Deep dive into details
From my mom, I learned many things in life. She has a saying for everything... almost! One of those saying in Spanish relates to Devil's role in the details. "The devil is in the details" is an idiom that refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details (Thanks Wikipedia!). Allegedly, this phrase was authored by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Roche. His meaning can generate incommensurable discussions, from my perspective it is clear that details hide a lot more than what is evident for the naked eye. What I know for sure is that behind the details there is a lot of devotion.
During my life, I crafted a meticulous passion for details. Every time when I create a presentation (either Powerpoint or Prezi, preferably the last), when I supervise a user-interface for our clients, or when I verify the efficiency of an algorithm. I've been told to possess a pixel-precision eye for object distribution by my team members. This intrinsic quality (for those who possess it) just highlights how passionate we are about the outcomes of whatever we might produce in life. I can't imagine a company more focused on the details than Apple.
We, at Converlogic, proudly produce smart-cards targeting the top tier sectors in the industry that consumes cards, and by getting familiar with the entire manufacturing process of delivering a final product my sensitivity toward cards has dramatically increased. Now, every time that, for instance, I hold a credit card, I've learned to analyze colors (regardless of having ocular dis-chromatography), texture, embedded technology, thickness, weight, shape, contact plate characteristics, security elements, holograms, embossing, material... the list keep growing proportionally with the time. One more thing for this list is the unique clanking metallic sound it makes when is carelessly laid on any surface.
Recently, I had on my hands an Apple card for the first time. This article really does not mean to be a marketing trick... but honestly, this Apple card felt differently in every single aspect in comparison with the cards that I hold before. I might have had more than 100 cards on my hands between ID, debit card, credit cards, and authentication cards for corporate purposes. Regardless, I was unable to find any fair comparison point for this titanium-made card. First of all, and most evident, material and weight. It just looks good!!! (three-exclamation-marks). Secondly, the simplicity of the card. No embossed numbers, no secure code, no expiration date, no signature panel, and not-disruptively-located magnetic band. I remember that during my time as a Network Lead in Colombia, I coined the term: "We embrace simplicity with efficiency". Because you might have learned in life that achieving simplicity is, perhaps, the utmost challenge. Still, this credit card really exceeds my expectations. Even the contact plate is beautifully crafted to hold six rectangles with curved angles. And the precision in which the plate is embedded into the card is extremely accurate. The final touch is composed of 4 squircles in the corners which complete the Apple allure on this card.
I don't count myself with an electronic microscope beyond my sensitiveness of 0.0026458333mm (Holding as true what my colleagues say about my eye-precision). Nonetheless, when you touch gently and slowly the borders of an Apple card and repeat this action in another card you might feel something different. You can feel that the slope begins slightly before and that the curvature is less abrupt. I was aware that the squircles were present in every single Apple product although I was not expecting to find it also in the Apple card. We might need at this point a higher level of detail to hold my perception as truth because if you pay attention to the picture in this article you might be able to verify that the difference is subtle. The blue line is a squircle meanwhile the red line is a regular square with rounded corners with a portion of a circle.
This might just be a funny fact of an Apple product conversely is the maximum expression of commitment to precision, passion, and excellence. This "minor" mathematical detail will have deep consequences in the manufacturing process along with a required zero-tolerance for error. For that reason is why these cards are laser-carved instead of punched.
The implications of being so passionate about details will reflect in one undeniable outcome: customer satisfaction. Your senses will have a joyful journey by experiencing what is like to have a nicely finished product in your hands. For that reason, I seed every day on my teammates and colleagues the relevance of details and how important is to commit to excellence. I am trustful that the recent expansion that we are fulfilling at Converlogic will surpass the craftsmanship that Apple put into their products. We count on incredible partners to do so and with remarkable people to achieve greatness. Being passionate about details should not be a feature related to the Devil, instead, I agree more with the French saying "Le bon Dieu est dans le détail" which means "the good Lord is in the detail" - Gustave Flaubert