Coolness and great design

Check out this quote from quote Scott Kriens, CEO at Juniper, about switching to Macs in the enterprise:

One of the people with a new Mac Book laptop: “Everybody told me I should get one,” he says. “It’s not anything to do with negative perceptions about Microsoft. It’s just that Macs are cool.”

I can totally relate to this, and when I think about it, it’s Apple’s design that makes them seem so cool. Those sexy one-piece iMacs, that svelte aluminum laptop and iPhone. I know I wouldn’t love Macs if they looked crappy. The point is, for whatever product you’re developing, take a page from Apple, figure out how to make people love your product for the look and feel of it. Have the functionality to be sure, but pay close attention to the design, because it is the deciding factor. Great design creates openings against complacent competitors.