02.06.10YAGNI, Apple, and iPod
As we all know, Apple recently introduced iPad to the world. Regardless of what you think about the device, I find myself really interested in the brief glimpses it offers about how Apple has been running its business.
Back in 2001, Apple joined the fray of portable music device manufacturers with iPod. Of interest to some was a throwaway phrase mentioned about its engineering: “made with off-the-shelf parts.” That is to say, Apple used existing chips and hardware largely in creating its music player.
By designing iPod with pre-existing parts, Apple was offered a world of flexibility. If the device flopped, the company could recoup losses much quicker than if it had spent an extended amount of time putting its varying departments to work developing custom circuits, screens, etc. If the device proved successful, future revisions could include less off-the-shelf parts. Apple established a brand, getting their foot in the door. Over time, Apple switched from iPod components out gradually replacing them with their own, custom parts.
I am reminded of the software design principle of “Ya Ain’t Gonna Need It.” This principle basically says that one should not add functionality until it is required. In order to create a new product, Apple didn’t require all of the component design and maintenance headaches to start a project. Instead, YAGNI was in play, and Apple got their foot in the door.
When the time was right, the proper changes were made. By no longer using those same off-the-shelf parts, Apple could fine-tune and better control what it wanted, resulting in a more innovative player. The first iPod had a mechanical wheel, the next used a touch pad surface, the next a click-wheel, etc. However, without getting the brand started, Apple had no incentive to iterate its design. I think that is an important lesson.
In many ways, this has been the Apple m.o. for some time. The iMac and Mac mini have frequently been test beds for engineering smaller parts that would eventually end up in its notebook computer line. The MacBook Air paved the way for the Unibody Aluminum MacBook Pro. Across the internal lines within the company exist some powerful cross-cutting concerns. Apple is wise enough to keep its eyes open and to identify those cross-cutting concerns and embrace them.
This brings me to the iPad. Apple made a lot of news with this device. I found it interesting as it featured a processor designed by a recently acquired processor designer. If the pattern Apple has applied in the past continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple believes the time is right to switch to a similar custom system on a chip for its next iPhone model.
By embracing the principle of YAGNI Apple has reaped the benefits of flexibility. As a software developer, I live in a wondrous age where I can lease a score of servers from Amazon’s EC2 system and try out an idea without purchasing a operations center full of computers. If the idea fails, very little harm was done. If the idea takes off, a future purchase of dedicated servers can be arranged. The beauty of it all is that one will already have proof that the idea is viable. The question I’m left with is this one: why haven’t I created something to prove the concepts I am talking about?
