Since Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1998, the company developed innovative products credited with creating new markets -- smartphones, tablets and the like -- that led to explosive growth that's pushed the company's annual revenue figures beyond the $170 billion mark.
Apple is the company the tech world looks to for innovation, and for leadership. The company is on multiple 'most admired' lists. It does face questions today as Tim Cook leads the way in place of the late Jobs, but design is clearly still 'Job One' at Apple.
John R. Moran of the Rampant Innovation web site gets a Tip of the Hat from Computerworld for a comprehensive look at Apple's design philosophy, which he notes continues to backbone the company since Jobs' death in 2011.
Moran's story, Design Is About Intent, notes that Apple itself still calls design "its defining capability."
"Lest there be any doubt, they told last summer: Apple is about design." writes Moran. "It's what they value, teach and celebrate, and it's what has enabled them to revolutionize industry after industry with innovative products and business models."
From there, Moran dives into into Apple's design history and to it's strategy to center its business on the practice. It compares Apple's philosophy with that of its rivals. None of them, he notes, compares favorably, and likely never will. It's a terrific read and highly recommended.
Read more about app development in Computerworld's App Development Topic Center.