"The world before Jony Ive was beige. Not metaphorically. Literally beige. Computers in the 1990s came in one color: the pale, institutional tan of filing cabinets and government offices. They squatted under desks like appliances. Humming, hot, hostile. Thick cables snaked across floors. Fans whirred. Monitors flickered with the sickly glow of cathode rays. The interface was a command line: green text on black, cryptic strings of code that demanded fluency before granting access."
"A soft-spoken British designer with an unmistakable soothing voice stepped into a spotlight and unveiled a machine that shouldn't have been possible. The iMac gleamed like a jellyfish under studio lights. Translucent, playful, impossibly colorful. Bondi Blue. It had curves. It had a handle. It looked like it had been pulled from the future and dropped into the present as a gift."
Computers in the 1990s were pale tan, functional machines with loud fans, thick cables, and command-line interfaces requiring technical fluency. Design was deliberately excluded: engineers prioritized function, leaving visible screws, sharp edges, and institutional aesthetics. In 1998 a translucent, colorful iMac introduced playful curves, a handle, and approachable aesthetics that welcomed users and removed technical barriers. The iMac made technology feel joyful and encouraged people to care about appearance, touch, and domestic integration. Jony Ive and his team then shaped devices in aluminum and glass with obsessively considered curves and radiused corners, shifting consumer expectations for product design.
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