iOS Expectations

[Armen]

There are a few talking points I want to discuss about iOS and expectations:

The Wow factor:

We as consumers are a victim of rapid paced technology. So many companies like Google, Samsung, Apple and others have flooded the market with new products and features in such a short time period that we've become numb. At this point I don't think any of those companies can do anything to actual wow us anymore.

I read that next year LG and Samsung may put out smartphones that fold like a wallet and you can put it in your pocket. in 2007 that would have blown my mind. In 2016 my response is "neat, but I won't buy it just for that".

"X brand has had that for years!"

So many of you dismiss any new features that Apple adds to its software just because it has already existed on other platform before. I don't quite understand the thought process behind this.

If your local cable company just announced that they are going to carry a specific channel that's already been available to the competition for years you wouldn't be happy to have it included in your channel line up?

Apple does add features to iOS every year that may already exist on other platforms but why is that a bad thing?

- Google maps for example has always showed traffic on your route. Apple Maps has not. Now that Apple Maps will display traffic on your route in iOS 10 I will most likely stop using Google maps because that was one of the features I wanted in my navigation.


"Apple dropped the ball again"

Some people are under the impression that Apple should add features that they feel should be part of a new iOS. The truth is Apple spends tons of money on research and development to determine what direction to take it's software. Many decisions are based on potential new revenue, retention of current revenue or trends that the market are following and not "what people on MacRumors want".

The changes made to iMessages in iOS 10 reflect features that are present in many other messaging apps right now. For example there is a messaging app in China (forgot the name) that allows people to send each other money or pay for things directly through a messages app. Craig touched on this feature as an example during the keynote.

Apple Music redesign looks awfully like Spotify. I'm sure it's intentional to draw in users who are used to that UI.

Apple Pay Web is designed to take on Paypal.

There is a method to Apple's madness.

I'm not going to touch on the graphic UI design because people all have different tastes.

 

[OGPrince]

I totally agree with you on this.

 

[Tubamajuba]

Thank you for a rational take on Apple's decisions.

 

[SteveW928]

The changes made to iMessages in iOS 10 reflect features that are present in many other messaging apps right now.

Apple Music redesign looks awfully like Spotify. I'm sure it's intentional to draw in users who are used to that UI.

Apple Pay Web is designed to take on Paypal.

There is a method to Apple's madness.

I'm not going to touch on the graphic UI design because people all have different tastes.

I think it's more about what they didn't do, than what they did... and how superficial and silly most of what they did do is in the big picture. And, if the big thing people are clamoring for are emojis and effects, that's a pretty sad state of things.

And, BTW, graphic UI design used to NOT be a matter of taste. Apple spent much of their early years doing groundbreaking work on UI/UX, and doing it right... not going by taste. That's part of the problem.

 

[C DM]

I think it's more about what they didn't do, than what they did... and how superficial and silly most of what they did do is in the big picture. And, if the big thing people are clamoring for are emojis and effects, that's a pretty sad state of things.

And, BTW, graphic UI design used to NOT be a matter of taste. Apple spent much of their early years doing groundbreaking work on UI/UX, and doing it right... not going by taste. That's part of the problem.

Seems like if Apple did it "right" but most people didn't have a taste for it, then there probably wouldn't be much of an Apple left to talk about at this point.

 

[SteveW928]

Seems like if Apple did it "right" but most people didn't have a taste for it, then there probably wouldn't be much of an Apple left to talk about at this point.

I think it's a matter of that supposed saying of Ford, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

And, the point wasn't about products or look, but UI design.

 

[C DM]

I think it's a matter of that supposed saying of Ford, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

And, the point wasn't about products or look, but UI design.

And there's a good amount of subjectivity in design.

 

[Puonti]

And there's a good amount of subjectivity in design.

It's also a matter of beta version number. The lower the number, the more hope people have for things to still change. The higher the number, the more they realize they're going to have to live with it or risk having to constantly explain why they use something they hate.

 

[SteveW928]

And there's a good amount of subjectivity in design.

Well, if we're talking about things like, 'Do you like that painting?' or 'Do you think this icon is pretty?' But, Apple used to do lots of UI studies to find out what kind of interfaces were more intuitive, productive, and powerful. That's not really subjective stuff.

 

[C DM]

Well, if we're talking about things like, 'Do you like that painting?' or 'Do you think this icon is pretty?' But, Apple used to do lots of UI studies to find out what kind of interfaces were more intuitive, productive, and powerful. That's not really subjective stuff.

Sure it is. It's still largely based on what people might or might not prefer, which is based on their subjective preferences and experiences as that can differ from person to person at least to one degree or another. There are some general conclusions that can be extrapolated about this or that, but there's still a decent amount of subjectivity involved in various parts/aspects of it all.

 

[Mefisto]

A refreshing thread as opposed to so many these days on these forums.

Not that it will make any difference, but always nice to read well structured and thought out musings in an ocean of whining and gripes, valid as they sometimes may be.

EDIT: And I just noticed that the thread is 6 months old. Be that as it may, the point still stands in my opinion.

 

[SteveW928]

Sure it is. It's still largely based on what people might or might not prefer, which is based on their subjective preferences and experiences as that can differ from person to person at least to one degree or another. There are some general conclusions that can be extrapolated about this or that, but there's still a decent amount of subjectivity involved in various parts/aspects of it all.

No, it was based on what was more productive and intuitive, not what they preferred. I suppose that can vary a bit, based on someone's background and previous experience, but Apple used to study and apply that kind of thing. In recent years, they've been breaking all sorts of tried and true, basic, UI/UX things.

 

[KALLT]

I am more interested in smaller changes and API improvements. The new notification APIs open many possibilities for encryption-based apps, for instance. I like it when I see actual improvements and iOS still gets many of those, even though they aren’t always advertised.

However, I think Apple does not deliver with Apple Music, iCloud and Siri. These services are plagued with problems and they are just not compelling. They have tremendous potential and I feel that it is wasted. Someone else should be in charge of these services.

I am also very interested in human-interface design, it’s a bit of a hobby. I find that Apple is losing its unique touch in this area. All newer apps break with existing paradigms and flaunt their own guidelines. This is something that troubles me the most about Apple, because it is a big reason for me why I think that Apple software and products are so compelling.

 

[GreyOS]

Of course you're happy when Android's features from last year are added to the device you have. The point behind those comments though is that, why do you have an iPhone in the first place? When you could have all these features on Android a while ago. Not defending the validity of that argument, but that's the point of it.

 

[sethlution]

That's a good analysis of the current Apple

 

[C DM]

No, it was based on what was more productive and intuitive, not what they preferred. I suppose that can vary a bit, based on someone's background and previous experience, but Apple used to study and apply that kind of thing. In recent years, they've been breaking all sorts of tried and true, basic, UI/UX things.

It can certainly vary, that's why there are various different designs when it comes to similar things. Not because most are wrong and only a few a right, but because there's a fair amount of subjectivity (sometimes even just on an unconscious level) that is part of it all.

 

[SteveW928]

However, I think Apple does not deliver with Apple Music, iCloud and Siri. These services are plagued with problems and they are just not compelling. They have tremendous potential and I feel that it is wasted. Someone else should be in charge of these services.

Exactly. In fact, their ruining of all these things is making it easier to imagine leaving the platform. I used to be quite tied into iTunes and iPhoto, but they've messed them up enough (and haven't offered needed enhancements), that I'm trying to find other solution.

iCloud has always been a mess. It has improved a LOT, but still is missing a lot, especially in terms of the core apps that use it. And, the big problem is any kind of granularity of restore, and how it wants to keep forcing it's way of working (reminds me of a certain dancing paper clip!).

I'm constantly having to re-login w/ my Apple ID after updates, and find it changed settings. Or, the other day, I forgot to change the 'always sync' setting in iTunes after moving to a new computer, and plugged my iPad in to xfer some files off of it.... and it DESTROYED a heck of a lot of my data, erasing programs before I could stop the auto-sync.

Once I get all my core data moved onto non-Apple services, having all Apple devices becomes rather irrelevant.

I am also very interested in human-interface design, it’s a bit of a hobby. I find that Apple is losing its unique touch in this area. All newer apps break with existing paradigms and flaunt their own guidelines. This is something that troubles me the most about Apple, because it is a big reason for me why I think that Apple software and products are so compelling.

Amen! Well said. I'm not sure why some here just aren't getting this. Maybe they haven't been around long? It was the UI/UX combo which gave Apple the huge advantage over other platforms. And, that's been going away VERY quickly.

It can certainly vary, that's why there are various different designs when it comes to similar things. Not because most are wrong and only a few a right, but because there's a fair amount of subjectivity (sometimes even just on an unconscious level) that is part of it all.

I'm not sure if we're talking about different levels here. I'm talking about basic UI principals... like color and icons, or consistency between apps/processes... buttons being buttons, interface feedback, interface anticipation & undo, user control, etc.