Poll: When did you start using iOS?

[Tozovac]

1 month poll, expiring around 11/17:

When did you start using iOS?

This will be used for a followup poll after around mid-November. Others including myself are interested in sensing when the users willing to reply here started using iOS.

Thank you!

 

[belvdr]

No idea. I never track the versions, as it seems rather pointless. To each his own.

 

[Tozovac]

No idea. I never track the versions, as it seems rather pointless. To each his own.

Hi - the auestion is more about: did you start with the “skeumorphic and detailed ios” (1-6) or the “flat and minimalized ios” (ios7-11).
Thanks.

 

[Hater]

iPhone OS 1.1

 

[Tozovac]

Thanks for the responses so far...this is a very unscientific poll but it's making wonder whether a majority (>50%) started using iPhones in the early days (2006-2013 or so timeframe). I would have expected more to see 50/50, even if very unscientific here!

 

[jetsam]

iOS 2.2

 

[maflynn]

No idea. I never track the versions, as it seems rather pointless. To each his own.

Same here, I think it was around iphone 3 or 3gs. Which during that time period apple wasn't calling it iOS, if memory serves me.

 

[Tozovac]

Same here, I think it was around iphone 3 or 3gs. Which during that time period apple wasn't calling it iOS, if memory serves me.

No idea. I never track the versions, as it seems rather pointless. To each his own.

Thanks! If it helps: the idea is not that I'm curious to know which individual iOS version that one started with but rather whether how many started during the mobile OS 1-6, or 7-11.


I'm mostly curious to get a feel for how many entered the iOS world during the "early" initial UI phase of 1-6 vs. the current UI phase of 7-11. I separated 6 & 7 out individually because I was also curious to get a sense (if it's even going to be possible given there has not been a single vote so far for 6 or 7) of how many started their iOS usage right before or after the breakpoint of the rather radical iOS UI change.

I suppose at the end of the poll I may just lump the 1-5 & 6's into group A and the 7 & 8-11's into group B, but we'll see how things go. I was interested though to get a sense of how many users had years of time with the "early" iOS before the iOS7 switchover vs. those who maybe had a year or less with their UI @iOS6 before the switch.

For reference:

iPhone OS 1: 2007
iPhone OS 2: 2008
iPhone OS 3: 2009 <-- my entry point was iOS 3 or 4 (even I'm not sure), with an iPhone 4 in the summer of 2010.
iOS 4: 2010 <-- my entry point was iOS 3 or 4 (even I'm not sure), with an iPhone 4 in the summer of 2010.
iOS 5: 2011
iOS 6: 2012
iOS 7: 2013
iOS 8: 2014
iOS 9: 2015
iOS 10: 2016
iOS 11: 2017

https://www.theiphonewiki.com/wiki/Timeline

 

[Gav2k]

Before it was called iOS. Before the App Store. Right from the start from me with every iteration since

 

[Tozovac]

Thanks for continuing to vote in the poll...I'm surprised so few (within those who responded) started at or after iOS7.

 

[Tech198]

So most here are veteran iOS users.. I came in at iOS7.

 

[kohlson]

The reference table was helpful for me.

 

[csurfr]

I've been using iOS since launch day of the original iPhone. I remember when I first tried to activate the phone on AT&T the servers were getting hammered so badly that it took hours to start working. Ah, memories.

edit: Don't forget, we couldn't send MMS back then from our iPhones either.

 

[Ntombi]

I started with iOS 2, though it wasn’t called iOS back then. I got the 3G on launch day (wasn’t willing to ditch 3G in an area glutted with AT&T users, so I skipped the original iPhone). I survived the transition from web apps to the App Store, the lack of copy/paste(!), no notes function, no MMS, and more, some of which I had had for years with my Palm smartphone.

But it was an adventure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I've been using iOS since launch day of the original iPhone. I remember when I first tried to activate the phone on AT&T the servers were getting hammered so badly that it took hours to start working. Ah, memories.

edit: Don't forget, we couldn't send MMS back then from our iPhones either.

I will never forget! Remember how it sent a URL for the recipient to click on? Yikes!

 

[csurfr]

I started with iOS 2, though it wasn’t called iOS back then. I got the 3G on launch day (wasn’t willing to ditch 3G in an area glutted with AT&T users, so I skipped the original iPhone). I survived the transition from web apps to the App Store, the lack of copy/paste(!), no notes function, no MMS, and more, some of which I had had for years with my Palm smartphone.

But it was an adventure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.


I will never forget! Remember how it sent a URL for the recipient to click on? Yikes!

Hahaha I DO remember that. "Oh look someone sent me a picture, let me open it in safari."

But man, Steve got us, because we were all chomping at the bit to get that iPhone 3G because it would finally send/receive MMS. Good times.

 

[Nermal]

I got an iPod Touch when they went to 32 GB (which was around the OS 1.1/1.2 timeframe). My first actual iPhone was a 4S (iOS 5).

 

[Tozovac]

So most here are veteran iOS users.. I came in at iOS7.

The reference table was helpful for me.

I started with iOS 2, though it wasn’t called iOS back then. I got the 3G on launch day (wasn’t willing to ditch 3G in an area glutted with AT&T users, so I skipped the original iPhone). I survived the transition from web apps to the App Store, the lack of copy/paste(!), no notes function, no MMS, and more, some of which I had had for years with my Palm smartphone.

But it was an adventure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I will never forget! Remember how it sent a URL for the recipient to click on? Yikes!

Hahaha I DO remember that. "Oh look someone sent me a picture, let me open it in safari."

But man, Steve got us, because we were all chomping at the bit to get that iPhone 3G because it would finally send/receive MMS. Good times.

I got an iPod Touch when they went to 32 GB (which was around the OS 1.1/1.2 timeframe). My first actual iPhone was a 4S (iOS 5).

Great posts! Thanks for voting.

Clearly the subset of Apple mobile device users out there who who are members here (and who were willing to respond here, clearly a specific subset of iPhone users) and who started with apple's mobile OS after the great 2013 "dividing line" of iOS7's intro is a small number.

Is anyone surprised at how few of us started at or after iOS7? I guess I should not be, since iOS7-11 has been around only for 4 years while and many of us here joined macrumors before 2013, likely with an Apple mobile device already in our possession...

The reason I started this poll (as well as a similar poll elsewhere in a different macrumors forum group, with similar results) was to try to locate a grouping of users who entered the iOS world during the "Jony Ive-driven, minimalist interface" era of ios7-11 (4 years, 2013-2017) and who never experienced the "Scott Forestall-driven, more-detailed iOS" times of the iPhone OS 1-iOS6 years (2007-2013, 6 years).

I was kind of expecting to find at least a 50/50 distribution (or at least more users who started using iOS at or after iOS7 than is reflected by the poll results) to then ask those "new" iOS users for their thoughts & impressions after comparing some UI examples from before 2013 (iOS6) vs. after mid-2013 (iOS7-11), and hear their comments/thoughts, if any....

I'm a big critic of the current UI interface that started with iOS7 in 2013 (and which has largely carried thru into iOS11) due to my feeling it's just too white/grey/flat/minimalist and too less intuitive/easy/attractive than before (my goal is to not get into that discussion here...anyone interested in my rants can just search my posts and please disagree or agree there and not here, ha ha), and during some of my rants in those other threads, more than a few users totally happy with the current UI (and/or less than happy with the OS1 to iOS6 UI as well as my personal critiques) have countered my complaints by pointing out how so many owners who never even saw iOS6 are more than capable (and happy) with their iPhone/iPad and its UI.

That made me wonder what those newish users might think if they saw examples of what the Apple iOS UI used to be like before iOS7-11....I was hoping to ask a reasonably-sized grouping of "newer" iOS users to lay their virgin eyes on the screenshots and speak honestly as to whether the old UI had any large impact good or bad to their eyes....any large curiosity or not...but looks like I really won't get that chance since so many of us started using iOS at or before iOS6 and just can't have that "first eyes look" at certain UI elements that I really miss and feel should never have been so minimized and/or removed completely!

Hopefully the voting continues (and no UI bashing starts here - save that for other threads I posted in please!)

 

[Tech198]

You have no choice which previous iOS version you can go to when you buy a phone at the time,. and newer iOS's are not released yet at the time either, so its not surprising to see you 'get what is what you get'

I only came at iOS 7 when using my first iPhone.... Before then, i was on Android, so never really looked into it.


Newer UI is gonna be better in most cases after a few revisions.. I mean you don't look at Windows XP and think the UI is better than Windows 7 either

 

[Tozovac]

You have no choice which previous iOS version you can go to when you buy a phone at the time,. and newer iOS's are not released yet at the time either, so its not surprising to see you 'get what is what you get'

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying here? If you could re-state? Thanks!

I only came at iOS 7 when using my first iPhone.... Before then, i was on Android, so never really looked into it.

Cool! You'd be a good person to try my experiment/request then: Looking at my post #17 above, do you see anything in the "old" (prior to iOS7) apps (left side of screenshots) that you might like to see today? Note the use of colors, particularly in the top/bottom borders, and note the button-shapes to differentiate actionable items from "info-only" items. With iOS7, Apple very deliberately removed things like borders, buttons, colored top/bottom bar areas, etc., due to (from what I've read) trying to stick to a theme of letting things blend into the "the important stuff" on the screen so as to not distract the user.

Do any of the older apps (on the left of the images above) look like something you'd like to see in place of the newer apps on the right?
[/QUOTE]

Newer UI is gonna be better in most cases after a few revisions.. I mean you don't look at Windows XP and think the UI is better than Windows 7 either

Well, that's your opinion. Newer UI's are most certainly usually different, but not always better... I have disliked iOS7-11 from iOS6 since day 1 in September 2013. In fact I prefer a Windows XP skin when using Windows 7 at work because I find the aero/transparent borders and other forced UI changes to be very distracting. I prefer clean delineations/representations around my Windows apps, with crisp non-transparent borders. The translucent effects in the top borders are completely distracting to me...think about it...how many of you use translucent printer paper at work or in the books you purchase...

 

[KingslayerG5]

iPhone OS 1.1.4

Jailbroke it. Loved it.

 

[lowendlinux]

I had an iPhone 4 it started on 5 IIRC went to 6 but I sold it after the 7 change because it was to slow. I didn't vote because I've not had an iPhone since then.

 

[Tozovac]

I had an iPhone 4 it started on 5 IIRC went to 6 but I sold it after the 7 change because it was to slow. I didn't vote because I've not had an iPhone since then.

You're completely encouraged to vote, regardless of whether you're still an iPhone user or not.

My point with this poll was not to see votes from only those still with an iPhone today; my goal was to try to get a sense of "which end of the seesaw was heavier" for 1) # of folk who started using an iPhone or iPad during the minimalist UI of iOS7-11, vs. 2) # of folk who started during the years with the more-heavily-detailed UI from iOS6 and prior.

Elsewhere in another thread where I complained about the minimalist iOS11 UI and how so many of my relatives call me after 2013 with confusion over navigating its less-intuitive UI when compared to iOS6, someone there made a comment regarding all the many users who had never even seen or used the iOS6-esque UI and are able to work thru the iOS7-11 UI with no issue.

That just made me curious to try to find a population of users who started with iOS after (or during) iOS7, to see what they might think of the old school iOS6 Apple apps with all the "helper" UI features like borders, buttons, bolder font, darker/shaded top & bottom border areas, etc. Guess I really won't get that chance since the majority of responders in this and another poll in another area of Macrumors is very largely skewed as having started using iPhones/iPads during or before iOS6.

 

[Tech198]

With iOS7, Apple very deliberately removed things like borders, buttons, colored top/bottom bar areas, etc., due to (from what I've read) trying to stick to a theme of letting things blend into the "the important stuff" on the screen so as to not distract the user.

Do any of the older apps (on the left of the images above) look like something you'd like to see in place of the newer apps on the right?

I guess "better" has it's personal views, but even i stood back at the flat look w

I guess flat-ness has is uses, less of an burden on iOS, much snappier, perhaps less resources (there would always be some reason like that to make it look the way to does) but i still like the old style look too.

I got used to the new GUI, button, no borders etc.. (i mean stands out so u can actually see its a physical button, and u don't wake up and say "Where has all the color gone". )

It took me about a week to my head around the new look.. and now i got used to it, the older UI seems outdated.. but that's like everything.. There's a change you get used to.

If u mix & match colors, button designs etc.. from older UI and include them in new UI then it would just look ugly i reckon doens't matter how little,.... Either go one way, or the other completely.

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying here? If you could re-state? Thanks!

I'm saying you get what Apple give you... You can't buy a new iPhone, and downgrade it at all.... You can upgrade if you want. but u have no choice with stock iOS to go with other than what you get.

 

[Tozovac]

I guess flat-ness has is uses, less of an burden on iOS, much snappier, perhaps less resources (there would always be some reason like that to make it look the way to does) but i still like the old style look too.

Thanks for the response!

As far as "reasons to make something look the way it does," it's interesting. I'm still looking for reasons from Apple for iOS7's major reworking other than hearing they felt iOS needed to look different in response to customer complaints. Not function better, just look updated and different. From users I've only heard "it looks fresher" or "the old way looked and looks too old now." That's it. I often hear "people have gotten used to it and moved on" but I've yet to hear one single example of "iOS7 fixed or really improved __________ UI function compared to iOS6." That's a problem for me because I've found iOS7-11's way of doing many things to be functionally worse than before: often harder to read/use whether due to low-contrasty white-out flat designs, a general removal of intuitive interface cues, and/or burying functions beneath hamburgers or ellipses and resulting in having to exercise 2 or 3 taps for what used to be accessible in one tap, etc.

It seems to be the only reason our iOS looks the way it does today is because Jony Ive wanted it to look that way, his way. And those working above & beside him at Apple did not push back or disagree.

Sure you & I & others have figured it out & gotten used to it, but in the absence of providing change for functional improvement (like the original iPhone OS did compared to all competitors), what's fresh/current today is going to become stale & old tomorrow. So then what? Do we need to keep seeing something fresh every 6 years, or should we be sticking to proven basics that will appeal to the widest array of users and stand the test of time?

When fashion, personal preference, and change for the sake of change are the drivers, that sure sets the stage for an unsustainable long-term strategy, at least to me.

I'm saying you get what Apple give you... You can't buy a new iPhone, and downgrade it at all.... You can upgrade if you want. but u have no choice with stock iOS to go with other than what you get.

Agree. I was curious though to see if a large grouping of users here started at or after iOS7, hoping to get their impressions on seeing some of the prior ways of doing things that (to me) are much more intuitive, easier to see outdoors, and more convenient/efficient by providing more obvious cues/functions that aren't buried confusingly off-screen.

 

[Tozovac]

91% in this poll started using iOS before unintuitive, stark iOS7. Higher than I expected to hear!