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Apple's new iPad2 lid design causes a bit of a stir in Japan

By Rain Noe - March 3, 2011

in Object Culture

Design inspiration is a capricious thing, and a fun game for design fans is trying to deduce what a form may have been inspired by. For example the very first wood joint designed by early man was a crude mortise-and-tenon, a shaft that fit into a bored-out hole; documentation of its inspiration is non-existent, but I'm willing to bet the inventor wasn't a virgin.

One design we were excited to see is the new case that Apple designed for the iPad 2, unveiled yesterday. Japanese viewers of Apple's media event must have all tilted their heads and leaned forward at once when the case was revealed, as it looks rather similar to a certain domestic item popular in Japan:

On the left is a furo no futa, a bathtub lid used in Japan to keep the water warm. I'd seen them in the houses of natives when I'd lived there, but never used one myself, so I don't recall if it was magnetized; Apple's iPad case is, cleverly using integrated magnets to retain different positions and signal to the iPad whether it is open or closed, which awakens the iPad or puts it to sleep.

The flip side of trying to predict what a design was inspired by is trying to guess the user behavior that will result from a particular design. I can just about guarantee some Japanese users of the iPad 2 will have a home screen that looks like the inside of a bathtub. And it's just a matter of time before someone invents floating bath toys shaped like icons.

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TheB

14 years ago

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Agree with MRK. It is important and changes the experience. And, as for designing a cover that is separate from the actual device - as yourself this where are the opposing magnets located?

3rd parties will inevitable create variants that use the magnet locking and take advtange of the fact that the magnetic catches also wake the device.

Don't like the colors available? You won't have to wait long for the aftermarket guys to come out with hundreds ov different options.
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M4RK

14 years ago

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it's just cos it's baby blue that you guys dont like it. The tan leather looks the business indeed. This cover is not just a about the cover - it changes the whole experience - that's why they're making such a big fuss. I can tell none of you have ever actually had a tablet before...
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jesse

14 years ago

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I would have to agree with mofex on that one. It also seems like this is admitting the whole tablet idea has serious flaws. If you needed to create a "cover" for it separate from the actual device. Still a cool idea, just not this amazing thing the everyone says it is.
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-Joel-Kramka-

14 years ago

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Am I the only one that thinks that this doesn't go with the device at all. Aesthetically speaking it doesn't match in the least and the hinges stick out like a sore thumb. I agree that all tablets should have a kickstand or way to prop it up but this makes the whole thing look like a toy. The ipad2 alone looks great and making it thinner is the real detail that should be looked at as an achievement not the cover.
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mofex

14 years ago

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Or they just saw this one:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/03/apple-ipad-2-smart-cover-vs-incase-convertible-magazine-jacket/
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