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+++
title = "Cyberpunk in design is back!"
author = ["Michał Sapka"]
date = 2024-05-10T21:36:00+02:00
categories = ["blog"]
draft = false
weight = 2037
abstract = "Cool designs are back on the menu"
+++
Last year I [lamended on the state of industrial design.](https://michal.sapka.me/blog/2023/industrial-design-used-to-be-cool/)
Personally, I blame John Ive.
Everyone tries to copy the bland slabs of metal and glass that Apple help to popularize.
They became boring very fast, and we're second decade into it.
iPhones may be the most boring looking devices I've ever seen - and I'm eyeing a black Sony HiFi system from 80s!
But are things changing?
It's hard to make devices that are more boring than the most boring.
And who is on the forefront of such change?
Those crazy Chinese.
It's as a good time as any to give you a warning: this is an audio post.
Hiby is a well known brand.
I even bought a DAP[^fn:1] from them but had to return it due to scratchy volume wheel.
Recently they've released a very cyberpunky looking device, [Hiby H4](https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r4):
{{< img-c "hiby-h4-1.webp" >}}
Cool on the outside
{{< /img-c >}}
{{< img-c "hiby-h4-2.webp" >}}
And even cool on the inside
{{< /img-c >}}
I have to fully agree with [Z's review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnU2rrI9lg) (warning: youtube): they had no reasons to go this hard with design.
They could have released yet another boring rectangle, slap a good DAP there and call it a day.
But they did and it's marvelous.
I love how this device looks!
And it seems the sound it produces is as good as the design, therefore someone just made it harder for the entire DAP industry.
It's still an android device created to reproduce music via wires, but all the colors and cutouts make it this much more appealing.
But there's more!
The well-known Moondrop is releasing a phone!
The [Miad01](https://moondroplab.com/en/products/miad01) looks great:
{{< img-c "moondrop-miad1-1.webp" "https://shiftdelete.net/moondrop-miad-01-jak-cikisi" >}}
Is it a DAP?
{{< /img-c >}}
{{< img-c "moondrop-miad1-1.jpg" "https://trinityelectronic.boutir.com/item/Moondrop-Miad-01-5G/5429734836404224" >}}
Is is it a plane?
{{< /img-c >}}
{{< img-c "moondrop-miad1-2.jpg" "https://trinityelectronic.boutir.com/item/Moondrop-Miad-01-5G/5429734836404224" >}}
No, it's a phone
{{< /img-c >}}
It's an amazingly looking android phone with a freaking audio jack!
And a 4.4 balanced out!
Is it a dream?
The back is perfect.
The bump houses camera, DACs and audio outputs.
They managed to _not_ have camera bump, as they did not focus on creating a rectangle.
The front is boring, as it's just a slab of glass.
And there are no buttons for playback control, which is the reason I will not buy it.
This and lack of user-replacable battery, but it's a battle for another time.
So, it's 2024 and we are seeing playful industrial designs again.
Apple is boring, Samsung is busy copying boring, and Google is too preoccupied with layoffs to even know what they are designing.
And at the same time Hiby and Moondrop made me drool.
If Moondrop releases a Miad 02 with buttons, I'll have to place an order instantly.
For now, I can only with for them to go even crazier.
Don't limit yourself to slab of glass, don't EVER make it round cornered.
Squares are still the best, cutouts are annoying.
I am happy with this turn of events.
An, and a cherry on top: those are dirt cheap compared to their peers.
Hiby H4 costs 250USD and MIAD01 400USD - and since those are Chinese products, expect huge discounts on Aliexpress.
[^fn:1]: Digital Audio Player.
That's what we call Mp3 players now.
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