Sorry, but this is pathetic, are you saying there is no application of human creative skill, no imagination, no expression involved when Ive (and team) designed the iMac? How is it not copying to take all these creative ideas and slavishly copy them?
To dismiss industrial design as only valuable as a tool, never to be considered art, is completely close-minded. Art is in the eye of the beholder, what is art is subjective, and last time I checked nobody made you in charge of what art is.
Edit: Expanding on my point, why not think of this instead as an art movement? A group of artists have agreed on general principles, but this does not give license to slavishly copy each other to the finest details, to make exactly the same paintings. They can use the same materials, the same paint, the same brushes, the same techniques, but not paint exactly the same picture. What HP has essentially done here is said "I like the Mona Lisa, let's make one exactly like that".
To dismiss industrial design as only valuable as a tool, never to be considered art, is completely close-minded. Art is in the eye of the beholder, what is art is subjective, and last time I checked nobody made you in charge of what art is.
Edit: Expanding on my point, why not think of this instead as an art movement? A group of artists have agreed on general principles, but this does not give license to slavishly copy each other to the finest details, to make exactly the same paintings. They can use the same materials, the same paint, the same brushes, the same techniques, but not paint exactly the same picture. What HP has essentially done here is said "I like the Mona Lisa, let's make one exactly like that".