Magic | Hacker News Reader

Magic

daringfireball.net

14 pointsjonhohle7 comments

The difference between iOS and Android, design-wise, can be summed in a single word: magic. iOS aims for it. Android doesn’t want it.

Well, that is perfectly vague and wishy-washy. Does Gruber actually think that the Android team doesn't want "magic", whatever that means?

Android has a different aesthetic than iOS. You can quibble over which you think is more usable or more attractive, but just straight claiming Android doesn't want a nebulous term borrowed from Apple's ad copy is a weird way to knock the platform.

I think the point that he's (poorly) trying to make is that Apple, both through design and through marketing, is positioning iOS as a warm, embracing experience that brings you joy - while Android is (willingly) being painted as a cold, efficient tool that lets you accomplish the task at hand but doesn't want you to stay for dinner.

If that is his point, I'd have to disagree. In marketing, yes, that holds true. But when it comes to warmth/non functional touches of the actual OS, Android almost has that to a fault (live wallpapers that unnecessarily task the phone, but are fun and playful; widgets that can be almost MySpace-esque; the old fashioned tube TV lock animation; etc.). Especially when compared the mostly functional and staid grid of icons and clean lines iOS goes for with the occasionally playful skeuomorphism.

I guess to just boils down to Gruber preferring iOS.

Adding non functional touches that serve little purpose is not what Apple tries to do though. Their little touches all add to making things better for the user (at least they hope it does).

Contrast this to live wallpapers. I have only seen a few, but they appear to serve no purpose other than to allow yet more customization and drain battery life.

Never said the Android method was superior (I think a good analogy is Android is the Myspace to iOS's Facebook), just pointing out that pigeonholing Android as pure function over warmth is BS that people like Gruber like to say to marginalize Android as a neckbeard loser's choice instead the massively popular general OS that it is.

"Android doesn't want it" is untrue. What would be more accurate is that it doesn't care for that level of "magic". Yet. As the platform matures, there will be a lot of developers who will try to bring the same aesthetic as their iOS apps to Android too. And some of them will succeed.

It reminds me of a talk by Doug Rushkoff (im pass-phrasing here, I dont remember exactly)

"The more magical the medium, the more compelling the message... ...the less we understand about how the message is getting to us, the more compelled we are to believe it. Just like the priest giving a wafer that turns into a body, my god it must be true. The technology keeps it magic. ...

how do you remystify the demystified technology?! windows! how do you install software in windows? with the wizard, why did they pick the wizard as the metaphor? because its mysterious, weird hocus pocus, don't look behind here. to install software you need the wizard, not the helper, not the friend. The Wizard, might as well be the priest."

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