Snobbery today: 'The difference between Apple and Samsung industrial design'

[openwheel]

I may be in the minority, but I believe people "sense" quality without being able to pick out what draws them to that conclusion. Take for example if you walk into a room where the baseboard nails haven't been countersunk and puttied, the trim was not chaulked, and the dry wall is not perfectly smooth. You may not notice all those tiny details, but they culminate in an old and tired appearance. If you walked into that same room where every last detail was perfect, then you'd have an entirely different perception. Only a tradesman would likely be able to point out all the things that makes the person have that perception, but the layman perceives it none-the-less.

Apple certainly isn't perfect, but they do hold themselves to a higher standard than most companies. It seems to have done well for them and I appreciate that they spend the resources on small details.

There is a thin line between being a snob and appreciating the small details. The line is crossed when disdain is present. I didn't find the article to be too critical, but only drawing attention to what a lot of people may miss when casually shopping for a phone.

This is a terrible analogy. You are describing an incomplete, half finished room as the Samsung S6, while the iPhone 6 is a perfectly finished room. That's a big stretch of a obviously bias opinion.

There is nothing on the S6 that can described as unfinished baseboard or unfinished dry wall.

If you really want to use room remodeling as an analogy, then do you expect all power switches to line up with a receptacle? Would you like the AC register to line up with in-wall speakers? How about AC return to line up with your fire place? How retarded would that room look like?

Come on now.

 

[rbk123]

Even better is how you post exactly the same as the people you criticize on different products and don't see that either. It's ok when you take issue with people's opinions, but apparently other people can't.

Mathew 7:3-5

 

[openwheel]

oh no, as if Apple VS Android is not enough, now we got Religion.....

 

[Mopetar]

oh no, as if Apple VS Android is not enough, now we got Religion.....

Smartphones have already become a religion. There are already holy wars being fought.

 

[aatroxed]

What "art" is that? Industrial Design? No one is saying it isn't important, they're saying choosing that one arbitrary detail as a reason why one phone is "better" is ridiculous and grasping at straws. The GS6 may not have aligned ports but it's definitely not an ugly phone. No matter how good Samsung makes their phones look (and between this and the note 4 I'd say they've been on a roll), Apple people seem to try to find any way to shit on it and say the iphone is better.

"That's why it matters to me" & "My reaction" (from article)

The author specifically cites that these are his personal views and gives reasons for them. He doesn't make a deductive argument merely an inductive one and gives cogent reasons.

Naturally one person's strong inductive argument might be another's weak argument if they don't share the same information.

He believes that Apple's attention to such detail, detail that others might find trivial, non important, pretentious, "painting the back of the fence" is a reason to enjoy their craftsmanship and to also believe they pay a similar level of attention to other things as well.

Until a credible argument can be presented in this thread that the above reasons are bad for that author to enjoy Apple's design over Samsung's I honestly couldn't give a rats ass what they all think.

 

[openwheel]

The topic of this thread is the article. If You don't want people's opinion on the article, then you are welcome to simply take a hike.

 

[sweenish]

I would say Samsung's small details are their capacitive button designs and the physical home button.

They haven't changed in years, and it shows. I'm not saying they need to go on screen or anything, but their designs don't fit very well with the rest of the phone, in my opinion.

Someone may dismiss those, and that's their right. BUT, as has been pointed out, those are the kinds of tiny details that build up and set Apple's hardware apart. As much as I may never use their products for my own reasons, I can always readily admit they they make great hardware.

 

[ChronoReverse]

That's sort of opinion? I prefer Samsung's layout (the back button, being the most useful button is closer to the thumb) as well as the physical home button.

@aatroxed
What's not opinion is the fact that the "inductive argument" in that article is flat out wrong in some places like the assumption that Apple therefore must have engineered their phone better in all other ways (for example, to have better space efficiency in battery size which is demonstrably incorrect).

 

[sweenish]

Yes, it's opinion. I said as much. Thank you for recognizing that.

Reading comprehension would have told you that I'm talking about the design of the buttons (since I EXPLICITLY state that), and in the case of the home button, also the feel and travel. Those kind of small details.

 

[ChronoReverse]

When you say that Samsung isn't paying attention to the small details when in reality they chose their small details to fit a different set of parameters then you're not offering it as an opinion despite claiming that you're "just giving an opinion".

In other words, if you say you don't like Samsung's design or that it's not as good then that's an opinion. When you say Samsung didn't deal with small details because you don't like their design then that's no longer an opinion but an assumption.


The subtlety might escape you but you claim to understand small details after all. Perhaps it's only when it suits yourself that you can see it.

 

[openwheel]

ouch!!!

 

[khha4113]

http://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-s6-edge-android-at-peak-elegance-30381629/

I'm talking about industrial design, and graphic design.

I believe the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is the most well-designed smartphone ever created by Samsung, and that it might be the most aesthetically pleasing smartphone released in the past several years.

 

[dawheat]

I think there are two competing thoughts here - and frankly neither are wrong.

1. Apple cares more about tiny aesthetic details than Samsung, even with the S6. I think this is true.

2. Both phones are extremely well constructed and are well into the zone of very diminishing returns. I think this is true as well.

In hand feel, the way the display meets the edges, the feeling of solidness, and small chamfered details, etc are all top notch on both phones. Button feel IMO is equally good. I think both home buttons can be a bit clicky and ideally should be a bit more dampened.

BTW I think the lines on the back of the iPhone 6 are one of the least attractive design elements I've seen in a while. Sure it may be symmetrical - but oh so ugly.

 

[Commodus]

I think there are two competing thoughts here - and frankly neither are wrong.

1. Apple cares more about tiny aesthetic details than Samsung, even with the S6. I think this is true.

2. Both phones are extremely well constructed and are well into the zone of very diminishing returns. I think this is true as well.

In hand feel, the way the display meets the edges, the feeling of solidness, and small chamfered details, etc are all top notch on both phones. Button feel IMO is equally good. I think both home buttons can be a bit clicky and ideally should be a bit more dampened.

BTW I think the lines on the back of the iPhone 6 are one of the least attractive design elements I've seen in a while. Sure it may be symmetrical - but oh so ugly.

This is the most wonderfully level-headed response I've seen in the thread so far. I don't mind the iPhone 6's lines so much (at least, not on the space gray model), but I'll definitely agree they could've been done more elegantly.

 

[mrochester]

I always thought Samsung devices looked great from afar, especially their more angular designs like the S2. The problem with Samsung's phones was that when you got them in your hands, you realised they didn't feel very nice and that they were running Android.

 

[386DX]

I would say Samsung's small details are their capacitive button designs and the physical home button.

They haven't changed in years, and it shows. I'm not saying they need to go on screen or anything, but their designs don't fit very well with the rest of the phone, in my opinion.

Someone may dismiss those, and that's their right. BUT, as has been pointed out, those are the kinds of tiny details that build up and set Apple's hardware apart. As much as I may never use their products for my own reasons, I can always readily admit they they make great hardware.

Everyone's entitle to their opinion even if it's wrong I think the capacitive buttons are the perfect fit for a phone with a physical home button in front. It's a very efficient design that maximizes your screen real estate (no onscreen buttons) and like other have mention ergonomically sound as your back buttons where your thumb is. Owning an iPhone 6 for work I can tell you it's super annoying that the home buttons at the bottom then the navigate buttons usually at the top of the phone, makes me appreciate the galaxy layout.