Apple Genius

1. The manufacturing of the iPod employed all steps of the design process.  As mentioned in the article, previous MP3 players were cheap looking, held too little music, and were complicated and inefficient.  Steve Jobs decided to build an innovation team that would create a more efficient digital music player.  Anthony Michael Fadell and Stan Ng went through various trials of style, usability, durability, and mobility in the development of the iPod.

Steve Jobs held a board meeting in which other MP3's were evaluated, and another where three prototypes were revealed and discussed.  The first was too complicated and the second had a poor battery, but the third was dynamite.  The failure of the first two brought Apple closer to it's landmark product.

The third prototype was selected based on a sleek interface, its ability to be dropped at least thirty inches and remain functioning, its ease of use, novel design, pocket-ability, and relatively low manufacturing cost.  All parts of the design process were integral in creating the iPod, Apple's revolutionary product. 

2. In order to evaluate a "perfect thing", I would make sure it could survive daily wear and tear.  The material used to make the product must be durable and have a decent cost per use ratio, giving it a good value for what you are receiving.  Company reputation plays a large role, because I would much rather buy from a corporation who has positive reviews and is reliable.  The product cannot be complicated to use so it can reach and be helpful for a large part of the population.  Style is also key, because if a product is not visually appealing, it will be less popular, and I would be less inclined to use it. 

3. Personally, I love my iPod.  It goes with me almost everywhere, because it is highly portable and relatively easy to fir into almost any pocket/purse/etc.  I cannot count on both hands the number of times I have dropped it over my four years owning one, and it still works flawlessly.  It is also aesthetically pleasing.  However, the fact that you cannot sync songs from iPod to computer is frustrating in the even of a computer crash or failure.  Price also is not the best, considering how your version of the iPod will most likely be out of date in approximately six months.  However, Apple is a highly credible company with a wonderful reputation in the computer science world, so you know you are receiving a state of the art, high quality product.