Nonsense. People buy desktop computers often to get work done. Function in that case relates to productivity, and productivety often derives from better performance.
I just moved from a Mac Pro to a Linux Box precisely because none of Apple's current lineup can make the power per $ I can buy from a PC box. I just bought a PC that absolutely destroys the best Mac you can buy, and my personal work, be it compilation, digital content creation, or even playing Battlefield 3 @ 2500x1600 on a 30" monitor at great framerates, will be vastly improved. Can you buy a 4.2Ghz i7 from Apple? Can you get a liquid cooled iMac with Dual GeForce 680 GTXs?
If I were to buy an iMac, it's form would absolutely deliver less function. I have ample desktop space, the look of the monitor/CPU combo has zero effect on the function of the software or how I interact with it.
However, the constrained geometry does have a large effect on the thermal/cooling solutions you can pack into it, or whether you can put something like a GeForce 690GTX into it.
Mobile computing, you can make an argument about form and function, since the ergonomics and weight of the device matter a lot. For getting work done on the desktop, its completely irrelevant unless you're trying to show off.
If the iMac were a stand-in for an Apple TV, and the computer needed to be hung on the wall, then by all means, make it a flat panel. But desktop boxes in tower configurations in no way inhibit most people, often the desktop sits under the table anyway, and only the monitor, keyboard, and mouse are above the desk.
Now, I realize this is going to insult a lot of iMac owners, but I am a power user, I've owned nothing but top of the line boxes, until I got my 2006 Mac Pro. I stuck with it for along time, hoping Apple was going to get seriously about keeping up with top-end PCs on the GPU and CPU front, but they never caught up after being briefly ahead. And so, I finally got frustrated with Apple's lack of attention to professionals who want to buy Formula-1 machines. I am not interested in desktop machines that are not much different than laptops.
So… you'd rather carry around a briefcase with an attached external handset as a cellphone, rather than a somewhat modern cellphone? What about carrying around a laptop with a tethered cellphone vs. a smartphone? If you prefer the latter options, as many do, then I really do believe that's a solid signal that form is function.
If I'm arguing a straw man, you're arguing a red herring. There is no "RDF" at play here. Form absolutely does impact function. In fact, form distinctly defines function.
Let's talk about form. The iMac is integrated: it has one cable, you plug it in, turn it on, and it works. That's form. If I were not tech-savvy, I wouldn't need to know my VGA from my USB from my power cables and what goes where and why.
The iMac has a low footprint: I don't have room for a tower. That's form.
The iMac is practically silent: it doesn't distract simply by existing, that's form.
The iMac is accessible: you don't need to be able to build your own machine to get great performance. Look at the SSD + HDD system they have. It's not a cache system, there's no wasted space, the OS always writes to the SSD and transfers rarely-accessed date to the HDD and presents both as a hybrid drive. I don't know if I could replicate that on a custom box. I certainly know no ordinary person could. That's form.
All this form adds up to a hell of a lot of function.
"Form is function" means looking at a computer and seeing more than a list of tech specs.
Right. The concept of 'form is function' is exclusive to Apple.
I mean what world of delusion do you live in that you would ignore the entire industry of industrial design. It's everywhere from cars to irons to cutlery to furniture. How a product is designed affects how it is used.
I would say this is subjective but even if it were the case 100% of the time surely you will agree this doesn't mean it is an improvement, in this case the choice of form has a functional penalty. This is like making a thinner refrigerator, looks amazing but it is much less useful and practical.
