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cualexander

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2006
567
96
Charlotte, NC
What will differentiate it from the Kindle app? It has a built-in store, but the Kindle store is hardly that difficult to use. To me, the skeuomorphic design of the bookshelf and the page-turn animation was what I liked about the app. But that will go away in iOS 7 and it will be just a blank white app, based on the screenshots from the OS X version shown in the keynote and the Newsstand app.

Am I alone in actually liking the skeuomorphic design element of iBooks? I think the Newsstand app just looks weird now to me. And yes, I know the skeuomorph topic has been covered to death, but I was just thinking about iBooks specifically, which I haven't seen mentioned much.
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
I'm thinking it hasn't been mentioned much because it hasn't been released yet, not even as a beta, but yes, I would be sad too, if the page turning animation goes away. There's something very relaxing about watching the pages turn as I'm reading a book.

Yet, once the scrolling mode was implemented, that is the mode I find myself using most often. Not because I like scrolling, but because scrolling prevents sentences from being broken up over two pages. So it is the most beneficial mode for reading comprehension, even though i'ss the most tiring in terms of the amount of movement my thumb has to do to scroll, as opposed to just tapping to turn the page.
 

cualexander

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2006
567
96
Charlotte, NC
This is the OS X screenshot. I don't know for sure about the animations, but pretty sure they aren't going to keep them if they are being consistent.
 

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Mckoder

macrumors newbie
Jun 26, 2010
3
0
Page turn animation is awesome!

I love the page turn animation in iBooks. I love the shredding animation in Passbook app. I love the page curl in Maps. I love the shiny buttons. Skeuomorphism is fun. Everything I love about iPhone is going away.

The idea that skeuomorphism won't stand the test of time is absurd. Things on the screen have to look like something. Things that are hard to imagine as a physical entity are hard to relate to and are hard to figure out. It can look like something from the past (reel to reel in the old Podcasts app), something from the future (Time Machine on OS X) or even something imaginary. The alternative to physical is abstract. It is hard for ordinary everyday people to figure out abstract interfaces.

This is the beginning of the decline of Apple. The question of can Apple still be Apple without Steve Jobs has been answered. And the answer, sadly, is a resounding No.

The parallax feature of iOS 7 is cool. And so is the rain and snow in the weather app that looks like real rain and snow. But this is realism. They removed the old realism such as leather and torn pages and then added it back in spades in the weather app. No restraint whatsoever. Apple designers have lost their way without Steve Jobs.

It is skeuomorphism that made the iPhone a darling of consumers around the world. Skeuomorphism frees technology from the shackles of inscrutable "computer interfaces" and makes it accessible to ordinary everyday users.

The iPad calendar for example, is something that you can show to people who have never seen an iPad before, and they don't see a computer interface. They see a calendar. The instant recognition triggered by skeuomorphism causes the interface to disappear.

The human brain likes both the comfort/pleasure of tactile feedback and the predictability of behaviors implied by familiar appearances (affordance and metaphor). Steve Jobs leveraged these brain responses to the approval of Apple's customers. Steve Jobs understood more than anyone else how to make technology accessible to ordinary everyday users.
 

Jare

macrumors 65816
Jun 17, 2010
1,190
1
Canada
I love the page turn animation in iBooks. I love the shredding animation in Passbook app. I love the page curl in Maps. I love the shiny buttons. Skeuomorphism is fun. Everything I love about iPhone is going away.

The idea that skeuomorphism won't stand the test of time is absurd. Things on the screen have to look like something. Things that are hard to imagine as a physical entity are hard to relate to and are hard to figure out. It can look like something from the past (reel to reel in the old Podcasts app), something from the future (Time Machine on OS X) or even something imaginary. The alternative to physical is abstract. It is hard for ordinary everyday people to figure out abstract interfaces.


This is the beginning of the decline of Apple. The question of can Apple still be Apple without Steve Jobs has been answered. And the answer, sadly, is a resounding No.

The parallax feature of iOS 7 is cool. And so is the rain and snow in the weather app that looks like real rain and snow. But this is realism. They removed the old realism such as leather and torn pages and then added it back in spades in the weather app. No restraint whatsoever. Apple designers have lost their way without Steve Jobs.

It is skeuomorphism that made the iPhone a darling of consumers around the world. Skeuomorphism frees technology from the shackles of inscrutable "computer interfaces" and makes it accessible to ordinary everyday users.

The iPad calendar for example, is something that you can show to people who have never seen an iPad before, and they don't see a computer interface. They see a calendar. The instant recognition triggered by skeuomorphism causes the interface to disappear.

The human brain likes both the comfort/pleasure of tactile feedback and the predictability of behaviors implied by familiar appearances (affordance and metaphor). Steve Jobs leveraged these brain responses to the approval of Apple's customers. Steve Jobs understood more than anyone else how to make technology accessible to ordinary everyday users.

That's all you really need to read out of this giant brick wall of text. Essentially, an animation is what's making this person leave the ecosystem.
 

cualexander

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2006
567
96
Charlotte, NC
The animation is actually patented by Apple. Apple obviously thought it was a big deal. Until it wasn't. And then everyone else agreed with Apple. It's amazing how people literally get mad at other people for criticizing Apple.
 

Jare

macrumors 65816
Jun 17, 2010
1,190
1
Canada
The animation is actually patented by Apple. Apple obviously thought it was a big deal. Until it wasn't. And then everyone else agreed with Apple. It's amazing how people literally get mad at other people for criticizing Apple.

Don't see how you could read that post as mad.
 

kmj2318

macrumors 68000
Aug 22, 2007
1,669
712
Naples, FL
I think they might replace the page turning effect with with a simple page swiping effect, which I'll be fine with because it's consistent with the OS.
 

jbenkelman

macrumors 6502
May 4, 2009
346
44
When iBooks was released I was really excited, and the app itself was beautiful. I loved that it looked like a shelf, and that it turned when you went to the store, and the page animations and how it made you feel like you were reading a book.

Now, I can agree, that maybe all of that isn't necessary. I need to be able to see what books/pdf's I have, without the software taking away from the content. The cover of the books should be what you love to see, not the bookshelf?

As far as the page animation goes...that can stay...I still love that.
 

.beam.

macrumors member
Jun 17, 2013
40
0
Another question is will we still have keyboard sounds that sound like you're actually tapping a keyboard?
 

QuarterSwede

macrumors G3
Oct 1, 2005
9,778
2,026
Colorado Springs, CO
Another question is will we still have keyboard sounds that sound like you're actually tapping a keyboard?
It's still in beta 1

----------

I love the page turn animation in iBooks. I love the shredding animation in Passbook app. I love the page curl in Maps. I love the shiny buttons. Skeuomorphism is fun. Everything I love about iPhone is going away.

The idea that skeuomorphism won't stand the test of time is absurd. Things on the screen have to look like something. Things that are hard to imagine as a physical entity are hard to relate to and are hard to figure out. It can look like something from the past (reel to reel in the old Podcasts app), something from the future (Time Machine on OS X) or even something imaginary. The alternative to physical is abstract. It is hard for ordinary everyday people to figure out abstract interfaces.

This is the beginning of the decline of Apple. The question of can Apple still be Apple without Steve Jobs has been answered. And the answer, sadly, is a resounding No.

The parallax feature of iOS 7 is cool. And so is the rain and snow in the weather app that looks like real rain and snow. But this is realism. They removed the old realism such as leather and torn pages and then added it back in spades in the weather app. No restraint whatsoever. Apple designers have lost their way without Steve Jobs.

It is skeuomorphism that made the iPhone a darling of consumers around the world. Skeuomorphism frees technology from the shackles of inscrutable "computer interfaces" and makes it accessible to ordinary everyday users.

The iPad calendar for example, is something that you can show to people who have never seen an iPad before, and they don't see a computer interface. They see a calendar. The instant recognition triggered by skeuomorphism causes the interface to disappear.

The human brain likes both the comfort/pleasure of tactile feedback and the predictability of behaviors implied by familiar appearances (affordance and metaphor). Steve Jobs leveraged these brain responses to the approval of Apple's customers. Steve Jobs understood more than anyone else how to make technology accessible to ordinary everyday users.
That's gotta be the most well written piece on the advantages of skeumorphism I've read. Kudos.
 

fortheus

macrumors 6502
Jul 11, 2012
256
68
Steve Jobs always thoughts everyone are idiots, so he design products that is dumb proof.

I read this in one of the book which I can't remember. But I'm so glad he had that concept. My daughter can even exploring iOS (unlock, launch apps, close apps, etc) since 8 months old
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
Steve Jobs always thoughts everyone are idiots, so he design products that is dumb proof.

This was the big shft in design philosophy that I noticed when I saw the WWDC keynote. Before, Apple made things idiot proof. Now, it's like, "well people already know how to do X, so we can take out visual cues."

On the surface, it looks like it's more respectful of the end users because you are assuming they are not idiots. In reality, it makes things harder to use. You need to be respectful of the fact that not everyone is familiar with your system. Once you start designing for people who are already familiar with your system, you start limiting your target group.
 

jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
938
I love the page turn animation in iBooks. I love the shredding animation in Passbook app. I love the page curl in Maps. I love the shiny buttons. Skeuomorphism is fun. Everything I love about iPhone is going away.

The idea that skeuomorphism won't stand the test of time is absurd. Things on the screen have to look like something. Things that are hard to imagine as a physical entity are hard to relate to and are hard to figure out. It can look like something from the past (reel to reel in the old Podcasts app), something from the future (Time Machine on OS X) or even something imaginary. The alternative to physical is abstract. It is hard for ordinary everyday people to figure out abstract interfaces.

This is the beginning of the decline of Apple. The question of can Apple still be Apple without Steve Jobs has been answered. And the answer, sadly, is a resounding No.

The parallax feature of iOS 7 is cool. And so is the rain and snow in the weather app that looks like real rain and snow. But this is realism. They removed the old realism such as leather and torn pages and then added it back in spades in the weather app. No restraint whatsoever. Apple designers have lost their way without Steve Jobs.

It is skeuomorphism that made the iPhone a darling of consumers around the world. Skeuomorphism frees technology from the shackles of inscrutable "computer interfaces" and makes it accessible to ordinary everyday users.

The iPad calendar for example, is something that you can show to people who have never seen an iPad before, and they don't see a computer interface. They see a calendar. The instant recognition triggered by skeuomorphism causes the interface to disappear.

The human brain likes both the comfort/pleasure of tactile feedback and the predictability of behaviors implied by familiar appearances (affordance and metaphor). Steve Jobs leveraged these brain responses to the approval of Apple's customers. Steve Jobs understood more than anyone else how to make technology accessible to ordinary everyday users.

Finally, somebody know knows what they are talking about.

Well said.
 

sigamy

macrumors 65816
Mar 7, 2003
1,392
181
NJ USA
I also like the page turn animation. What are the chances that the page animation is available as a setting? Slim to none?

Apple's new ad talks about "how it feels". The wood shelf and page turn are a big part of how it feels for normal users.
 

Gogurt48

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2013
663
1
I, too, hope they keep the book shelf and the page-turn animation. In my opinion, an ereader app should capture the experience of reading a book as nearly as possible.
 

cualexander

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2006
567
96
Charlotte, NC
This was the big shft in design philosophy that I noticed when I saw the WWDC keynote. Before, Apple made things idiot proof. Now, it's like, "well people already know how to do X, so we can take out visual cues."

On the surface, it looks like it's more respectful of the end users because you are assuming they are not idiots. In reality, it makes things harder to use. You need to be respectful of the fact that not everyone is familiar with your system. Once you start designing for people who are already familiar with your system, you start limiting your target group.

Exactly. I'm tired of people saying the iPhone is for idiots because it's simple. My toaster is simple too, but it gets the job done. That's all I care about. I love the simplicity of iOS because it lets you focus on using the device instead of tweaking thousands of settings. I've literally lost hours of my life tweaking things with Android when I tried to go that route before.
 

sexiewasd

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2012
211
6
Back in Your Head
I let a friend of mine's five year old daughter play with my iPod touch running iOS 6. In the two minutes that I wasn't looking she had figured out how to compose a tweet to K.Flay. Like it or not the old UI was intuitive.
 

Gogurt48

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2013
663
1
I also like the page turn animation. What are the chances that the page animation is available as a setting? Slim to none?

Apple's new ad talks about "how it feels". The wood shelf and page turn are a big part of how it feels for normal users.

Fortunately, iBooks isn't baked into the OS. Therefore, we can simply refuse to update it. The current version seems to work just fine with iOS 7.
 

LordQ

Suspended
Sep 22, 2012
3,582
5,653
I'm also a big fan of the turning page animation, the notes app, and some other skeumorphic stuff... But times are changing and flat design along with removing excessive ornamentation is trending now and you people need to learn to adapt and welcome changes.
 

Sodner

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2011
2,112
78
Pittsburgh, PA
I love the page turn animation in iBooks. I love the shredding animation in Passbook app. I love the page curl in Maps. I love the shiny buttons. Skeuomorphism is fun. Everything I love about iPhone is going away.

The idea that skeuomorphism won't stand the test of time is absurd. Things on the screen have to look like something. Things that are hard to imagine as a physical entity are hard to relate to and are hard to figure out. It can look like something from the past (reel to reel in the old Podcasts app), something from the future (Time Machine on OS X) or even something imaginary. The alternative to physical is abstract. It is hard for ordinary everyday people to figure out abstract interfaces.

This is the beginning of the decline of Apple. The question of can Apple still be Apple without Steve Jobs has been answered. And the answer, sadly, is a resounding No.

The parallax feature of iOS 7 is cool. And so is the rain and snow in the weather app that looks like real rain and snow. But this is realism. They removed the old realism such as leather and torn pages and then added it back in spades in the weather app. No restraint whatsoever. Apple designers have lost their way without Steve Jobs.

It is skeuomorphism that made the iPhone a darling of consumers around the world. Skeuomorphism frees technology from the shackles of inscrutable "computer interfaces" and makes it accessible to ordinary everyday users.

The iPad calendar for example, is something that you can show to people who have never seen an iPad before, and they don't see a computer interface. They see a calendar. The instant recognition triggered by skeuomorphism causes the interface to disappear.

The human brain likes both the comfort/pleasure of tactile feedback and the predictability of behaviors implied by familiar appearances (affordance and metaphor). Steve Jobs leveraged these brain responses to the approval of Apple's customers. Steve Jobs understood more than anyone else how to make technology accessible to ordinary everyday users.

Wow, very well said.

Made me almost want the green felt back in game center.
 

Gogurt48

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2013
663
1
I'm also a big fan of the turning page animation, the notes app, and some other skeumorphic stuff... But times are changing and flat design along with removing excessive ornamentation is trending now and you people need to learn to adapt and welcome changes.

I love change, when it's a change for the better. Shoot, I was so excited for iOS 7 that I installed the beta on my only iPhone. Probably a foolish thing to do, but I just couldn't wait. And on the whole, I love it.

However, I don't like change for the sake of change. If a change enhances the user experience, I'm all for it. But if the change is merely to reflect current fashion trends and if it degrades the user experience in the process, I don't like it.

I'm all for removing unnecessary ornamental clutter, but not all skeuomorphism is bad. Some apps lend themselves to skeuomorphic representation, and others really don't need it. I think that iBooks is one app that benefits from a skeuomorphic interface, and I hope they don't change it just to be fashionable.
 
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