How Apple Is Giving Design a Bad Name
fastcodesign.com
fastcodesign.com
It says everything that has frustrated me for years. The comments on this page don't address the issues in the essay. They focus on what is clever in current products not on core usability. I've been writing Mac and/or iOS apps for thirty years. I know from experience that interface issues are deep and subtle. Cleverness has nothing to do with it. Apple is in deep trouble.
Jonathan Ive (VP in charge of user experience) has been elevated the status of a super star by the superficial press. He does have an excellent artistic design sense. That's all. I don't care how thin his products are or how pretty they are. Ive must go!
* The out-of-the-box/first-power-on experience on any Apple device remains unparalleled.
• Just hold the AirPods case near your iPhone and open it, and they're seamlessly paired. Complete with "YourName's AirPods" automatically set up in the Bluetooth settings.
• AirPods do not require cumbersome Bluetooth unpairing/repairing across your Apple devices; just select them from the output device menu on your Mac/iPad/Apple Watch.
• Audio syncs perfectly between both left and right AirPods. They have considerable range (I've tested them through multiple walls on different floors.) They both have separate batteries (with their own battery meter, which only shows up when they don't have the same amount of charge). They can be used individually to conserve battery or keep one ear open.
• AirPods' microphones only pick up your voice, even in a loud environment.
• The Touch Bar. Apps SHOULD have a context-sensitive input device. Nobody should have to learn and remember what each FN key does in each app.
• On the Touch Bar, you can just bring your finger down on buttons like Brightness/Volume and just slide your finger left/right without lifting it. That is, you don't have to tap, raise finger, then move your finger to the slider control to drag it, even if the knob appears in a different area away from your finger. A minor but VERY nice design and attention to detail.
• It takes time to recognize where the Touch Bar can improve input speed compared to just keyboard/mouse/trackpad, but there definitely are moments where it's faster; For example, when I'm editing a contact's phone number, the buttons for labels like "Home" or "Work" appear on the Touch Bar. It's quicker than using the mouse pointer to open the dropdown list, and it's not possible to have keyboard shortcuts for each label (including custom ones) but they can be easily shown in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar.
• The new MacBook Pros. Modern computers SHOULD have a single type of port, and we should be able to use any port for charging.
• Unlocking my MacBook by just raising the lid if I'm wearing my Apple Watch. I need to be physically close to the laptop and the Watch notifies me every time it happens.
* Touch ID on Macs. Can't wait for third-party apps to use it for authentication like on iOS.
• Being able to seamlessly copy/paste across your Apple devices is one of those things you never knew you needed, but you'll sorely miss when you work on devices that don't have it.
So, no, Apple is not giving design a bad name. They are actually doing a lot of things right. They do have many flaws yes (especially on the software side, some of which are very frustrating) but their biggest mistake is setting themselves up to be a target of the tall poppy syndrome [1], and it's getting rather tiresome.
> Apps SHOULD have a context-sensitive input device
Like the mouse. And the screen. Not a separate screen I have to look down to be able to use because it has no proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key.
> A minor but VERY nice design and attention to detail.
An extremely minor thing that's not worth all the downsides. I can get a better version of that gimmick on my mouse just using the side button+scroll wheel.
> For example, when I'm editing a contact's phone number, the buttons for labels like "Home" or "Work" appear on the Touch Bar.
You don't need a separate screen to have context sensitive buttons. This sounds like an UX compromise just to push the touch bar rather than something I'd want.
Also "in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar." That cannot be faster than a mouse or keyboard shortcut, and would be trivial to replicate with the keyboards F-keys (two keys for scrolling forward/backward, rest for selection). Another example on how it's just a gimmick.
> The new MacBook Pros. Modern computers SHOULD have a single type of port, and we should be able to use any port for charging.
I value more being able to connect all my devices without 5 different dongles hanging from my laptop than idolizing an ideal, non-existent world.
> Unlocking my MacBook by just raising the lid if I'm wearing my Apple Watch.
You can do this with any other programmable smartwatch. I remember people were doing this with a Pebble. It's still a gimmick.
> Touch ID on Macs. Can't wait for third-party apps to use it for authentication like on iOS.
You're praising fingerprint readers under a marketing name. I literally have this on a cheap refurbished HP laptop from 2010 or so I've been using as a server.
> Being able to seamlessly copy/paste across your Apple devices is one of those things you never knew you needed, but you'll sorely miss when you work on devices that don't have it.
So... KDE Connect?
So indeed, Apple seems to be doing nothing but gimmicks and more proprietary lock-in. This is a good thing, somehow?
Anecdotal, unproven. It's YOUR fault if you easily forget about foreign objects in your ear, and does not negate "all the things the Airpods do right." In any case, Find My Phone will have support for tracking them in the next iOS update.
I've gone running with them, used them in crowded environments with hundreds of people jostling me, and I have yet to lose or even drop one.
The freedom from wires (and excellent microphones) are a HUGE convenience and far outweighs any minor subjective quibbles. Can you tell me how YOU would design something without any wires that's not easy to miss?
> sub par audio quality.
Subjective. Source?
They're good enough, no worse than the previous EarPods, and not bad at all.
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> I value more being able to connect all my devices without 5 different dongles hanging from my laptop than idolizing an ideal, non-existent world.
Hyperbole.
If you carried 5 different devices with your laptop, you would need to carry at most one USB/USB-C adapter and maybe a multiport USB hub.
I have an iPhone, iPad, a Bluetooth Mouse, a Bluetooth keyboard (for games) and a WiFi harddisk. I haven't needed to plug them into my 2016 MBP yet, nor do I carry all of them in my backpack, but I do have one small USB/USB-C adapter for when I need it. File transfers of even several GBs work flawlessly with AirDrop.
See [1]. Apple already did this long ago for the original USB standard, when the first iMac came with nothing but USB ports.
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> I remember people were doing this with a Pebble. It's still a gimmick.
It still doesn't change the fact that it's still convenient.
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>I literally have this on a cheap refurbished HP laptop from 2010 or so I've been using as a server.
It still doesn't change the fact that it's still convenient, and I would wager more secure than the tech in a 2010 HP laptop.
Moreover, it integrates very nicely with authorizing App Store and Apple Pay purchases, and giving permission for administrative actions. Did older laptops integrate fingerprint authentication deeply into Windows?
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> Like the mouse. And the screen. Not a separate screen I have to look down to be able to use because it has no proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key.
Does not diminish its advantages.
"No proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key" can be used to downplay the utility of all the phone and tablet touchscreens in the world, too.
A mouse does not provide visual feedback depending on what you're doing.
I'm looking straight at the screen right now on a 2016 MBP, and the Touch Bar is within my field of vision.
In any case, it's no worse than having to discover, learn and remember what each FN does in each app.
>An extremely minor thing that's not worth all the downsides. I can get a better version of that gimmick on my mouse just using the side button+scroll wheel.
Which "all downsides?"
To change brightness/volume, all I need is to swipe on the Touch Bar. Do you have any of your mouse buttons permanently set to controlling volume and/or brightness?
The Touch Bar is not replacing the mouse, trackpad or keyboard. You still have a mouse, trackpad and keyboard. Why are you comparing it with them? The Touch Bar replaces FN keys, and it's better than them.
> You don't need a separate screen to have context sensitive buttons. Also "in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar." That cannot be faster than a mouse or keyboard shortcut
Say I have contacts named after companies/organizations, and I use tens of different custom labels for each phone number/email for the different people working at them.
Which of these is faster/better?
• I keep 10+ different keyboard shortcuts, for each label, and remember which one maps to which label on which contact. (!)
• I take my fingers away from the keyboard to move the mouse pointer to open the dropdown list, scroll it and click on a label.
• I keep my hands on the keyboard and tap a label on the Touch Bar.
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>So indeed, Apple seems to be doing nothing but gimmicks and more proprietary lock-in. This is a good thing, somehow?
Subjective. "Gimmicks" can be used against any feature from any company.
All of these things highly increase user convenience within the ecosystem without any setup required beyond signing-on once with your Apple ID. This is bad design, somehow?
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Your dismissals are a classic example of the tall poppy syndrome; Were Apple a smaller company, you probably wouldn't be putting so much effort in downplaying their accomplishments.
The fact that others companies came out with [half-baked] versions of some features first, or anecdotes about misplacing equipment or subjective opinions of audio quality, does NOT diminish the fact that Apple DO do a lot of things right.
I don't use them. My friends do, and they don't lose them when they're in their ear. Also, guess what? I don't risk losing my headphones just because I fall asleep on long trips. It's not my fault, it's Apple's product being poor at fitting an extremely common usecase.
> Subjective. Source?
Go to an audio store and ask them for monitoring headphones. You can't explain audio quality to someone that has never experienced it, these things are a night/day difference.
> Can you tell me how YOU would design something without any wires that's not easy to miss?
I would use shorter, interchangeable wires for the right occasion rather than go wireless and have to charge my headphones, tolerate a worse audio quality than I'm accustomed to and risk easily losing them.
> Does not diminish its advantages.
Yes it does, same pros but with an extra con and on top of that, the touch bar is not a free addition to a screen and keyboard you already have.
>"No proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key" can be used to downplay the utility of all the phone and tablet touchscreens in the world, too.
Smartphones and tablets have a single screen, or at worst, they're contiguous on the same plane.
> A mouse does not provide visual feedback depending on what you're doing.
No, that's the screen's job. I don't have to look at my mouse to change volume, I just look at the screen. Or rather, I use my keyboard (caps lock+[s/d] in my case), since I don't see the benefit of more than 5% stepped increases.
> I'm looking straight at the screen right now on a 2016 MBP, and the Touch Bar is within my field of vision.
And my phone is technically in front of me beyond my monitor, but without focusing on its smaller screen with a different DPI I can't read it. Which is why I started using KDE Connect after all: to get notifications on my desktop.
> In any case, it's no worse than having to discover, learn and remember what each FN does in each app.
In how many apps do you exactly use its FN-options? And how is it any different from labeling them in the screen next to the button it means? You'd still not have to look at the keyboard. You can even do it for apps using the Touchbar API: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-get-a-touch-bar-on-your-o...
> Hyperbole. If you carried 5 different devices with your laptop, you would need to carry at most one USB/USB-C adapter and maybe a multiport USB hub.
For 5 yes. For 4, no. The old laptop I mentioned has 4 USB ports, where I regularly plug an external kb and mouse, an USB stick and my phone for tethering or debugging an app on a real device.
> I have an iPhone, iPad, a Bluetooth Mouse, a Bluetooth keyboard (for games) and a WiFi harddisk. I haven't needed to plug them into my 2016 MBP yet, nor do I carry all of them in my backpack, but I do have one small USB/USB-C adapter for when I need it. File transfers of even several GBs work flawlessly with AirDrop.
Cool. I only need my laptop charger when I leave home.
> Which "all downsides?"
Again, cost and having to actually look down at the small thing to be able to use it.
> You still have a mouse, trackpad and keyboard. Why are you comparing it with them? The Touch Bar replaces FN keys, and it's better than them.
Last time I checked, the FN keys are on the keyboard.
> Say I have contacts named after companies/organizations, and I use tens of different custom labels for each phone number/email for the different people working at them. Which of these is faster/better?
Assuming you have more than 10 of them, the keyboard and input with autocompletion rather than the scroll list on a separate screen.
Or the same thing as the touch bar but on the screen. We've had this technology for a while: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Norton_Comman...
> Subjective. "Gimmicks" can be used against any feature from any company. All of these things highly increase user convenience
When all you can offer is copies of barely useful things that have already been done, you can hardly call your company "amazing" or "futuristic". The rest of the quote speaks for itself.
> Your dismissals are a classic example of the tall poppy syndrome; Were Apple a smaller company, you probably wouldn't be putting so much effort in downplaying their accomplishments.
And your relentless shilling is a classic example of blind fanboyism (as redundant as it sounds) and choice-supportive bias. You're literally attaching a label to anyone criticizing a corporation you're trying to sell. Do I need to link my comments shitting on smaller companies too? Or when I praise Apple/{insert corporation here} when they do a good thing? Do yourself a favor and reflect on your thought process for a bit. Unless you're doing marketing work for Apple, in which case you should grab a PR book.
What exactly are you trying to say here?
Again, I have been using them for 2 months in a variety of situations and have never come close to losing them.
Furthermore, if you don't use them, how do you claim sub-par audio quality?
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> Go to an audio store and ask them for monitoring headphones. You can't explain audio quality to someone that has never experienced it, these things are a night/day difference.
Will those headphones
• Be completely wireless?
• Work with all my devices without repairing?
• Have microphones on each side?
• Be trackable?
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> I would use shorter, interchangeable wires
is not an answer to "How you would design something without any wires."
Your product is not for me. I will not buy it, neither will anyone who does not want ANY wires in their earbuds.
It probably fits your ears well. It does fit mine well enough when I tried them, but it did not the owner's. Even then I would not be confident enough to use them on a bus when asleep.
> Furthermore, if you don't use them, how do you claim sub-par audio quality?
I don't use them, which has not stopped me from trying them.
>Will those headphones >• Be completely wireless? >[...] Your product is not for me. I will not buy it, neither will anyone who does not want ANY wires.
I don't know of in-ear, wireless headphones that have acceptable audio quality. I've read somewhere there are some wireless over/on-ear ones that do, however. But I have never tried anything like that so I can't in good conscience recommend them.
With that said, most people that have told me they can't do without wireless change their mind when I invite them to try the half-broken ATH-M50 headphones I use on the go.
However, I do understand that some people don't care about listening to the details of a song and just having an audible beat and/or metallic voice is enough to satisfy them. There's also even more people with hearing problems. Whatever case it is, although I would recommend you go for a cheaper alternative, if every one of those bullet points is mandatory and worth 230 USD to you, then yes, there's nothing to discuss and stick with the ear pods.
> Yes it does
How?
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> Last time I checked, the FN keys are on the keyboard.
Yes, and the Touch Bar replaces FN keys, not the keyboard, not the mouse, nor the screen.
> same pros
FN Keys:
• 12
• Have to remember what each number does in each app
• Different numbers remain "fixed" for different functions in different operating systems (e.g. F1 for Help, Alt+F4 for Quit.)
• Not customizable
• Cannot give at-a-glance status without taking up main screen space
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Touch Bar:
• More than 12
• Not limited by physical space
• Context-sensitive and adaptive
• More types of controls than just buttons
• Customizable
• Can display at-a-glance status such as time, battery etc. [1]
How are these the same pros?
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> but with an extra con
• Billions of phone/tablet users don't consider touchscreens a con.
• Con does not harm typing experience which is still provided by physical keys.
• Con easily offset by haptic feedback very likely in future gen.
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[1] https://medium.com/productivity-freak/what-if-you-could-real...
Read the rest of the sentence.
> Yes, and the Touch Bar replaces FN keys, not the keyboard, not the mouse, nor the screen.
Read the rest of the sentence.
> 12
Use a modifier. That brings you up to 48 without counting Alt. And if you get to that point you have bigger interface problems, which the touchbar will not solve (I'd argue that at 12 you already have that problem).
> Have to remember what each number does in each app
You did not read my reply.
> Different numbers remain "fixed" for different functions in different operating systems (e.g. F1 for Help, Alt+F4 for Quit.)
That's a con?
> Not customizable
What. It's a key. To bind. Making keybinds. Its purpose is to change based on context or your own choice.
> Context-sensitive and adaptive
No different than you can do with the screen and the F keys.
> Cannot display at-a-glance status without taking up main screen space
There's an easy answer to this. Please for the love of god and all that is holy power up half a neuron and it'll come to you.
> Billions of phone/tablet users don't consider touchscreens a con.
You did not read my reply.
> Con does not harm typing experience which is still provided by physical keys.
Except for the keybinds you now have to look at a separate screen to use, of course.
> Con easily offset by haptic feedback very likely in future gen.
Feedback on touch (to see where exactly is the finger positioned on the key and relative to the previous keyboard position) is more important than feedback on activation. Of course, on touchscreens you get neither and touching is activation.
I'm not saying touchbars couldn't ever be implemented and be an acceptable replacement for function keys, if something like https://archive.is/B4Rdf could be perfected, then that'd be something worthy of being a replacement. The current touchbar, is not.
The Touch Bar is always in your vision:
http://i.imgur.com/En02SKA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DIN2fCE.jpg
In any case, how is looking at something such an arduous action as to be a con, but searching and memorizing what each FN does in each app, isn't?
> Use a modifier. That brings you up to 48 without counting Alt.
Even more shortcuts to look up somewhere (in-app help? keybind settings? online?) and mentally associate with each number (and its modifier), instead of just seeing your available options for the current context on the Touch Bar.
In a complex app like an IDE, each FN could mean 10 different things depending on the context. How is that good, or sane?
We have toolbars in addition to menus for the same reasons.
> Different numbers remain "fixed" for different functions in different operating systems (e.g. F1 for Help, Alt+F4 for Quit.)
> That's a con?
It reduces the number of effectively available keys (minus shortcuts) to less than 12, and it differs across operating systems.
As for tactile feedback, we might as well go back in time to 2007 and rail against the introduction of touchscreen phones.
> Feedback on touch (to see where exactly is the finger positioned on the key and relative to the previous keyboard position) is more important than feedback on activation.
We're getting there with more precise and shorter vibrations. Compare the "Taptic Engine" of an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7.
In every case you list, you only need at most 1 USB-to-USB-C adapter + occasionally a hub or dock.
Not 5 dongles.
Taking up permanent space for a button that is not relevant in every app/situation seems like the worse design choice here, and a half-hearted one especially after you've made the decision to eliminate buttons in favor of touchscreens.
When I had an Android phone, the inability to predict what the Back button would do was infuriating. Sometimes it did nothing, sometimes it went back one screen, sometimes it went back ALL screens, sometimes it switched apps. An unpredictable button is worse than useless.