Did Apple find inspiration for its iconic products in the simplicity of Braun designs from the 50s and 60s?



The huge success of Apple products over the last 15 years has regularly been attributed in part to their incredibly iconic designs.

But were Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and former CEO, and Jonathan Ive, the company’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, inspired by products designed by German consumer goods manufacturer Braun in the 1950s and 1960s?

German influence: Was the original iPod design inspired by Braun's T3 pocket radio?

Compelling visual evidence, compiled by Cult of Mac , suggests a number of Apple products that bear more than a passing resemblance to the simplicity of Braun designs from more than 60 years ago.

The original iPod from 2001, for instance, has similarities with the Braun T3 pocket radio from 1958. Other products that suggest a Braun influence include the PowerMac G5, the 2007 iMac and even the iPhone's calculator app from 2007.

In 1998, Apple launched the iMac, the computer that helped turn around the then struggling company. Designed by Ive, its success heralded his arrival as a design guru.

Influential figure: Apple designer Jonathan Ive (right) has spoken of the influence of Braun designer Dieter Rams (left) on his work

Ive has long acknowledged the influence on his work of Dieter Rams, who was Braun’s head designer for nearly 30 years. In 2011, Ive wrote the forward for Dieter Rams' book 'As Little Design As Possible'.

'What Dieter Rams and his team at Braun did was to produce hundreds of wonderfully conceived and designed objects: products that were beautifully made in high volumes and that were broadly accessible', he wrote.



For his part, Rams is understood to regard Apple products - and Ive's kind words - as a compliment.

Design classics: There are similarities between the Braun LE1 speaker and iMac computer

Close-up images of the Braun T100 radio and PowerMac G5 show design similarities

The calculator app on Apple devices such as the iPhone may look familiar to anyone who used a Braun ET44

Design inspiration: The T1000 radio from Braun and the PowerMac G5 from Apple







