I have long been disenchanted with the direction of Apple’s industrial designs. Over the last few years, I have witnessed the introduction of a number of aesthetically displeasing efforts: the giant platinum ‘brick’ design of the IIvx (now the 7100); the lumpy, stacked look of the LC 520 (now the LC 575); the ugly as sin anti-design of the 15” Multiple Scan Display; the clunky, thick look of the AppleDesign keyboard; and finally, the use of sticker ‘license plates’ to denote various model names. All such design efforts no doubt reflected a commitment to cost reduction—a commitment which unintentionally drove home the message that cheaper Macintoshes must be uglier Macintoshes.

Until very recently, I had begun to think all was lost. While a number of attractive products have populated Apple’s lineup in recent years—the PowerBook 500 is an outstanding example of Apple’s best design work—the constant renewing of the LC 520 and IIvx chassis with newer, more powerful Macintoshes deteriorated my faith in Apple’s commitment to innovative product packaging. 

That was until this April. The introduction of the sleek and svelte Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC—Apple’s first new computer chassis since the PowerBook 500—blew me away. It’s not that the unit is terribly innovative (indeed, it is better viewed as an improvement of previous Apple and Compaq efforts)—it is that, for the first time, the all-in-one form factor has been done right. The 5200/75 is what the LC 520 should have been two years ago.

Soon after the release of the 5200/75, I would find the May issue of Macworld in my mailbox. A pictorial feature of Apple prototype designs! One quick leaf through the article, and my belief in Apple was once again reaffirmed. My stomach tingled with an excitement long absent from such first encounters with Apple products. Deep within the monolith that is Apple, I thought to myself, there is still a great deal of creativity. 

After staring at the pictured designs for untold hours, imagining their real-world use (and how they would look in place of my LC 575), the April 17th edition of MacWeek crossed my desk. On page 6, a feature by David Morgenstern spotlighted Apple’s future product design intentions. The article revealed that Apple is currently working towards new industrial designs for home (and other) markets, which blend more comfortably with the surroundings. Such Macintoshes will stray from the traditional platinum color of the product line and utilize “a new palette of darker, earth-tone colors.” In addition to such color changes, the article suggested new Macintosh “enclosures and input devices will integrate pieces of wood and metal with traditional plastics.” I was once again stunned.

While my faith in Apple’s commitment to innovative product packaging has most certainly been restored, I have begun to understand a larger reality. It can hardly be called coincidence that the introduction of the 5200/75 was supplemented with the Macworld pictorial or the MacWeek feature. Apple has always had a hush-hush policy with respect to new product designs and prototypes. It is highly unusual for such information to make it to the public—unless, of course, that was the intention. 

With the impeding release of Mac clones (many of which will be substantively cheaper than Apple’s Macs), Apple is meeting the challenge of product differentiation head-on. It knows that to command a higher price for its wares, it must offer a product which stands out from the competition. A new crop of gorgeous, warm and inviting Macintoshes may be Apple’s best weapon against cheaper Power Computing clones. By returning to its roots—a strong commitment to innovative industrial design—Apple is seeking to keep the loyalty of its customers. 

And I couldn’t be happier.

Despite its inherent unsightlyness, Chris McVeigh has learned to love his PowerPC upgraded LC 575. At the age of one year and three months, the trusty Mac has been used to create all but the first three issues of MacSense.