apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Although I still use my "antiquated" older PowerPC Macs, I'm always excited when Apple releases updates to their models. I'll be stopping by the Apple Store today to check out the new systems. Maybe, just MAYBE the new white Macbook design will make me actually drop the cash for a new one...

Personally, for me they're not worth the money.

I've noticed Apple gets a lot of love on this site. A *lot* of love. Like, to the point where maybe you're making Apple a little uncomfortable. Where's the love for other manufacturers? What about good looking PC equipment? Nice stand-alone media centers? Interesting custom setups? Where's the love for the rest of us, those who want a heterogeneous setup in our home that looks good? I know there's some other stuff that shows up here (Sonos, MusicHall, etc, and for that I thank you), but Apple outweighs it by a good deal. This site is supposed to be about marrying tech with intriguing decor. Featuring 10 pages of Apple products is sort of like Apartment Therapy filling their pages with an Ikea catalog.

I want one of those mice. It might be something I'll actually go to an Apple store just to check out. Right now I'm using the Logitech MX Revolution, which is stellar (sideways scrolling, a right button that will work with a Mac, and dedicated forward and back buttons for web browsing), but I think the Magic Mouse might replace it.

i planned on picking up the magic mouse to replace my BT mighty mouse. i played with one at the apple store the other day and was pleasantly surprised with how well it seemed to work.
my concern now is something i just realized reading gizmodo's review: you can't click the center scroll ball. that's how i pull up Dashboard.
there has to be another way to still do this with the mouse, right? if not, how do you pull it up using the keyboard?

27 inch imac.....come to me....

Oneisco,

Apple gets a lot of love here because no other computer company has quite the design aesthetic that Apple has so on a site that talks about the marriage of tech and design, they will have a greater presence until the other manufacturers start to do the same.

Look at any books/mags that talk about tech and industrial design or films like "Objectified" and you'll see Apple every time.

Oneisco: in reality, we've actually reviewed more PC products than Apple products, especially the Sony Vaio line (which on a design level, offers some of the most eye pleasing computers). We've also covered a plethora of Windows machines and peripherals that fit the mold of an Unplggd type of product (i.e. the lacquered bento box PC cases come to mind). Really! Check our archives. The reason you may see a lot of Apple products is: 1) a few of us use Apple, thus we have a personal interest, 2) Apple has an obvious commitment to industrial design with their brand and 3) Apple products are an extremely popular topic.

Awhile ago, I put a call out for PC users with stylish setups to send photos. I even nudged people to action by challenging "why are there no stylish PC home offices out there?". And although I got a lot of impassioned disagreement, the response was unimpressive. I received one setup and it wasn't really design-oriented. I received 10 Mac ones, half which displayed the design intuition we look for. The truth is a great deal of design oriented personalities use Macs. There's no bias there; I make a larger effort to specifically look for PC setups with a stylish bent, but it's easy to find Mac one without any effort, at least online. That's the catch. We can only post what is actually out there or sent to us. If I could, I'd post 10 PC related posts if they were all excellent. So I open it up to all you PC users and companies: we want more PC related, well design products on Unplggd. Send them in!

modernguy

As I said, they do a good job of a certain aesthetic. If that's your thing (it certainly seems to be for most people), then you're in luck. If you're not into that, you're still stuck looking at Apple posts all day long. On this site, I'd much rather see reviews of an amp that I wouldn't otherwise stumble upon, or an interesting custom job on a monitor, or a cool DAC that I could put in my living room, or a DIY speaker project that's very well done, rather than looking at yet another picture of someone's iPhone laying next to their MacBook. If I wanted to see Apple products I'd go to the Apple website. I'm more in favor of posts that go a little off the beaten path.

I will make a honest effort to send stuff to you guys in the future, but I'm not buying that you cant find any PC/windows related stuff online, at least not to the point where you come here and scroll down for 2 pages and see mostly:

Macbook shots

Desk with iPhone

iPhone App

Laptop stand with Apple laptop

iMac setup #1243

iPod on a charger dock.

Where was the posts about the ZuneHD, Courier, or the Nook?

I like to play a game when I come here called "spot the Apple product" because it seems many stories only appears because an Apple product snuck into the story photo.


Also, If you guys seriously cant find home office shots with PCs in it, then look here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/show_us_all/pool/

Lifehacker has a pool on Flickr too:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lifehacker-workspace-showandtell/pool/

Also the idea that only Apple has some higher commitment to aesthetics over others is nonsense as well. They haven't changed the design of their products for years, while others have been experimenting with new form factors. Look at the touchscreen home PC from HP for instance or the ultra-thin PCs from Dell. Compare that to an iMac that looks like the same one from 2007. Besides those design mags that constantly pimp Apple stuff in every issue are just being lazy.

@modernguy
I am jealous you have seen "Objectified"! Still waiting for my DVD.

--
What gregory says does make sense as most aesthetic/design oriented people I know do use Macs.

@PartMeant
The Zune HD, Nook, and Courier are all either new or not-yet-shipping products so there is only so much you can find online. Especially when it comes to setups.

Also, good design lasts. Having a "higher commitment to aesthetics" does not mean refreshing the look of your products constantly (a la US motor industry). Look at Braunhref>, one of Apple's biggest design influences. You'd never look at one of their 40 year old productshref> and say, "dated". Yes, other PC makers are starting to put more attention into how their computers look and feel but I'd never shy away from placing my nearly 5 year old 12" Powerbook G4href> (not mine) next to any of them as it looks as modern today as the day it came out (save the 4:3 display perhaps). If for looks alone, the iPod will outlast any other mp3 player.

Apple doesn't get into the "gimmicky" much anymore (see 'Flower Power'href> and 'Dalmatian'href> iMac G3s) compared to what you see elsewhere.

From simply browsing various brand's websites, you quickly see that Apple spreads it's design influence across it's entire product line-up whereas you are more likely to only see it sprinkled about on the higher end products of most other manufactures...hence the exposure.

PartMeant: those are both regular sites we visit and we've contacted a great many Flickr users about their setups about highlighting their home offices with PC's at the core. We can only post those who agree to want to share their setups. It's not just grab and post, as we want their permission and details.

There's also a subjective matter of taste. What one person thinks looks like "great design" may hardly illicit an interest in another. We post what we personally like while trying to make an effort to cover beyond those personal preferences, but there will be times where we skip over products simply because it never caught our eyes in the first place. When readers send in their setups or product leads, it's a great way to remind us we might be missing something.

In regards to Zune HD, Nook, Courier:

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/final-frame/final-frame-courier-096459>Courier (I gushed about this concept to practically everyone I knew the day it was revealed). Love the concept, now just want to see it operational.

Nook: we just placed a request with B&N about a test unit. The interest is there, but like Amazon and the cold shoulder we got about reviewing the Kindle (2), we're patiently waiting.

Zune HD: our Zune posts hardly register any traffic, but we're still interested in the product and have posted about the previous version. We yet to ever receive any users projects or setups with a Zune, regular or HD.

Another reason you see many Apple related photos regulary: many photos are photographed in my own home office where I use a Mac. So by default, you'll see Apple products in the fore or background because that's what we use in our personal and professional lives.

I guess this post has digressed from discussing the late 2009 iMacs to discussing the attraction unpluggd has with choosing to feature Apple centered products/solutions. How a bout a reality check people, how many readers have an iPod, an iPhone, or Apple computer? I'm guessing a pretty significant majority. I'm sure they're using some analytics as to what OS their readers are sporting. Let's see a poll as to who's angry about seeing Apple products.

It's just too beautiful... and that's not even the best feature...