Core77

Here's a rather fascinating piece of ID history, from Wired Gadgetlab. Apple's "five-color" strategy--remember those original iMacs, and the iPod Mini?--was pioneered by none other than (drum roll) industrial design legend Walter Dorwin Teague:

In 1926, Dorwin Teague updated Kodak's popular Vanity Kodak camera by releasing it in five different colors, and each camera even came in its own box that matched the specific color.

The article also paraphrases Microsoft design researcher Bill Buxton claiming that "innovative gadget design arises out of difficult economic climates," and we hope to God that's correct.