“Design is largely about making choices. The PC hardware market has historically focused on three factors: low prices, tech specs, and configurability. Configurability is another way of saying that you, the buyer, get a bigger say in the design of your computer. (Bright points out, for example, that Lenovo gives you the option of choosing which Wi-Fi adaptor goes into your laptop.)
Apple offers far fewer configurations. Thus MacBooks are, to most minds, subjectively better-designed — but objectively, they’re more designed. Apple makes more of the choices than do PC makers.”
I remembered this text again when i was playing with the UI mess that is Windows 8.
Example:
How to access the “classical control panel” on Windows 8 if you’re on the “classical Desktop”?
- Go to Start Menu
- Result: Enter Metro UI
- Select Control Panel
- Result: Enter Control Panel on Metro UI
- Scroll down, select “More Settings”
- Result: Enter Classical UI Control Panel
It’s not that Microsoft can’t design good UI, it’s just that they refuse to choose one solution among their several options. (( Just as a final nitpicking, Windows “Classical UI” is traditionally Blue and Grey. Metro UI on the other hand is based on a strong Green. And then they overlap. Or exchange sequentially. Or have some combined parts of both on the same window. It’s a feast for the eyes i tell you… ))