This is my silver iPod Nano, 2G. I realize that there's a certain irony in me posting about my iPod, the very symbol of Western materialism, in a criticism of this ideology. Yet if these posts are to serve as an honest personal document, I have to be honest about the fact that at this point in my life, despite whatever my ideals may be, an assesment of my favorite objects shows that all but one have been mass produced. Whatever relationships I may have developed with them, they were commodities first. And yet with the object for which this is most apparent, I think that the potential to transcend commodity fetishism is also very clear. What I mean is that even though one can't think about an iPod without being aware of the brand's commercial succes
s, neither can one look at the object itself without admiring its design. It is remarkably well built. The main body of my iPod appears to be a single continuous piece of aluminum with no seams visible. There are no pieces that stick out, no parts that look like an afterthought. If it weren't for the unforunate realities of contemporary battery technology, there would be no hint of that ugly specter hanging over all consumer electronics: planned obsolescence. My earplugs have worn down, but this is because of heavy use rather than design error. They are missing the grey rubber lining that I initially thought was for comfort, but now realize was responsible for keeping them snug in my ears. I'll get new earplugs eventually, but I don't look forward to the day when I'll have to replace the iPod itself. Even after the technology has long been surpassed by other models, the aesthetics of its design (both the physical components and the user interface) will exemplify the best that the union of art, science, and industry had to offer at the beginning of the 21st century. I like the fact that one gets to n
ame one's iPod, and I hope that there will be more features like that in future models. The software on the iPod should be at least as customizable as one's desktop. I also hope that as computing devices converge and minituarize (eventually it will be all contact lenses and implants) the architects of our technological world will keep in mind the importance of design, and thus continue the trend that Apple started--the creation of electronic devices that have the potential to be meaningful objects in and of themselves, and not simply tools with human beings tacked on.
s, neither can one look at the object itself without admiring its design. It is remarkably well built. The main body of my iPod appears to be a single continuous piece of aluminum with no seams visible. There are no pieces that stick out, no parts that look like an afterthought. If it weren't for the unforunate realities of contemporary battery technology, there would be no hint of that ugly specter hanging over all consumer electronics: planned obsolescence. My earplugs have worn down, but this is because of heavy use rather than design error. They are missing the grey rubber lining that I initially thought was for comfort, but now realize was responsible for keeping them snug in my ears. I'll get new earplugs eventually, but I don't look forward to the day when I'll have to replace the iPod itself. Even after the technology has long been surpassed by other models, the aesthetics of its design (both the physical components and the user interface) will exemplify the best that the union of art, science, and industry had to offer at the beginning of the 21st century. I like the fact that one gets to n
ame one's iPod, and I hope that there will be more features like that in future models. The software on the iPod should be at least as customizable as one's desktop. I also hope that as computing devices converge and minituarize (eventually it will be all contact lenses and implants) the architects of our technological world will keep in mind the importance of design, and thus continue the trend that Apple started--the creation of electronic devices that have the potential to be meaningful objects in and of themselves, and not simply tools with human beings tacked on.
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