The Thousands

On Friday I was at a dinner party Steve Jobs would have been proud of. There were MacBooks everywhere, young people iTunes DJing through wireless speakers, iPhones telling us what Brits think of Julia Gillard – it was an iFrenzy. And of course there was an iPad there, and it still annoyed me – what does it bring to the party, really? But when I discovered this design book inside it, I had a moment. A future moment.

Design Classics in its original form is a hulking three-volume tome not many of us could physically carry, let alone justify purchasing. This new iPad version is $225 cheaper, a hell of a lot lighter and ultimately a more functional information resource. Basically, there are 1000 iconic designs featured from the past 200 years, from the Hindenberg to the clothes peg, with an entire sort of web site devoted to each one, including history, archival images, the lot. It’s fascinating stuff.

The touchscreen works beautifully, like you’re a character in a more enjoyable version of Minority Report. Design Classics is the first in the Phaidon series to be released in this format, with the rest following not far behind. I give up, it’s the future. Throw out your books.