I usually reserve this site for the praise and celebration of design, but I’ve been stewing about this for a few days and just couldn’t let it lie. Apple has on its payroll Jonathon Ive, who is considered by many, if not most, to be the greatest industrial designer of his generation. So, when I first saw Apple TV I was flummoxed. Where was the “oooo,” and what happened to the “aaaaah?” Why didn’t I want this despite having no real use for it and better things to do with my money? You see, this is the effect that most everything Jonathon Ive has designed for Apple has had on me. My brain shuts down and goes into “Shiny! Pretty! Useful! WANT! WANT!” mode, and it usually takes someone wafting cheese under my nose a la the Three Stooges to snap me out of it (for the record, I prefer a nice Stilton on these occasions). So, why, instead, was I thinking,  “It looks like someone sat on a Mac Mini?”

I could only reason that Jonathon Ive had nothing to do with this as he was busy with the iPhone or something. That being said, I am still disappointed. Apple had a real opportunity to bring us an innovative product wrapped in an innovative design and fell short, so indugle me, if you will, as I write here an open letter to Steve Jobs.

Dear Steve Jobs,

Regarding Apple TV, WTF? I mean seriously, WTF?

Kindest regards,

Lily