STOP! Having Trouble?

The post says the first out-of-box experience sets the tone for a device’s life. It points to a bright orange warning flyer in an iRiver H10 box and to a Lenovo T60 desktop crowded with preinstalled software as examples of how third parties can ruin that experience.

It contrasts that with Apple’s tighter control over device, software, and music licensing, and says the Windows Media Center team is right to keep third parties away from the core UI and core functionality.

Reading notes

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• A bright orange “STOP!” flyer creates a negative first impression in the box.
• The Lenovo T60 ships with so many preinstalled applications that the taskbar takes up half the screen.
• The hardware can be excellent while the software experience is still abysmal.
• The author recommends wiping new systems and doing a clean install of Windows XP SP2.
• Apple’s control over the device, software, and music licensing prevents outsiders from damaging the experience behind its back.
• Media Center is praised for allowing external add-ins while protecting the core UI and core functionality.