the designer himself --and the exposure is perfect. (You see, perfect exposure does not mean "no over/under exposed areas", it just means "the picture conveys what the photographer intended', in this case, a moody contrasty tone. Similarly, pictures where people are shown underexposed as silhouettes are generally INTENDED to be that way).

Third, it's called Bauhaus.

Now, if you wanted a taste of the guys design sense, instead on commenting on a picture of his house, how about doing a bloody Google sense? Took all of 1 second:

https://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=...IsyJrAfzxJnvCg

Ironically, we're now thinking the same about you...

Very good mediathink here.

I must add that there should also be wearable stereovision screens, iGlasses, that sync to your iPanel before you leave home. They'll have to buy that name if they want to use it, though.

Edit: I see thataveragejoe called you out on the big bad "Content Issue" above. Everybody says it's all about the content. Maybe not true—generally the more people say something is true, the less true it probably is. As you probably know, the rule in post-McLuhan media thought is that it's the medium that matters more than the content. A well-connected iPanel that's easy to use is going to find a world of content open up that is far beyond the canned programming from the Old Providers. Content in the old sense will be obsolete just as it is for internet-connected computers.

That's funny. Its like watching porn and pointing out all the stupid shit in the background. Yea, you know when you've watched too much porn.

Starck is no Dieter Rams! Why would Jobs meet with him? Dieter Rams I would believe.

I agree with you that the next big thing for Apple will be car-centered products. Maybe not with this supposed 'revolutionary' product, but it's coming. It's the logical natural evolution of Apple's mobile computing foray. Right now they're focused on personal mobile, once they fill up that room, what's next that's also mobile but not personal? The car, what else?

Given Apple's record, do you doubt they asked him not to say anything?

Looking forward to that Apple not-a-TV set. Could be good.

I don't think Apple will do a car product - even though every time I use my car stereo, or in fact when I buy a new one, I think "I wish Apple made one because these all suck, and suck badly"

Last time I shopped I found one Alpine unit that had a proper iPod-like color LCD screen - iPod-sized too - for the princely sum of $600. I played around with it, usability still sucked balls. Then there's tons of DVD player ones with large screens but no proper iPod integration... it's retarded.

Anything else in a car is pretty refined - the locations and functions of the buttons have all received a lot of thought. Where it breaks down is any technology less than 20 years old... adding an iPod, or GPS.

This is exciting news for consumers who have been holding out for a revolutionary new product from Apple. Starck will add some va-va-voom to whatever this magical new product is. I want to buy now!!!!

I'd like to add to this comment, since i am an architect and have some experience with photo-shoots. Most marketing photos like this are set up by the company delivering the product. they scout for a space to shoot their marketing photos and usually the photographer or someone in the production design "stages" the space. In most cases the original space might have had a different layout of furnishings...most likely this was the case. Additionally, they are staging the furnishings for the "Shot", not really focusing on how the space functions. That's kind of a step 1 for most photo shoots. they move around furnishings so they look good in the shot. now, that doesn't explain the lighting or why the right-hand sofa sticks into the doorway, but that's just my experience with these kinds of things. the designer of the product usually has little impact on how the marketing photos look.

Now if Tony Stark had made this comment I would really be excited.

It's from the parrot website. Apparently they paid so much for Starck's design they couldn't afford a decent photo stylist.

You lay out what's wrong with existing car stereos and how Apple could improve it greatly and then conclude that Apple has no incentive to go into it.

I think it's more than just improving on car stereos. It will be in-car computing, a seamless extension of what iCloud/iPhone/iPad does now.

i believe Apple's long term goal is to achieve the ubiquitous and hyper-intelligent computing that is best demonstrated by what the federation crew used in Star Trek Next Gen.

I was thinking the same thing.

Words are cheap and 'revolutionary' has been reduced to nothing but a marketing term. It is overused and cheapened. Now, when we hear 'revolutionary' we expect something a 'little bit new'. I guess Philippe Starck knows revolutionary is no longer an absolute term and therefore called the project 'quite' revolutionary.

But journalists should see through this (very transparent) marketing trap and avoid using the terms - I mean, please AI - in what way was Philippe Starck's comment 'revolutionary'?

Personally I think he is talking about a TV but not just a redesign of a traditional TV set. More of a re-think of what a tv is and does as suggested in the post the other day which the 'alleged' TV would be called iPanel.

Huh? Where's the news in all this, Apple Insider?

The whole point of Apple's, let's say, "iPanel", is that it will simplify and diversify the availability of content. Isn't that just what Apple has always done? Come through with negotiations over incredibly difficult/stingy/seemingly unsurmountable industries (music, mobile networks, etc.)? What makes the television/motion picture industries any different? Even if they don't win them all in the beginning, they will after they winning the market with their stunning TV-replacement.

You're being one of those people who doubted Apple could find success in music players, phones, or tablets. Now more than ever all the evidence is pointing toward this project being extremely successful. Not to mention that it is prime time, considering the tv market is in crisis.

You don't have to have faith in, or even be a fan of Apple to see this. It's logic. Just look at the numbers.

What "new" product has Apple ever come up with? Apple excels at taking a current device and making it sleek, sexy, easy to use, plus the a great ecosystem.

Now there is an un-informed sweeping generalization if I ever saw one. I am not a huge fan but I don't think you'd find a single designer who would make a statement like that.

Its Bauhaus, actually. Not Bouhous.

I guess the picture is going for 'mood', but I agree, it looks very odd and not particularly flattering (in low res)

Blabbermouth? So was Steve Jobs, no?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you........the iIronman.

I would like an iPanel in the kitchen. It can be all of the above but it also needs to have some kind of touch interface so that when it is not a TV we can access the web or IOS apps for recipes. By default it would display Calendar so when we schedule events it all comes up on the kitchen calendar which is still a huge scribbly paper variety.

Actually, the experts aren't saying any such thing. It's only the clueless journalists and bloggers.

You see, the Mayan calendar treated leap years differently than we do. The date when the world was supposed to end has already passed.


While I agree that I'd never let my house look like that, mostly from the functionality perspective, you have to understand modern design. The really high end designers can't be bothered with something as mundane as functionality. That's why we have singers wearing lettuce and raw meat, for example.


Many cars have an auxiliary input which would play the device through the car audio system - and virtually all high end cars (which would be Apple's target audience) do. However, I don't see that as a solution - adding on a separate device with its own screen and controls is far too clunky for Apple. Rather, I could picture a "designed by Apple' screen built into the car - sort of what Microsoft did with BMW (or was it Mercedes?) - except that Apple's would probably work.

This device would control your navigation, integrate with iOS (and Siri), contain a self-contained iPod-type storage (and sync with your iCloud account), integrated 3G connectivity, etc.

I'm a little skeptical that it would happen since it might be too much for car makers to turn over to Apple's design, but if Apple were to do a car product, I would expect it to be full-featured like that.

And they could take a page out of Motorola's playbook and charge only 6.25% of the car's selling price.......

This product will probably be the last nail in the coffin for traditional computers in many homes.

Sorry dude/ette. You're correct about the above, I'm sure. I was reacting more to the "frog" part of your comment.

An updated version of the Apple Battery Charger. That line is overdue for a refresh.

Aux ports typically only allow left/right stereo, with no rear channel, etc., as they're basically just headphone ports. Aux is no solution for excellent sound.

I agree car makers can't be the linchpin in this exercise. There has to be a way to make an end run around them. Thus my questions about how to integrate into the sound system, hook it up, etc. It's tricky enough that maybe it'll never happen. But the area is so ready for vast improvement, it would be a revolution if they could make it work and solve all the implicit problems...

I always believed that Steve controlled what was released. Quite often there have been leaks here and there, but nothing too specific. Just enough of a tease.

On the one or two occasions when the release was too specific, then Steve controlled that too... with a phone call.

I don't know. I saw a Bob Dylan interview on Netflix that said it was produced by iTunes.

I've always loved his Lacie Hard Disks.

" . . . sleek, sexy . . . " these are words that PC gearheads use when trying to describe why Apple stuff is different. They betray only a superficial understanding, or misunderstanding.

The iPhone 4, for example, is about precision machining and materials engineering and deep functionality much more than it is about any tacky object-eroticism. The end result may be loveable, but it's the result of discipline and competence, and above all, taste in engineering.

As for "what has Apple ever done that is new," how about 1) the first personal computer 2) the first touch phone/music/podcast personal computer in your pocket 3) the first touchscreen computer in your hand?

Is it me or do the lips seem much looser than before Steve passed on?

This is interesting. Imagine Apple designing the entire car/human/electronics interface - the in-car computing as you say. Marc Newson tried this with the controls of the 021c. They were iPod like in their simplicity. Contrast that with the mind frak that is any German in-car computer and there is a need for the Apple/Ives touch. Perhaps apple could create CarOS and set the reference design. Then license it out to anyone.

Didn't Apple already make a resolutionary product this year? Oh, nvm.

Sorry, I shouldn't have said 'aux ports'. My intent was to point out that most high end factory stereos are already set up to handle extra inputs. Some of them are much more sophisticated than the simple aux jack that you have available to the user. For example:
http://soarer.tv/Ipod/

This one will allow you to operate your iPod through the factory radio and steering wheel controls (actually, that's standard on newer Lexi). I remember one of my older cars (can't remember which one, though), that had a pre-amp in jack at the back of the factory stereo.

Still, it's a moot point because I can't see Apple wanting to have something as clunky as a separate screen as was originally suggested.

Perhaps you are a bit too harsh. Did you consider that many other websites are selling his designs and this particular image probably did not come from the official website? That might be his furniture in someone else's room.

If you did visit www.starck.com you would then be more informed about his actual work.

PS the site is really slow right now. Maybe due to today's news article. Better turn on your Flash as well if you do intend to visit that website.

Isn't this the guy that told Dieter Rams Apple was ripping them off? Not sure I trust him. Wonder if Ive and the ID team are friends with him? I know Ive and Marc Newson are very close friends.