The Can Do, Just Works principle
By Mark Tennent in Reader
Posted in Apple on January 22, 2008 at 9:42 am
We were at my mother-in-law’s recently and needed to look up a map to the hospital I was taking her for an appointment. We grabbed her Vista laptop (as recommended by Windows-centric brother-in-law), connected it to the outside world via modem and tried to dial into Google maps.
Fifteen frustrating minutes later, after trying to get it to connect and stay on line, then its painfully slow progress, we gave up. Instead, we bunged on an ancient G3 iBook we had been given that day, running an equally old operating system. In moments we set-up a connection to an ISP through a modem we had never used before, whistled into Google maps and taken a screen shot for me to use.
There was a certain amount of lack of familiarity with Vista but one web browser works pretty much like another. That brief experience of Vista was enough to persuade us to stay with OSX or maybe Linux or Solaris, XP or 2000 but to avoid Vista as a dread disease. My mother-in-law is not stupid, nor are we but we all decided that anyone who willingly uses Vista needs to be reformatted.
The Can Do, Just Works principle
Apple excel at looking at something that is hard to do or markets which are under-performing, then coming up with simple solutions that “just work”. They did it with the iMac, making it a computer you’d be happy to have in the living room. Then again with iTunes to establish the best digital music experience. It’s the same with the iPhone to make a smart phone that’s easy to use and live with and it looks like they’ll do it with film rentals next.
Alongside this is the world’s first easy-to-use Unix as well as the little things such as software applications like iMovie and Garageband. At one point they even had the best website creator in Claris HomePage, still a great package for simple HTML-based sites – which are often the fastest and easiest to use.
Guessing game
Below are a selection of remote controllers. They all do pretty much the same: change channels, adjust volume and picture, control a video or audio recording and playback.
Guess which one Apple designed.
Rated: 100% (1 votes)
Loading ...Comment by Terry Connell - January 22, 2008 on 10:53 am
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve used Macs since I changed from Comodore/Amiga in 1992 and never have problems with the OS.
I agree also about Claris Homepage. Brilliant!
Comment by Mark Tennent - January 22, 2008 on 11:10 am
I wonder how many other ex-Atari/Amiga émigrés jumped to Apple and never looked back? We came straight from our STs which earned us enough to get a Mac 11 cx and ci.
I jacked my job in on the strength of our first Macs and changed career direction completely. So when I’m (further) in my dotage it’s Steve Jobs I’ll blame if things don’t work out right.
Comment by Jacques Daviault - January 24, 2008 on 2:51 am
What surprises me the most is that even after years of Apple pointing the way towards simple, elegant and perfectly functional software and hardware, other designers and manufacturers of consumer technology stubbornly cling to the bible of complex, unintuitive products, designed by C/:CompuWienies who still don’t, or won’t get it…
Now Apple, after tenaciously holding fast to this mantra of ultimate usability, are finally reaping the rewards of all they sowed during the lean year they where they were forsaken as lost. He who has the laugh last recently made a pruchase at the Apple store.
I’m a proud DTP pioneer and Apple user since 1986…
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