design = emotion

John Gruber weighs in on the iPhone-versus-Android debate updates that have happened over the holiday. He touches on key points including the ‘race to the bottom’ on the cost of Android phones, how this isn’t ‘1995 all over again’ and the role emotion plays in Apple products to name a few.
I love this piece on features versus emotion in mobile computing:

Ignore for the moment whether it’s true that “Android can go feature by feature against iPhone now”. I’d dispute it, but just concede it for now. Ignore also that the best Android phones, like the Nexus S, cost over $500 unsubsidized. What Gray is missing is that emotion counts. Mobile computing is not an entirely rational market. Emotion is a huge factor when people choose what to buy — I’d say maybe even the biggest one. Apple understands this. All iOS devices — all Apple devices, for that matter — are designed with the emotional experience in mind. Why does almost everything in iOS animate? Why did Apple create CoreAnimation, and base UIKit app development so heavily upon it? Because animation, even in small unobtrusive doses, has an emotional affect. It results in a feeling.

A must-read if your a designer or anyone involved in mobile computing and software.

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