Beauty and the Beast

Customers are often impressed by FingerTec products and marketing materials; so much better than the rivals, they say. And I heard some colleagues label me as a perfectionist.

But I know FingerTec is still far from being perfect, and me from being a perfectionist.

When I read the book “Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs” by Daniel Lyons, I think in terms of beauty standard, I am no match to him even in comparison to the fake Steve in the book.

Steve Jobs

Let’s see how the fake Steve amused us from the below excerpt:

It is Tuesday afternoon. I am barefoot, sitting on a cushion in the lotus position, gazing at a circuit board. This board, no bigger than a playing card, has taken years to create. It is the heart of iPhone, the most important object my engineers have ever assembled. And it is wrong, I do not know why, exactly. But it is wrong. By this I do not mean that the board does not function correctly. It functions perfectly. But it lacks beauty. My engineers argue that a circuit board need not be beautiful, since no one will ever see it.

“Yes,” I say, “but I will know it is there. And I will know that is not beautiful.”

For ordinary or non-artistic people, his reaction might seem funny, irrational, or even bizarre. But as an eccentric artist, the tolerant level is none, zero, nada. As an artist, it doesn’t matter whether his audiences notice the imperfection or not, if he detected it, he has to make it ‘right’. This explains why some of the ‘perfect’ paintings as perceived by ordinary eyes, were destroyed by the artists themselves, without hesitation.

Besides all the technologies that make it a superb smartphone, Apple’s iPhone is a piece of art by itself. I was admirably impressed when I received my iPhone: a beautiful glossy black box; inside, cushioned in black velvet, is the rounded edges, sleek, thin and light object, like a piece of crafted jewelry. Solid. And perfect.

What else, if not iPhone?

Can FingerTec deliver a product such as iPhone that is appraised by many for its artistic craftsmanship?

As an industrial product, we have to prioritize reliability, robustness and cost-effectiveness; beautiful exterior has to come next.

But as an art lover, I would never let something ugly slipping into our production line, or printed matters that convey only messages without being complemented with beauty. I strongly believe that artistic value enhances desire to purchase. That’s what makes iPod and iPhone successful products.

Nowadays when customers are spoilt for choices, between Beauty and the Beast, what’s your pick?

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No matter how scarce our resources are in comparison to Apple, most of the tasks related to FingerTec involve skilled designers.

by Teh Hon Seng, CEO, FingerTec HQ