True, and very interesting. None of the software currently out could be called timeless. Maybe timeless user interface design has simply not been found yet? Closest are probably the first apps that came out with the Macintosh. But everything since then... Nah.
This is in stark contrast with Apple hardware which is pretty much universally timeless designs. Particularly the iPhone 4 and 5 - I am willing to bet they will still look great 20 years from now.
> I am willing to bet they will still look great 20 years from now.
Good design is timeless because it holds inherent characteristics that are not subject to time, it's not exactly about how great it looks or think it would look years from now, this is a side-effect.
I'll give an example. If you compare an IKEA spoon and a renaissance spoon, you'll notice quite a few differences besides the 1800 one looking dated. The recent ones handle better, have better weight, avoid spills, use materials that don't tarnish, etc.
Now contrast this with the japanese hashi (chopsticks). It consists of a pair of bamboo sticks cut at a certain angle and it's design hasn't changed for centuries. It has been perfected, reduced to the essentials, and does it's job still to this day. It's timeless, good design, and by consequence looks great - it's form and shape unconsciously emanate all these characteristics to us.
> True, and very interesting. None of the software currently out could be called timeless. Maybe timeless user interface design has simply not been found yet?
UIs are relatively new, but I would argue command prompts are one example of UI that withstood the test of time, while the WIMP metaphor seems to be fading away with touch devices.
This is in stark contrast with Apple hardware which is pretty much universally timeless designs. Particularly the iPhone 4 and 5 - I am willing to bet they will still look great 20 years from now.