Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory

[sos47]

the bra case is absolutely the top winner ????? how many employees thought about this

the rest is obscure

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

While I do have upgraded to a newer apple tv, I honestly loved the touch remote far more than the newer one. It was simple, quick to scroll through and I loved the large touch sensor over it, something which is very small and poor in the newer design At least while scrolling in a large infuse library.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

has anyone mentioned the lack of proper cooling in the laptops/mini for years? It may not be a thing you can look at but it is something that was felt every day.

It's nowhere near as bad as, what, 10 years ago? I remember having red welts on my legs using my MacBook back then. It WOULD easily take the crease out of dress pants. And got markedly worse if it was working hard, plus the fans sometimes sounded like it were a drone, before drones were a thing. (I stripped it when it died and found a fair amount of dust/lint in it, perhaps adding to the heating control issues) My current one is head and shoulders cooler than THAT pants steamer...

 

[theluggage]

If Apple sold a wireless mouse that could be used while charging, half of their users would never unplug it.

So what? Why do you care so much about what other people do with their mouse? Will the Red Legged Scissor Man come and cut off my thumbs if he catches me using my mouse while plugged in?

If you carefully watch the charge meter on your mouse and infallibly re-charge it overnight before it runs out then good for you! - If Apple moved the charging port to a more sensible location so that other "less organised" folk could recharge it without interrupting their work it would not inconvenience you one jot, but many other people would appreciate the extra flexibility.

What you're actually suggesting is that wireless mice are so pointless that half the users would just keep them plugged in anyway, unless Apple deliberately designed them to force people to use them in the Approved Manner. If that were the case, Apple could save themselves a ton of money by going back to what they used to do: just including a cheap, basic, wired mouse. Not a bad idea considering that apart from your "half of users" who are evil cable abusers there is another large group who will want to buy an alternative mouse or trackpad anyway and the bundled mouse only needs to be there so that the computer can be used "out of the box".

 

[RadioHedgeFund]

What about their software design issues?

In 2013 Apple modernised the look of the iPhone with iOS 7. In 2014 it updated the iPhone line with large screens: 6 and 6 Plus.

In the last 8 years Apple have never corrected the large design flaws in iOS that large screens introduced. Your entire phone should be useable with one hand and yet notifications, the back shortcut, icon floating and control centre are all located well out of reach of your thumb.

This could be easily remedied by redesigning the multitasking view with control centre to the right and notifications accessible from the bottom of the screen.

And it’s 2022 and Apple still don’t trust the professional users of their professional line of iPhones to use manual photography.

 

[Realityck]

the bra case is absolutely the top winner ????? how many employees thought about this

the rest is obscure

Yes, why Apple could have not recognized the AirPod Max case was strange is beyond common sense. At least it created a market for 3rd parties to sell a better case.

 

[ericwn]

I’m not a fan of the MM so we can get that out of the way.

That said, it’s clearly designed as an aesthetic pleaser. Relocating the charging port would both take away from design language of the device, and require a complete retooling of the factories it’s produced in given the cantilever click mechanism. I understand why they haven’t changed it, especially given that people frustration of it not being useable when charging is only an issue if you explicitly ignore at least 3 days worth of warnings that it needs to be charged.

I can’t muster any sympathy for people who can’t plug in a mouse overnight once a month, I really can’t. It’s the equivalent of stranding yourself on the highway after days of your fuel light being on.

I am in full agreement with you on not having sympathy for those types of users - and apparently Apple’s designers share that attitude as well.

Personally, I have used dozens of different mice over the last three decades and in my everyday computer work Apple’s mice have always been replaced with a competitor’s product.

And for those who think the MM is a bad mouse, check out the puck style mouse that came with the G3 iMacs - now that was a mouse to really get mad about.

 

[macjoshua]

The Magic Mouse charging situation is a monthly annoyance. I inevitably forget to charge it until it's dead, and since you can't charge while using it, I'm forced to use my laptop's trackpad, when my usual setup is an external keyboard, monitor and mouse. It's easily my least favorite Apple product.

 

[sw1tcher]

No mention of the worst overlooked questionable design decision, the pentalobe screw? It served no purpose other than to prevent owners from opening up and accessing the internals of their devices to do repairs and upgrades.

 

[Realityck]

A notch on the screen...the worst design decision.

Samsung leaks show notches for next phone. So it’s now a trend.

 

[NewBench]

The charging port on the bottom of the Magic Mouse 2 has to be the worst design element in the history of Apple. Surely, surely when they were testing the thing, one person in the development team said "you can't use it whilst it's charging, wouldn't it be easier to locate the port at the front?". Unforgivable.

Also not a fan of the APM's 'bra case' - does anyone actually use it? Ridiculous that you can't power the thing off in the first place.

 

[theluggage]

People are lazy, is why. And I am certain I’d be constantly unplugging mice people have left for me to deal with.

So what would you rather have to do? Unplug the mouse cable and start working with a fully-charged mouse or plug it in and do nothing for 10-20 minutes while it charges - because those lazy so-and-sos who don't close their windows and leave the mice plugged in surely aren't going to diligently remember to re-charge the mouse every night.

 

[philosopherdog]

the butterfly keyboard was the worst for sure. the magic mouse suffers terrible ergonomics.

 

[gnipgnop]

the bra case is absolutely the top winner ????? how many employees thought about this

the rest is obscure

It's the tech blogs that aren't doing the thinking. The AirPods Max case provides quick access and easy charging/sleeping for the headphones. That's what the design was for. Doing the standard zippered case would allow you to "throw them in a bag", but wouldn't provide any other function.

 

[Realityck]

The Magic Mouse charging situation is a monthly annoyance. I inevitably forget to charge it until it's dead, and since you can't charge while using it, I'm forced to use my laptop's trackpad, when my usual setup is an external keyboard, monitor and mouse. It's easily my least favorite Apple product.

Did you consider a more ergonomically designed wireless gaming mouse as a backup?

 

[gnipgnop]

So what would you rather have to do? Unplug the mouse cable and start working with a fully-charged mouse or plug it in and do nothing for 10-20 minutes while it charges - because those lazy so-and-sos who don't close their windows and leave the mice plugged in surely aren't going to diligently remember to re-charge the mouse every night.

10-20 minutes? More like 3 minutes for enough charge for a full day of work.

 

[mrr]

I still use the Magic Mouse 2, Apple TV remote, and Apple Pencil and they ALL drive me _NUTS_!!!!

 

[theluggage]

And for those who think the MM is a bad mouse, check out the puck style mouse that came with the G3 iMacs - now that was a mouse to really get mad about.

Could have been worse - it could have been wireless and then you'd have had no idea which way it was pointing...

I agree that Apple haven't produced the best mouse since 1984 when they produced the only mouse. I've always given up on the Apple offering and use Logitech or Microsoft (who have, at times, made surprisingly good mice) instead.

 

[Umacga]

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. ?

“How else should it charge”???? Yeah, from the top, like literally every other brand of wireless rechargeable mouse on the market. Someone else commented that most people would use it plugged in all the time, which is a patently absurd contention. Perhaps some clueless folks would do that, but a) so what if they’re ok with it, and b) I work in offices where rechargeable mice are ubiquitous and I’ve literally never seen this.

 

[gnipgnop]

I agree that Apple haven't produced the best mouse since 1984 when they produced the only mouse. I've always given up on the Apple offering and use Logitech or Microsoft (who have, at times, made surprisingly good mice) instead.

No wonder you don't know how quickly they charge...you don't actually use them.

 

[jlc1978]

It's like those electric cars. Can't really use them while they charge for hours sometimes.

Here's how flexible people deal with: They charge when they don't use the car or the device.

You use the mouse.
You get a warning about low battery.
You don't do anything

You whine about the design...

The Magic Mouse charging situation is a monthly annoyance. I inevitably forget to charge it until it's dead, and since you can't charge while using it, I'm forced to use my laptop's trackpad, when my usual setup is an external keyboard, monitor and mouse. It's easily my least favorite Apple product.

Why not get a different mouse? That's what I did.

In the panoply of Apple design decisions, the MM is hardly one of the worst, IMHO.

 

[boss.king]

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.

That's bad product design. There's no good reason you shouldn't be able to keep using a mouse while it's plugged in to charge. This has been an option from other manufacturers for over a decade.

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.

I don't think you can seriously make an argument for this mouse based on ergonomics. No one's saying you should leave it plugged in all the time (why not just buy a wired mouse at that point?), the complaint is that you can't use it and charge it at the same time. This is the same bad point you made above.

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.

This is again the same point you made before. No one is asking to use this as a wired mouse 100% of the time, just to be able to use it while it charges.

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.

Just a charging port in a better place would do the trick. No need for a dock. It's still bad product design, whether it bothers you or not.

 

[gnipgnop]

That's bad product design. There's no good reason you shouldn't be able to keep using a mouse while it's plugged in to charge. This has been an option from other manufacturers for over a decade.

FYI: fast charging makes the placement irrelevant. You'll have a full days worth of charge in a few minutes. You're not required to keep it connected until it has multiple weeks of charge.

 

[Seanm87]

People hate on Ive for these products but he made more fantastic products than duds while at Apple.

People just focus too much on the negative. His design ethos inspired a generation. Laptops and smartphones would look very different today if not for Ive.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

I see it exactly the opposite.

If Apple sold a wireless mouse that could be used while charging, half of their users would never unplug it.

Which means half of their users, when asked if the Magic Mouse is worth buying, will answer the question based on their muscle memory of using a wired mouse.

Which, since perception is reality, this is the same as saying “they’ve made a worse wireless mouse than their previous wireless mouse.”

To me this is totally about function over form which is exactly what Apple should be prioritizing.

It’s absolutely not function over form. It’s 100% form taking priority. Why would it matter if the mouse was plugged in? They could have made it charge wirelessly or a magne stand with charging pins.

They are perfect for "throwing in a bag" honestly. They cover the buttons and keep the earpads from popping off, and that's it. Unless you carry rocks in your bag, that's all that's needed.

Except all the grit, sand, and dust that have free access to rub against the headset, why not cover it all? Why leave the edges exposed? Just twist the headset like the Sony WH-4000 and it would take less space than the bra and include a power switch

That said, it’s clearly designed as an aesthetic pleaser. Relocating the charging port would both take away from design language of the device, and require a complete retooling of the factories it’s produced in given the cantilever click mechanism. I understand why they haven’t changed it, especially given that people frustration of it not being useable when charging is only an issue if you explicitly ignore at least 3 days worth of warnings that it needs to be charged.

It wouldn’t need any retooling if it was designed intelligently in the first place, secondly if the MM was a few mm taller you could fitt a port seamless you wouldn’t be able to see. Or just wirelessly charge it… it’s still a brain dead design for no advantage whatsoever, it’s impractical and not ascetically pleasing and easily fixed. Just like the Mac Pro 700$ wheels without breaks, all aesthetic no function

I can’t muster any sympathy for people who can’t plug in a mouse overnight once a month, I really can’t. It’s the equivalent of stranding yourself on the highway after days of your fuel light being on.

That’s not the point, the question is why design it in its worst configuration possible? It’s an 80$ mouse from a detail fixated company not a 2$ random Chinese brand.

These are the same coworkers that, whenever I sit down at the shared computer, have left open a half-dozen un-saved projects that I need to save to the server before starting my own work.

People are lazy, is why. And I am certain I’d be constantly unplugging mice people have left for me to deal with.

Easy to fix, apple just designed it impracticaly and ugly, still you won’t need to unplug anything if they forgot it as it’s still usable. Or just have it wirelessly charged on a beautiful glass pad

It's like those electric cars. Can't really use them while they charge for hours sometimes.

Here's how flexible people deal with: They charge when they don't use the car or the device.

I guess you would call it innovative to charge the car upside down as well or on your knees

You use the mouse.
You get a warning about low battery.
You don't do anything.
When you're done using the Mac, you charge it (overnight).
Next day, you unplug it and use it.

or lay it on a pad