Industrial design, it's the little things

I've written previously, and ineloquently, about my switch to the iPhone 4s from a Droid Incredible. It was mainly about how quickly I adjusted to iOS 5 and the impact that the iPhone 4s has had on the use of my iPad. Now I'd like to talk a little bit about the design of the phone itself. In my opinion, the iPhone 4 and 4s are the most beautifully designed phones you can get your hands on. This statement is probably not much of a surprise given that Apple continually produces beautiful products.

Self proclaimed superhero Dustin Curtis recently wrote two blog posts discussing the placement of the speaker on the iPhone vs. Andriod phones and Apple's decision to keep a 3.5 inch screen which gives us a small look into just how much thought went in to the design of the phone.

This is not to say that the phone is by any means flawless. One problem I have is the tendency of the phone to slip and slide on surfaces that are even slightly off-level, for example the arm of a couch. A number of times this has sent my phone tumbling to the ground. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this with the slick glass back of the iPhone 4 and 4s. Apple has put design above functionality before (remember the antenna fiasco after the launch of the iPhone 4?) though I don't think this is really an instance of this.

If I mention my problem to a friend, or even if I use my phone in front of other people I'm often asked why I don't have a case for the phone. My answer that it "ruins the aesthetic of the phone" is often met with a bewildered look. Many people will not accept this answer at all, while others suggest getting a protective film for the glass because it won't alter the phone greatly. This bothers me for a couple of reasons.

The first is the expectation set-up by wireless carriers, and third party accessory makers that a case is necessary (this is my third touch-screen phone and So far I've encountered no problems being caseless) and how that expectation has been transferred straight into many consumers minds. My second, and perhaps most obvious objection is that it really does detract from the design of the phone. This annoyed Steve Jobs so much that the nifty magnetic cover was created for the iPad 2 in such a way that it had a minimal impact on the look and feel of the device.

To quickly summarize: Things are designed to look a certain way, and I don't feel the need to alter that. Especially when I feel it's driven by wireless carriers and accessory makers quest for cash. Also: Apple has made a damn good looking phone.