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Squilly

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
2,260
4
PA
I have a theory. Apple has been suing Samsung left and right. Apple has patents on their technology, as does Google. Apple remains the "simplistic" OS with iOS and doesn't want to interfere with Google's patents on their software. Eh?
 

Spectrum Abuser

macrumors 65816
Aug 27, 2011
1,377
48
I'd love to see some background reference and experience before taking legal input on a controversial issue from a stranger on an online forum.
 

CTHarrryH

macrumors 68030
Jul 4, 2012
2,935
1,431
I also don't understand the comment not updated. It is a vastly different product than it used to be.
 

Squilly

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
2,260
4
PA
That's not what I mean. I don't mean progressively (iOS 6, 7, etc.), I mean complexity of the software.
 

tkwolf

macrumors 6502
Apr 11, 2012
308
25
I understand Apple's vision of their OS and I do appreciate the simplicity of it all. I just wish they added a bit of intuition in terms of UI accessibility like maybe a drop down shortcut for Wifi, 3g, etc (I get it apple fans, it's like android) but it works and helps really. I think widgets would be good too if implemented properly. Just my 2 cents

multi tasking needs improvement too (and I know it shuts off after 10 minutes and all that its a faux multi tasking thing but come on)
 

secondspassed

macrumors newbie
Jun 10, 2005
2
0
I feel your pain. Hopefully things will get more urgent with the recent management shake up. I have a dream that one day gatekeeper will come to iOS and it will grow up.
 

jackal123uk

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2007
69
3
England
K.I.S.S. ;) It works for millions of us. Why muck it up? :rolleyes:

Couldn't agree more...

As for "intuition in terms of UI accessibility" - whatever that means? The only "intuitive" way to access 3G or wifi settings would be by tapping the respective icon in the status bar (just like in OSX). Granted, placing them in the notification drop drown would be easier but hardly intuitive...
 

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
Couldn't agree more...

As for "intuition in terms of UI accessibility" - whatever that means? The only "intuitive" way to access 3G or wifi settings would be by tapping the respective icon in the status bar (just like in OSX). Granted, placing them in the notification drop drown would be easier but hardly intuitive...

Perhaps they can implement that way of toggling settings in iOS 7. Tapping the respective icon in the status bar is really a nice and quick way.
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
That's not what I mean. I don't mean progressively (iOS 6, 7, etc.), I mean complexity of the software.

Spotlight Screen
Multitasking Bar
Notification Center
Cut and Paste
App Store and 3rd party apps
App Folders


Am I wrong in thinking that each of these things adds complexity? I'm pretty sure I've noticed the phones changing over the years.

:confused:
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
I have a theory. Apple has been suing Samsung left and right. Apple has patents on their technology, as does Google. Apple remains the "simplistic" OS with iOS and doesn't want to interfere with Google's patents on their software.
Ok -- so which patents are they avoiding and why are they not able to work around them? Theories are fine but everyone has one. Why do you think yours hold merit?

That's not what I mean. I don't mean progressively (iOS 6, 7, etc.), I mean complexity of the software.
Why do you think complexity is beneficial? The word your looking for seems to be "overhauled", "revolutionized", etc. Updates can be incremental or revolutionary. Most are the former for obvious reasons.
 

jonnyb098

macrumors 68040
Nov 16, 2010
3,982
5,421
Michigan
Couldn't agree more...

As for "intuition in terms of UI accessibility" - whatever that means? The only "intuitive" way to access 3G or wifi settings would be by tapping the respective icon in the status bar (just like in OSX). Granted, placing them in the notification drop drown would be easier but hardly intuitive...

Keeping it simple wont work forever and is why the competition is catching up. Scott Forstall did get the boot, ya know......Apple doesn't want to suffer from Microsoft syndrome of the late 90s/2000s

----------

What the OP is saying is that apple has not added the items he wants so therefore it has only been small incremental changes.

No, your statement is false. The competition if catching up and Apple is afraid. Proof of this is firing Scott Forstall as well as spending 5 minutes of the last keynote proving why the iPad mini is better by directly comparing it to google. Sure its better for screen real estate. But widgets in the lock screen, or picking your own default apps?....we can screw off on that one. The apps on iOS ARE amazing and better than the competition. But the core function of what you can do with OS is better in some aspects on android. WHY can't we turn of bluetooth without it taking 4 steps? How about swipe and there is a button? Oh wait, android already does this.

Apple is getting a tad worried. If Apple kept Forstall and continued with the snails pace of actual OS functionality (forget about apps people) just core functionality, Android and Windows phone would catch up and surpass in 2013.

Looking forward to iOS 7. There is a lot riding on it.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,421
Widgets in lockscreen? Really? How often do you want to spend staring at your lockscreen. Heck, pretty sure Google recently added this with Android and it's crap.

Picking default apps is actually a somewhat valid thing, but choosing a secondary "browser" as a default would be a bit of a joke anyway. iOS allows other browsers on there by name only, the rendering engine is the one on iOS. That isn't even mentioning the fact that it has a slower javascript engine.

Notice how Chrome is slower than Safari right now, that's why.

I do have to agree that choosing a secondary mail app as primary would be nice, but I can see why they do it the way they do.

Most of your complaints seem to suggest that you would be much happier with an Android phone. Might I suggest the Nexus 4 if you'd like the "Google Experience"?
 

Squilly

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
2,260
4
PA
Widgets in lockscreen? Really? How often do you want to spend staring at your lockscreen. Heck, pretty sure Google recently added this with Android and it's crap.

Picking default apps is actually a somewhat valid thing, but choosing a secondary "browser" as a default would be a bit of a joke anyway. iOS allows other browsers on there by name only, the rendering engine is the one on iOS. That isn't even mentioning the fact that it has a slower javascript engine.

Notice how Chrome is slower than Safari right now, that's why.

I do have to agree that choosing a secondary mail app as primary would be nice, but I can see why they do it the way they do.

Most of your complaints seem to suggest that you would be much happier with an Android phone. Might I suggest the Nexus 4 if you'd like the "Google Experience"?
I had a GS3. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but switched back to the iPhone shortly there afterwards. Now that I'm back to iPhone, complexity of the software or UI should matter. Apple seems to be caring more about cosmetics than anything else.
 

jackal123uk

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2007
69
3
England
Keeping it simple wont work forever and is why the competition is catching up. Scott Forstall did get the boot, ya know......Apple doesn't want to suffer from Microsoft syndrome of the late 90s/2000s

Surely, the alternative to maintaining a status quo of simplicity would be to have successive releases of ever increasing complexity which is neither sustainable or conducive to a good user experience.

Keeping a simple, clean OS doesn't mean innovation should stall. The "Microsoft syndrome" is more about complacency and lack of innovation - after all, the shift to a tile based UI in Windows 8 is a simplification is it not?
 

dazed

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2007
911
211
It really does seem that they have either ran out of ideas (under forstall) or Android already has the feature and they don't want more lawsuits

IOS 7 will be the decider I think for many people. If its not a step forward and is just more of an incremental update, I can see many going to android if for no other reason than just bored with IOS.
 

jonnyb098

macrumors 68040
Nov 16, 2010
3,982
5,421
Michigan
Surely, the alternative to maintaining a status quo of simplicity would be to have successive releases of ever increasing complexity which is neither sustainable or conducive to a good user experience.

Keeping a simple, clean OS doesn't mean innovation should stall. The "Microsoft syndrome" is more about complacency and lack of innovation - after all, the shift to a tile based UI in Windows 8 is a simplification is it not?

I agree about incremental rather than blowing it up and starting all over. This could have been done in iOS 6. Notification center is over a year old. They could have said, hey, you can check the weather/ stock/ whatever on the home screen/lock screen now... we made it better! But they didn't. A maps app was more important because of their borderline childish feud with google. Oh and passbook!!!!!!OMG PASSBOOK!!! Same thing with the iPad music app. They took something in iOS5 and made it worse...sure it looks cool but functionality is lost like podcasts, defaulting you to a disgusting disastrous podcast app that Apple should be ashamed of. It was a testament of how full of himself Forstall became. Everything became about pretty designs and crummy functionality. I'm a graphic designer and can appreciate good design, but not when it interferes with function.
 

teknikal90

macrumors 68040
Jan 28, 2008
3,346
1,901
Vancouver, BC
What I want:

- Keep the Tile screen design as is. It's clean, it's simple, it does the job. What can Android users achieve that iOS users can't with their simpler design? Widgets are basically shortcuts to apps. Not worth the clutter IMO. However, I will say that the clock icon should move like the calendar app. Not every second.. maybe just have the minute and hour hands.
- an API to allow notifications on the lockscreen to be customizable by the developers. For Apple's Apps, they should have the option to include the weather forecast on there. Stocks as well perhaps? but I can see that being a clutter.
- the same treatment should be afforded to notification center.
- the crux of iOS 7: a central filing system that apps can have access to! like camera roll, but for all types of files!
- smarter and better Siri
- cleaned up, more uniform UI design language.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,421
I had a GS3. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but switched back to the iPhone shortly there afterwards. Now that I'm back to iPhone, complexity of the software or UI should matter. Apple seems to be caring more about cosmetics than anything else.

We don't need a complex UI, we need a good UI.

Why should complexity matter?
 

wonderspark

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2010
3,048
102
Oregon
I was happy with iOS for a long time, but eventually found jailbreaking got me the features I wanted. Then Apple started putting them into iOS, so I went back to normal. Now I have two phones; one is Android and one is Apple, and today I prefer Android. Tomorrow, I may prefer Apple again, but it's all a matter of preference. Thankfully, there are always options.
 

Squilly

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
2,260
4
PA
It really does seem that they have either ran out of ideas (under forstall) or Android already has the feature and they don't want more lawsuits

IOS 7 will be the decider I think for many people. If its not a step forward and is just more of an incremental update, I can see many going to android if for no other reason than just bored with IOS.

Disagree. We (this forum) is a large minority in society. There will always be people to live off of Apple simply because they're Apple, not because of the UI or hardware/software.
 

dazed

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2007
911
211
Disagree. We (this forum) is a large minority in society. There will always be people to live off of Apple simply because they're Apple, not because of the UI or hardware/software.

But there is a larger group who don't care about what os their phone runs they just want the next cool thing. As much as we all love tech, most people don't really care as much as us.

As it stands android is proving to be cool to look at and demo in store. I'm not talking usability here, just snazzy eye candy. The buyer won't figure out the usabilty issues until they have signed the contract and are stuck with the thing for the next few years.
 
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