Maeda's SIMPLICITY

Mirror Mirror

iPods also play music.

On a recent trip to New York I was exposed to my first magazine-class photoshoot. At the rented studio space was a sign taped to the door as shown to the right. It lists MP3 players and iPods as two distinct types of devices. Isn't an iPod an MP3 player? I began to wonder whether an iPod may be much more. Newer versions show photos and have begun to run a variety of software applications. iPod as a primary computing platform? A world where you dock your Mac to your iPod (versus the other way around)? I think I liked the iPod better as just an MP3 player.

Stylistically speaking, the polished metal surface of the back of the iPod was a good idea. The iPod's former heft (i.e. pre-mini and pre-shuffle) made it an object to admire in terms of weight-to-size ratio, but also could be used as a nicely sized shaving mirror (or makeup mirror for the better gender). The better to see you. Or at least the better to see yourself.

We love to covet what we own. We love to see ourselves as owning something that is coveted. Is that really my car? "Yes, that's my car," as you look back at the shiny status object. Any object one owns can have a similar effect. The iPod's handcap of being larger than other MP3 players was probably a major reason for its success. The bigger the object, the bigger the pride.

I predict the next bestseller to be the iPod Maxi. It is the SUV version of the iPod with a huge screen, large speakers, gigantic shiny backsurface, and gets real hot when it's running. I think it's called the iMac.

Posted by maeda at March 24, 2005 12:04 AM