The Enlightened Apple

Steve Jobs journey with Zen Buddhism, and the philosophies he gained from the religion, definitely bled over into his projects at Apple. The company's foremost philosophy under Steve Jobs in the making of its products has always been of functionality through design. That is, making a product elegant in simplicity that is intuitive to operate, with a unification of hardware and software. Many users of Apple products often proclaim their love for their devices because "...they just work!" For these users, the ease with which they are able to use their products could be said to help them get closer to a zen-like peace, in which they don't have to worry about or concentrate on how they need to use their devices, since they are designed to function in a very natural way.

Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, in a recording of his talks at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, explains that everything we experience enters through these "gates" that represent our five senses, and each sense has a specific "sense object" that they are made to detect: Colors for the eye, scents for the nose, some voice for the ear to hear, etc. Through the combination of these senses and the objects they perceive, we gain our perception of "everything," explains Suzuki.

See the relevant portion of the video here --->http://www.tubechop.com/watch/859874

In the same way, Steve Jobs's magnum opus, the iPhone, is a sort of "everything" product, a catalyst through which we can experience and share the world around us with ease. It is designed not around any silicon-based hardware, but the carbon-based template of the human body, around our sense "gates." It has colors for the eyes to see (large, vibrant screen), something intuitive to touch (multi-touch display), even a voice for us to hear (Siri)! And, although the smell of brand new computer hardware is sweet as ambrosia to me, I'm not sure how much it appeals to others...or taste could be achieved. Well, three out of five ain't bad.