Other Apple is Really Bad at Design - Joshua Topolosky [MERGED]

[ApfelKuchen]

Blindly disregard, or simply disagree?

Has there ever been universal agreement about art of any sort? It's in the eye of the beholder, and all that. People may disagree, and that's alright; nobody is all-right, not even the kids.

There's a longstanding undercurrent to Apple criticism; in effect, the critics identify with the boy in The Emperor's New Clothes - everyone is blind but the boy, and eventually the boy will make the world see the truth. It's a nice fantasy for the boy, but it's still just a fantasy.

 

[Sheza]

People are seriously overreacting to the notch.

His quote from Gruber was taken out of context.

I don't understand why Josh says in his bio that his website is 'forever and ever' when he switches jobs about once a year.

Some of the points he makes are rehashes of anti-Apple memes.

 

[borntrouble]

That's the reason I hate Tim cook and Jonathan Ive, they got rid of Scott Frostal out of nothing. There was clearly something very fishy going on. Reminds me of when Steve left apple.

Tim Cook is the Steve Balmer of Apple.

I think Jony Ive is a design genius. His previous work is awe-inspiring and his capabilities are beyond dispute in my opinion. The biggest problem with him is that he seems to be a kind of person that needs guidance - a muse. I think that since Steve Jobs is gone, this is what literally jams his creativity. You can read this off easily if you just take a look at the stagnant evolution of the design at Apple. iPhone 8, AirPods, upcoming Mac Pro.
iPhone X is a failed attempt to break away from this problem.

With what you said about Scott Forstall, I agree. Brilliant mind.

The main problem with this company is, that there are two neurotic men in charge (Tim Cook & Craig Federighi) who lack vision and insight. They will eventually betray the heritage Steve Jobs left behind.

 

[Tech198]

I never think,,, just act

'bad at design' is unique to customer(s)/choice.

The article probably had a good point in their somewhere as the reason to write about it.

Actually Apple should have "secured" the adapters just like how Eithernet 'click' and they are secured in their ports.

all u gotta do is move your Mac and breath, and your eithernet-to-usb adpater comes out

 

[jeremiah256]

His quote from Gruber was taken out of context.

He provided the link to Gruber’s post and I disagree. Gruber hates it. Yes, he’ll get an X, but it’s clear that he’s very disappointed in the design.

 

[Zxxv]

That's the reason I hate Tim cook and Jonathan Ive, they got rid of Scott Frostal out of nothing. There was clearly something very fishy going on. Reminds me of when Steve left apple.

Tim Cook is the Steve Balmer of Apple.

How do you know Steve Jobs didnt say to Tim "first sign of trouble get rid of Scott. He will try to take over and it will all go to **** if his ego isnt tamed"

How do you know something like that wasn't said to Tim by Steve who picked Tim to lead the company.

 

[cynics]

I think he brings up a lot of good points. While the article is well written and looks nice when viewed on a computer I find its font size, weight and layout not the best for reading. I feel (maybe somewhat ironically) switching to Apples reader is more pleasant reading experience with a heavier font weight and narrower line spacing.

Somethings he mentioned are being "worked on". He probably didn't have an easy way of knowing but iOS 11.1 Beta addresses the camera icon consistency he specifically mentions which came out a day (or more) before his article.

The notch is subjective. As a design I can understand why some people wouldn't like it. And I agree it being black blends well with the FaceID notch. However when you show the ENTIRE phone it blends too well, like the iMacs "chin" it looks like the iPhones "forehead". Regardless that is a subjective matter that I feel its easier for people that don't like to learn to like it or at least tolerate it than it is for people that don't mind it to learn to hate it.

He mentions the back button. However what he meant is the "back to app" button. Admittedly its an awkward location however its consistent with apps back button locations and its the only system control part of the screen (the rest is the current app). However in this case in particular to mention its poor design indicates there is a solution (possibly an easy one) but there is no mention of that. The reason is because there isn't one especially when you refer to gestures that "don't quite click". Make the phone bigger add a dedicated back button in a larger bezel? Reduce the screen size? Get rid of near bezel-less design?

Also things like saying that No one asked for FaceID. For sake of argument that is completely true (nearly). However no one asked for TouchID, which also received its fair share of hate before release. And then goes on to say that Apple has "lost their knack for envisioning the future". Refusing Apples vision of the future with FaceID while preferring their previous vision with TouchID just doesn't work.

He mentions the iTunes Store, Podcast and Music app being separate apps. And than immediately says (I feel like I'm taking crazy pills) its ******* crazy you buy movies and tv shows in the iTunes Store and than watch it in the TV app. With that logic the iTunes Store would need to be combines with the Music app AND the TV app and might as well toss the Podcast app on there too, why not it makes sounds right? Firstly I personally enjoy how the Music, TV and Podcast apps aren't trying to sell me things (at least not the extent he purposes). Secondly, could you image that nightmare of an App? Well actually its called iTunes which he later refers to as an abomination. ******* crazy is right....

Unable to cut ties with the past and choose clear paths forward, "USB-C or Lightning guys?". Really? A standard Apple popularized across the market and still has the one of the best technical implementations of, and a preparatory connector they invented? I think we can all admit Apple has stake in Lightning due to MFi however we can all also likely admit we have more Lightning cables readily laying around. I have 1 USB-C cable and a dozen Lightning cables. MFi is also a double edge sword for Apple too, they can't just cut out there licensees immediately. Headphone manufacturers, charge sync cables, case manufactures, all sorts of gadgets that use the Lightning cable.

He does raise some good points however there are too many contradictions and lack of solutions for me to not feel what appears to be his bias. Apple certainly isn't perfect, far from it. The picture of the iPad with the Pencil charging on his page looks ridiculous like a 1st world picket sign or something.

 

[eyoungren]

No one gives Tim enough credit except Wall Street.

In the short term, Tim has grown services, iPad, and watch and tv businesses.

He has placed huge long term bets on augmented reality, machine learning, and iPad fulfilling Steve’s truck / car vision.

I wonder how many people knocking Tim also buy his products.

The notch doesn’t bother me, and I will buy an iPhone x. The red dot on my series 3 doesn’t bother me either, I think it’s distinguished.

Yes. Tim has done a lot for Apple's profit margin and for Apple stockholders.

 

[C DM]

Deserves to have a photo with this

The pinnacle of modern apple design perfection Poor magic mouse 2 it's Victim to pure idiocy. Who ever would think you'd want something more aesthetically pleasing if not ability to use mouse while charging by placing it where a mouse cord usually is on corded mice? Duh!

Not just a lack of attention to detail. I would argue a complete disregard for attention to ANY even the most obvious non-detail detail

Or perhaps smart design if the desire was to make sure that people don't use the wireless mouse while it's plugged in and charging.
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Can we talk about how the red crown which isn't the antenna/serve any functional purpose but is just a cosmetic distinction between generations of watches clashes with so many bands and color combos?

Would the color make more sense if the red on the crown was somehow related to some antenna type of function?

 

[dogslobber]

I think Jony Ive is a design genius. His previous work is awe-inspiring and his capabilities are beyond dispute in my opinion. The biggest problem with him is that he seems to be a kind of person that needs guidance - a muse. I think that since Steve Jobs is gone, this is what literally jams his creativity.

Bingo! You win the prize. There is nobody at Apple to tell Ive that his ideas are stupid and point out the stupidity. Left to his own devices, Ive will come up with some innovative crap which is utterly useless to people. This is where Steve kept Ive on his toes by constantly correcting Ive's wayward design tendencies. You can't replace the leadership, instinct, and vision Steve had with a bean counter and a bunch of yes men and hope to get the same utility from a talent like Ive.

Forstall's problem is he was an equal amongst the yes men who when told to divide out the incompetence of the Apple Maps fiasco had Forstall saying 'no' when he never had the power base to force Tim out.

 

[thadoggfather]

Or perhaps smart design if the desire was to make sure that people don't use the wireless mouse while it's plugged in and charging.
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Would the color make more sense if the red on the crown was somehow related to some antenna type of function?

It would serve a purpose as opposed to being random and clashing with band color schemes that didn't before

And why would they object to plugged in and charging exactly ? Or that aesthetic even if people don't use it like that cause it charges quick supposedly

 

[C DM]

It would serve a purpose as opposed to being random and clashing with band color schemes that didn't before

And why would they object to plugged in and charging exactly ? Or that aesthetic even if people don't use it like that cause it charges quick supposedly

Well, but how would red or any color serve a purpose? Seems like functionality would be independent of color.

They see it as a wireless mouse and want people to use it as such. They don't want them to use it in a corded manner as that would get in the way of the experience wireless use brings with it.

 

[thadoggfather]

Well, but how would red or any color serve a purpose? Seems like functionality would be independent of color.

They see it as a wireless mouse and want people to use it as such. They don't want them to use it in a corded manner as that would get in the way of the experience wireless use brings with it.

In my view you're justifying irrational design decisions. They may not be the end of the world, but they also make no sense

 

[C DM]

In my view you're justifying irrational design decisions. They may not be the end of the world, but they also make no sense

I'm not justifying it, simply providing a potential rational reason for it. Now of course not everyone would agree with it, but if the thinking is such as I mentioned, then rationally it would make sense as far as achieving that goal (again, whether or not that would be actually liked by people).

 

[dogslobber]

Deserves to have a photo with this

The pinnacle of modern apple design perfection Poor magic mouse 2 it's Victim to pure idiocy. Who ever would think you'd want something more aesthetically pleasing if not ability to use mouse while charging by placing it where a mouse cord usually is on corded mice? Duh!

On the face of it, it is a terrible design decision but the flip side argument is that the Apple web page says it takes 2 mins of charge to get you through a typical 9 hour day and leaving it charging over night will give enough charge for a month. I can see why this design was approved based on those parameters.

 

[thadoggfather]

On the face of it, it is a terrible design decision but the flip side argument is that the Apple web page says it takes 2 mins of charge to get you through a typical 9 hour day and leaving it charging over night will give enough charge for a month. I can see why this design was approved based on those parameters.

But the aesthetic is still completely off (IMO)

A pencil can charge quick too buT still looks absurd poking out of the lightning port on iPads

 

[Billburns]

Josh is great, but the notch is something that will be accepted in time and will be an iconic part of iPhones going forward. Design is often so subjective.

I still don’t like the notch even if they add it to the next 10 iPhones, I will never accept it

 

[arkitect]

I always thought the latest iPhone with that pair of lenses hanging out of the back made it look like a baboon's arse.
Now it has an ugly face to go with the rearend.

Oh, and yes, I agree with the article.

 

[eyoungren]

They see it as a wireless mouse and want people to use it as such. They don't want them to use it in a corded manner as that would get in the way of the experience wireless use brings with it.

You cannot possibly get in the way of the experience of using a wireless Apple mouse any more than it currently is for me - except perhaps if it was a Windows/PC experience.

The Magic Mouse in particular is heavier to move around and less accurate to use than a wired Magic Mouse. The back of the mouse makes InDesign jump around like crazy and whatever it was you were doing goes shooting off into space somewhere.

For that reason alone the mouse I use at work is a wired Mighty Mouse.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

There is nothing subjective about the notch being unintelligent design. That’s a fact governed by human intelligence. Intelligent humans know why the notch is unintelligent. It’s really as simple as understanding how humans perceive, and in this case the perception is sight and the fact that light enters into the eye and is translated into electro-chemical stimuli that travel to the brain and produce an image to the brain as to what this thing in existence looks like (for the propagation and sustainment of the lifeform of course), and this perception is extremely sensitive to uniformity in the light, it became such evolutionarily. When you take a display and make it non-uniform, you then draw the attention of the brain toward this. It’s the exact opposite of what intelligent humans would do. Your goal is not to distract, but to focus. Ironically Apple used the term most opposite of what this experience will result in: immersive.

Your entire post is a subjective interpretation of this, wrapped up in a bunch of scientific-sounding terminology to add credence to your subjective interpretation.

A seminal psychology study was conducted where participants were asked to stare at a group passing balls to one another and to count how many times the ball was passed (or something to that effect). In the middle of the video, a man in a giant gorilla suit appears and walks right across the screen. The participants in the study were so focused on the ball counting that most of them had absolutely no idea a man in a gorilla suit had appeared. Anyone who’s taken Psychology 101 will know of this study.

The notch will be the same way. I for one will be looking at content of my apps, not the notch. Unless the notch impairs my operation of an app, I won’t even notice it in daily use. Not only that, when I DO see the notch, I'll think it looks distinctive and unique. I won’t think “oh, it's bad design.” It is what it is. Literally. And whether or not it’s good design or bad design is a matter of taste as long as there's no functional impairment of what I’m doing. A lot of the complaints I’ve seen about iOS focus on super detailed inconsistencies in the interface. Stuff almost no one would notice unless you’re being incredibly nit picky. That’s not a sign of bad design.

 

[C DM]

You cannot possibly get in the way of the experience of using a wireless Apple mouse any more than it currently is for me - except perhaps if it was a Windows/PC experience.

The Magic Mouse in particular is heavier to move around and less accurate to use than a wired Magic Mouse. The back of the mouse makes InDesign jump around like crazy and whatever it was you were doing goes shooting off into space somewhere.

For that reason alone the mouse I use at work is a wired Mighty Mouse.

Well, that sounds like a separate part of it where there are perhaps some issues with its use in general and improvements overall that could/should be made.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

But the aesthetic is still completely off (IMO)

A pencil can charge quick too buT still looks absurd poking out of the lightning port on iPads

I have no problem with that. You’re a creator and you take your iPad everywhere. When inspiration strikes, it strikes. You don’t want to have to look for a charger if your pencil is out of juice when that happens. A quick 5-10 minutes plugged in while you go refresh yourself and you can start back up again. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[eyoungren]

I have no problem with that. You’re a creator and you take your iPad everywhere. When inspiration strikes, it strikes. You don’t want to have to look for a charger if your pencil is out of juice when that happens. A quick 5-10 minutes plugged in while you go refresh yourself and you can start back up again. Nothing wrong with that.

Being a creator myself, your argument is at odds with itself.

You're saying that when inspiration strikes that having the ability to charge the pencil this way is a good thing. But in your next sentence you state 5-10 minutes of charging.

Is inspiration waiting for 5-10 minutes for the proper charge?

It wouldn't in my case. 5-10 minutes later and inspiration has already given me two middle fingers and stalked off.

 

[roeiz]

Your entire post is a subjective interpretation of this, wrapped up in a bunch of scientific-sounding terminology to add credence to your subjective interpretation.

A seminal psychology study was conducted where participants were asked to stare at a group passing balls to one another and to count how many times the ball was passed (or something to that effect). In the middle of the video, a man in a giant gorilla suit appears and walks right across the screen. The participants in the study were so focused on the ball counting that most of them had absolutely no idea a man in a gorilla suit had appeared. Anyone who’s taken Psychology 101 will know of this study.

The notch will be the same way. I for one will be looking at content of my apps, not the notch. Unless the notch impairs my operation of an app, I won’t even notice it in daily use. Not only that, when I DO see the notch, I'll think it looks distinctive and unique. I won’t think “oh, it's bad design.” It is what it is. Literally. And whether or not it’s good design or bad design is a matter of taste as long as there's no functional impairment of what I’m doing. A lot of the complaints I’ve seen about iOS focus on super detailed inconsistencies in the interface. Stuff almost no one would notice unless you’re being incredibly nit picky. That’s not a sign of bad design.

seriously, how can you not at least say there's something wrong in making people watch a video with the notch on the left?? this is a fact. not subjective no matter what your claim is.

 

[9594864]

Your entire post is a subjective interpretation of this, wrapped up in a bunch of scientific-sounding terminology to add credence to your subjective interpretation.

A seminal psychology study was conducted where participants were asked to stare at a group passing balls to one another and to count how many times the ball was passed (or something to that effect). In the middle of the video, a man in a giant gorilla suit appears and walks right across the screen. The participants in the study were so focused on the ball counting that most of them had absolutely no idea a man in a gorilla suit had appeared. Anyone who’s taken Psychology 101 will know of this study.

The notch will be the same way. I for one will be looking at content of my apps, not the notch. Unless the notch impairs my operation of an app, I won’t even notice it in daily use. Not only that, when I DO see the notch, I'll think it looks distinctive and unique. I won’t think “oh, it's bad design.” It is what it is. Literally. And whether or not it’s good design or bad design is a matter of taste as long as there's no functional impairment of what I’m doing. A lot of the complaints I’ve seen about iOS focus on super detailed inconsistencies in the interface. Stuff almost no one would notice unless you’re being incredibly nit picky. That’s not a sign of bad design.

Nope, sorry, what I said is reality. Enjoy it.
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Deserves to have a photo with this

The pinnacle of modern apple design perfection Poor magic mouse 2 it's Victim to pure idiocy. Who ever would think you'd want something more aesthetically pleasing if not ability to use mouse while charging by placing it where a mouse cord usually is on corded mice? Duh!

Not just a lack of attention to detail. I would argue a complete disregard for attention to ANY even the most obvious non-detail detail

Yes, but if an alien civilization saw the iPhone X and this mouse, they’d exterminate us for the iPhone X first, and it would be fully justified.