Lab+1

**Question #1:**
Divide into pairs. Compare and contrast a Sony Walkman, a Discman, and an Apple iPod, and describe the differences in their product and interface design, as well as how they deliver music technically.

**Sony Walkman**
 * Mechanical in design
 * Uses magnetic analog technology to play music
 * Buttons (play, stop, forward, rewind) are mechanical
 * Cassette players use tape that have magnetic particles on the film which are arranged on the tape deck
 * Powered by alkaline batteries
 * Later models integrate AM/FM radio channels
 * The parts within a cassette player can be repaired (ex. the cassette film wears out overtime - fragile) or replaced (ex. batteries)
 * Pron to mechanical failure
 * Bulky, over-head ear phones
 * Heavy in design because of the metal encasing
 * No software required
 * Recording capability in some cassette players (useful for journalists)


 * Discman **
 * Portable music device that uses CDs to play music (the CDs use laser light to generate sound)
 * CDs are fragile, circular and sub straight of aluminum
 * Battery powered
 * Combination of both mechanical and digital
 * The button controls on a discman are analog
 * A gradual change in the design of headphones; overhead to in-ears
 * Does not use firmware
 * Digital display provides user friendly notifications (ex. CD track number, time elapsed and some LED light integration)
 * CDs can be easily burnt in MP3 (compressed files) or Wave (longer files)


 * Apple's iPod **
 * Portable music player
 * The iPod uses MP3 format to play music (stores up to 1000 songs)
 * Digital in nature
 * Today's models are sleeker, thinner and come in various shapes, sizes and generations
 * Intuitively designed
 * The fly wheel was created based on software as opposed to mechanical
 * Flaw = the inability to separate the battery from the device itself (interlocked)
 * Difficult to share, in light of music distribution and ownership rights
 * Built-in firmware
 * The parts inside of an iPod are not easily repairable
 * Requires USB connection to transfer MP3 music files to the iPod
 * Apple has modified the digital playback to increase clarity of sound by filtering track sounds
 * The recent introduction of Apple's iCloud, now allows consumers to sync music files, contacts and pictures for example to all their Apple products via WiFi
 * Unlike the cassette player and discman, the iPod gives consumers the option to add customized accessories

Divide into pairs. If you were to build a web site dividing the characteristics of these devices into categories for a web site, what category titles would you use? List 6 categories which would be in your navigation bar.
 * Question #2:**

1) Function 2) Display Modes 3) Ease of Use 4) Design 5) Value 6) Delivery of Music/Operation (i.e. cassette, CD, MP3/laser, magnetic, etc.)

Review the Tutorial 1 movies, and describe Jonathan Ives and his theory of 'undesign' in relation to his work at Macintosh. (200 words)
 * Tutorial #1 Wiki Question (2 marks): **

Jonathan Ives, vice-president of design at Apple, along with his team have created and designed Apple products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. In 1998, the iMac was transformed from the original grey box into translucent "gumdrop" coloured computers. In its redesign, Ives made evident the importance of mechanical engineering; making the iMac more accessible, easy to use and less intimidating to its users. As a designer, Ives constantly finds himself analyzing the world around him. When designing a product, identifying and researching about the different attributes of a product. This is important in achieving Ives theory of "undesign," where customers are focused and drawn to the product's user friendliness and less distracted by its mechanics - getting out of the way of design. The idea is for consumers to understand the products form as not just arbitrary shapes. Rather it should feel inevitable, intuitive and //undesigned//. Jonathan Ive is keen on having customers create that physical relationship with their Apple products. His design simplicity and sleekness has crowned Ives, respectively so, as the "King of Design". Because he spends a great amount of time working, Jonathan Ive and his creative team lead private lives.