Apple Input Design Lab Report
In a post by Steven Levy in Medium, he wrote about how Backchannel was given a one in a lifetime look inside Apple's accessories design lab - aptly named the Input Design Lab.
It's rare to see Apple open up its doors - much less its design labs - to outsiders, considering the company's secretive nature towards its developing projects. Anyway, let's take a look at some of the highlights of Backchannel's entry and see how Apple meticulously tests and designs its products.
What's inside the lab?
Apple employees call it the Vallco Parkway, which is near Apple's Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino. The Input Design Lab is where every Apple trackpad, mouse, and keyboard prototypes are designed and tested.
In the Apple's accessories design …show more content…
There is also a 3D printer, the MakerBot (the orange print on the machine looks fairly cute and out of place in the lab) which is used to create custom cradles to hold devices to learn which angles are the best for the product during the testing phase.
There are also slabs of different surfaces, from wood to metal, wherein Apple tests its mouse and trackpads. Another notable part of the design lab is the acoustics room, which is used to test the sounds Apple's products make when being used. It's basically a soundproof chamber and is mainly used to check and hear the sound the keyboards make: if they don't like the sound, they won't like the product.
The Apple's accessories design lab is fairly dominated by a variety of equipment, from highly advanced robots and the computers analyzing their findings, along with the surfaces used to test them.
What do they do inside the …show more content…
It may seem like Apple is going overboard with their tests, but they aren't - which is why you're seeing durable and at the same time, quality products which are pretty easy to use and will last nearly a lifetime.
The late Steve Jobs always made sure that the products the company will release into the market are something that "you can't live without". This is a testament to the company's commitment to bringing the best electronic devices and accessories from the assembly line to the tables of their consumers.
Currently, Apple's accessories - which are newly-released along with the new iMacs - have amazing improvements compared to their predecessors. The Magic Keyboard 2 has larger keys, while the Magic Trackpad 2 is noticeably larger and now allows you to click on it. The Magic Mouse 2 had minimal additions but is larger compared to its predecessor. The next time you see these products on the nearest Apple Store, take note that they have all undergone testing in Apple's Accessories design lab!
To see more pics and read more details, be sure to hit up Backchannel page on Medium!
Image (cover and article body) credits:
It's rare to see Apple open up its doors - much less its design labs - to outsiders, considering the company's secretive nature towards its developing projects. Anyway, let's take a look at some of the highlights of Backchannel's entry and see how Apple meticulously tests and designs its products.
What's inside the lab?
Apple employees call it the Vallco Parkway, which is near Apple's Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino. The Input Design Lab is where every Apple trackpad, mouse, and keyboard prototypes are designed and tested.
In the Apple's accessories design …show more content…
There is also a 3D printer, the MakerBot (the orange print on the machine looks fairly cute and out of place in the lab) which is used to create custom cradles to hold devices to learn which angles are the best for the product during the testing phase.
There are also slabs of different surfaces, from wood to metal, wherein Apple tests its mouse and trackpads. Another notable part of the design lab is the acoustics room, which is used to test the sounds Apple's products make when being used. It's basically a soundproof chamber and is mainly used to check and hear the sound the keyboards make: if they don't like the sound, they won't like the product.
The Apple's accessories design lab is fairly dominated by a variety of equipment, from highly advanced robots and the computers analyzing their findings, along with the surfaces used to test them.
What do they do inside the …show more content…
It may seem like Apple is going overboard with their tests, but they aren't - which is why you're seeing durable and at the same time, quality products which are pretty easy to use and will last nearly a lifetime.
The late Steve Jobs always made sure that the products the company will release into the market are something that "you can't live without". This is a testament to the company's commitment to bringing the best electronic devices and accessories from the assembly line to the tables of their consumers.
Currently, Apple's accessories - which are newly-released along with the new iMacs - have amazing improvements compared to their predecessors. The Magic Keyboard 2 has larger keys, while the Magic Trackpad 2 is noticeably larger and now allows you to click on it. The Magic Mouse 2 had minimal additions but is larger compared to its predecessor. The next time you see these products on the nearest Apple Store, take note that they have all undergone testing in Apple's Accessories design lab!
To see more pics and read more details, be sure to hit up Backchannel page on Medium!
Image (cover and article body) credits: