Time magazine featured Steve on its cover, yet again, holding the new fifth generation iPod and standing directly behind our new 20� iMac media center w/ integrated iSight. I received word of the issue last night and at 2PM today found myself in Barnes & Noble asking the associate if I can grab the first copy of the new magazine from her carrying rack. I got the first copy of the October 24th 2005 edition of Time and as a test thumbed through the magazine to see how many iPod mentions were in this magazine either in ads, pictures or stories and I found 7 or that is including two in the article. I don�t know how often a single product is featured in a news magazine but iPod certainly has a record for Time.

I read the article and just for the photos and quotes I feel every Mac user should pick up this edition. The photo on the front cover is great with Steve holding the iPod in his turtleneck and smiling the same as he did for the first issue of Macworld featuring the first Macintosh. The story on page 65 opens with a photo featuring the real Apple Geniuses, Fadell, Ruinstein, Ive, Jobs and Schiller. Those men, among others, are the brains of every major product through Apple�s doors for the past 10 years. Until now, Fadell has never been seen in a magazine so we will congratulate him for finally being seen but I wanted you to look closely at Jon Rubinstein�s right pocket where you can see his Apple ID badge attached to his jeans and I am sure it is attached via his Apple branded clip you can pick up for $4 at the Apple corporate retail store. Schiller wearing his Hawaiian shirt as always and sporting his own personal 17� PowerBook in front of him. Then, of course, there are the �steves� I like to call them and you can tell since Jobs, Ive and Fadell are all sporting the �Gapple� shirts, as I like to call them. They are breathable polyester shirts manufactured by Gap that everyone knows Steve loves so much.
The most important aspect of this photo that everyone is failing to notice is exactly where they are and how much time Apple puts into its design beyond products. They are using the signature wooden tables now featured in Apple stores, aluminum swivel chairs inspired by the amazing European industrial design and the background is covered by Glass pains to help drown out the sound of machines creating �the next big thing� and even the ceiling is covered by brushed metal. Open your eyes and see that everything together (even the trash cans) look like they are from an Apple store. The glass, metal, wood and lighting that has four settings (as of now is on the �this apple store is closed� setting) are all inspired by Apple�s retail stores. Since this campus was created before Apple retail existed, it only tells me that Apple did not do an amazing feat to lay out retail locations but instead looked around them and went to the same locations that these products are made and drew inspiration from that. What better place to showcase Apple products than exact replicas of the buildings the products were created. Down to the door behind Jobs and the old fashioned lampshade iMac on the far right corner of the photo and its obvious since we all know Ive�s proudest work is the lampshade iMac so we guess he is still using it today.
The final observations I have is the windows leading out clearly shows this is Cupertino�s One infinite loop and not a building away from campus but shows us that iPod R&D is not a secret location but the 3rd or 4th floor of Apple HQ. I can tell this by the style of the windows and the misty and cool fall San Jose air they are in. The fact that Steve keeps R&D at HQ says a lot for the company and showing he can just pop in at any time to see how things are going. The last thing is the items and documents on the desk in front of the men. There are some nano armbands and design blueprints for the nano and a few of the sample materials Apple used in deciding the best fabric for the nano armband. Apple did not use blueprints for the new iPod and this is due to the fact these photos were taken before the iPod w/ video announcement. If you look closely by Jon Rubinstein, you see a few weird looking shapes. One looks like an iSee from Contour Design but an iSee for the iPod nano and there is also a larger iPod case that looks like it is for a nano but is definitely unreleased since I don�t recognize it at all. Analyze the blueprint drawings and it�s pretty amazing what they have laid out before us.
The second page features one of the break rooms at Apple with Steve enjoying a hot tea and the table and chairs are that amazing quality that matches Apple�s design ideas. One thing that is always apparent with photos of Steve is the absence of a watch. How does he tell time? One final aspect is the apparentness that Steve keeps his wallet on the left side of his body so we assume he is a lefty (but we knew that already). The article itself is the typical comparing apples to oranges and how Apple �get is� when it comes to the complete package and from step A to Z you can have it all and all from Apple. There are great facts about the history of apple and quotes from Steve that are timeless. I would copy them over but Time hit newsstands today so just go check it out and pick up your copy. Five dollars is a great price just to see the images of Apple HQ and the one you never get to see unless you are in the R&D or board member divisions of Apple.