Mobile OSs Apple is minimalistic?

[Orange Furball]

Apple, I have always associated them with minimal and simple designs. Now compare iOS to ICS or Jelly Bean, and you see who is truly minimalistic.

Does anyone else agree? I feel like Apple icons are way to complicated...

 

[shawnwich]

Apple hardware is minimalistic.
It's software is not.

 

[Mac.World]

you can make an iphone look that simple, you just have to be jailbreak it first. out of the box though, it's as constricting as a boa. it is stylistically simple though, just in a kindergarden kind of way.

 

[zbarvian]

Android's holo theme is hands-down more minimalist than iOS, but minimalism does not equal better design. All personal preference, really.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Apple, I have always associated them with minimal and simple designs. Now compare iOS to ICS or Jelly Bean, and you see who is truly minimalistic.

ImageImage

Does anyone else agree? I feel like Apple icons are way to complicated...

android is just hidden in folders that aren't on the home screen like apple has.

 

[Hexiii]

I don't remember anyone saying that iOS is minimalistic. It's just simple, minimalism is not really good for UI since you don't know if something is button or just picture.

And Android is not minimalistic, each icon has completely different style, as well as the elements in the UI.

 

[Calidude]

Android's holo theme is hands-down more minimalist than iOS, but minimalism does not equal better design. All personal preference, really.

If every app on the Play store were made a Holo app, nobody would have a problem with how Android looks.

Holo is the best interface I've seen on a phone so far. Not as simplistic as Metro, but not as bunched up as iOS.

 

[zbarvian]

If every app on the Play store were made a Holo app, nobody would have a problem with how Android looks.

Holo is the best interface I've seen on a phone so far. Not as simplistic as Metro, but not as bunched up as iOS.

I very much agree with you. I often find iOS mucked up by too much visual weight. However, Android has some lingering design flaws. First, there should be a standard size for the icons, not shape like iOS but a standard size. Currently there is none and it just looks downright bad. Also, they need to ditch the quasi-futurism completely. All these blue accents and Tron-themes are ugly, in my opinion.

Thankfully, they are progressing with my last point. The system-wide animations in Jelly Bean need to be reworked, and there is still some lacking polish, but Android is getting more attractive by every release.

 

[charlieegan3]

Lack of customisation is an issue for quite a few people, thats all this is. You could make android just as cramped if you wanted.

 

[Prototypical]

Android's holo theme is hands-down more minimalist than iOS, but minimalism does not equal better design. All personal preference, really.

Agreed. True minimalism requires continuity and consistency, which is something Android has struggled with. As a former (OG) Droid owner, that OS was a lot of things but consistent was NOT one of them.

 

[Orange Furball]

Not the way android works, but the elements themselves. Such as icons, text, WiFi and cellular indicators, etc. When I think of Apple I think simple design. iOS is not simple.

As for pictures looking like icons, I don't see that. In my background (posted above) It just has silhouettes of the icons. I can't get confused from that!

I just think Apple should try something a but simpler, but that's just my opinion!

 

[zbarvian]

Not the way android works, but the elements themselves. Such as icons, text, WiFi and cellular indicators, etc. When I think of Apple I think simple design. iOS is not simple.

As for pictures looking like icons, I don't see that. In my background (posted above) It just has silhouettes of the icons. I can't get confused from that!

I just think Apple should try something a but simpler, but that's just my opinion!

I don't know why you associated Apple with simple design. Hardware maybe, but they have a very ambitious UI design team. iOS is full of almost all design elements: textures, gradients, gloss (this needs to go), shadows, reflections, translucencies, you name it. Android has fewer design elements and tones down a lot of effects, that's generally why things like "cleaner."