Rating: 
Summary: Nice to have (or Must to have) for Apple Geeks
Review: For Apple Geeks and Enthusiasts... I bought this book fromJapan, because the Japanese translated version ................ And it was a right choice. I do not read any texts, but glance or look at Insane Designs, just like a coffee table book like that. I do recommend buy this English version if you are planning on buying the Japanese translation.
Rating:
Summary: You NEED this book!
Review: For those of us who like to use computers as an extension of our creativity, there has only ever been one choice - the Mac.This incredible book shows you the history behind some the most important computers ever to be invented, along with prototypes for ideas too wacky for even Apple to release. Rick English's photography shows these beautiful machines as they should be shown, as artistic masterpieces as well as innovative pieces of technology. Breathtaking.
Rating: 
Summary: Insanely great stuff
Review: I just received my much-awaited book early this month a couple of days after my birthday. I found it absolutely stunning and enlightening in some ways. The sheer extent of products by the Industrial Design Team was overwhelming and found the history behind the design team very useful. Can't wait for the next updated edition with iBooks, iMacs, PowerBooks, PowerMacs and ASDs and all. :) This is definitely a must-buy for Mac users as well as those who appreciate well-thought industrial design and innovation.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money, period.
Review: I'm an avide fan of Apple Computer and it's history. If you love Sony and other excellent industrial design, then you'll love this book. I've only read small portions, but the pictures and history are well worth the price alone . . . especially at this new lower price.
Rating:
Summary: Where did the iMac come from?
Review: If you ever wondered about the lineage of the most succesful personal computer of all time - get this book. It explains how we went from wood boxes to translucent Wall Street darlings. Great photographs make for literally hundreds of potential screen backgrounds.
Rating:
Summary: apple! yay!
Review: mmm... great book. Sure, there are typos and misnamed images, but, the quality is (overall) excellent. Apple's design is not the only thing that should be commended- I should know, as my family made the switch after my father's PC caught fire and had to be ditched out a window. Never has an Mac done that to me, and I've used them my entire life. But, I digress. The images are excellent, although the text is rather long and dull. I picked up my copy at a closeout sale for 12 bucks last year, but it is definitly worth the price if you want an homage to mac for your coffeetable.
Rating:
Summary: Verrrrry Booky! Booky book book!
Review: So booky, it's just a booky book! Buy book! It good
Rating:
Summary: The eternal appeal of Apple's designs.
Review: The introduction of the iMac in a variety of translucent colours, not just applied as an afterthought, but applied loving to every detail of the design, such as translucent cables, yeah and even a two colour mouse-ball...., all that sparked off a new movement in computer design. Suddenly megaherz and megabyte were no longer sexy, people wanted more. A computer had to fulfill design criteria to be admitted to the household. Numerous other companies have since jumped onto the bandwaggon. Although their orginiality is debateable, there is no doubt that Apple had set a new trend in computing, analagous to the revolution in automobile design in the 50ies and 60ies. But before the iMac, Apple was already famed and loved for it's design. An Apple had always stood out from the other computers on the shop shelf. That is because for Apple, design was not a last minute cosmetic operation, but a part of design philosophy. This book traces the history of those designs from the very first Apple in a wooden box, discussing many projects that were never realised, or only realised in a greatly modified form. It discusses alternatives, preliminary and intermediate design studies and the road to the final products. The text is concise and informative and easy to read. The book is amply illustarted with sketches, black and white and colour photographs of Apples that were, that are and that never will be. Unfortunately, the book stops short of the most recent steps. But even so, this book is an enlightenment and enrichment for those who are interested in Apple, or computer history in general.
Rating:
Summary: The eternal appeal of Apple's designs.
Review: The introduction of the iMac in a variety of translucent colours, not just applied as an afterthought, but applied loving to every detail of the design, such as translucent cables, yeah and even a two colour mouse-ball...., all that sparked off a new movement in computer design. Suddenly megaherz and megabyte were no longer sexy, people wanted more. A computer had to fulfill design criteria to be admitted to the household. Numerous other companies have since jumped onto the bandwaggon. Although their orginiality is debateable, there is no doubt that Apple had set a new trend in computing, analagous to the revolution in automobile design in the 50ies and 60ies. But before the iMac, Apple was already famed and loved for it's design. An Apple had always stood out from the other computers on the shop shelf. That is because for Apple, design was not a last minute cosmetic operation, but a part of design philosophy. This book traces the history of those designs from the very first Apple in a wooden box, discussing many projects that were never realised, or only realised in a greatly modified form. It discusses alternatives, preliminary and intermediate design studies and the road to the final products. The text is concise and informative and easy to read. The book is amply illustarted with sketches, black and white and colour photographs of Apples that were, that are and that never will be. Unfortunately, the book stops short of the most recent steps. But even so, this book is an enlightenment and enrichment for those who are interested in Apple, or computer history in general.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended in spite of abysmal editing
Review: The other reviews here already cover the important content issues and the fact that a document such as this is a godsend in so many ways. As a lover of both Apple technology and great ID, I've found it impossible to put this book down. However, I'd just like to put in my .02 that this book is BADLY in need of a copy editor and a second edition. I'd be able to forgive the technical errors (e.g., stating that the Quadra 9X0s share the Quadra 800's form factor) if it weren't for typos and "write-os" ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE! It's as though they ran spell check, pressed Command-P, and never looked at the copy again. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be able to finish this book, the copy quality being as embarassingly bad as it is. I've finally settled on pretending that I've been sent a galley, and that all the errors will be excised before the "real" version ships. One other gripe, then I'm done: A lot of the photos were scanned at too low a resolution to be used at the sizes in which they appear. There are noticeable "stair-stepping" patterns on many of the pieces, particularly when the "Snow White" striping appears at an angle. I could do a better job on my home Mac (maybe they used a PC, who knows). ;-) Anyway, the book still rocks, you should buy it right now, etc. But if you're one of those annoying people like me who expect Apple-like quality in things like editing, you've been warned.
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