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Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Talks Secrecy, His Future, and More at WIRED Anniversary Event
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I wonder if he'll ever work on designing a charging cable that doesn't fray and fall apart after a few months. That would be a major achievement and milestone for Apple!
After a few months of what, letting your dog use it as a chew toy? I still use the charging cable that came with my iPhone 6 Plus. My sister, however, would probably agree with you.
Agreed. I’d be ok of Jony were just banished from Apple and forced to use Windows NT on a 2000 Dell desktop, using an iPad as a keyboard and needing dongles to connect his serial printer and other devices, while holding the door open for Scott Forstall on his first day back and Jony’s last day working.
Richard Howarth for example. He was leading design at Apple when Jony was busy playing with Apple Park.
He's not crap if he's kept to hardware, and as long as there's some check & balance nearby to stave off things like the Mac Pro garbage can, Apple TV 4K remote, port/jack-reduction mania...
That’s because they don’t see beyond their own noses. For these people, Apple could crash and burn for all they care, so long as they get their Mac mini or Mac Pro.
With all the talk here of how bad Ive is, it’s worth looking at the competition.
Nearly every windows pc laptop is terrible compared to the Mac with almost all of them having plastic trackpads and chassis that bend and flex - even at the high end.
Phones? The new google pixels are nice but most android phones are horribly designed. In fact most of the good smartphones are those that blatantly copy the iPhone.
Yes, we all have our pet annoyances about the UX in macOS and IOS.
However, take a look at something like windows. It is an unholy mess of different era UX paradigms. Windows 7 UI is never far from the service. It resembles nothing more than a beta now and is embarrassing. Windows 7 looks ancient now but at least it’s consistent compared to the Frankenstein’s monster patchwork that is win 10.
Android admittedly is getting loads better - but only on pixel and essential phones. Most people experience a complete mess when they open their phones with each vendor ‘enhancing’ the home screen experience on top of whatever (usually 1-2 years old) version of android that they’re using.
I can’t comment on chrome os nor any of the latest Linux shells. Maybe they’ve got really good now, I just don’t know.
It is right that we hold Apple to a very high standard - but it’s also important to realise that if Apple was not around, how horrible personal (and business) tech would be.
Nearly every windows pc laptop is terrible compared to the Mac with almost all of them having plastic trackpads and chassis that bend and flex - even at the high end.
Phones? The new google pixels are nice but most android phones are horribly designed. In fact most of the good smartphones are those that blatantly copy the iPhone.
Yes, we all have our pet annoyances about the UX in macOS and IOS.
However, take a look at something like windows. It is an unholy mess of different era UX paradigms. Windows 7 UI is never far from the service. It resembles nothing more than a beta now and is embarrassing. Windows 7 looks ancient now but at least it’s consistent compared to the Frankenstein’s monster patchwork that is win 10.
Android admittedly is getting loads better - but only on pixel and essential phones. Most people experience a complete mess when they open their phones with each vendor ‘enhancing’ the home screen experience on top of whatever (usually 1-2 years old) version of android that they’re using.
I can’t comment on chrome os nor any of the latest Linux shells. Maybe they’ve got really good now, I just don’t know.
It is right that we hold Apple to a very high standard - but it’s also important to realise that if Apple was not around, how horrible personal (and business) tech would be.
Not sure I agree with that, personally. Instead I feel many users are expressing dissatisfaction in things with which, I'm further assuming, they were previously pretty darn satisfied before some point in time. Why there's a large contingency of others who respond as if those "complaining" users generally have no grounds to complain but should just grin and accept is rather fascinating.
Good point in your last sentence, but once again: regardless of AAPL's good impacts, is there no point at which AAPL could possibly start straying towards the questionable, which is how many feel, including myself? I.e., over-emphasizing the wrong things, resulting in gems like the MBP keyboard and tons of mixed opinions regarding port/jack/button/keys reductions which cause certain negative trade-offs that cause more pain than gain for many?
To me, the bigger risk is if Apple becomes “just” another tech company. Rather than being a design company who prioritises the user experience over raw specs. Because then Apple loses everything which made them unique and successful in the first place.
So in my view, it’s still better for Apple to continue to focus on design, even if it means making the wrong bets from time to time and ending up resulting in a sizeable portion of the pro Mac user base becoming dissatisfied and not wanting the version of technology that Apple is selling (aka the 2016 MBP).
That is why Apple will never give Mac users what they want - an updated cheese grater Mac Pro. That ship has long sailed and said product simply does not represent Apple’s vision of the future of computing.
What's the difference between "prioritizes the user experience" vs. "focus on design?"
Apple's focus on design should = prioritize the user experience. How can they not be equal?
If the main goal of owning an AAPL product would be how it looks on your desk, then you might have a very strong point.
Revisiting your good post: It's also worth questioning how much opportunity for an improved user experience AAPL is overlooking, where the competition is far ahead. Wireless charging, universal port improved flexibility, at least a little more customization (I would *love* to have my safari controls be constant-on rather than the current whack-a-mole setup since iOS7, and I would *love* to have real, intuitive button shapes vs. AAPL's "you want button shapes? Here's your stinkin' afterthought button shapes" option that's backhandedly binned in the "Accessibility" options area).
It's like AAPL is still the needs-to-stand-out lifelong employee of the vinyl record shop who arrogantly snubs its nose at the plebian "normal other" folk who don't share their exact, often self-limiting virtues.
Apple aims to make products more personal. That’s why they are very successful in areas such as mobile and wearables. Animoji, which was much derided here, was intended to make interaction between people more fun and meaningful. Likewise, Apple Watch bands (also the target of much scorn and derision) completely rethought the mechanics of swapping Watch bands (can you believe the Watch industry still hasn’t improved in this area one bit?) and made people far more willing to try out the Apple Watch.
If you aren’t a design-led company, these are product designs which might seem unimportant from a tech perspective, but can end up making all the difference to the end user (and consequently, sales).
Even the iPad is seeing success simply by virtue of it running ios, rather than macOS.
That’s also why Apple is evidently struggling with their computers. While most users here would rather Apple just bump the specs and call it a day (and maybe even bring back older ports at the expense of making it thicker), Apple isn’t content to do just that. The 2016 MBP represents their attempts at rethinking the laptop experience for an increasingly mobile computing environment, to very mixed reception.
I understand why many Mac users are frustrated at Apple’s design decisions of late (no one likes having their perfected workflows upended on a whim), and I also understand why Apple ultimately did what they did (see the grand theory of Apple). At the end of the day, you cannot expect Apple to not do what they do. It’s their nature. For better and for worse.
The very thing which allowed them to succeed in smartphones, tablets and wearables is ironically causing them to flounder when it comes to Macs and I guess that’s just the way it is.
This is also why Apple’s ability to compete in other industries should never be underestimated, because in addition to owning the best customers, Apple is one of the very few companies who actually gets both tech and design.
OK so you covered "additions," like wearables and customizable animojis. But hindering their bread-and-butter hardware/software experience (the user experience) for many via input/output redux as well as intuitiveness of UIx redux in the name of some "one forced vision forward" isn't deserving of some doubt and questioning, no matter how AAPL clings to that path, where their steadfast clinging could be confused as being "genius?"
Would you not agree much of the floundering is self-imposed, where sticking to the one-size-fits-all approach works less well in today's diminishing returns phase than it did in the exploit-low-hanging-fruit-others-overlooked phase?
Users given one iPod option 15 years ago, which completely disrupted the Mp3 player world with just one architecture option (only a clickwheel iPod and no touch/nano/shuffle) won't result in the same pain felt by users in AAPL's well-refined product world seeing their hardware morph towards one-size-fits-all in AAPL's now-annual port/button/jack/key reduction design contest of a marketplace, for example.
And where does today's MBP strategy leave super-power users more concerned in getting a job done quickly and efficiently than having the sveltest of hardware with the least # of holes in the body.
Going from sleeping on the ground to a mattress was a revelation. Now being limited to one pillow size/firmness is asinine. Yes that would help drive the market towards a common vision, cost/pain/overlooked-pleasure be damned.
Of all MR forum members, I think you "get" (or "accept" ?) AAPL's vision "the best," which I agree is for better or for worse (or both simultaneously) for the customers, assuming AAPL's reason for existence is their customers and not for themsevles. But do you buy that it's in everyone's best interest for AAPL to force certain limiting change so hard, and constant? The push towards USB-C for instance, resulting (likely) in the need for adoption and discarding of mucho current hardware to the scrap heaps in the world, at what gain (to the customers & the world) vs. pain (again, to the customers & the world) ratio, while realizing that some next big-change will occur in 5 years, with new round of purge & upgrade. I don't think AAPL looks at and prioritizes the long game as much as they prioritize being the main one to influence the current/medium game.
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I am not saying you can’t criticise Apple, but I do feel that any criticism needs to be made within the context of the bigger picture of why Apple does things the way they do.
Otherwise, to me, it’s like going to a Japanese restaurant and complaining that they don’t serve French cuisine. You know Apple has their idiosyncrasies and works in a certain way, and you want what Apple clearly can’t and won’t provide.
Past a certain point, it’s no longer constructive criticism anymore, and just venting. Not saying you can’t (vent), but is it helping to elevate the current conversation any?
That’s how Apple works. They maintain a very slim product line so as not to risk diluting their focus too much, and to better reap manufacturing economies of scale.
I won’t exactly say it’s self-imposed. Apple has its unique business model (the functional organisational setup which gives Apple the liberty to move people and resources at ease). While this strategy clearly is working well for Apple, this model isn’t perfect (as evidenced by the apparent neglect of the Mac). But ultimately, it’s a package deal, and the pros outweigh the cons.
Truth be told - not very much, unless they are willing to fall back on the iMac Pro or dock to a 5k monitor.
Apple seems to be essentially betting that the touchbar is the best way to push the Mac forward, rather than ports and specs. They are also apparently drawing lessons learnt from products such as the iPad to try and move the MBP forward, and in the process, they will use the new MBP to push the other mobile devices forward in one giant continuous feedback loop.
To bet almost exclusively on a select few technologies. Is that not quintessentially Apple?
The whole usb c scenario here is basically a lesson in long-term gain for short-term pain. Carrying adapters is a current annoyance that even the best of us will have to endure for a while , but the future is so very bright for Thunderbolt 3, and I can’t wait to see the potential it unlocks.
And by doubling down on Thunderbolt 3 in one of the highest selling notebooks available, Apple is essentially forcing the hand of manufacturers and consumers everywhere. Because for Apple, usb c is the future of computing: impressive power in a thin and light package that can tether to an ultra-powerful rig (5k monitor, e-GPU) when needed. It’s a paradigm that clearly had its roots back in 2011 with the Thunderbolt Display, and usb c just takes the concept one step further.
I don't know about you, but when I want French cuisine, I find a French restaurant. When I wanted a MacBook that fit my needs best, I purchased an MBA in 2014. The difference with Apple is, they're moving towards having only Japanese restaurants to choose from locally. Local customers who want French food? Too bad, move to France if you want French food. Apple has every right to do that but IMHO that's not deserving respect, understanding, and acceptance. Or eventually, sadly, possibly my business!
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I suspect that the October 30th event is going to be telling in which way that they're taking the iPad and the MacBook.
I think that part of the problem is more Cook at Apple then Ive. With a slowdown in PC and smartphone shipments, Apple are incrementally adding on premium features and raising the Average Selling Price of each product in each category.
Although kudos to Apple, I doubt that they're making much money on each XR.
I don't think that we'll see the equivalent of the XR next week for the iPad - more the XS equivalent for the Pro.
Let's hope that we see a cheaper MacBook Air.
Let's hope cheaper in price, not features. I'm quite the whiner (and rare case, apparently) about wishing I could easily upgrade my 2014 w/128gb to 512 or above, as well as add more RAM beyond 8gb, but I'm constantly called the extreme rare case...that nobody wants to upgrade their MBA other very few. Although I'd argue that perhaps some MIGHT be interested in improving their expensive device if they knew it was an easy/available option, since I think MANY quickly get frustrated with 128gb but could be happy with 1TB, but if I give in to agreeing that only .0001% even think about wishing they could increase their SSD, then the other thought struck me this weekend in that perhaps then is the Apple tax issue. $1250 in 2014 for an i7 8gb 128gb MBA with Apple Care was about all I could justify, while 512 was something like $1600 I think. Boy I don't want to sound like a socialist, but what's the end game with the cash hoard AAPL has been collecting... Why is their RAM so expensive, even when bought upfront? My thought continues to be that Apple has been creating and is riding a bit on a bubble that's building just slowly... High prices in products that people want and buy but where certain ease of use & flexibility features are slowwwwwly removed in the name of courage/innovation such that the masses are OK with it for now, but I truly believe can't last w/o a noticeable turn. Can't keep removing buttons and thinning things at prices that make getting the most flexible arrangement impossible (such as max possible SSD, and a fistfull of dongles & adapter banks to keep at home/work/car/other... While adding more features to these tiny devices but maintaining the war on intuitiveness (flat design, hidden/buried commands for the sake of "clean interface"...)... just not sustainable... Curious to see what new directions we see this month.
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Jony Ive has design EVERY MacBook ever made! Pro or Consumer. He’s been at Apple before the TAM actually that’s the VERY FIRST Apple commercial he’s featured in using his voice and face.
Maybe just like career politicians are usually a bad idea, the time has come and gone that Jony should have stepped aside for someone with a fresh outlook. Instead we have Jony resorting to taking away aspects of his best ideas in the guise of new fresh ideas. You can minimize things only so far before the 1900’s bathing suit turns into nothing but strings. A new way of thinking? Yes. Noticeably daring? Yes. Minimal? Yes. Useful and likely to be highly desired and purchased? Um...
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Well I don’t know about you but when I see a G-String bikini va the 1900’s bathing suit I find them VERY useful and even the ladies find them bighlu desirable to be purchased
Sorry had to get hay in but I agree in relation to Ive and computing product design.
Well I don’t know about you but when I see a G-String bikini va the 1900’s bathing suit I find them VERY useful and even the ladies find them bighlu desirable to be purchased
Sorry had to get hay in but I agree in relation to Ive and computing product design.
I didn’t mean G string bikini, I meant: just strings.
That being said, let’s stick with your interpretation of G string bikinis. So, if Apple were the prime choice for bathing suits to people of all ages and bodily inclinations, would being limited to choose from only 2-3 different types of G string bikinis as bathing suit options (if you wanted an Apple bathing suit) also be useful to you?
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