Should Forstall return to Apple?

[haruhiko]

iOS 3 and iOS 5 were big updates, iOS 7 is a big visual update but that's about it. I would rather have a big set of new features instead, now we have to wait for iOS 9. iOS 8 will likely just be a polished version of iOS 7.

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Maybe it was planned from the start to be one of many new big features in iOS 7 but many were delayed due to the new design. I wouldn't be surprised if an early version of iOS 7 featured a linen Control Center.

https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/
These are the new features of iOS 7 besides the visuals. Together with 1500 new APIs for developers.

Also you can take a look at "iOS version history" page of Wikipedia for the new features:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_version_history#iOS_7.x

 

[ionjohn]

You're basically choosing a design from 2007 over 2013.

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So you're telling me people were throwing up using the barrel jailbreak tweak in iOS 6 that spun all the icons in animations?

How come no one was reporting motion sickness with that?

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then WHY are you even concerned?

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You seem to not want to let go of the idea that Forstall's creativity was exhausted by iOS 6.

It's like cheering for Michael Jordan to come back to the NBA.

'cause it's newer it ought to be better? Lol well that's some weird thinking.

 

[Armen]

'cause it's newer it ought to be better? Lol well that's some weird thinking.

iOS 7 IS better than iOS 6. Put aside people's gripes about color palettes and icon designs and let's look at functionality shall we?

1. Mail App: iOS 7 introduced popular gestures that are present in other modern mail applications like Gmail and Mailbox. IF you think this is not better than the limited garbage mail app in iOS 6 you are mistaken.

2. Control Center: Do I even need to explain this one? iOS 6 doesn't even have it.

3. Music App: iOS 7 has iTunes radio. Sure it needs some work but where else can you listen to the ENTIRE iTunes catalog and purchase songs directly from the app? Pandora doesn't even come close to matching the the amount of songs that are available through iTunes.

4. Camera: the iOS 7 camera app is better because you no longer have to toggle this tiny switch to go from photo to video and it has filters.

5. Game controller API: iOS 7 has a standard API for companies to make game controllers for iDevices. This was not present in iOS 6. What's the big deal you say? So many people game on iDevices that Nintendo and Sony PSP are losing gaming marketshare to iPhones.

6. With the edge gestures (slide from anywhere to unlock and go back and forward in certain screens) Apple is prepping the OS to be scalable to a larger screen device so you dont have to have a 5" thumb to reach the corner.

7. Safari: iOS 7 Safari has the omnibar, better tab management.

This list goes on and on and on..

What do people do? They whine about things that don't really matter

"It's too white! wah!"

"I don't like the icons! Wah!"

"iOS 6 is too boring but iOS 7 is too different! wah"

"My ADD won't let me wait for the animations to finish when it unlocks so I can swipe like a mad man, Wah!"

Enough already. Use your devices and stop looking for faults because criticizing Apple is the "cool" thing to do.

 

[KALLT]

https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/
These are the new features of iOS 7 besides the visuals. Together with 1500 new APIs for developers.

To be fair though, every new version of iOS has added a significant amount of new APIs and technical improvements. That's because iOS is constantly worked on. This is not something ordinary users will get to see, least understand. Feature-wise, iOS 7 wasn't that big, the design being the primary focus. Subjectively though, iOS 7 does not have to provide a better user experience, regardless of the new features.

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iOS 7 IS better than iOS 6.

I think ionjohn was referring to the new style ('You're basically choosing a design from 2007 over 2013'). And I agree, newer doesn't mean better. It's different, but not necessarily better.

And of course iOS 7 is, technically speaking, better than iOS 6. There is no argument about that one. But these things are not part of the iOS redesign, these could have been implemented into iOS 6 too. And we don't know who was responsible for those features. It might as well be the case that Federighi and Ive merely worked on the new design, while the rest was already in development prior to them taking over and planned and executed by Forstall.

 

[dumastudetto]

Never. Apple is in a much better place now without Forstall. And we as consumers are enjoying all the benefits.

 

[duffman9000]

He should not return until he publicly admits how bad Maps was during release. Oh wait, he already refused to do that. You gone now stay gone. You lost your Apple privileges.

 

[TwoBytes]

Scott was difficult like Steve but we had great products under them. without them we have an ios which GUI is designed for under 12s. I don't care about their work personality, I don't work with them. I am concerned with a plain white os like looks like a rainbow threw up on it which I use every day.

And yes, whoever was going to be in charge of maps was setup for failure. Trying to map the world is a ridiculously big task and google still haven't got it right never mind Apple who are new to it. Steve was just as much as an ass as Scott and nobody fired Steve. Well, they did but Steve came back to rescue the company..

 

[JetBlack7]

Nope. i'm quite happy how iOS 7 looks. He would only make iOS go back to it's boring old ways

Exactly what I think. IOS 7 makes IOS more alive and fresh, I was bored of the old OS.

 

[Merkie]

No. Forstall stalled the progress of iOS. Look at the "simple" features added in iOS 7, such as the Control Center and swipe-to-back gestures, they could have been implemented in earlier versions of iOS but Forstall was too scared to change anything to his sacred skeuomorphic iOS.

 

[E2EK1EL]

Yes he needs to return.

Work as a team, move to a new direction if Apple really thinks they gotta go flatter and stop with the politics.

 

[BvizioN]

The motion sickness from most people's reports seems to be caused by the opening and closing animations not parallax.

Wonder how do these people cope with watching TV or cinema? Or simply scrolling through pages on their phone??

And please no, keep that guy away wherever he is. Don't wanna be back to that boring iOS.

 

[gto55]

Yup, he should come back.
Ive whose iOS7 is so unsightly for many (in addition to the OS bugs: crashing with apple apps, facebook, pdf reader or during phone calls... ), should have stayed a designer for Apple products not OS, another mistake by Cook who should also be replaced... may be by Forstall

 

[TheRainKing]

It's funny, after iOS 6 was released, I wasn't really a fan of Forstall. I blamed him for Apple maps, the new app store layout and the horrible silver theme they used in the music app. But after seeing Apple's direction without him, I really wish he would come back.

 

[bandrews]

Yeah, iOS7 has really tanked.
http://www.mactrast.com/2013/10/ios-7-dominates-competition-user-experience-study/

 

[honglong1976]

say what you like, the old game center was far superior!

 

[Troneas]

For the way he reportedly acted regarding the Apple Map fiasco, he should have been fired 100x.

how did he "reportedly act", given he was dead by then?

 

[pickaxe]

No, look at his smug face. Nothing would get done under him.

Actually based on that smile, I'm guessing a bj is getting administered under him.

 

[Sital]

Wonder how do these people cope with watching TV or cinema? Or simply scrolling through pages on their phone??

And please no, keep that guy away wherever he is. Don't wanna be back to that boring iOS.

Having a family member with fairly severe motion sickness I can tell you that she has to close her eyes during certain scenes in movies such as extended car chases. And movies where they shoot it with a handheld cam that bounces all over the place for more realism? Forget it, she won't even see those movies.

Scrolling through pages on the phone isn't a problem - the animation is different. iOS 6 isn't a problem for her either, but she played with my phone on iOS 7 and said the animations started to bother her.

Oh, and no to Forstall.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Maybe. iOS is a buggy mess if you upgrade, there are reports of blue screens of death, and it is just plain ugly. Love or hate Forestall, he knew how to release an OS that worked. And when your successor releases an OS that doesn't work, and your only metric is "don't screw up", it's a failed OS.

But I don't know if bringing back someone you fired and publicly ridiculed is a good idea either.

 

[duffman9000]

No. Forstall stalled the progress of iOS. Look at the "simple" features added in iOS 7, such as the Control Center and swipe-to-back gestures, they could have been implemented in earlier versions of iOS but Forstall was too scared to change anything to his sacred skeuomorphic iOS.

Whoever delayed adding a Control Center needs to get flogged. I don't know if it was Steve. If it was someone needed to yell back at him and tell him he was wrong. Just like he was wrong about the iPad mini.

 

[Merkyworks]

I vote for no, I think iOS 7 and what Ives vision is good and I like it.

 

[rocat1997]

The next one to go needs to be Ivy for this failure of an operating system. They had beta testers. Why were these issues not found? Phone reboots, iMessage, battery issues, animation lag, security, the list is growing. The people I know hate this new iOS and are complaining its full of bugs. Don't put out a product that doesn't work. Apple has a history and so does other companies. Listen to your consumers. Listen to your beta testers. Make a solid working product and people will buy it.

 

[cmichaelb]

Maybe it was planned from the start to be one of many new big features in iOS 7 but many were delayed due to the new design. I wouldn't be surprised if an early version of iOS 7 featured a linen Control Center.

Well, anything is possible. You could be right on. But still, it was two years overdue. I jailbroke my 4S to add quick toggles to the notification center, with NCSettings, which I still think was a better solution.

 

[roadbloc]

Nope. Apple is better without him and his faux leather.

 

[sdilley14]

Why is there even a poll for something like this? What do ANY of us here know about him or about the corporate culture in Apple and how he may or may not fit in or benefit the company in any way at this point? I really don't think it is as simple as "no - I love iOS7, keep him out!" or "yes, iOS6 was great, iOS7 is crap, BRING HIM BACK!".