Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Power Management Feature in Older iPhones Will Be Able to Be Turned Off in Future Update

[Tozovac]

I’m into the 2013 and later mindset that Apple seems to have got that their customer base wanted. Function means nothing if I’m unhappy with the form.

I'm glad things are working out well a least for one of us. That mindset at Apple in the 90s-00s might not have helped lead to their meteoric rise back then, though, when things just worked so much better than the competition. Back then, the form & strong industrial design was that secondary super-nice-to-have "extra" or surprise & delight icing on the cake. Lines are so much more blurred now; all look pretty much alike in hardware, UI, and software, and I just don't feel fulfilled overindulging on so much icing/sugar. I miss the form follows function, for sure.

 

[I7guy]

I'm glad things are working out well a least for one of us. That mindset at Apple in the 90s-00s might not have helped lead to their meteoric rise back then, though, when things just worked so much better than the competition. Back then, the form & strong industrial design was that secondary super-nice-to-have "extra" or surprise & delight icing on the cake. Lines are so much more blurred now; all look pretty much alike in hardware, UI, and software, and I just don't feel fulfilled overindulging on so much icing/sugar. I miss the form follows function, for sure.

Based on some the recent revenue, corporate valuation etc, it appears someone is happy with apples products. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm sure with hundreds of millions of customers, there is a lot to complain about. But all in all people seem to be happy based on revenue and valuation.

It also seems that in today's day and age, we are into copycat big time. TVs seem to look alike. Cars seem to look alike. Phones seem to look alike. (hence the notch). Prior to the iphone 1, all flip phones were similar. Cant get away from it. But I think the iphone x is reminscent of the strong industrial design of the iphone 4 and back to that type of design you allude to. Although the 7 and 8 are strong phones and likely become the lucrative second tier offerings, the iphone x, with the notch, is the design for the next few years.

 

[Tozovac]

Based on some the recent revenue, corporate valuation etc, it appears someone is happy with apples products. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm sure with hundreds of millions of customers, there is a lot to complain about. But all in all people seem to be happy based on revenue and valuation.

It also seems that in today's day and age, we are into copycat big time. TVs seem to look alike. Cars seem to look alike. Phones seem to look alike. (hence the notch). Prior to the iphone 1, all flip phones were similar. Cant get away from it. But I think the iphone x is reminscent of the strong industrial design of the iphone 4 and back to that type of design you allude to. Although the 7 and 8 are strong phones and likely become the lucrative second tier offerings, the iphone x, with the notch, is the design for the next few years.

Ha, Apple's financial success is hard to argue with. But is it directly because most consumers really like the things I critique & dislike? Or in spite of it? Could Apple be even more financially successful if they improved the tings I call faults & design flaws? Or is Apple still just the better option than a PC and Android for many (for now...), just like jumping off the 6th floor of a burning building is often a better option than staying put (but where the Apple of pre-2013 was more like a cozy, well-designed building not on fire). If today's financial success is an indicator, then we'll see if we hear more of Miley Cyrus (image/form-first, function way second IMHO, making $$$ today) in elevators 30 years from now than Stevie Wonder (where form clearly followed function, and function led spectacularly). Only time will tell.

The X actually fails my expectation for "good design," as it still has the form-first minimalist iOS/OS UI and the ever-decreasing-hardware-featureset (buttons, ports) still housed in Apple's design-flaw fragile glass casing. If I had to buy new today, the SE is still my clear best choice. Though I'd also need to buy a case to fix the iPhone's fragility design flaw that Jony Ive apparently is still blindly apathetic to fixing.

I agree 100% about cars, phones, music, TV's, looking too alike nowadays. You could even add computers and websites. That is why all the unnecessary reinventions occur, IMHO, in attempts to stand out. Note that all this look-alike morphing & borrowing/stealing has occurred just over the last 10-15 years, before which, Apple products looked like Apple products and PC's/windows looked like PC's/Windows. Now Dell/HP/others now often look like iMacs & MacBooks, most all websites/apps/operating systems employ the same light blue/grey/white flat design/material design appearance that's too often maddeningly unintuitive and made overly-complex by burying functions within unnecessarily redesigned interfaces (while being touted, ironically, as being cleaner and simpler...). Most all cars look like Audis from the front and Toyotas from the side. And don't get me started about today's pop music. Again, I think all this morphing together and unnecessary reinventioning is unavoidable since you can't help but reach some point of uber-refinement to where there's no more low-hanging-fruit to exploit, no meaningful new idea to develop & implement. Thus things like....iOS 7, cough cough, Apple Watch cough...the courageous removal of magsafe, headphone jacks, home buttons, expandable RAM/storage/batteries, cough cough cough...curved TV screens... Everyone stealing Audi's open-mouth blacked out shield/badge grille and morphing into things like the gawd-awful Lexus spindle grille...

I'm still amazed Apple remains so focused on removing things like bezels, buttons, ports, details in software, and fractions of millimeters of thickness instead of realizing opportunities in new directions they & others fail to exploit (as far as I know): a "durable iPhone" option (think: yellow durable Sony walkmans of old) since as Apple removes bezels, so does the ability to protect the edges and swipe from offscreen get clunky when adding a case; an expandable iPhone or MacBook option for those who would pay more for flexibility, ports, and expandability than thinness; a combo iPad/MacBook option that can toggle between iOS & OSX (I fail to ever believe a tablet & laptop/desktop should have the exact same interface or even UI elements). Or back to the battery topic of this thread: How about informing customers of the potential to rescue/revive their hardware via battery replacements and then provide options of some phones/computers with easy battery replacement hardware like 99% of other consumer products. I.e., true "Think Different" than what you're doing today and stop thinking you know 100% what customers might want.

 

[I7guy]

Ha, Apple's financial success is hard to argue with. But is it directly because most consumers really like the things I critique & dislike? Or in spite of it? Could Apple be even more financially successful if they improved the tings I call faults & design flaws? Or is Apple still just the better option than a PC and Android for many (for now...), just like jumping off the 6th floor of a burning building is often a better option than staying put (but where the Apple of pre-2013 was more like a cozy, well-designed building not on fire). If today's financial success is an indicator, then we'll see if we hear more of Miley Cyrus (image/form-first, function way second IMHO, making $$$ today) in elevators 30 years from now than Stevie Wonder (where form clearly followed function, and function led spectacularly). Only time will tell.

The X actually fails my expectation for "good design," as it still has the form-first minimalist iOS/OS UI and the ever-decreasing-hardware-featureset (buttons, ports) still housed in Apple's design-flaw fragile glass casing. If I had to buy new today, the SE is still my clear best choice. Though I'd also need to buy a case to fix the iPhone's fragility design flaw that Jony Ive apparently is still blindly apathetic to fixing.

I agree 100% about cars, phones, music, TV's, looking too alike nowadays. You could even add computers and websites. That is why all the unnecessary reinventions occur, IMHO, in attempts to stand out. Note that all this look-alike morphing & borrowing/stealing has occurred just over the last 10-15 years, before which, Apple products looked like Apple products and PC's/windows looked like PC's/Windows. Now Dell/HP/others now often look like iMacs & MacBooks, most all websites/apps/operating systems employ the same light blue/grey/white flat design/material design appearance that's too often maddeningly unintuitive and made overly-complex by burying functions within unnecessarily redesigned interfaces (while being touted, ironically, as being cleaner and simpler...). Most all cars look like Audis from the front and Toyotas from the side. And don't get me started about today's pop music. Again, I think all this morphing together and unnecessary reinventioning is unavoidable since you can't help but reach some point of uber-refinement to where there's no more low-hanging-fruit to exploit, no meaningful new idea to develop & implement. Thus things like....iOS 7, cough cough, Apple Watch cough...the courageous removal of magsafe, headphone jacks, home buttons, expandable RAM/storage/batteries, cough cough cough...curved TV screens... Everyone stealing Audi's open-mouth blacked out shield/badge grille and morphing into things like the gawd-awful Lexus spindle grille...

I'm still amazed Apple remains so focused on removing things like bezels, buttons, ports, details in software, and fractions of millimeters of thickness instead of realizing opportunities in new directions they & others fail to exploit (as far as I know): a "durable iPhone" option (think: yellow durable Sony walkmans of old) since as Apple removes bezels, so does the ability to protect the edges and swipe from offscreen get clunky when adding a case; an expandable iPhone or MacBook option for those who would pay more for flexibility, ports, and expandability than thinness; a combo iPad/MacBook option that can toggle between iOS & OSX (I fail to ever believe a tablet & laptop/desktop should have the exact same interface or even UI elements). Or back to the battery topic of this thread: How about informing customers of the potential to rescue/revive their hardware via battery replacements and then provide options of some phones/computers with easy battery replacement hardware like 99% of other consumer products. I.e., true "Think Different" than what you're doing today and stop thinking you know 100% what customers might want.

I view this simply. I like Apple products and I buy Apple products.

The universe seems to like Apple products to. Oh, Don’t get me wrong they aren’t perfect. But imo the upsides to their products are far and away greater than their downsides.

When they stop producing products people don’t want, you will know it, I will know it and Cook will be out of a job.

 

[Tozovac]

I view this simply. I like Apple products and I buy Apple products.

The universe seems to like Apple products to. Oh, Don’t get me wrong they aren’t perfect. But imo the upsides to their products are far and away greater than their downsides.

When they stop producing products people don’t want, you will know it, I will know it and Cook will be out of a job.

Things are always simple to view for those like you for whom your first two paragraphs apply. For those where the 3rd paragraph starts to apply, it’s not so clear what we could or should do. I.e., the situation in the 3rd paragraph doesn’t appear overnight so I’d think any smart company like AAPL would have realized a turning of the tide long before. With most smart phones so dang alike with flat design software and glassy breaky bezelless hardware, (and with Apple’s offerings having such limited differentiation across models) there’s little opportunity for the consumer to shop with their wallet and inform Apple of our preferences. I.e. just not as big a difference imho between Apple and Android, and no real difference other than price for Apple hardware. Unless Apple or Android phones change hard, it’s still jump from the ledge of the fiery building or stay and burn.

I know it’s pretty easy for happy customers to completely not understand or even respect dissatisfactions of folk like me. And emailing Apple for feedback is useless.

 

[I7guy]

Things are always simple to view for those like you for whom your first two paragraphs apply. For those where the 3rd paragraph starts to apply, it’s not so clear what we could or should do. I.e., the situation in the 3rd paragraph doesn’t appear overnight so I’d think any smart company like AAPL would have realized a turning of the tide long before. With most smart phones so dang alike with flat design software and glassy breaky bezelless hardware, (and with Apple’s offerings having such limited differentiation across models) there’s little opportunity for the consumer to shop with their wallet and inform Apple of our preferences. I.e. just not as big a difference imho between Apple and Android, and no real difference other than price for Apple hardware. Unless Apple or Android phones change hard, it’s still jump from the ledge of the fiery building or stay and burn.

I know it’s pretty easy for happy customers to completely not understand or even respect dissatisfactions of folk like me. And emailing Apple for feedback is useless.

Customers who have been with Apple for a long time have bought into the company emotionally and have a strong identification with Steve Jobs, IMO.

I don’t have that kind of co-dependency with Apple, my iPhone is a tool, albeit an expensive one. One that I know will last at least 5 years under normal use.

In 2013 I pitted iOS against android. Android lost and there is no reason for me to go back and look at android again as my platform of choice. I like that you can get lcd or oled on Apple flagships and there is a varied lineup.. It’s not a slam dunk I would buy oled 100% of the time.

It’s not that I don’t understand why you are frustrated it’s that what bothers you doesn’t bother me.

 

[Tozovac]

Customers who have been with Apple for a long time have bought into the company emotionally and have a strong identification with Steve Jobs, IMO.

I don’t have that kind of co-dependency with Apple, my iPhone is a tool, albeit an expensive one. One that I know will last at least 5 years under normal use.

In 2013 I pitted iOS against android. Android lost and there is no reason for me to go back and look at android again as my platform of choice. I like that you can get lcd or oled on Apple flagships and there is a varied lineup.. It’s not a slam dunk I would buy oled 100% of the time.

It’s not that I don’t understand why you are frustrated it’s that what bothers you doesn’t bother me.

I have no attachment to Jobs. I just enjoyed using aapl products much more when he was around. If their products rang my bell now like they did then I couldn’t care if a talking pink poodle ran the show.

You’re lucky you like today’s offerings more than dislike. I’m looking to get back to that myself, hoping any changes increase your happiness similarly, if not leave it where it was. Put it this way - do you think you’d feel the same, worse, or better if MacBooks had more ports and serviceable innards with maybe a 1/2 mm thickness and .15 lb increase? If the iPhones kept their button and jack but with no cost increase and only .15” bezel? If the software wasn’t so low-contrast blue/grey/white/pastel-centric and the calendar, music, and voice mail/dialer apps went back to an ios6 UI/logic layout but just with an updated “cleaner” appearance, would that flip your happiness standing?

 

[I7guy]

I have no attachment to Jobs. I just enjoyed using aapl products much more when he was around. If their products rang my bell now like they did then I couldn’t care if a talking pink poodle ran the show.

You’re lucky you like today’s offerings more than dislike. I’m looking to get back to that myself, hoping any changes increase your happiness similarly, if not leave it where it was. Put it this way - do you think you’d feel the same, worse, or better if MacBooks had more ports and serviceable innards with maybe a 1/2 mm thickness and .15 lb increase? If the iPhones kept their button and jack but with no cost increase and only .15” bezel? If the software wasn’t so low-contrast blue/grey/white/pastel-centric and the calendar, music, and voice mail/dialer apps went back to an ios6 UI/logic layout but just with an updated “cleaner” appearance, would that flip your happiness standing?

I give you kudos for your keen eye, I am not that picky on the interface for me it just needs to work.

However, you have a good point on the number of ports and serviceable innards. My sp4 has one port and for a pc that is irritating. My other laptop has 4 USB 3.0 ports, ethernet, dvd, and a few other goodies. That said, I'm a firm believe you can't have too many ports on a laptop. However, neither sp4 nor laptop has user replaceable batteries.

Yeah, it would be nice to have the headphone jack back. Deal breaker? I usually use B/T headphones, except on aircraft where I need the dreaded "dongle".

IOS 6 with a much cleaner interface would be nice. I'd like to see it. Also themes or skins would be a welcome addition to IOS, ala windows.

So I posted previously there are things that could be improved, but I don't know if any company will be able to please so many customers at the same time.

 

[Tozovac]

Kudos maybe, or a curse to be so hyper-vigilant for what I consider to be Bad Design based on marketing and personal minimalist whims. Like WC Fields said, there’s a sucker born every minute and I truly think a majority will pretty much accept “anything,” thus Apple’s continued financial success and justifications to keep on keeping on. I have often asked in this Macrumors site when sharing awful UI examples via screenshots of iOS7-11 or OSX Yosemite-onward for anyone to show examples of what was broken in ios6 & Mavericks and then how the new flat minimalist vague UI fixed things and I have yet to get a single response or example. Where I think things are significantly worse, it seems most are just ok with the changes. Every time I find myself confused or doing extra hunting/pressing in ios11, and everytime I see the amateurish OS X and am reminded I just couldn’t tolerate “upgrading” past Mavericks, and each time I realize I’m going to soon outgrow my iPhone and possibly be eventually forced to buy an expensive fragile buttonless device, or outgrow my mba and be forced to “upgrade” to a MacBook likely with the awful forcetouch trackpad and needing dongles until I invest in new support hardware, I get more motivated to whine here and release tensions. Same for how Apple’s long term “answer” for addressing battery issues is software options for the management controls and nothing closer to giving the user more flexibility and personal control over their expensive piece of hardware. Even back when I was happier with Apple offerings before 2013, my anti-Apple friends hated the restrictive control from Apple. Now I see their light.

 

[I7guy]

Realizing there is room for many opinions on design (or bad design), there is not one right opinion on what constitutes good or bad design. Saying there’s a sucker born every minute and I truly think a majority will pretty much accept “anything does not make another opinion more correct, and making a pejorative generalization about a unknown group of people makes ones' point moot and worthless. Many people are hyper-vigilant about things in life, but can state that without putting down another "made-up" of people.

IOS 6 was the last in the line of operating systems for 32 bit processors. IOS at that time had been around for 6 years, Apple had 6 years to get ios 32 bit operating system correct. My guess is planning started for 64 bits, the 5s and ios 7 whilst Steve was still alive and a decision was made a radical redesign of ios was needed as it had become stale after 6 years and thus ios 7.

But I feel your pain when trying to figure out what to press to get something done. In that regard ios 6 was not any better, which is the reason IOS comes with documentation (as does Windows). People who say differently just know IOS 6 more intimately.

IOS is restrictive I give you that. I saw the light a long time ago and realized I wanted less control, not more control. I wanted the phone to "just work", which for me it does. I like you, saw the light, and people who say I want almost complete control over my phone, for those people there is Android.

Apple with so many devices and so many customers is never going to please everybody at the same time.

 

[Tozovac]

I know one can't dictate taste & preferences. Or, for that matter, a willingness (and tolerance) to accept whatever's presented. Regarding "a sucker is born every minute," I probably should have more gently said: nothing will ever convince me away from believing a vast majority of consumers are pretty likely to "accept" what they're offered and then adapt w/o much complaint or kudos, not even really noticing if they've "lost" or "gained" something from before. (Ignorance is bliss-ness)

But for those on the extremes though (like me who detests iOS7-11 vs. those who are quite taken with it), all I'll say is: Regardless of the masses who adapted and see little difference between "now vs. before," as well as those who "really prefer" the way things are now: to date, nobody has taken me up on numerous dares to show side-by-side screenshots of how the prior-to-iOS7 way of doing something was broken, and then how the iOS7-and-after way was vastly, mechanically better. I can't critique anyone for being accepting (or really liking) how things are now, but nobody's yet shown what was broken and then fixed (vs. just changed). This viewpoint still says it all to me. I could list dozens of examples of how the "prior" way was more intuitive, direct, and easy, That's not to say the time wasn't right for a freshening; there was just no need for a complete reinvention. Why did a 32 to 64 bit change require a UI reinvention? And, if age is a driving factor, we're approaching a time when iOS7-11 will be over-ripe like iPhone OS to iOS6 apparently was over-ripe. If sticking to time-tested well-proven UI principles is no longer the driver but complete redesigns are expected, then am I the only one frightened as to what's going to be next?

 

[I7guy]

The "ignorance is bliss" comment is just another form of an ad-hom against a generalized group of people that you cannot provide any proof for, that they actually think like that. Be that as it may.

The ios 6 interface, like it or not, was deemed for an overhaul as (my guess) Apple mgmt felt it was long in the tooth. It doesn't have to do things decidedly different to have an opinion, that something was "broken" prior and "fixed" afterwards and that's why the UI was updated. That's your benchmark, not shared by me.

The viewpoint you quoted may resonate with you, but it doesn't resonate with me as we have different tastes.

You could certainly list your own examples of what you consider to be more intuitive prior to ios 7, and I'm sure there are other, equally compelling examples, of where things are better post ios 6.

As to why there was a UI overhaul with iOS 7, I've already stated my opinion. And I believe that after 6 years, ios 12 will be an overhaul of sorts. With the smartphone now ubiquitous UI principles should be different than a decade ago as more people understand how to interact with a touch screen. UI design is like fashion and the UI, like fashion, evolves over time. There really is not an end-point.

 

[Tozovac]

Sure, "Ignorance is bliss" should make sense, but maybe there's a better phrase. There are things that for me are pretty much the same across most options where I can barely tell the difference between them (nor care to), while others would violently disagree. Any vanilla ice cream is vanilla ice cream to me. Same for laundry detergent, golf balls, shampoo, gasoline, computer mice. Even iPhones - I'm perfectly happy with my dinged up 5S as long as it keeps working. Back before 2005, I shopped for PC's by price more than anything else while some friends swore forever-allegiance to HP, Dell, or Lenovo, etc. I'm fairly confident there's a large contingency of iPhone users who don't fret their iOS too much, they just accept and work it.

 

[I7guy]

It seems there is an effort to denigrate(and get into their heads as well) a large swath of iphone users who may hold a different opinion. But you are right, there are arguments on all sides of this particular coin.

I personally however, can tell the difference between some of the differing brands of vanilla ice cream, or store brand products vs the "equivalent" manufacturers product.

I'm also fairly confident that a number of iphone users on the current versions, don't merely fret IOS too much, but actually like where Apple is going. With so many iphones and customers, each will have a different tale to tell. None of them wrong as "they" are the customers and spend their money the way they see fit.

But make no mistake, I am not debating what you find not to your liking in IOS, only what you believe a generic non-descript population of iphone users are thinking.

 

[Tozovac]

It seems there is an effort to denigrate(and get into their heads as well) a large swath of iphone users who may hold a different opinion. But you are right, there are arguments on all sides of this particular coin.

I personally however, can tell the difference between some of the differing brands of vanilla ice cream, or store brand products vs the "equivalent" manufacturers product.

I'm also fairly confident that a number of iphone users on the current versions, don't merely fret IOS too much, but actually like where Apple is going. With so many iphones and customers, each will have a different tale to tell. None of them wrong as "they" are the customers and spend their money the way they see fit.

But make no mistake, I am not debating what you find not to your liking in IOS, only what you believe a generic non-descript population of iphone users are thinking.

I wish I could find my first rant on the subject - I said back then I post like this for therapy. Makes me feel better to scream from the rooftops the arguably poor design form-first decisions Jony Ive has put into iOS & OS ever since Steve departed us. Then when others would respond in agreement, I always felt better knowing I wasn't the only one that thought something just didn't seem "right" and Apple-like (IMHO). That and I secretly hoped to build a small groundswell of users who'd be more willing to spread our common views.

But, from all that, when reading responses over the years, it's given me a gut feel of the tolerance level (and preferences) for the whole pre-post iOS7 thing.

Acknowledging I may just be using poor words/phrasings, I still contend - I bet there is a large majority of users who would barely bat an eye if iOS12 was basically iOS6 UI but with newer graphics treatment for the apparently essential refreshenings. They like or tolerate iOS7 and they'd like or tolerate iOS6 as well as an iOS12 that's a lightly re-skinned version of iOS6 UI's, where buttons return with more tappable area than small text, borders return, black text returns as default instead of grey text, grey text returns to meaning it's a non-selectable option, iOS return to using squares/rectangles for certain buttons & images & contacts instead of round circles, 3D treatments return to certain functions like Music app volume & location/progress controls, and the music & podcast apps return to being more simply intuitive instead of rather unintuitive.

Having said that I believe most users (or maybe, a very large % of users) would either "quietly accept" if not instead equally enjoy either pre- or post-ios7 UI's without much noise, how is that being overly assuming?

Or maybe, here's what I think, knowing it's pure opinion. I'd be curious to hear your subjective %'s?

1. Those who detest iOS7-11 and instead prefer the iOS6 & prior UI's (not necessarily prefer some over-the-top skeumorphism, but rather the base UI): < 5%

2. Those who detest iOS6 & prior UI's (whether it's the UI, or some over-the-top skeumorphism, or both) and love, love love iOS7: <30%

3. Those who are in the middle, could go either way...call it blind obedience or anything kinder: the majority, or at least 2/3 of users (65% or so)

 

[I7guy]

I wish I could find my first rant on the subject - I said back then I post like this for therapy. Makes me feel better to scream from the rooftops the arguably poor design form-first decisions Jony Ive has put into iOS & OS ever since Steve departed us. Then when others would respond in agreement, I always felt better knowing I wasn't the only one that thought something just didn't seem "right" and Apple-like (IMHO). That and I secretly hoped to build a small groundswell of users who'd be more willing to spread our common views.

But, from all that, when reading responses over the years, it's given me a gut feel of the tolerance level (and preferences) for the whole pre-post iOS7 thing.

Acknowledging I may just be using poor words/phrasings, I still contend - I bet there is a large majority of users who would barely bat an eye if iOS12 was basically iOS6 UI but with newer graphics treatment for the apparently essential refreshenings. They like or tolerate iOS7 and they'd like or tolerate iOS6 as well as an iOS12 that's a lightly re-skinned version of iOS6 UI's, where buttons return with more tappable area than small text, borders return, black text returns as default instead of grey text, grey text returns to meaning it's a non-selectable option, iOS return to using squares/rectangles for certain buttons & images & contacts instead of round circles, 3D treatments return to certain functions like Music app volume & location/progress controls, and the music & podcast apps return to being more simply intuitive instead of rather unintuitive.

Having said that I believe most users (or maybe, a very large % of users) would either "quietly accept" if not instead equally enjoy either pre- or post-ios7 UI's without much noise, how is that being overly assuming?

Or maybe, here's what I think, knowing it's pure opinion. I'd be curious to hear your subjective %'s?

1. Those who detest iOS7-11 and instead prefer the iOS6 & prior UI's (not necessarily prefer some over-the-top skeumorphism, but rather the base UI): < 5%

2. Those who detest iOS6 & prior UI's (whether it's the UI, or some over-the-top skeumorphism, or both) and love, love love iOS7: <30%

3. Those who are in the middle, could go either way...call it blind obedience or anything kinder: the majority, or at least 2/3 of users (65% or so)

Do you think the population of iPhone users would find that iOS has “arguably poor design“? I can only speak for myself I like the design of iOS 11, and can’t find it “arguably poor”. Your opinion is your opinion and having a strong opinion on the design of the current iOS doesn’t make another’s opinion invalid. I personally do not think there is a “huge” community that wants iOS 6 to return. I don’t.

Your English is exemplary. In my opinion your intent is to diminish the population who doesn’t hold the same views as you.

UI design is like fashion. Time marches on and design principles change. People, in my experience, willingly accept changes where the change is for the better. That last point can’t be over-emphasized because with tens of millions of Apple customers, what constitutes “better” is subjective not objective.

 

[Tozovac]

Do you think the population of iPhone users would find that iOS has “arguably poor design“? I can only speak for myself I like the design of iOS 11, and can’t find it “arguably poor”. Your opinion is your opinion and having a strong opinion on the design of the current iOS doesn’t make another’s opinion invalid. I personally do not think there is a “huge” community that wants iOS 6 to return. I don’t.

Your English is exemplary. In my opinion your intent is to diminish the population who doesn’t hold the same views as you.

UI design is like fashion. Time marches on and design principles change. People, in my experience, willingly accept changes where the change is for the better. That last point can’t be over-emphasized because with tens of millions of Apple customers, what constitutes “better” is subjective not objective.

Ha ha. Well.....until someone takes me up on my offer and shows convincing side-by-side screenshots how the iOS7-11 way of doing something fixed something broken or in need of functional re-doing from iOS6 (to counter the many side-by-side examples I have listed often before, going the opposite direction) then yes I feel what we have today is arguably an inferior design for UI easy comprehension and intuitivity.

Coupled with articles like the one I shared a few times above by Amy Hoy which does a pretty outstanding job of arguing why the iOS7-9 UI way of doing things (which have carried over to iOS11) is generally a "worse" way of doing things (subjectivity alert, I know), I still feel the case is strong that the iOS7-11 UI is largely a fashion decision and not a function decision, but also a functionally worse decision especially as our small devices provide more and more complex functions & apps, a UI should be based on a function-first approach based on human nature and decades of research, not form & fashion. So yes, I feel the "arguably poor" statement stands until someone can show side-by-side screenshot examples of what was broken before and how iOS7-11 fixed it. Fun talks!

 

[I7guy]

Ha ha. Well.....until someone takes me up on my offer and shows convincing side-by-side screenshots how the iOS7-11 way of doing something fixed something broken or in need of functional re-doing from iOS6 (to counter the many side-by-side examples I have listed often before, going the opposite direction) then yes I feel what we have today is arguably an inferior design for UI easy comprehension and intuitivity.

Coupled with articles like the one I shared a few times above by Amy Hoy which does a pretty outstanding job of arguing why the iOS7-9 UI way of doing things (which have carried over to iOS11) is generally a "worse" way of doing things (subjectivity alert, I know), I still feel the case is strong that the iOS7-11 UI is largely a fashion decision and not a function decision, but also a functionally worse decision especially as our small devices provide more and more complex functions & apps, a UI should be based on a function-first approach based on human nature and decades of research, not form & fashion. So yes, I feel the "arguably poor" statement stands until someone can show side-by-side screenshot examples of what was broken before and how iOS7-11 fixed it. Fun talks!

I don’t know who is going to “take” you up in an offer to prove something was broken in iOS 6 that was fixed in iOS 7. I am not because I believe that UI, like fashion, is always evolving opposed to fixing and thus iOS 7 and beyond, to me is arguably better than iOS 6.

The articles you cite are subjective. Can subjectivity be measured objectively?

I’m sure Apple has a staff of UI experts. It’s just that you happen to not like the current UI, while I do.

But I do not think one needs to show something is broken in order to change it. Suit fashions are a great example of this and I feel UI design should follow the fashion model.

 

[Tozovac]

Ha, well, then if subjectivity rules, then yes you are right, it’s ok to change something just for the sake of change. When time marches on, it certainly should not be wearimg 70s bell-bottoms or powdered wigs right?

For me, each time I find myself having to press repeatedly to shut off my alarm in the morning since "stop" is a teeny-tiny text "button" instead of a larger "button," I can't help but feel something is not as good as it used to be. Same for the teeny-tiny 15-second advance/rewind buttonless text/icons for when listening to a podcast; too often I have no idea of my command/press "took" because the buttonless icon is completely covered by my finger, and it's not always apparent from what you're listening to that the rewind or advance was accepted. A larger button area that flashed when pressed and which could not be covered completely by my finger (like things used to be) seemed to work really well and lent itself to the prior “it just works” feeling.

So things feel worse (broken, even) than before. Maybe others don’t even notice or have similar issues.

Or the iOS voicemail screen with similarly teeny-tiny non-button commands for for Speaker, Call Back, and Delete, where 90% of the time (no exaggeration), my pressing Delete does not take and instead, the next message is selected. Because the button is so small. Then it’s a frustrating dance back and forth 2-4x to get iOS to do what I wanted. Every time I squint when trying to read light grey low-contrast text in the sun/outdoors, I can't help but feel something is really broken that used to be just fine. Less It Just Works, more frequent pauses and redo’s than before, resulting in actual frustrations. Whole other topic: spreading an app’s features over 2-3 screens instead of one, for a cleaner, more blank, less cluttered look that requires more pressing and working than before. So if those examples aren't really "broken/worse" designs, and if fashion/timeliness is acceptable to prioritize over potential objectively less-accommodating function, then I can completely see your side as to why there's no right/wrong answer for UI. Whatever we get that is fresh for the times is good enough? (sort of like, most people will accept anything, for the most part...?)

 

[I7guy]

Ha, well, then if subjectivity rules, then yes you are right, it’s ok to change something just for the sake of change. When time marches on, it certainly should not be wearimg 70s bell-bottoms or powdered wigs right?

For me, each time I find myself having to press repeatedly to shut off my alarm in the morning since "stop" is a teeny-tiny text "button" instead of a larger "button," I can't help but feel something is not as good as it used to be. Same for the teeny-tiny 15-second advance/rewind buttonless text/icons for when listening to a podcast; too often I have no idea of my command/press "took" because the buttonless icon is completely covered by my finger, and it's not always apparent from what you're listening to that the rewind or advance was accepted. A larger button area that flashed when pressed and which could not be covered completely by my finger (like things used to be) seemed to work really well and lent itself to the prior “it just works” feeling.

So things feel worse (broken, even) than before. Maybe others don’t even notice or have similar issues.

Or the iOS voicemail screen with similarly teeny-tiny non-button commands for for Speaker, Call Back, and Delete, where 90% of the time (no exaggeration), my pressing Delete does not take and instead, the next message is selected. Because the button is so small. Then it’s a frustrating dance back and forth 2-4x to get iOS to do what I wanted. Every time I squint when trying to read light grey low-contrast text in the sun/outdoors, I can't help but feel something is really broken that used to be just fine. Less It Just Works, more frequent pauses and redo’s than before, resulting in actual frustrations. Whole other topic: spreading an app’s features over 2-3 screens instead of one, for a cleaner, more blank, less cluttered look that requires more pressing and working than before. So if those examples aren't really "broken/worse" designs, and if fashion/timeliness is acceptable to prioritize over potential objectively less-accommodating function, then I can completely see your side as to why there's no right/wrong answer for UI. Whatever we get that is fresh for the times is good enough? (sort of like, most people will accept anything, for the most part...?)

As far as fashion bell bottoms probably will become popular, but narrow lapels of the 50s are now popular again. So I expect the same type of recycling with UI guidelines.

Since you mentioned specific examples:
- alarm stop button in 11.3b1 is fairly big. Don’t remember if this was changed.
- can’t speak for podcasts but I have no issue with safari video controls
- the ios voicemail screen the buttons don’t feel particularly tiny
- my 6s is very readable with full on direct sunlight and polarizing sun glasses

So for me it just works. But as I said previously, with tens of millions of customers Apple will not please everybody. There are just too many opinions.

You may want to try public beta of iOS 11.3 on your 5s. On my 5s it rocks.

 

[chucker23n1]

Why did a 32 to 64 bit change require a UI reinvention?

It didn’t. No idea why you’d bring it up.

There are problems in the iOS 7 design, and some have been mitigated while others haven’t. Beyond that, you just seem to like arguing about this.

 

[Tozovac]

It didn’t. No idea why you’d bring it up.

There are problems in the iOS 7 design, and some have been mitigated while others haven’t. Beyond that, you just seem to like arguing about this.

That’s not my idea. I’m questioning why somebody else stated that, look further up above if you so choose.

I’m not arguing about apple’s poor decisions. I’m enjoying discussing them!

 

[I7guy]

That’s not my idea. I’m questioning why somebody else stated that, look further up above if you so choose.

I’m not arguing about apple’s poor decisions. I’m enjoying discussing them!

There was context behind that on the original post.