Snippet: ‘Designed By Apple in California’ ☇

Apple released a surprise new product today:

Apple today announced the release of a new hardbound book chronicling 20 years of Apple’s design, expressed through 450 photographs of past and current Apple products. “Designed by Apple in California,” which covers products from 1998’s iMac to 2015’s Apple Pencil, also documents the materials and techniques used by Apple’s design team over two decades of innovation.

This is a weird and unexpected release, both in timing and the self-congratulatory tone. As someone who lived through the resurgence of Apple over the past twenty years, I’d add this to my collection in a heartbeat. There’s also a mention in the press release that seems out of place for someone who was generally against nostalgia:

The book is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.

“The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve’s motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “This archive is intended to be a gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines.”

It will be available tomorrow for $199 and $299, depending on size (standard and Pro sizes). No iBooks version was announced.