What makes a design beautiful?

"I like this new toaster", "I like this new phone" or "I like this new house". They are all beautiful, otherwise people won't say they like it. How about, on closer examination, the lever of the toaster for lowering the bread will become hot after doing a few slices. And how about the phone is too slippery to handle, or in the most extreme case, you have to crawl into the house because they did the door wrong!

Apple has surpassed traditional personal electronic companies like Sony many years ago. Some time ago I talked to some Apple fans, one thing they didn't like about their Apple adapters is that they are not interchangeable. "They sold you a new one with each new model!" Yet, they are willing to pay higher price for a Mac rather than getting a cheaper PC, and they always love their new adapter for AC power, because each looks lovely, cute, and compactly designed, with little design details that they never dream of that improve convenience just a little tiny bit. Such inconvenience they never ask Apple to take care of nor would they expect any company would care to improve in the first place. As little as an AC adapter!

Good lessons for designers of every industry.

Mac adapter