[radley]

It's pretty clear you and he are at opposite ends of the design spectrum. He's an experienced conceptual designer perfect for video games, i.e. Art Center. You're more academic and instructional, i.e. MIT.

Both are legit.

PS - it's pretty clear he's just having fun with the Mac specs. Only kneejerk HNers are taking it as a serious product pitch. He's designed beautiful guns, vehicles... why not a Mac that makes Ives look seriously plugged-up?

[aggie]

The thread is discussing the value of this type of conceptual presentation to a design portfolio. 'Conceptual designer' by your definition would basically mean 3D visual artist. That's not quite 'design' as it's being discussed here, though I wouldn't call it academic or instructional either. For design work, the final product rarely demonstrates the skills needed to be a good designer in real business settings. Hiring managers want to see the process that led to the final product.