Great post by John Gruber about the success of various systems. He doesn't often create posts this in depth, should be on everyone's must read list this week.
In 2007 Apple introduced the iPhone and created a digital design standard and Google was working on the design of Android. Google was still focusing on function over form and they helped turn Android into an extremely powerful operating system that lacked the kind of polish consumers were looking for because of iOS. Around this time I was trying to choose my next phone and found the ubiquity of the iPhone off putting and considering that I took enjoyment in many geeky things in my life I found Android fit my personality just right. The evolution of Android from Cupcake to Jelly Bean has been incredibly dramatic and by fair the largest inflection point came with the arrival of Matias Duarte. Former lead designer for Palm's webOS his design ideas have brought Android to the point where it has become both beautiful and powerful. Matias has even introduced design guidelines to help unify the Android experience across applications. Now that Android is beginning to look good on its own, Google has turned to iOS. The new apps Google has released for iOS are nothing short of stunning, and what is equally as incredible is that they do not have the same design language as their counterparts on Android. The design language has apparently developed by committee within Google with each team building upon the next and pushing the style to create a beautiful digitally native look to everything Google does.
Google Chromebook Pixel: it is real and I want one sooo bad. The leak from earlier this month was clearly correct in demonstrating the Pixel. The Chromebook brand should get quite a significant boost from the introduction of a high end device that seems to be 'Apple quality' and if it didn't cost the same as a brand new MacBook I would be at the nearest Best Buy on launch day to get one!Very cool visualization of where Apple products come from. Should be interesting to see how this changes over the next couple years with the attempt to bring production back to the US.
You know its a slow news morning when this is plastered everywhere you look.
Very much want this to be a real thing, the more I think about Chromebooks the more they make sense for my workflow. The only thing I really use that isn’t found in a browser is Microsoft Office, and even then I only use that when I absolutely have to.
If this were to happen then I would be afraid for the future of Apple. This would definitely not be skating to where the puck will be, which is what made Apple great.
How awesome would it be to spot Google Glass on a Google Boss out in the wild?
