Today, during the recording of this week’s Weekly Exhaust we were talking about how NFL commentators were referring to the Surface tablets as “iPad-like devices” (that Microsoft paid $400 million for teams to use on the sidelines), so after the show I decided to check out Microsoft.com.
What did I find?
I found a MacBook Air as the most prominent product on the Microsoft homepage:

Sometimes I really wonder what they’re thinking at Microsoft.
Actually I always wonder what they’re thinking.

Ad for the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am:

via The Verge

Buzz has been building since the new iPhones were unveiled on Sept. 9 at an event near Apple’s headquarters, with pre-orders topping 4 million units in the first 24 hours and surpassing earlier releases. A third of Android users polled by Boston-based Gazelle said they’re likely to upgrade to the iPhone 6, with 39 percent saying the bigger screen was driving the decision. Last year, a 10th of the smartphones traded in when the iPhone 5s and 5c went on sale were Android-based devices, according to Chris Sullivan, Gazelle’s CEO.
—Tim Higgins, Bloomberg

Former Tic Tock Diner manager to be sentenced in murder-for-hire plot

The former manager of a northern New Jersey diner faces sentencing in what authorities say was a foiled plot to kill the co-owner of the restaurant, who is his uncle by marriage.

Georgios Spyropoulos will appear before a judge in Paterson today. The Clifton resident faces up to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
The Tick Tock Diner is a legendary New Jersey Diner. When I was growing up in the suburbs of northwestern New Jersey, I remember passing the Tick Tock on Rt 3 on our way to the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan.
In the last season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld sits down at the Tick Tock with John Stewart.

Sam Byford at the Verge on the Leica M Edition 60:

The M Edition 60 is a special version of the M-P Type 240 digital rangefinder, but there’s a twist — the new model features no screen at all, forcing you to use it as if it were a film camera. “Working with the Leica M Edition 60 intentionally demands the same care and attention as working with an analogue model,” says the company in a statement. “Only the sensor and the entire electronics reflect the state of the art of contemporary camera technology.” The screen has been replaced with an ISO selector dial, which at least means you’ll be able to alter the sensitivity of your photos more often than you could with a 36-shot roll of film.
Over at Co.Design, Adrian Covert and Mark Wilson debate whether this no-screen thing is a good idea:
Adrian: On paper this sounds great. It forces photographers to really think about what they’re shooting and how they’re shooting it. And while I’m all for designs that address issues with faulty user behavior, this is coming at the expense of another feature which has unquestionably helped improve the photographic process: the LCD. That’s a problem.
As with many debates in life, I see both sides.
For me, though, the screen has to stay.


[images taken from The Verge]

Yes, I actually did it.
And yes, my iPhone 4 can handle it.

Like I’ve said before, I like my gadgets looking like Han Solo’s blaster.
taken from The Combustion Chamber

It’s no coincidence that Apple announced their hiring of Marc Newson on the Friday before last week’s event. But I don’t think his hiring is about the Apple Watch in particular. Nor do I think Apple Watch in particular is what Apple thinks was “historic” about last week’s event. Rather, I think Apple Watch is the first product from an Apple that has outgrown the computer industry. Rather than settle for making computing devices, they are now using computing technology to make anything and everything where computing technology — particularly miniature technology — can revolutionize existing industries. Newson isn’t a watch designer, or a fashion designer. He’s a designer of anything and everything. He’s designed everything from watches to cars to chairs. Apple Watch isn’t merely Apple’s foray into the watch industry — it’s their foray outside the computer/consumer electronics industry. I think they’re just getting started. At the close of his Apple Watch unveiling video during the keynote, Jony Ive said, “We’re now at a compelling beginning actually designing technology to be worn, to be truly personal.” The watch just happens to be first.
—John Gruber, Apple Watch: Initial Thoughts and Observations
A great and lengthy (over 4,500 words) post. A must-read.

There will be no price umbrellas because the practical price of the watch will vary based on the band you buy. True, we have barely any pricing information (starts at $350!), but I’m making an assumption: the most expensive bands will cost at least as much as the watch itself while the base bands (likely the sports bands) will be a modest $30-$40.

In effect, with wide range of bands Apple has a full price gradient which addresses the luxury market and the mass market. This is important. Without the mass market, the economies of scale won’t kick in and platform plays (like Apple Pay) will whither on the vine. But if they only addressed the mass, the Watch both wouldn’t be personal and precious for those who want luxury and they’d leave a ton of money on the table.
—Drew Breunig, The Watch Band Connector is its Most Critical Component

What FIA is trying to accomplish with Formula E differs from the agenda of most other major motorsports. They are adamant that Formula E’s main purpose is rooted in the general promotion and proliferation of all electric vehicles. The Formula E website states that the series “represents a vision for the future of the motor industry over the coming decades, serving as a framework for R&D around the electric vehicle, accelerating general interest in these cars and promoting sustainability.” It’s why this entire first championship season will see teams run the same exact cars set up according to factory specifications; FIA wants the focus of the technical side of the series to be on electrical engine and battery innovation.
—Sean O’Cane, All-electric racing: Formula E’s thrilling debut

Apple posted O-ficial product shots of iPhones and iPads with rules on how you’re allowed to use them.

I talk lots of shit about Microsoft’s software, but they’ve been producing solid hardware products for a long time now.
This Apple/Android-compatible tablet keyboard looks interesting:

via The Verge

Paul Cothenet thinks most dashboards are shit and you probably don’t need one (on-screen dashboards, you probably need a physical car dashboard):

Side note: I’m talking trash about software here, but the law could be extended to all dashboards.

Take car dashboards for example. They use vast amount of real estate to display information that is useless 99% of the time. How often do you need to know the RPM on an automatic car? Can’t you just take that stupid dial out and put something useful instead?.
They also employ UX techniques that dates from a time where the only UI component you can use was a light bulb. If that red thing is critical, can’t you tell me right away what it means?
I have knack for sniffing out good design links that reference cars or car metaphors.

—Sherlock Holmes

This week Michael and Bryan discuss Formula E racing and their lack of exhaust noise, hydrogen fuel, Bryan’s book Impact Winter, The Leftovers and the crap movie that is Leprechaun: Origins. The episode opens with the exhaust from a Model T Ford.
Weekly Exhaust – Episode 16