what i learned at apple

I interned at Apple Inc. this past summer as a software engineer. I was part of the Consumer Applications Engineering department, who was in charge of the popular Mac OS applications such as iPhoto, GarageBand, or Final Cut Pro. The three months I worked at Apple became one of my best learning experiences in my academic career. I gained invaluable insights on building a successful career and experienced the culture of a large company. Out of all the things I learned, one specific aspect intrigued me the most. It was the company’s attention to detail.

Many people feel that Apple’s products exhibit elegant designs. Whether it be the user interface of an application or the physical appearance of a Mac, the product just looks aesthetically pleasing. While working at Apple, I realized Apple invests an extensive amount of time and effort into their designs, whereas other companies may deem it unnecessary. Apple engineers strive to polish every minute detail in their product designs. In Mac applications, the spacing within applications is effectively utilized providing a comfortable feel while navigating through it. Icons are drawn to pixel precision displaying extreme sharpness in clarity and color. Even the typography of navigation bars or menu screens are specifically chosen to suit the application.

Apple passes every product through numerous versions, sometimes even completely starting anew, before releasing the perfect one. Even with the released products, we can see Apple continually altering current features and adding new one to improve the products even more. For example, the iPhone4S has come a long way from the first generation iPhone. Apple’s objective is to design the best product they can, and they apply this style of thinking to everything they do. They has successfully instilled this pixel perfection drive into its employees, ensuring that their work radiated Apple’s style of intuitive simplicity and aesthetic design.

Overall, my experience at Apple was amazing. Working at Apple has taught me to embrace this quality of design and to incorporate it into my own work in my professional career. I have come to appreciate how much effort is required to develop such great products and aim to do so with my own work. I now notice the fine details in superb designs and how they enhance the overall appearance. It was a pleasure working at Apple with such an amazing team and on an enlightening project and I definitely hope to return someday in the future.