These processes of Apple cannot be copied

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"The last thing I want to say about plagiarism is, oh, this is a compliment to us in disguise."

Apple design director Jony Ive once answered the "plagiarism question" in this way. Putting aside the copyright and patent issues, the fact is that the design and craftsmanship of Apple products have influenced companies of all sizes in the industry and have become an unquestionable benchmark. As stated in "The Secret Heritage of Bauhaus":

Whether something touches people's hearts depends not only on whether it is fully functional and powerful, but also on whether it is convenient and beautiful. People have various senses such as eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, as well as various desires such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Good design brings people all-round satisfaction.

Apple's products always stand at the intersection of technology and humanity, unifying functionality and artistry, both inside and outside.

Startup hardware manufacturers also like to use Apple as a target and template. Many entrepreneurs think: "If Apple can do this, why can't I?" However, the difference between large companies and startups is not only reflected in the appearance of scale, capital, etc., and simply imitating and copying Apple is not necessarily a good thing.

An article on Medium argues that not everyone can learn Apple's design, and imitating others will bring fatal harm to startups.

When Apple decided to produce 1 million MacBooks, the company purchased 10,000 CNC machine tools; when Apple needed thinner batteries but found that there were no upstream manufacturers, the company made batteries from scratch; when Apple needed to use laser drilling to drill holes for the MacBook's sleep light, it found that only one company's equipment could drill 20-micron holes in aluminum plates, so Apple acquired it.

These "wealthy" and "willful" performances show the huge investment behind Apple products. Small companies often only see the product itself, but in fact cannot meet the same production requirements as Apple.

Therefore, this article on Medium gives several "mistakes that hardware startups must avoid" to remind startups not to blindly learn from Apple.

1. White plastic shell

White is the "hardest to control" color in the molding process. If your product must use white, please do not use two separately molded white parts, as they are difficult to match perfectly in color.

2. Large-scale CNC machining

Because of cost considerations, CNC machining is good for making high-margin parts, such as hip implants and turbine blades, but it is not suitable for consumer products, although it can produce excellent prototypes.

3. Laser drilling

The production process of invisible laser drilling is much more complicated than you might think. You can usually find some alternatives to achieve similar results.

4. Molded plastic package

Apple's small-volume products all use carbonated polyester + ABS/PC mixed molding packaging, which is high-end but also very expensive. For start-ups, recycled cardboard is a very good choice.

5.0 Ejector Marks

Unless you are a billionaire, it is difficult to completely eliminate ejector pin marks from your product, and what you need to do is to design the product to hide it. Accept ejector pin marks, and most consumers have no idea what they are.

6. Four-color, double-layer, frosted, foam-filled packaging box

Like plastic packaging, such boxes look good but are very expensive, costing about $12 per set. For users, unpacking the box means throwing away the expensive box.

There are many similar "mistakes". Startups often imitate Apple's technology after seeing it. The rational approach is to lower your own expectations and design a feasible and reasonable manufacturing plan for your own products.

Link to this article: http://www.ifanr.com/471521