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Apple's Designers Clashing Over 'Tacky' Software Skeuomorphisms

How ironic, that Apple, supposedly a cutting edge circa 2012 tech leader, gives it's customers a calendar that resembles something out of the sixties... complete with the "torn off page look".

That's one of the most disgusting things I've seen.

If I wanted one, I'd go to a garage sale... ha.. ha.. ha..

Apple certainly has their ways of making Google Look Ultra Modern :D
 
from the article

For example, in iOS 6, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, Forstall recently demoed an animated paper shredder, which will be used to delete e-tickets and coupons. How many iPhone users have ever actually seen a paper shredder in real life? Is it necessary? Or just visual masturbation? "To me, it’s lipstick on a pig," says the source intimately familiar with Apple’s design process. "There’s no need to add glitter if the product can stand on its own."
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Sounds like he's just a bitter dude or something.
 
Apple's skeuomorphic tendencies are scarily reminiscent of Microsoft's BOB. I just don't understand how Apple can mix modern industrial designs of iPhone / iPad / Macs with faux-retro designs of its software. The contrast makes my eyes hurt.

Then again, I work full time with a weird mixture of Windows 8 PC and tablets, Windows phones, Mac OS X PC, and iOS devices - and while Apple certainly got all hardware right, their software is generally rather painful.
 
Wurm5150 said:
Forstall, smart as he is, is trying too hard to be like Steve Jobs. I think he needs to be replaced with someone who has taste. His skeumorphic crap is bastardizing Jony Ive's hardware design. Software UI design just isn't matching with the beautiful hardware anymore.

Maybe Jony Ive and his team should take over UI design as well.
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I completely agree with this apple software is getting buggy and bloated it is time for something new and fresh.

I never thought I would praise Microsoft but win 8 is new and fresh I really think they are
Doing good things.

Apple is blinded by past successes.
 
ixodes said:
How ironic, that Apple, supposedly a cutting edge circa 2012 tech leader, gives it's customers a calendar that resembles something out of the sixties... complete with the "torn off page look".

That's one of the most disgusting things I've seen.

If I wanted one, I'd go to a garage sale... ha.. ha.. ha..

Apple certainly has their ways of making Google Look Ultra Modern :D
Click to expand...

No one else is using clever animations and themes in their products. Apples calendar and googles calendars both function the same way. Yet htey each have different themes. A "modern" look is all a matter of opinion.

I'd say Apple is a modern based on the slick animations no one else is doing. Yet you'll say the Theme they're using isn't modern. Okay cool!
 
Does this former designer work for Microsoft now?

Personally I don't care, but it makes it easier for the "dads". Just don't slow responsiveness with animations.

Also comparing hardware design to software design is foolish.
 
Ugly!!!
Looks like an airline Logo.
 

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I'm confused.
I thought skeuomorphisms help bridge the gap? (between what we would do in the real world and the electronic implementation - thus creating a more familiar environment)
 
camnchar said:
Steve would never have allowed thi -- oh wait.
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Au contraire, he was part of the pro-skeu faction when he was alive. I think I can see it both ways; sometimes the real way the app works is a bit crippled by the metaphor, as in iCal. But on the other hand, you know what it is without thinking. And it's relatively easy to allow you to figure out how to do it without a manual.

Give me a day or two and I'll come up with some better SKEU apps.
 
Renzatic said:
Dunno why I'm asking this, considering you still think Windows runs on DOS...

What's so bad about the Windows desktop that it requires you to vomit bucketloads?
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That particular shot was extra nasty because of the tulip background and the red(!) taskbar, which called for extra chunky vomit. What's so bad about it apart from that? Well... I stuck with Windows from 1992 until 2009 when OS X became my main platform (still use Win in Bootcamp for the 'paperwork' aspects of running a one man company), and I always wanted to beat the Windows UI designers to a bloody pulp. I always had to skin and tweak the hell out of the desktop... with 95/98/2K/XP, obviously, but with Vista and Win7 as well though they weren't quite as tweakable. They showed promise, but in the end the job of picking stuff like color scheme, logon screen bg, default wallpaper etc was left to some 9 year old girl who loves flowers.

DOS may not be part of the NT lineage but it's still there in spirit... I'm reminded every time Win7 boots and the cursor blinks a couple of times before the boot animation kicks in. Or when I get the safe mode prompt after a freeze.
 
I didn't like the look or limited functionality of the iPad calendar app, so I bought one called CalWizrd.

It's a nice clean look, and has tons more functionality than the default app.

No torn off pages!
 
I don't think the skeuomorphisms, as they call them, are tacky or annoying except for iCal/Calendar. The older look was already close to how a modern calendar looks. It was cleaner.
 
I'm going to side with the anti skeuomorphisms camp on this one. Design a new interface based on the simple principals of ease of use and needed features. Leave the old limitations behind completely.
 
Reason and Rebirth are great examples of skeuomorphism, Apple's are pretty poor.

No, just no. Skeuomorphism for the sake of eye candy is just dumb, especially in real OS apps like the contacts and calendar app. In toy OSs its a little more excusable because there is supposed to be a tactile experience using a tablet or a phone, but it is still annoying. I used to use ical and address book all the time but when they switched over to the new look i just used google, i only open those apps when I have to. On the other hand, some of my favourite apps are based on their skeuomorphism, Reason, The Moog app for iOS, the Roland apps for iOS and Rebirth for iOS. They are all seriously eye candy, but it serves a purpose, rebirth looks like a 303, reason's modules look like a real world device adn behave in a similar way, right down to being able to turn the rack around and getting to mess with the wiring. yes, it is a waste of space, but in the case of these apps i have found it to be very helpful. Imagine if adobe made the RAW plugin for Photoshop look like actual photo tools with a the developer and chems and all of the other obnoxious things that goes with developing real film. I use the computer to have a clean fast UI not to have something that makes me feel like i am using a paper and leather address book or calendar it is unnecessary and tacky.
 
Eddloggg said:
I am fine with Game Center, but please change the osX versions of iCal and Address Book. I didn't upgrade to lion for this reason, and now that my new Air comes with it I want to vomit every time I see it.
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Please, I was more concerned about a bunch of my apps suddenly not working either from general incompatibility or lack of Rosetta. And why the heck did they get rid of X11?
 
Listen to johny...

Scott Forstall has bad taste. Ive is right, that calendar interface looks like something created by an undergrad that just learned how to play with Photoshop... :D
 
I hate the ical leather border. However, if the Haptic feedback iphone were ever to materialize all that leathery goodness could all of a sudden become 'useful'.
 
Gradysigler said:
I completely agree with this apple software is getting buggy and bloated it is time for something new and fresh.

I never thought I would praise Microsoft but win 8 is new and fresh I really think they are
Doing good things.

Apple is blinded by past successes.
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Poll on overclock.net , Will you buy Windows 8. Over welling NO. Link
 

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betab said:
Scott Forstall has bad taste. Ive is right, that calendar interface looks like something created by an undergrad that just learned how to play with Photoshop... :D
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Forstall has no say over OSX graphics, which is shown. He's iOS only. I don't think anything on iOS is egregious like that is.
 
Please do away with this useless, tacky 5h1te, if someone is getting paid for "designing" this rubbish, it's a waste of cash...

What everyone wants is for Apple to move forward and maybe reinvent the user interface instead of giving us dead cow calendars and denim backdrops...
 
That paper shredder thing really bothers me. I don't want to have to wait an extra second to see a silly animation.

Other things that are more practical I can deal with.
 
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