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Is Apple shooting itself in the foot by not innovating a new iOS redesign?

Is Apple shooting itself in the foot by not innovating a new iOS redesign?

  • Yes

    Votes: 99 36.4%

  • No

    Votes: 173 63.6%
  • Total voters
    272
Calidude

Calidude

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 22, 2010
1,730
0
I'm noticing that more and more people around me in the teen to 30 age group are mentioning they are getting "bored" of how iOS works right now.

Some people may chalk this up to simple attention deficit disorder on the part of our youth, and I don't doubt that to be true, but people are actually making good points about how the iOS interface is too simple and non-cohesive, and they are talking about Windows Phone or Android looking more how a phone interface should behave.

And when you think about it, you sort of wonder why Apple, a company that has put so much emphasis into design in its hardware, hasn't done the same for the OS.

Is Apple afraid to look like it's copying Android if it does a redesign of iOS? Is Apple afraid of losing people if they have to re-learn iOS again? Shouldn't iOS have been redesigned back with iOS 3 instead of letting Windows Phone and Android introduce new design concepts to their customer base?
 
No

Apple has refined OS X throughout the years, but its still relatively the same as it was back in 2000, I view iOS as the same (it will be refined but remain relatively the same for a while).
OS-X-then-and-now.jpg
 
Not at all, its functional which can't be said about some new things that are called innovation
 
assfeis said:
Let me guess... You want a huge and unnecessary clock & weather widget in the homescreen?
Click to expand...
No, only basement Android neckbeards want that. I'm talking more about the general flow of the OS.
 
Calidude said:
No, only basement Android neckbeards want that. I'm talking more about the general flow of the OS.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about the OS design or functionality?

I think it's the most beautiful OS you can have on a phone, and it does the job for me better than any other Android or Windows Phone, so I guess there's nothing wrong with the flow (for me at least).
 
Yes, iOS is boring now. I used to love the UI of it before, but then Android updated it's UI, then ICS is out, then Windows Phone.

I wish there was a new UI that allows people to look at an app feed without needing to open it.

For example Android has Widgets and Windows Phone has Tiles.
 
verwon said:
Nothing wrong with the flow, either.
Click to expand...
Sure there is. Do you think switching tabs in the iOS browser on an iPhone is fluid? Do you think messaging should JUST be about iMessage and texting and not something else the way iChat would work? Do you think not having a unified filesystem makes the OS flow better? Do you think task switching by double tapping the home button and flipping through icons on a tiny part of the screen is good flow? Do you think pressing the settings button to turn off Wifi is good flow rather than putting those widely used settings on Notification center?

Come on. Let's admit iOS isn't perfect, guys. There's a lot that needs to happen.

----------
assfeis said:
Are you talking about the OS design or functionality?

I think it's the most beautiful OS you can have on a phone, and it does the job for me better than any other Android or Windows Phone, so I guess there's nothing wrong with the flow (for me at least).
Click to expand...
Have you owned anything besides an Apple touchscreen phone?
 
Calidude said:
Sure there is. Do you think switching tabs in the iOS browser on an iPhone is fluid? Do you think messaging should be about iMessage and texting and not something else the way iChat would work? Do you think not having a unified filesystem makes the OS flow better? Do you think task switching by double tapping the home button and flipping through icons on a tiny part of the screen is good flow? Do you think pressing the settings button to turn off Wifi is good flow rather than putting those widely used settings on Notification center?

Come on. Let's admit iOS isn't perfect, guys. There's a lot that needs to happen.

----------


Have you owned anything besides an Apple touchscreen phone?
Click to expand...

It's a lot more fluid than my Android phone ever was, also much more intuitive.
 
verwon said:
It's a lot more fluid than my Android phone ever was, also much more intuitive.
Click to expand...
I don't doubt that it's more intuitive than laggy, crappy Android 2.0, but have you seen the way Windows Phone 7.5 and Android 4.0 work now? They're not just trying new things for the sake of luring Apple users, they're working on 20/20 hindsight and doing a lot of things Apple should be focusing on.

I really hope Apple has a top secret project in the works to rethink iOS.
 
saving107 said:
No

Apple has refined OS X throughout the years, but its still relatively the same as it was back in 2000, I view iOS as the same (it will be refined but remain relatively the same for a while).
Image
Click to expand...

Same can be said about Windows 7.

250px-Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.png
300px-Windows_7.png


Not a whole lot of change.
 
Calidude said:
I'm noticing that more and more people around me in the teen to 30 age group are mentioning they are getting "bored" of how iOS works right now.

Some people may chalk this up to simple attention deficit disorder on the part of our youth, and I don't doubt that to be true, but people are actually making good points about how the iOS interface is too simple and non-cohesive, and they are talking about Windows Phone or Android looking more how a phone interface should behave.

And when you think about it, you sort of wonder why Apple, a company that has put so much emphasis into design in its hardware, hasn't done the same for the OS.

Is Apple afraid to look like it's copying Android if it does a redesign of iOS? Is Apple afraid of losing people if they have to re-learn iOS again? Shouldn't iOS have been redesigned back with iOS 3 instead of letting Windows Phone and Android introduce new design concepts to their customer base?
Click to expand...

If they change it most users would have no clue how to use it. It took ages to teach older relatives how to use their iPhone.
 
macingman said:
If they change it most users would have no clue how to use it. It took ages to teach older relatives how to use their iPhone.
Click to expand...
Then they will relegate iOS to being a niche product for older people and toddlers. So much for their bottom line.
 
Calidude said:
Then they will relegate iOS to being a niche product for older people and toddlers. So much for their bottom line.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily, just because a few of your friends say they are bored of the iPhoen doesn't mean everyone is bored with the iPhone, many of my friends love their iPhone and the major yearly updates add enough features to keep things interesting.

And I'm not a fanboy BTW.
 
macingman said:
Not necessarily, just because a few of your friends say they are bored of the iPhoen doesn't mean everyone is bored with the iPhone, many of my friends love their iPhone and the major yearly updates add enough features to keep things interesting.

And I'm not a fanboy BTW.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying everybody is bored of iPhone. Certainly people love the overall experience. However, there's a reason why there's such a huge jailbreak community behind this OS. It simply needs to do a lot of things different in order to satisfy more people.

For example, should I have to open up the messaging app to reply to a text? Isn't messaging a HUGE part of having a phone and a core function of the OS? Then why make it an app like any other 3rd party app? Why not have the OS function in a way that lets you "quick reply" from the notification bar so you spend more time texting and less time opening apps?

It's that kind of "extra mile" iOS needs to go in order to remain competitive now that Android and Windows Phone are beginning to nip their heels.
 
OllyW said:
Is there any evidence to suggest there's a big exodus of iPhone customers switching to Android and Windows Phone 7 because they are 'bored' with iOS?
Click to expand...
We have to wait after the holiday season since ICS 4.0 and Windows Phone 7.5 came out just recently, but just talk to anybody in your circle of friends and you'll see growing numbers of people who want something that works differently.

I personally don't see myself going away from iPhone since I love the app ecosystem too much, but I am convinced that more people are becoming less like me in that regard, and that's troubling, but I hope Apple has a top secret project in the works for iOS 7 maybe?
 
No, because those that don't like it will move on to a phone that they think is the next fashion statement phone, and then onto the next one and the next one and so forth and so on.

The simple and intuitive design of iOS is perfect for what it is. I have checked out many other phones just to "see what's out there" and there are a lot of great devices. I don't feel the need for tiles or widgets. I DL widgets off of cydia and found them annoying. Of course that is MY opinion and you know what they say about those. I think they need to come out with their own "gridlock" so you can place your icons anywhere as you must JB for that option now. I say keep up the good work apple and bring us a 4" screen!
 
Calidude said:
We have to wait after the holiday season since ICS 4.0 and Windows Phone 7.5 came out just recently, but just talk to anybody in your circle of friends and you'll see growing numbers of people who want something that works differently.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I haven't seen that sort of reaction as all of my iDevice wielding friends seem to be loving iOS 5 so far (except for a few grumbles about battery life with the iPhone 4S).

Mind you, most of them are not "in the teen to 30 age group" so perhaps you are right and it will end up as "a niche product for older people and toddlers". :D
 
iOS still fits all my needs. iOS revolutionized everything for the mobile industry, when android came out they already had a ground work to work on. I see iOS 7 to start to look like a unified UI between Mac's and idevices. Android has cought up to iOS in a lot of ways, but iOS still is more fluent in my mind.
 
Calidude said:
I'm noticing that more and more people around me in the teen to 30 age group are mentioning they are getting "bored" of how iOS works right now.

Some people may chalk this up to simple attention deficit disorder on the part of our youth, and I don't doubt that to be true, but people are actually making good points about how the iOS interface is too simple and non-cohesive, and they are talking about Windows Phone or Android looking more how a phone interface should behave.

And when you think about it, you sort of wonder why Apple, a company that has put so much emphasis into design in its hardware, hasn't done the same for the OS.

Is Apple afraid to look like it's copying Android if it does a redesign of iOS? Is Apple afraid of losing people if they have to re-learn iOS again? Shouldn't iOS have been redesigned back with iOS 3 instead of letting Windows Phone and Android introduce new design concepts to their customer base?
Click to expand...


Yeah, Apple shot themselves in the foot. Sales are plummeting - they just can't even give iPhones away with that crusty old OS that just works.

Oh, the answer to all your questions is no. No.
 
Ayemerica said:
iOS still fits all my needs. iOS revolutionized everything for the mobile industry, when android came out they already had a ground work to work on. I see iOS 7 to start to look like a unified UI between Mac's and idevices. Android has cought up to iOS in a lot of ways, but iOS still is more fluent in my mind.
Click to expand...
It fits everybody's needs, but the matter of how efficiently it fits those needs is looking more and more dire by the year.
 
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