It's official: Apple thinks you're an idiot

A book with no words and only photographs costs US$300, reports Tech in Asia

Even by Apple standards, this is crazy. Today, the Cupertino tech company launches its latest product: a book.

A book with no words that costs US$300
 

If you think I’m kidding, read it and weep. The book, pretentiously titled Designed by Apple in California, consists of 450 photographs of past and present Apple products. Aside from a foreword by Jony Ive, the book apparently contains no text. It comes hard-bound in linen, and is available in small (US$199) and large (US$299) sizes. In Asia, you can find the book on Apple’s website in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.
 

Jony Ive calls the book “a gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years.”
 

A gentle gathering of ads
 

Now, let’s be clear: Apple does have some pretty kick-ass designs. The book spans the past 20 years (presumably so that they wouldn’t have to include this), and there’s no denying that over that time, Apple’s team has been setting the trend for industrial tech design.
 

That doesn’t make this book any less insulting, though. There’s no insight into Apple’s design philosophy. No background on why particular decisions were made. No detail on how Apple’s approach evolved over the years. The book is supposedly a tribute to Steve Jobs, but it contains no information about how Jobs influenced these designs. It’s literally just product photos.
 

In other words, it’s a US$300 book of advertisements. It’s a branding vehicle. Pay US$300, and you can put a big fat Apple ad right on your coffee table!

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here