Phaidon Design Classics - for the iPad

The ultimate book of design, Phaidon Design Classics, was previously available only as a three volume set for $175. Now for only $20 you can carry it around on your iPad. This well researched collection lays out the best objects of industrial design for the past 200 years. The items can be browsed chronologically, by designer, or by category. Here is the description from their website:

"The application offers, at the touch of a finger, access to an encyclopedic, illustrated history of 1,000 timeless design classics by not only renowned designers, such as Marcel Breuer, Achille Castiglioni, Le Corbusier, Jasper Morrison, Dieter Rams, Eero Saarinen, and Philippe Starck but also anonymously designed pieces, such as the clothes peg, the corkscrew, and the chopstick, that have stood the test of time. Presented in a beautifully rendered, 3D environment, the application has been built to take full advantage of the large Multi-Touch screen and advanced capabilities of iPad. The objects are organized chronologically, easily accessible via a timeline on the right side of the screen. Material contained in the application includes archival photographs, original sketches, patents, prototypes and informative text with precise information about the product, designer, manufacturer and the object’s historical context. From cars to chairs, from tableware to cameras, from toys to airplanes, the application features products that are most often still in production today, largely unchanged since their creations. "

This could be just one more good reason to lust after the iPad!

You can purchase the application here or find it in the app store.