I'm sure we all thought that would be the case. Then the article went along to talk about the butterfly keyboard.
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Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory
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The pencil and the max case has to be the winners. My max case has not once been used!
I can't say the butterfly keyboard is my favourite keyboard, but I certainly don't hate it and feels it's actually just fine -- for me. I haven't had issues with it either.
How about the gross reduction in interface intuitiveness and efficiency by embracing flat design and unnecessarily reinventing the iOS with iOS 7?
Make iOS do more and more each year…by making so many things less obvious…
Hmmmm…
Make iOS do more and more each year…by making so many things less obvious…
Hmmmm…
Yeah, that "bra case". Wow, that was a dumb design. It's not protecting anything other than a few scratches. I can't imagine using that case and packing the headphones in a suitcase for travel. The headphones will get squished and bent. Very dumb.
I vote for the iPhone MacBook Pro notch, however unpopular I may be.
That to me that is Apple's number one design flaw these past couple years forcing the space around any Apple product into jungle of dongle hell. So while the object may seem streamlined it is inevitably forced to live in a mess of cords, various other objects, or can't function because objects were forgotten and left behind. It amazes me Mr. Ives was a celebrated designer - Form follows function, Nope form to the point of hindering function.
Sure some point in the future Wifi, Bluetooth, or AirPlay connections may operate with both the speed and effectively not to need wired connections but that is most definitely not the case today and any designer who didn't have that foresight. Number one design flaw!
The overall design of the Magic Mouse is horrible, IMO. Its too flat, and too narrow in my hand. I dont so much mind the charging port on the bottom - its silly, but thats why you get warnings when the battery is low. Its still to me the best mouse to use with a Mac due to the gestures and tap features, but I cant use it.
Apple's Most Questionable Hardware Design Decisions in Recent Memory
would be a more fitting title. I’d love to see a best-of of software design decisions that were and still are questionable. For example iOS 10, which stood in contrast to iOS 9 which came before it, and iOS 11 which succeeded it. A lot of the proposed redesign was scrambled within a year.What’s also missing on the list are the Touch Bar by itself, the MacBook/Pro’s before the recent redesign (1/2/4 Type C Ports, bad cooling, screens so thin camera blockers could break them, no replaceable batteries, etc.) the iPhone 5c (although that had somewhat less to do with design and more with $), the Mac Pro wheels without a brake, the Jet Black iPhone 7 and probably some others. But still, this must be one of the best articles published here in a long time.
So many predictable replies, akin to:
“I actually quite like it”; “it worked well for me”; “I heard others had problems, but they never bothered me”.
When thinking about consumer and/or professional product design one HAS to look far beyond the end of one’s own nose. Sure, there’s always a space for personal opinion, but it’s imperative to think about the bigger picture and wider audience.
How will this work with left handed people?
How will this work in dirty/bright/noisy/unstable/dusty/busy/cluttered environments?
How adaptable is this to quirks in user behaviour (we can try to make everyone do things our way, but the reality is that everyone is different)?
How will this work for those with a disability or other hindrance?
How will it work for people with big hands? Small hands? Larger ears? Talker? Shorter? etc.
How will this work with people who might not be so technically savvy? (This is a big one for me… you’d think these days people are quite technically savvy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve troubleshooted for people who don’t even realise that a “cog” symbol or a “hamburger three lines” symbol means “settings” or “menu”). Product design should either be completely intuitive, or spell it out in an unmistakably clear way.
I could go on… this is just a tiny sample of considerations.
With all the above products, whilst they might have been great in some situations, and visually are (imo) nicely designed, they failed in at least one of the more obvious and common wider considerations. I, generally, expect more of Apple. Though, Apple are notorious for “it’s our way or the highway”.
“I actually quite like it”; “it worked well for me”; “I heard others had problems, but they never bothered me”.
When thinking about consumer and/or professional product design one HAS to look far beyond the end of one’s own nose. Sure, there’s always a space for personal opinion, but it’s imperative to think about the bigger picture and wider audience.
How will this work with left handed people?
How will this work in dirty/bright/noisy/unstable/dusty/busy/cluttered environments?
How adaptable is this to quirks in user behaviour (we can try to make everyone do things our way, but the reality is that everyone is different)?
How will this work for those with a disability or other hindrance?
How will it work for people with big hands? Small hands? Larger ears? Talker? Shorter? etc.
How will this work with people who might not be so technically savvy? (This is a big one for me… you’d think these days people are quite technically savvy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve troubleshooted for people who don’t even realise that a “cog” symbol or a “hamburger three lines” symbol means “settings” or “menu”). Product design should either be completely intuitive, or spell it out in an unmistakably clear way.
I could go on… this is just a tiny sample of considerations.
With all the above products, whilst they might have been great in some situations, and visually are (imo) nicely designed, they failed in at least one of the more obvious and common wider considerations. I, generally, expect more of Apple. Though, Apple are notorious for “it’s our way or the highway”.
I love the effort Apple puts in product design, and I regret when is goes beyond the attention to user's need. The round mouse was a good example of something that was a bad good idea.
I would argue that the AirPods Max' headband joining the cups at the top is a far worse design mistake than the case as it compromises its ability to provide a constant seal / front cavity volume across a wide range of listeners.
As a general rule the entire design of the AirPods Max, to me, is the embodiment of of one of my favourite quotes from James May, "an ingenious solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place".
As a general rule the entire design of the AirPods Max, to me, is the embodiment of of one of my favourite quotes from James May, "an ingenious solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place".
A few weeks ago I went to my local Apple reseller and bought a gender changer for my Apple Pencil 1 for a few bucks. It's an unofficial Apple article. I can highly recommend it to everyone with a 1st generation Apple pencil.
I’m exactly the same as you. The gestures/multi-touch are brilliant design, especially as they are customisable. But the ergonomics are awful. Visually it looks cool. But, and I don’t have particularly big hands), I think a mouse should fill out the palm of the hand more. Allow the palm to be rested on it. Design that prevents strain and fatigue should be No. 1 when it comes to mouse design, but it doesn’t seem to be with Apple’s offerings.
Weirdly, I’ve used a Wacom pen instead of a mouse for the last 11 years or so.
I'm with you with regard to the Siri Remote. I think it's one of the best remotes ever made, and for me it was the best remote I've ever used. It was a great size and had a simple layout that was still capable of doing everything needed. It had subtle tactile cues which made it easy (without thinking about it) to know which button was which. I didn't have to look at it to use it and it almost felt like there wasn't anything in my hand. It allowed my fingers to tell the Apple TV what I wanted it to do without attention being needed from any other part of me.
My guess would be that, in reality, it was generally well liked by Apple TV users. But those who liked it didn't have much reason to speak out about it. Those who didn't did, so it seemed (to some) that a lot of people were complaining about it and most users didn't like it. In my own circle, everyone I asked had nothing but positive things to say about the remote.
I have one of the new Apple TV Remotes now. It's a good remote, but for a number of reasons I consider it a downgrade from the previous version.
The whole 2016 MBP package should be there...a total failure.
One wrong move and you’d need to get a new expensive pencil and the charging port fixed or replaced. If only there had been a technology around to charge the pencil not with the iPad, but with a thing that charged the iPad, too. It’s not like you could charge both at the same time anyway. And if you like this way, Apple could have made a durable adapter so you could still do as you do.
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I think the Magic Mouse could be improved by adding wireless charging. Then Apple could provide a mouse mat with built in charging coils so it charges as you use it. I’m trying to think of a good name for the mouse mat, maybe… AirPower? ?
I’m glad the Touch Bar on the MacBook wasn’t in the list. I know most people don’t like it, but I’ve always got on very well with it, especially on my first MacBook. The one on my second MacBook is sometimes not very responsive though…
I’m glad the Touch Bar on the MacBook wasn’t in the list. I know most people don’t like it, but I’ve always got on very well with it, especially on my first MacBook. The one on my second MacBook is sometimes not very responsive though…
The Watch.
It isn’t much of an issue if you just do it when you don’t need it for a minute. It’s not that difficult. Get better thinking.
It surely does look stupid and as if it was an off brand product, but it works.
I liked the first generation Siri Remote. The 2G had more functionality, but was more fragile - broke 2 in 3 years (cases squashed).
I'd reorder the list, with more emphasis on utility fails.
1. Apple/Siri Remote — My wife and mother-in-law found it really hard to use. And if M-I-L is not happy...
2. Butterfly Keyboard — a laptop with an unreliable keyboard was incredibly frustrating. Touch Bar, only USB-C ports, no magsafe?
3. Mac Pro — a power desktop that can't be upgraded easily? Uh...
4. Magic Mouse — unusuable while charging. I use a trackpad for desktop gestures because I mostly laptop.
5. Apple Pencil 1 — I'm terrified to charge it in an iPad, which means I have a fiddly mess of parts to track.
6. AirPods Max smart case — Only ugly weird.
1. Apple/Siri Remote — My wife and mother-in-law found it really hard to use. And if M-I-L is not happy...
2. Butterfly Keyboard — a laptop with an unreliable keyboard was incredibly frustrating. Touch Bar, only USB-C ports, no magsafe?
3. Mac Pro — a power desktop that can't be upgraded easily? Uh...
4. Magic Mouse — unusuable while charging. I use a trackpad for desktop gestures because I mostly laptop.
5. Apple Pencil 1 — I'm terrified to charge it in an iPad, which means I have a fiddly mess of parts to track.
6. AirPods Max smart case — Only ugly weird.
The Magic Mouse charging design is not a big deal. How else should it charge? From the top of the mouse and outwards? Then it becomes a wired mouse which contradicts the idea of a wireless mouse. Just charge it when you’re not using and everyone will survive, I promise. ?
The only real trouble with the original Siri remote was not knowing which orientation you were holding the remote so you’d end up clicking the bottom of the remote instead of the top. This was solved with the release of the new one with a white ring around the menu button. But this new generation Siri Remote is absolutely hideous and clunky. A complete joke to have all that heft and no U1 Find My integration.
Lastly, using the iPad to charge the Apple Pencil was an emergency type deal if you were running really low on battery so you can charge for 5 mins for another hour or so of use. It looks silly of course and the first thing that comes to mind is how easy the it is to snap the lightning connector. But it was always meant to be primarily charged with the included adapter and lightning cable, not on the iPad. The 2nd generation apple pencil changed that and is ONLY charged on the iPad.
The only real trouble with the original Siri remote was not knowing which orientation you were holding the remote so you’d end up clicking the bottom of the remote instead of the top. This was solved with the release of the new one with a white ring around the menu button. But this new generation Siri Remote is absolutely hideous and clunky. A complete joke to have all that heft and no U1 Find My integration.
Lastly, using the iPad to charge the Apple Pencil was an emergency type deal if you were running really low on battery so you can charge for 5 mins for another hour or so of use. It looks silly of course and the first thing that comes to mind is how easy the it is to snap the lightning connector. But it was always meant to be primarily charged with the included adapter and lightning cable, not on the iPad. The 2nd generation apple pencil changed that and is ONLY charged on the iPad.
The Magic Mouse is an example of something that looks like poor design, but honestly isn't.
1. You can't use it while charging, which is by design. That should be obvious.
2. It's supposed to be a wireless mouse, and leaving it plugged in all the time is what most people would do. So ergonomically, forcing people to unplug it to use it is the intended use case.
3. Leaving the mouse plugged in all the time would also have implications for the battery; constant charging would be bad for it. Letting it drain while plugged in would be confusing.
Should Apple have made a charging dock or something similar? Probably. But making it impossible to use while charging is exactly what was intended, and it was executed quite well. And I've never met anyone who has one that cared one lick about it.
1. You can't use it while charging, which is by design. That should be obvious.
2. It's supposed to be a wireless mouse, and leaving it plugged in all the time is what most people would do. So ergonomically, forcing people to unplug it to use it is the intended use case.
3. Leaving the mouse plugged in all the time would also have implications for the battery; constant charging would be bad for it. Letting it drain while plugged in would be confusing.
Should Apple have made a charging dock or something similar? Probably. But making it impossible to use while charging is exactly what was intended, and it was executed quite well. And I've never met anyone who has one that cared one lick about it.