~ Andrew Kim | Design genius ~

I have been following Andrew Kim's blog for about 4 years now. From 2009, I have enjoyed his photographs with various cameras, starting from D90, GF1, X100 to his latest RX1. Always loved his compositions; Be it cars, people, streets, product reviews.

Then there is his design work across - technology, lifestyle, daily-use. Occasional review of consumer products which he bought. The reviews done by Andrew has always focused on the product aesthetic & design. Each time I read the review of a product, makes me wanna own one. It could be a pen, notebook, watch, etc. His recent review of non-technology products like shoes & car makes me drool.

Andrew got the limelight when his personal project of unifying the brand *Microsoft* published on his blog got picked by numerous design & technology blogs across the world. Those who follow his blog know that he has been a big Apple & Jobs fan. Despite that, he took up the job offer presented by MSFT. 

Back in April Andrew got to witness the legendary Dieter Rams, Iconic industrial designer at Braun, give graduation address.

Dieter Rams giving his graduation address. http://t.co/NexPQ9uKNV

— Andrew Kim (@pushingatoms) April 21, 2013

The connection between the two did not end there, Andrew got to showcase his work & also have lunch with the Legend. You can read more about the meeting of design minds in Andrew's words - My lunch with Dieter Rams

Has been a while since I paid visit to his blog, was quite surprised to see him doing reviews on non-tech these days. The one that stood out was his new car Mercedes-Benz SLK. I have watched enough Car shows which do reviews about engine, tires, performance, design, etc. The review from Andrew might not be pure from technical aspects like your typical Top Gear show, but from a design perspective. The eye for details across various sections & User Experience (UX) gives a whole new dimension to how a car can be reviewed. Do check out the review - Mercedes-Benz SLK review

Follow Andrew on Twitter | Blog | Instagram

Note: All the photographs used here are photographed by Andrew Kim. Have sourced it from his blog.

~ In the end, GTD is what matters ~

Phil Schiller, during the keynote, might have said that “Can’t innovate anymore, my ass”. But we all know some of the features showcased in the keynote of iOS7 is already available on Android or other mobile platforms. The feature lists offered by the operating systems - Android, iOS, Windows - overlap and with each iteration they are getting blurred across the product. Only thing we are witnessing is the new found love for *flat* UX from every major software company - Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Facebook, Pintrest.

We have to come to terms, that like any other product the smartphones or their OS, have reached a saturation point. I feel with iOS7, Apple might not have invented anything new, but refined the UX with Ivey touch. In design lingo, people have been using the term *Transluency* for describing the new interface.

I wouldn't go into comparison of the feature set with Android or Windows, as we already have many sites or blogs which have spun out that info in the last 8 hours {Check the additional reading section}. Nor I am qualified enough to comment on the design aesthetics of iOS7. Om has a good collection of tweets & thoughts from the design community, with both sides of the coin covered - iOS 7: Love it? Hate it? Either way, designers are talking about it.

The soldiers from the Android army state that the iOS7 features are strikingly similar to that of current Android version. While the Windows Users state that iOS7 has taken a leaf out of Windows UX. In the end, a product or a service is just a means of GTD easily. We might like different products or services based on our allegiance to a design or company or brand or experience. For me the following criteria play a role in choosing a product / service - Cost, Features, Ease of use / Simplicity, Design - software & hardware, How often they iterate their software / hardware, Quality Support. Fanatics can take a break & watch the competition deliver better products or service for Consumers :)

Loved the latest campaign by Apple.

Additional reading

Design & Insecurity is back at Apple {Techcrunch} | iOS 7 gallery {Arstechnica} | Early screenshots {Techcrunch} | iOS7 Beta high resolution screens | Finally, Apple steps up to Android with the futuristic, ambitious iOS7 {NBC} | iOS7 vs Android comparison {Droid Life} | iOS7 vs Android comparison {Phandroid} | CNet review of iOS7 | Much iOS 7 design inspiration came from others but Apple elegantly puts it all together {GigaOM} | The design of iOS 7: simply confusing {The Verge} | ‘This Is Our Signature’: iOS 7 {Gruber}

~ Copy like Chinese ~

I have seen fakes of iPod & iPhone 3S in Bangalore. All of them are made in China. We all have read about the famous fake Apple stores that were mushroomed across China. 

Fake Apple Stores: BBC | Guardian | The Atlantic 

Today I came across another piece of article which is the mother of all copies. The Chinese have ventured into copy Architecture. The funny thing is that the 'copy' might even be completed before the 'original'. The stakes are pretty high for the Architect Zaha Hadid & her team to complete the original before the fake steals all the limelight.

Original Galaxy SOHO

Wangjing SOHO minus one building 

Source: Spiegel 

Indian companies aren't far behind. If you haven't seen Micromax A110 Canvas yet then check it out. It looks very close to Samsung Galaxy S3. Samsung should be feeling the heat, because the price of A110 is Rs 10000/- ;)

I just read About Us on Micromax page, "Our Strategy focuses on innovating, designing and using the latest technologies to develop products at affordable prices." Not sure if these are guys are innovating in copying other products or creating a design remix out of the HTC + Samsung. 

How many companies do you know of in the current era who are actually ORIGINAL in their design process & build something new. I bet there are very few companies currently in that space. Isn't there joy in creating something original? I hope 2013 has some kind of competition from players in their  design approach than copying Apple or anyone else.