Learning from Apple…design matters. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. From iPods to iMacs…the one thing Apple has done better than any other technology company…is pay attention to design. And others are learning…and often imitating. That's good news for companies like Frog Design….a more than 35 year old consulting firm companies like Apple, Sony, Motorola, Microsoft and Disney have turned to over the years to help fashion next generation products. About the growing awareness of the importance of design, chief operating officer Doreen Lorenzo says…

"We love it. Obviously we love the fact that people say design counts. But it's really…design comes from within. iPod is a pretty product, but it's not a beautiful product, it's not a ground breaking product. What's interesting about what Apple has done is they linked all the pieces, from the brand, to the user interface to the actual product. And all of them work seamlessly together which makes it interesting. That's the design and that's really what the consumer wants. Tell me how to put this all together. What we see now with our clients is…the big buzzword is the ecosystem. How do I make this ecosystem work. Traditionally clients have concentrated on just making the thing, their component of it. Make the product. And consumers want more now."

A lack of that kind of thinking is why some good or even great new technology ideas….never catch on. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.