singley.org > blog archives > Indistinguishable From Magic 07.17.2007

Everything that can be said about the iPhone has been said elsewhere at this point, but I did want to take a moment to talk about it, and to talk about Arthur C. Clarke. To quote the man: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

There have been only a few times when I've tried something new and had the feeling I think Clarke eludes to. The Tivo, the iPod, even the Furby come to mind. And now, again, with the iPhone. The prettiness of the screen, the intuitive finger flicking to move from place to place and the attention to detail at every stage make this a stunning piece of work.

So how did Apple do it? How did such a product escape the hundreds of cell phone manufacturers, producing thousands of phones for nearly two decades? There are a few reasons: First, Apple is willing to take risks. They entered a crowded market and both added and subtracted features that potentially narrowed its audience. But they were OK with that - their goal is to go after 1% of the market and have that group love the device, not to please everyone.

Also, they tapped into a near-ubiquitous sentiment: people are unhappy with their phones. Certainly not everyone, but the Apple product designers knew there was definitely a lot of negative feeling out there that they could take advantage of.

Finally, it comes back to Arthur and magic. I really think Apple tapped into something almost primal with the iPhone. When people first use it, their eyes get a little wide, then they smile. It's as if Steve Jobs pulled a quarter out of their ear and handed it to them.

I think anyone building a product can take a lesson from The Great Steve: take risks, look for opportunity in people's frustration, and don't forget the magic.