My interest is not the physical design. It’s the fact that there are two things. There’s the iTunes ecosystem, which allows people to pay for downloaded music. And number two, there were all kinds of business models built around the iPod.

For instance, there was a 34-cent chip that you had to buy if you wanted to connect your box to the iPod. The cable had a chip inside it, so you had to have a chip inside the cable for it to talk to the iPod.

Those are examples of great business models that can pay for the quality of design, the finish. I think sometimes we forget that it isn’t how it looks or how it feels but how does the company pay for that better look and feel? If you don’t have that, all you’ve got is a pretty thing that costs too much. So it’s companies that understand that it’s really about the business model and how do you build enough margins to afford thoughtful design. It isn’t design first.

— John Maeda http://www.kpcb.com/news/infusing-design-into-your-newsroom-culture-7-good-questions-with-john-maeda