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Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory
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They did take up screen real estate. The notch cannot be used for anything other than a notch, and it is strange to have the screen wrapping around it when any images that are in the screen are blocked out because of the notch. It was a bad design decision.
I'd charge mine sitting in a restaurant, usually while I was looking at a menu and placing my order. Rarely did I need to have it plugged in more than 10 minutes, even when the charge was low. I do like the AP2 though, it's always charged and ready to go.
It came out with Apple Pencil 2 and the NEXT version of iPad, I believe. Maybe it was a year after the iPad you had? The iPad available when Apple Pencil 1 came out just didn't have induction charging for the pencil, and the pencil couldn't do it anyway.
The Apple Pencil 1 actually came with one of those in the box so that you COULD charge it from the wall charger if you wanted to.
I don’t think it’s bad
others have made a lot of noise about it, but that doesn’t make it bad
Never in my life heard of anyone doing that. "Back" would intuitively be the upper leftmost button, which it was.
This is a great point. I used that old Apple Pencil to sign a lot of legal documents and stuff. Much better than using my finger!
Ha same here! I will be devastated if my 1st gen dies - it’s coming up to 10 years old this year ?
Greg from 'Apple Explained' explained that Apple's bizarre decision to put the charging port under the mouse is because it charges so fast and so Apple didn't for one millisecond plan that users would want to use it tethered. That probably is the reason, but it's still dumb, and is the reason I don't use it. I don't use any of my peripherals untethered (wireless). I've had my absolute fill of wireless peripherals either going flat at an inopportune time or bluetooth dropping off that I wouldn't touch a BT keyboard mouse or trackpad with a ten-foot pole.
So for me it's a wired Matias keyboard with number pad, into which I plug a Magic Trackpad 2 (which mercifully connects via a Lightning connector at the back) and a regular cheap wired two button mouse that cost me about $7. Life is good.
So for me it's a wired Matias keyboard with number pad, into which I plug a Magic Trackpad 2 (which mercifully connects via a Lightning connector at the back) and a regular cheap wired two button mouse that cost me about $7. Life is good.
I like the magic mouse way of charging because it prevents the situation of people leaving the charging cable in whilst trying to use the mouse, kind of like a 'wired mouse'. This way it prevents the mouse from being trickle charge and never fully charged because people will use it whilst charging. Having the charging port on the underside prevents users from using the mouse in a way it's not designed to.
I'm kinda waiting for something like that (MacMini Pro or whatever it might be). I also still have a 2013 MacPro and I feel it is not at the end of its life, but I do wonder if it is worth upgrading (still stock config), or spend the money on something with Apple Silicon....
This might have already been said in the 14 pages of prior comments but surely there's a new magic mouse coming soon.
I don't have too many problems with the current magic mouse but it would be advantageous if it could be charged while being used. That seems to be a bit of a no-brainer really. I have a cheap USB mouse I keep around just for those dreaded moments when the 'low battery warning' appears while I still have several hours work ahead.
The other thing I'd like to see is a third mouse button. It's hardly ever an absolute requirement but there are applications that just work better with a third mouse button, even when it's implemented as a clickable scroll wheel. 3D-rendering apps often use it to differentiate between panning and rotating. Games, albeit rarely a priority on a mac, are another one. Cities Skylines springs to mind.
I mean, I *could* just buy a mouse that better fits my needs but there's something about having an all-Apple setup that I like.
I don't have too many problems with the current magic mouse but it would be advantageous if it could be charged while being used. That seems to be a bit of a no-brainer really. I have a cheap USB mouse I keep around just for those dreaded moments when the 'low battery warning' appears while I still have several hours work ahead.
The other thing I'd like to see is a third mouse button. It's hardly ever an absolute requirement but there are applications that just work better with a third mouse button, even when it's implemented as a clickable scroll wheel. 3D-rendering apps often use it to differentiate between panning and rotating. Games, albeit rarely a priority on a mac, are another one. Cities Skylines springs to mind.
I mean, I *could* just buy a mouse that better fits my needs but there's something about having an all-Apple setup that I like.
There's a difference between a flaw and someone's opinion about a design decision. A connecting cable that fails under normal usage is a flaw, deciding to put a charging plug underneath the MM is a design decision. Whether or not it was a good one is an opinion.
People complain you can't use the mouse while charging, and yet offer up solutions like a charging stand that would do the exact same thing.
A couple of minutes of charging will yield hours of run time for the MM. It takes about the same amount of time to get and replace batteries in a battery operated one, many off which have no option to use with a cable if teh batteries are dead? Is that a flaw? If you consider not being able to use a mouse when its batteries are dead then it's a flaw in non-rechargable battery powered mice; but I suspect most people would not call it one.
Apple, over the years, has had a number of flawed products, but the MM's isn't one of them. Apple has also made a lot of bad design decisions over the years as well, what they are differ because opinions differ.
People would complain about Button-gate.
I agree it was a bad UI decision not to have the menubar create a drop down for items that would not have screen space due to the notch; or not to have a way to permanently keep the menubar below the notch instead of on a by app basis.
The design has some interesting quirks, such as activating Bartender's secondary menu causing Safari Tech Previews menu to disappear.
My 2 cents:
- The charging solution is inelegant but in the real world not that big of a deal. What I have a huge problem with - is the atrocious ergonomics. I love the Magic Mouse functionality, but I've always found it a bit uncomfortable. Still, I kept using it. And - after a few years I developed real health problems (wrist pains/carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms). Switching to MX Master solved everything (problem-free ~3 years now).
- A total disaster. I truly hated that remote.
- Again, very inelegant, but wasn't a big deal. Of course, 2nd generation Pencil is much, much better.
- Don't have AirPods Max, but the case looks like garbage.
- Never had issues with the butterfly keyboard. Nonetheless, it is good we're back to more reliable solutions.
- I still remember how pissed off I was of the arrogance of the Phil "ass innovator" Schiller. They neglected the Pro market for so long and then the smug announcement of a product no one asked them to make. The last MBP gives hope that we're finally over that dark period of Apple. Fingers crossed!
The fact that you figured out a workflow to not have to deal with issues doesn’t make it a good design. You’re luckily getting some warning from the os before you’re stranded but there’s plenty mice that can be charged and used at the same time - which certainly is the better approach from a product development standpoint.
There’s plenty documented feedback that users could not determine without looking which orientation the remote is at hence it’s not intuitive in it’s form. I don’t know your issues with the remote app as I haven’t launched that app in ages - but the quick ATV remote controls I have in control Center are straight forward.
To carry on about the mouse.
Do you see any difference in the 2 mice in the below photo? One has AA batteries, the other the built in battery. Weight difference is negligible. They both do exactly the same thing. For what good reason did Apple replace AA's in the mouse? Why fix what is not broken? What do we do when the built in battery fails? Buy a whole new mouse? Same goes for the BT keyboard and trackpad. Apple batteries don't exactly have the best track record.
Now in the next photo you can clearly see the difference in thickness between the 2 laptops, largely because they removed a part that few people use anymore, the CD drive. The rack of CD's you see in the background are mostly for show, I play more vinyls, and Spotify now. But it is true, I just don't need a CD player in a laptop anymore, so good design decision there.
In the case of these phones, removing the AA battery pack you see in the big Nokia and redesigning the mobile phone in general was a good idea, because like a laptop, a phone is something we carry around, so smaller and lighter is always good. But when it comes to a mouse, it is something that slides just a few centimetres around on a desk, and does the same job it always has, with the same size hands we've always had.
Do you see any difference in the 2 mice in the below photo? One has AA batteries, the other the built in battery. Weight difference is negligible. They both do exactly the same thing. For what good reason did Apple replace AA's in the mouse? Why fix what is not broken? What do we do when the built in battery fails? Buy a whole new mouse? Same goes for the BT keyboard and trackpad. Apple batteries don't exactly have the best track record.
Now in the next photo you can clearly see the difference in thickness between the 2 laptops, largely because they removed a part that few people use anymore, the CD drive. The rack of CD's you see in the background are mostly for show, I play more vinyls, and Spotify now. But it is true, I just don't need a CD player in a laptop anymore, so good design decision there.
In the case of these phones, removing the AA battery pack you see in the big Nokia and redesigning the mobile phone in general was a good idea, because like a laptop, a phone is something we carry around, so smaller and lighter is always good. But when it comes to a mouse, it is something that slides just a few centimetres around on a desk, and does the same job it always has, with the same size hands we've always had.
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Yeah, charging the Magic Mouse - this was funny. Happy me since I always used a Trackpad.
But the Butterfly keyboards were the most annoying piece of hardware Apple ever release. But this wouldn't have been such a catastrophic thing. What makes it really bad is that it took Apple ~5 years to fix it. Same with ports or more that 16GB of RAM.
Apple doesn't listen to it's customers. It is more like "look we didn't add more RAM and we didn't fix thermal issues BUT we made it thinner. THINNER Bro!!!".
But the Butterfly keyboards were the most annoying piece of hardware Apple ever release. But this wouldn't have been such a catastrophic thing. What makes it really bad is that it took Apple ~5 years to fix it. Same with ports or more that 16GB of RAM.
Apple doesn't listen to it's customers. It is more like "look we didn't add more RAM and we didn't fix thermal issues BUT we made it thinner. THINNER Bro!!!".
The iMac not being user serviceable is a major screw up. No way to clean the fans out without cutting the display from the chassis. All they needed to add was a simple flap to open or a filter to replace to prevent this:-
No, the Menu bars etc are pushed up into the area that used to be the black bezel at the top of the display so you gain the height of the menu bar on the display as usable space.
Never liked the method by which one could charge Apple Pencil 1.
Just like with iPhones, iPads and mobile Macs, I doubt using the mouse while charging would have any measurable negative impact during the lifespan of the product. In fact tons of wireless devices including Apples own keyboard have zero problem with that.