December 1st, 2003
Dell update
update: I got a look at one over the weekend at a Dell mall kiosk in Portland, OR. I have to admit, it has a nice heft to it, and seems solidly built. BUT — the button configurations are not that well, thought out, and the scroll wheel is too small in my opinion (all the buttons are too small, imo).
I wonder if the Dell designers weren’t thinking too PC-centric. What I mean is simply that a typical PC has a very structured interface with the user — you sit directly in front of it in order to see the monitor and align your hands with the keyboard and mouse. The cellphone has evolved in a similar way, with the inclusion of screens, cameras, and other PC-like functions etc.
However, I don’t think you necessarily want such a structured interface in a portable device like a music player. The primary function of the device is so simple that you should be able to work it from inside your bag, with only a limited memory of its configuration. That was the genius of the original iPod: 4 clickable play control buttons (and menu), one for each cardinal direction, laid out around a scroll wheel (non-clickable), with a clickable select button in the middle. In a pocket, these functions were easily distinguished from each other.
Much more emphasis needs to be placed on the buttons themselves as well — just cause they’re chrome-painted, doesn’t make them good.