Last week in a blog post by Kevin Kelly at his blog The Technium, he wrote an article title Designed in California. To open his blog post he makes this statement:
“We rightly understand that how we arrange atoms is more important than what atoms we use. Same with information. The arrangement is more important than the ingredients. That’s why we crave design.”
In his post he uses Apple’s subtle but powerful wording on the back of their devices and in printed material that says “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.”
Kevin’s point was that he had noticed a trend of design emphasis coming from companies in California. He goes on to mention a number of other companies, not all tech companies, who were also emphasizing a California design.
All though true that California does have some unique elements and a style all its own, what hits me about Apple’s statement is more about Silicon Valley than California.
When people I know who work for tech companies in other parts of the country or world come back to Silicon Valley I hear this phrase often: “There’s nothing like Silicon Valley.”
This statement is overwhelmingly true. All though there are certain places where entrepreneurialism happens, no place breeds and fosters entrepreneurs like Silicon Valley. As you walk down the streets of University Avenue in Palo Alto or through the halls of buildings on Sand Hill road you can feel the energy of the entrepreneur. We even have our own conference dedicated to teens who are starting companies called “Teens in Tech.”
There is a mentality, a culture and an atmosphere in Silicon Valley that fosters innovation that is unrivaled in the rest of the world.
So all though Apple’s statement on the back of their devices mentions California, the more pertinent observation is that these types of innovations are coming from Silicon Valley.