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cassini007

macrumors member
Sep 6, 2014
80
0
Maybe the solution would be to bifurcate the OS - adding the option to select "Simple" or "Advanced" at setup?
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,154
3,047
East of Eden
It's an interesting question. One of the reasons that upgrading to the 6S isn't appealing to me is that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't really use the 3D touch feature.
 

bransoj

macrumors 68000
Jul 31, 2013
1,563
739
Maybe the solution would be to bifurcate the OS - adding the option to select "Simple" or "Advanced" at setup?
At which point someone who thinks they are good with iOS picks Advanced, realises they arent as good as they think and then cant find the option to turn it back to Simple! ;)
 

dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,136
15,489
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
[QUOTE="leon44, post: 22053449, member: 445481"
In its current implementation I just know 12 months down the line people are going to tell me that 3D Touch is 'pointless', because they never use it. If Apple can find a way of encouraging people to us it it will take off.

What frustrates me is that I can see this coming. Maybe I'm wrong, I hope I am.[/QUOTE]

That is what "concerns" me most. I have yet to find a decent use for 3D Touch however I do see the potential it has. What is missing is something telling me that this app/function has a 3D Touch usable feature. By the time something I find routinely useful rolls out, 3D Touch will have been back-burnered like a lot of the gestures.
OSOM :rolleyes:
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,158
25,268
Gotta be in it to win it
I don't think iOS is that much more complicated, but instead it's much less intuitive. Apple took away all the visual cues and we're left with much guesswork.
What visual clues are you discussing? I've been with iOS since iOS 5 and no version has been intuitive and iOS 6 was pinnacle of skeuomorphism gone wild.
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,461
Maybe the solution would be to bifurcate the OS - adding the option to select "Simple" or "Advanced" at setup?
In a sense that's already there just by its nature--people who don't know about different things will use the phone as they know it in a "simple" way, while those who do know about additional features and settings will use those as they see fit in an "advanced" manner. The point is that it's all usable either way.
 

JM

macrumors 601
Nov 23, 2014
4,086
6,381
The first iPhone had to be simple because it needed to appeal to boomers, who are tech idiots. Now that we're finally managing to stuff their drooling selves into nursing homes, tech can advance more quickly.
Was it terrible of me to actually laugh at that?
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,158
25,268
Gotta be in it to win it
Considering two-thirds of my family/friends/peers don't use iOS devices, we have found alternatives to Facetime.
and other things too :D
A huge percentage of our friends/family/associates use iPhones and/or have an iPad. We make heavy use of FaceTime, iMessage and iCloud photo sharing without having to install third party apps to do what is built into iOS.:cool:
 

dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,136
15,489
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
I have just gotten my grubby little mitts on an iPhone 13. What a device!!!!!!!!
I can pull menus from all four sides, all four corners, I have 49 gesture options, straight gestures, curved gestures, pocket gestures, sit my ass on my device gestures, I can light touch, moderate touch, heavy touch, touch with multiple fingers with varying degrees of pressure, I can speak, bark, whistle, shake, turn, spin, and do all of these things allowing my iPhone to do different things!!!! And that is before I even go into an App!!!! It comes with a free, yes FREE (via postal mail) users guide (reminds me of the old phone book) and a special enhanced 1.2GB digital edition via iBooks!
Man!! I love this device!!!!

/s :eek:
 
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dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,136
15,489
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
A huge percentage of our friends/family/associates use iPhones and/or have an iPad. We make heavy use of FaceTime, iMessage and iCloud photo sharing without having to install third party apps to do what is built into iOS.:cool:

Facetime was one feature I was hoping that Apple would allow on other platforms.
 

PNutts

macrumors 601
Jul 24, 2008
4,874
357
Pacific Northwest, US
What visual clues are you discussing? I've been with iOS since iOS 5 and no version has been intuitive and iOS 6 was pinnacle of skeuomorphism gone wild.

It's not about skeuomorphism other than buttons which you can enable in iOS 9. Take Messages for example, managing them in iOS 6 was a no brainer.

iOS 6: Looking at a conversation you had an Edit button. Press it and you had more buttons with appropriate colors (Clear All, Cancel, Delete, Forward - Red on scary buttons and green on good buttons). No thinking required. :)

iOS 9: In iOS 9 you have, well, messages. What to do? Tap it? Nothing. Tap and hold? Works if you hit the message but if you are off by a few pixels then nothing happens, but... If the message has a link vs and address vs just text it behaves differently for each tap and hold. It's a mess try and figure out what to do. Try to forward a message that is nothing but a link: Good luck! :D

Anyway, I consider this less intuitive. Others may not agree with me.
 

Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,408
2,274
Los Angeles
Because not all devices can access proactive features + the pull down search is great if you're not on your first page. I'd rather they move the whole thing to the pull down search.

Actually I'd prefer the recent apps/contacts be in the notification center so you can access it from anywhere.
 

Black Magic

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2012
2,812
1,506
I think iOS is starting to get a little complicated. Not a big deal for me and I love getting new features that are useful, but when I have to Google to figure out how to do picture in picture on iOS 9, that's pretty telling.
 

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,691
6,244
You can still use it the old way without using any of the new features. The phone works just fine with the basic controls.
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,073
1,400
Really? If you look to the future (i.e, luxury cars), you'll find that modern vehicles have become more simple to use. Take the 2016 G01 BMW 7-series. When I compare its infotainment system, iDrive, to the system in my BMW, a 2004 330ci, which has a MK4 navigation computer, the iDrive is a far more simple and robust system. You'll have to pry my 6-speed stick from my cold, dead hands though...

There is no way you can honestly believe that cars electronics are simpler to use over time. It is just like every other piece of technology, it appears simpler to use because you have the added benefit of compounded knowledge. To really test you have to take 2 non-tech people, and introduce them to the 2 pieces of tech at the same time. See which takes longer to get a full grasp of all available features. For example, my father has 2 Mercedes, a 1986 500sel and a 2005 S500. My parents are 73 years old. Which do you think is easier for them to use? Which would take longer to learn all available features from scratch? There was a long period of time, they were using their portable GPS, when the S500 had a fully integrated GPS.

Having the benefit of previous versions, makes things seem easier, but in reality, you have had an incremental learning over a long period of time, which makes new versions seem simpler. But if you were starting from scratch, you have to learn all the old tech in the new product PLUS the new tech.
 
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Partron22

macrumors 68030
Apr 13, 2011
2,655
808
Yes
Is iOS becoming too complicated?

Yes.
Finding the prefs you want in settings is a real crapshoot.
There are so many now that the list of categories, followed by subcategories, followed by God only knows how many more levels of subcategories is simply to clunky to comprehend.
Apple needs to research a better way of doing it. Then implement the results of that research.
Clunky as they are, even my Android devices are not as Byzantine in the settings department as Apple devices.
 

sunking101

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2013
7,423
2,659
Well, the only other person I know who bought a 6s didn't have a clue what 3D Touch was until I showed it to her. I love it and I will play with it and explore the OS with it. I'm not complaining because its wasting my time or I'm confused by it.

I'm just commenting on the fact that I think the majority of people wont notice it or play with it unless there is some even tiny amount of encouragement from the UI or if its essential for performing a certain function.

In its current implementation I just know 12 months down the line people are going to tell me that 3D Touch is 'pointless', because they never use it. If Apple can find a way of encouraging people to us it it will take off.

What frustrates me is that I can see this coming. Maybe I'm wrong, I hope I am.


It is frustrating that most of the 3D Touch features are 'hidden'. It seems to take someone messing around to stumble upon a new way of using it.
 
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I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,158
25,268
Gotta be in it to win it
That is what "concerns" me most. I have yet to find a decent use for 3D Touch however I do see the potential it has. What is missing is something telling me that this app/function has a 3D Touch usable feature. By the time something I find routinely useful rolls out, 3D Touch will have been back-burnered like a lot of the gestures.
OSOM :rolleyes:

It is frustrating that most of the 3D Touch features are 'hidden'. It seems to take someone messing around to stumble upon a new way of using it.[/QUOTE]
With limited screen real estate on an iPhone and no right click, a lot of the interface is hidden. Long press, short press, hard press, soft press, multi-gesture. This applies to other phone manufacturers as well. As an example look at the convoluted way all mail is deleted. (I don't know if that is iOS or lack of a keyboard) but 3D Touch is here to stay. I'm sure Apple has a roadmap for the technology.
 

lagwagon

Suspended
Oct 12, 2014
3,899
2,759
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
It is frustrating that most of the 3D Touch features are 'hidden'. It seems to take someone messing around to stumble upon a new way of using it.

What's so hard about figuring out 3D Touch?

3D Touch the app icon. If it does something then it will inside the app as well. If the haptic just double taps you, then the app doesn't support it inside or out. Reading update notes for apps would also tell you if you can use it or not as well.

Are people too busy to explore and figure things out on their own now? Does everything need to be told to you?
 

sunking101

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2013
7,423
2,659
What's so hard about figuring out 3D Touch?

3D Touch the app icon. If it does something then it will inside the app as well. If the haptic just double taps you, then the app doesn't support it inside or out. Reading update notes for apps would also tell you if you can use it or not as well.

Are people too busy to explore and figure things out on their own now? Does everything need to be told to you?

Pressing the homescreen icons and being able to select, for instance, 'video' or 'selfie' with the camera app is easy but the quick app switch feature and pressing the keyboard to move the cursor, who would have known about those unless someone else stumbled upon it?
 
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