It’s been a very Apple filled 2 days. Macbook pro arrived last night, Designed By Apple In California today. My macbook air has been long overdue for an update, but waiting for the new macbook pros has taken far longer than most rumors the last year! So, while many are complaining, i’m actually kind of loving the new macbook pro. Sure, the keyboard and mouse will take a little getting used to (and as far as loudness while typing, it doesn’t bother Shawn much compared to the noise when my nails would clink on the old one!) - and the touch bar is actually kind of fun - as for USB-C dongles, sure its a smidge more work, but i’m finding i don’t need them THAT much (other than for photos) - basically i’ve been ready for some newness, and i’m ready to adapt my workflow a bit to try it out… but not ready to jump to having a windows machine be my primary.

Anyhow - love when their shipping arrives a day early and surprises you! And while playing with the new machine, i was reading about the Designed By Apple In California coffee table books - a compendium of beautiful imagery of apple products from 1998-2015 as photographed by the amazing Andrew Zuckerman (behind Creature, Bird, Flower, and more). It’s a pricey coffee table book that comes in small (10.20” x 12.75”) and large (13” x 16.25”), and i can’t imagine a designer who wouldn’t welcome it into their design library. It’s rather over packaged, but unlike coffee table books from amazon, there’s no way it will get dented or dinged en route. And flipping through it, it’s stunning - and full of designer nostalgia. So much tech i’ve used from high school through the last decade of NOTCOT is in there. I’m tempted to scribble in the dates of the various machines i’ve owned that are no longer with me, just to remember all the tools that have helped get me where i am today when i look back on it all in a few decades. It’s a beautiful tribute to Steve Jobs and the stunning designs of Apple in its prime.

Take a look at the unboxing on the next page.

Tags: apple - books - gifts - shopping - technology - unboxing