I agree that Samsung overhyped themselves but that’s par for course of a business. Presentations to media do matter because these are the people who will be creating the image of your phone to millions of consumers so Samsung should keep working on that.
People expecting technology at a pace that’s not realistic, I agree on that too.
Having mostly agreed with you, really with the big rounded corners? Do you want to know the last company that used the “pebble” design inspriation? The Palm and it’s Pre product! Along with the Oreo effect in it’s hinge, that design aesthetic totally worked for Palm. Not. Palm wasn’t the only one that tried and failed. Look at how Motorola’s Pebble did against it’s previous RAZR design (the original one)? Motorola isn’t bringing back the RAZR brand because the Pebble design did so well.
Hearkening polarizing design as a good thing is dubious. Popularity for a polarizing design doesn’t necessarily mean design that’s ahead of it’s time. In fact, the bigger rounded edges makes you feel like you’re a child. That’s what kids toys are designed like; rounded, cheap, plastic, throw-away devices albeit rugged. No matter what type of polycarbonate they use, that association with plastic will always make it “feel” like a cheap device to the consumer. Indeed, that’s superficial but until someone figures out a cool, new name for high-tech plastic in the same way that carbon fiber is cool, the average consumer won’t understand it.
Looking at the example given of a polarizing figure in design, Chris Bangle, guess where BMW’s current design language is? Not Chris Bangle’s designs. I would say the design isn’t forward looking but meant to create temporary notoriety but as another comment in the original Savof article mentions, good design stands the test of time. Chris Bangle and big rounded corners have not withstood the test of time (for adults anyway).
As Steve Jobs said before, using a design that looks like someone else’s design is not copying. It’s called converging. With the Galaxy S III, Samsung is diverging from the good design of it’s Galaxy S II and its Galaxy Nexus. Design that is not new nor ahead of it’s time but a previously failed “pebble” design.
