The objective:
This is the third in a series of posts showcasing the sublimely utilitarian. To qualify, a product must understand and address its purpose perfectly, must comprise nothing that isn’t essential. But it must also go beyond the expected – it must suprise, pleasure and delight. It must respond to this great saying: “Only do something if it is necessary, but if it is necessary, do it beautifully.”
The product:
The 13 inch Apple MacBook Pro.
Its qualifications:
- It is small and light enough to be carried comfortably in an average satchel without ruining a shoulder.
- Its battery life is long.
- Its multi-touch pad is easy to use and renders all other touch pads obsolete.
- Its magnetic power cord attachment is a smart solution to the dangers of tripping over the cord and destroying the connection.
- Its operating system works quickly and smoothly.
- It rarely stalls and never gets infected with viruses, worms or trojans. Should a programme happen to grind to a halt, aborting is easy and takes only a few seconds.
- It is beautiful.
Our verdict:
Ever since Apple released the iMac G3 in 1998, it has been committed to, and undoubtedly the world-leader in, design-driven digital technology. Nominating it in our Sublimely Utilitarian series is both inevitable and natural – selecting the MacBook Pro from all of Apple’s stunning products was a matter of circumstance rather than superiority – we just happen to be writing this article on one right now.