Good story mate, and in a nutshell exactly right.
What frustrates me is that, mostly none designers, don't get is that this whole debate is so much more then just about the looks of the icons, despite I don't like the icons, I find them hideous, it's the inconsistence I dislike. Some buttons simply doesn't make ANY sense, few lines which doesn't mean anything and the Apple fanboys shouting hallelujah!
You can have a difference in taste, sure, you can't argue taste, but you sure can argue the 'meaning' of the look and feel. I've shown the new interface to lots of people and the general reaction, despite of comments like ugly and yak, it's that people simply don't understand what certain buttons do.
On top of that the new interaction design is nothing "new" and for sure nothing "amazing" and "brilliant" as all the Apple fanboys like you to believe. Most new interactions where already made by other smartphone companies, and many new features are simply copy paste actions from third party engineers. Like the "lamp" icon, sure, it's handy to have it at hand, but one click on a button from the app called "lampie" and voila let there be light....
Then the option to switch of Wifi, sure that's handy! But I would like to get access straight away to the settings as well. I rather have one click away access to the Wifi settings then just the switch on and off version. Even worse, I got two Wifi channels at home for privacy reasons, when switching on and off it selects the best "source" but I need to go to settings to see "which" source.
It's one of the many incoherent issues that comes along with iOS7.
Then the Apple fanboys are shouting: it's just beta! Beta my *beep*, if Apple need months and months of designing such simple aspects then I don't regard apple to be a company acting in a professional way. What about beta TESTING folks? Let people with know-how about interaction design have some criticism and fine-tune the device BEFORE you let it out with the result you have now: many newspapers and magazines that quite rightfully criticizing the new iOS.
Then the Apple fanboys shouting Hallelujah! This is Ive's design, so let it be known! It's good, no matter what you say!
And that's exactly where it all starts going wrong. The dogmatic view of "knowing it all better".
It would be less frustrating when Ive actually had came up with something NEW, because it's hilarious that Apple fanboys are shouting Hallelujah!, this is new while it's simply is not... the whole iOS is a gathering of already existing designs and interaction approach from various other devises. It's really really strange to see Apple bitching about companies steeling "their" design while they themselves are copying like crazy.
And before all the Apple fanboys going to shout blasphemy and condemn me for being a Microsoft lover, I'm working on Mac's all my life when most of you where still struggling to see daylight for the first time. I LOVE Apple products and I'm even thinking about buying the new Mac Pro when it comes out. For my design company I dig Apple, and I'm sure not thinking of stepping over. But if Apple really like to regain it's "coolness" factor, and trust me, when I bought the 7100 hundred serie Apple computer they where anything but popular, they really need to do these things:
- Make iCloud accessible for none apple products
As Forbes stated: It’s frustrating how difficult it is to share photos and videos on an iPhone or iPad. In the mobile world, there are a few killer apps: photos, maps, messaging, and music. As a reader said below in the comments section, “Apple needs to do all of these.”
- Talk once more with the music industry, iRadio? Seriously?!?!
iRadio is a laughing matter. Why on earth should I use iRadio while I can select my own music I like to hear with Spotify? And why should I choose iRadio when fellows like shoutcast have been all around for years with hundreds of radio stations that are actually controlled by professional DJ's instead of algorithms that "think" it will know what my flavor would be when I skipping a song?
Why would I not choose Google Radio where you can actually see the next ten numbers and select the 8th one skipping directly the previous 7? I really don't get it, Apple has billions to spend, if they want they can pay just a little bit more to the music industry and build a new Spotify kind of program (not iTunes, that program really sucks) that does the same thing.
Not inventive? Nope, it isn't. But it sure brings Apple head strong back towards the role of popularity and on the long turn that's very very important. When I can have more access to way more music choice with Apple then I have with Spotify for the same amount of money I would step over for sure.
The Apple story has so much more products to offer then any other online store with Amazon as one of the exceptions.
iRadio is the next Ping, wait and see!
Lastly, let Apple stop accusing others for being copy cats while doing the same
Once I saw an Apple that was holding on on it successes stating there products where simply the best. Now, when bigger smartphone's become popular rumors go that Apple will come along with bigger iPhones. Why? Seriously, why? I always thought, and still do, that despite of the new hideous iOS7 design that the hardware of the iPhone 5 is superior to those of the competitors. The iPhone also feels so much better in hand then those plastic devises from other companies. But now other companies are becoming more popular and on many online magazines the iPhone is no longer the nr 1 smartphone devices I see an Apple trying to follow the route of there competitors rather then to come along with simply something better. And trust me, a "bigger" phone doesn't make a phone "better". I don't ever will call someone with a size table tennis bet on my ears.
Mu 2 cents...
I was expecting Apple to do away with the extreme skeumorphic stuff here and there, but this neonfest and ugly icons are horrible. I have a feeling all of this is in effort to gear up for the chineese market. As a european, It goes all the way against my taste.
