Deep in TechnoCloud Towers is a room which I use to showcase consumer technology. This allows colleagues to familiarise themselves with the home entertainment gadgets that their budget or interests wouldn’t normally bring them into contact with.
There’s no doubt which two gadgets excite the most interest – the Apple TV and the Wii.
For all its limitations, Apple TV has a wonderfully intuitive user interface that people ‘get’ first time round. Simple, elegant and no manual required, it’s in theory a good mass market proposition, even though it’s shown few signs of breaking into the mass market…
The wii impresses in a different way. It’s always interesting to see the energy levels rise as soon as you show the motion sensor controller. It brings out the kid in almost everyone as they at first shyly and then with abandon launch themselves into Wii Sports, after a basic explanation of the principles behind the controller.
As the iPhone and potentially the Microsoft Surface are likewise showing, user interface design on consumer technology devices remains in its early phases as more intuitive and satisfying ways emerge to issue commands. That TV remote is already starting to feel pretty dated…
I think a lot depends on the demographic that’s looking at these gadgets. Experienced gamers will probably sniff at the wii as child’s play, but might coo gently at the Apple TV as Mac fanatics. They might get as geniunely excited with the graphics and gameplay of GTA or Halo3. Horses for courses which is one of the reasons the wii has done so well – it’s spot on for its demographic.
Posted by tyronious | May 16, 2008, 12:50 pm