I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Ken Segall's book about the idea of simplicity as it relates to his experience with Apple and other companies he's done advertising work with. Today, on his blog, he made available an 11 page introduction to the book that will be released on April 26th.

For a concept that’s supposed to be obvious, Simplicity can be difficult to describe. It can be a choice, a feeling, or a guiding light. You might even think of it as a spirit, for you can tell pretty quickly when you’re in a place that believes in it and when you’re in a place that doesn’t.

Simplicity is the love child of two of the most powerful forces in business: Brains and Common Sense.

Since most people are endowed with both, you’d think that Simplicity would rule the world. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. For example, Common Sense would suggest that when Microsoft created the Zune Store to compete with the iTunes Store, it would have charged a fixed price per song, much as Apple did. Instead, it offered “Microsoft Points,” which required customers to purchase points by the hundred, then use a conversion rate of eighty points to the dollar to buy a ninety- nine- cent song. The architect of that scheme seems to be missing the Common Sense gene— and those who approved it were a bit light in the Brains department.

You can get more information about ordering the book here.