After spending a considerable length of time at my local Apple Store playing with the new iPods, I've come to these conclusions:
1. The new iPod feels cheaply constructed compared to its predecessor. The plastic, especially. The old iPod design still feels more "solid" and looks more elegant to me.
2. The red backlights on the buttons, while admittedly helpful, are ugly. White light would have been nicer and more in keeping with the overall design. However, if the design concern of that idea would have been no differentiation between the white backlight of the screen and white-lit buttons, then I would have gone with green or blue.
3. The new button placement doesn't work for me at all. Basically, it sucks. Instead of Apple's redesign, I would have thickened the circular buttons and maybe added some 'bumps' to the Menu button for tactile differentiation. At least placing the new buttons in a semicircle would have been better than the current layout. On top of that, the buttons are much too sensitive to the touch.
Yes, the thinner design and lighter weight is nice, and the larger storage capacity is great. But the new design feels like it was changed for the sake of change, rather than for an overriding design reason. The iPod was perfectly designed to begin with. Why screw with success?
Blue or green backlit buttons would have kicked @$$. And yeah, I agree on that one: buttons should have been at least placed in an arched layout, like the LoopRumors.com rendering. Oh well, I'm still getting one soon! It's still the best MP3 player in the market.
Personally, I would have like the old iPod design with sold state buttons. The looks are like the old silver-white iBook (which I have) vs the new opaqe white iBook (which I do not like as much). Although blue would look edgier, white backlight is much better in terms of design. They should have used white as the backlight for the buttons as well.
Personally, I would have like the old iPod design with sold state buttons.
If they had kept the design the same but made the buttons solid state then people would be constantly clicking buttons by mistake when scrolling with the wheel. When Apple decided to go all solid state with the new iPod it became necessary for them to place the buttons further away from the wheel.
Comments
I prefer the old iPod design.
After spending a considerable length of time at my local Apple Store playing with the new iPods, I've come to these conclusions:
1. The new iPod feels cheaply constructed compared to its predecessor. The plastic, especially. The old iPod design still feels more "solid" and looks more elegant to me.
2. The red backlights on the buttons, while admittedly helpful, are ugly. White light would have been nicer and more in keeping with the overall design. However, if the design concern of that idea would have been no differentiation between the white backlight of the screen and white-lit buttons, then I would have gone with green or blue.
3. The new button placement doesn't work for me at all. Basically, it sucks. Instead of Apple's redesign, I would have thickened the circular buttons and maybe added some 'bumps' to the Menu button for tactile differentiation. At least placing the new buttons in a semicircle would have been better than the current layout. On top of that, the buttons are much too sensitive to the touch.
Yes, the thinner design and lighter weight is nice, and the larger storage capacity is great. But the new design feels like it was changed for the sake of change, rather than for an overriding design reason. The iPod was perfectly designed to begin with. Why screw with success?
Originally posted by klinux
Personally, I would have like the old iPod design with sold state buttons.
If they had kept the design the same but made the buttons solid state then people would be constantly clicking buttons by mistake when scrolling with the wheel. When Apple decided to go all solid state with the new iPod it became necessary for them to place the buttons further away from the wheel.