Core77

Sign In / Join Now

Topics
- Core77 Guides
- Product Design
- Tools
- Furniture
- Technology
- Process
- Lifestyle
- Business
- News
- Transportation
- Education
- Impact
- Reference
- Video
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Subscribe
Features
- Features
- Designing Women
- Getting Hired
- Design Files
- True I.D. Stories
- In the Details
- Photo Galleries
- Bizarre Inventions
- Questionnaire
- Hand Tool School
- Tools & Craft
Awards
- Awards
- 2021 Design Awards;
- 2020 Core77 Design Awards Results;
Careers
- Careers
- Design Jobs;
- Talent Search;
- Design Salaries;
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
Forums
- Forums
- General Discussion
- Students & Schools
- Design Employment
- Sketching
- Software & Technology
- All Forums
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
My Account
- My Account
- Sign In / Join Now
Follow Us
- )
- m
- Y
- '
- S
Search
e

Core77 is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

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

By Rain Noe - March 3, 2011

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.

o

Favorite
Q
5

Comment
&

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

TheB

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

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.
!Report as spam
M4RK

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

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...
!Report as spam
jesse

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

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.
!Report as spam
-Joel-Kramka-

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

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.
!Report as spam
mofex

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

Or they just saw this one:

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

Share your thoughts

Rain Noe

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.