Page 240 - The Apple Experience

Moving Mountains Is Worth the Effort

The industrial designer Yves Behar made the argument that Steve Jobs

changed everything about the way executives judge the value of design in

their products and the retail experience. According to Behar, “Apple’s
dominance in the smartphone, laptop, digital music, app, and retail

integration has stunned (and changed) the world. And Steve’s holistic design

vision across every aspect of the company is the primary driver for Apple’s

dominance.” Behar says that when people come to his design agency and say,
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“I want to be the Apple of this or that,” he asks them if they are ready to be

Steve Jobs. Behar says few people are up to the task. He means that Apple is

committed to design excellence in every aspect of the customer experience
and that few people have the commitment and courage to do what it takes to

stand out. For example, how many of us pay attention to the tile in a store?

According to Apple, “We’ve also learned more than a few things about stone.

Like how to reveal granite’s true color with a blowtorch. And that sometimes

granite has veins of color that have to be matched. We’ve also learned that

getting the details perfect can feel like trying to move a mountain. Sometimes

two. But in the end, the effort is worth it. Because steel, glass, and stone can

combine to create truly unique and inspiring spaces.”
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This book is not about retail design. If you want to learn more about
glass, wood, or flooring in the Apple Store, there are plenty of resources that

track every detail to the exact dimension. The most comprehensive is Gary

Allen’s blog, ifoapplestore.com. Read Gary’s blog to learn things such as:

 Tables are made of Canadian sugar maple, and they are enormously complex

to make and assemble.