What Happens When Apple Dies?
September 25, 2006

I plugged up my iPod today and updated it with my latest Learn Japanese podcast and came to a sudden realization. Before happening upon the iPods, specifically the shuffle... I've never had a burning desire for an mp3 player. That is, everything else was just so big and ugly. I never wanted to pull something like the others out of my pocket and fiddle with it... but I'm happpy to be seen with my new iPod shuffle. Apple puts a lot of work into ensuring that their hardware is "prettily" designed. Most manufacturers use aesthetic design as a sort of afterthought. I wonder though... what will happen to the market when Apple exits?

Apple will exit. No corporation has an unlimited lifetime, especially technologically oriented corporations. They never last. Apple will die eventually...

I wonder though; what will happen when the high end designer leaves the market? Will the market be left to the cheapest && highest quality manufacturers... or will someone take their place? I have my doubts about someone taking their place because only software/hardware from Apple seems to take on these simple and lovely UI designs (both physically and in the computer world) that you see.

So... what do you guys think? Is there someone out there who will take their place that has been ignored thus far? Or will design die when Apple dies?