Windows 8 is definitely way more confusing that iOS 7, so I don't think you can really compare the two. Windows 8 pretty much has two different UIs - Metro and the regular Aero UI.
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General Consumer Reactions to iOS 7
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Windows 8 is definitely way more confusing that iOS 7, so I don't think you can really compare the two. Windows 8 pretty much has two different UIs - Metro and the regular Aero UI.
OP, as you complied a list of observations, did you visit other sites? I find that if you sit on this site and pass judgement based on threads here, then you're not really giving anything a fair shot.
Also, I think that anything new is going to get a great deal of complaints and those complaints will be voiced on this site. This site does not make up the majority of people who own an iPhone and the time to worry about the design is after iOS 7 is available to the general public.
Writing things like "only a few people" or "many people" is risky. Please, remind yourself that you're going to really need to touch on nearly ever dev or person who has legitimately installed iOS 7 to actually qualify "many", "few", "some", etc.
You have done a good job of encompassing the general complaints of the users who have chimed in on this forum. No doubt, you aren't wrong in some cases and many can agree and disagree with you. I just think we need to wait for more people to get their hands on this and even so, I doubt we'll see much UI changes that result in a near overhaul.
Also, I think that anything new is going to get a great deal of complaints and those complaints will be voiced on this site. This site does not make up the majority of people who own an iPhone and the time to worry about the design is after iOS 7 is available to the general public.
Writing things like "only a few people" or "many people" is risky. Please, remind yourself that you're going to really need to touch on nearly ever dev or person who has legitimately installed iOS 7 to actually qualify "many", "few", "some", etc.
You have done a good job of encompassing the general complaints of the users who have chimed in on this forum. No doubt, you aren't wrong in some cases and many can agree and disagree with you. I just think we need to wait for more people to get their hands on this and even so, I doubt we'll see much UI changes that result in a near overhaul.
Keep in mind that Windows 8 was the wrong product for the platform. It's a fantastic tablet and phone OS but not so much on the desktop. They weren't just trying a new look and feel, they were attempting to move the desktop platform somewhere it isn't ready to go.
Can we just point out, a lot of people said the iPhone would fail before it launch. Lesson learnt? Give it a chance.
It's human nature to reject change, but in time, we come around to love it. Just look at the circle of pain Facebook goes through every 12-18 months when they change the slightest thing!
Eeeww change > HATE IT > Meh > It's Ok > *INSERT CHANGE* > Eeewww hate it > I loved the old way > & Repeat.
Edit: Windows 8 was a completely different situation. Microsoft pushed their mobile and desktop platforms together too closely, too quickly.
It's human nature to reject change, but in time, we come around to love it. Just look at the circle of pain Facebook goes through every 12-18 months when they change the slightest thing!
Eeeww change > HATE IT > Meh > It's Ok > *INSERT CHANGE* > Eeewww hate it > I loved the old way > & Repeat.
Edit: Windows 8 was a completely different situation. Microsoft pushed their mobile and desktop platforms together too closely, too quickly.
Im sorry, but the calendar app simply sucks. (iPhone) Its nowhere near as easy to find whats going on on ones calendar. Tapping a day with an event takes you to the current time of day making you scroll to find your appointments. In iOS 6 it simply listed appointments simply under the calendar. Very quick access.
Where can I meet your "general consumer"? My bunch of general consumers (boss, mom, aunt, cousins) tend not to really understand that apps are running in the background. Once in a blue moon, an app will misbehave and I show them how to close it, and a week later, they don't even remember that they can double-click to get the multitask tray.
While I do like the direction iOS is going, I can definitely appreciate that sentiment. There's a couple of things they could do very easily to tone things down, such as using more muted colors in the icons and for the SMS bubbles. Not massive changes whatsoever.
I do find that certain elements look clean and elegant, like the lockscreen, but are inconsistent with elements like the dock.
The heart of the problem is that iPhones used to be beautiful but crammed, now they're beautiful and balanced, leaving iPads seeming sparse.
My most recent example is an oblivious mother loudly explaining it to her teenage son at the airport, berating him for leaving too many things running. My girlfriend also does it frequently which is odd considering her only iPhone influence is myself.
The problem with things like this is that among "general consumers", misinformation spreads like wildfire.
I don't understand, because the iPad has the same UI structure and functionality as it did in iOS 6 but now in iOS 7 it's just themed differently.
Yup, this represents the vast majority. There will definitely be many people in pure numbers who do use the tray and even "close" the apps, but in comparison to the amount of people who don't use it, or don't use it to "close" things, that even large number would still be a very small portion.
I don't understand, because the iPad has the same UI structure and functionality as it did in iOS 6 but now in iOS 7 it's just themed differently.
As I said, it's hard to explain but I prefer the way iOS 6 uses the iPad real estate to the way iOS 7 handles it. iOS 7 on iPad just doesn't 'feel' like a tablet OS, it feels like the very thing Tim Cook mocked Android for being, "a blown up smartphone" UI.
On iPhone, I love iOS 7 but I prefer 6 on iPad.
It looks different, but its not too different. Windows 8 was a big mistake for the desktop and was a brand new learning curve that people simply refused to use.
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Subjective it is. When I went back to iOS 6 I had the complete opposite response to you.
At this point, my biggest disappointment isn't even the look, it's the loss of usability from ios 6. Too much txt instead of icons (new ios 7 notification centre) white so bright it hurts and loss of calendar functionality. I don't even care how ios 7 looks, put back the ease of use please Apple.
In response to the ops post, totally agree. With people I have shown ios 7 to, they have been less polite...
In response to the ops post, totally agree. With people I have shown ios 7 to, they have been less polite...
Check out this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/580494/
I assume we'll get something similar when the new iPhone comes out. And then as people start to use it over time they'll start liking it (or get used to it). Also I've seen some threads here where people said they didn't like iOS 7 at first but the more they used it the more they came to like it. Can that really happen with someone using someone else's device for a half and hour?
I assume we'll get something similar when the new iPhone comes out. And then as people start to use it over time they'll start liking it (or get used to it). Also I've seen some threads here where people said they didn't like iOS 7 at first but the more they used it the more they came to like it. Can that really happen with someone using someone else's device for a half and hour?
No. Using iOS 7 for half and hour does not give you enough time to get to know it.
I'm really not overly excited about iOS 7, but I'm not clinging to iOS 6, either. iOS 7 looks good to me, but it doesn't really make iOS 6 feel outdated. What excites me is the future of iOS in general. I can't wait to see what the new APIs will allow developers to do, and I also am curious to see where Apple plans on taking us in iOS 8 now that the elephant in the room has been addressed.
Take a look at OS X 10.0 in 2001 and compare it to Mavericks. The UI of Mavericks is a finely aged version of what was so criticized twelve years ago. I believe that iOS will age similarly!
Take a look at OS X 10.0 in 2001 and compare it to Mavericks. The UI of Mavericks is a finely aged version of what was so criticized twelve years ago. I believe that iOS will age similarly!
I'm not using iOS 7 so I can't say whether I'll like it or not. But I think it will take more than 30 minutes of use to really form an opinion. I think it's also good to remember that this redesign was done in about 7 months. Which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Maybe Apple should have waited until iOS 8 where they would've has more time to work on it. But my guess is Apple felt a less than polished iOS 7 was preferable to another year of iOS 6, design wise.
I feel as though this is just the beginning. I can't wait to see what app developers do with the new APIs. And I'm hoping we get more frequent updates from Apple rather than having to wait a whole year for new features or app updates. For instance, if they didn't have time to redesign the calendar or mail app all the way, why should we have to wait until iOS 8 for an update? Shouldn't have to wait that long.
Strongly disagree. A consumer UI that requires heavy use or 3 weeks to adopt/learn/getting used to would be rather a fail. In general, having to force change their minds is the wrong way. Hey, it's a visual UI change, it should be appealing and people should be saying "Thats's nice, I want it!" ...or better... "Shut up and take my money!"
No. This might apply to something like a complex piece of financial or logistics software or so where the user has to re-learn the functions. In some cases. But definetely not to a self-explanatory UI-update where the functions didn't even change.
Personally I do like the general direction because it fits my personal taste. But I also do understand when people complain about the visual design sacrificing usability. I wouldn't say it's extreme, but it sure is a pretty bold appearence. I's impossible to please everyone but I think they could have done better (if they had more time or so).
Did you even read the original post? He let 71 real people who were all non-developers use iOS 7 on his phone for 30-45 mins each and then had them fill out a written survey. As far as I'm concerned that data is more reliable than the sum total of the opinions posted on this forum. I also think this doesn't bode well for the general release of iOS 7 this fall. Everyone who is saying people will growth like iOS 7 are assuming the average consumer is going to stick around long enough for that to happen. My own reaction to iOS 7 was so negative at first that I thought about dumping my iPhone for a HTC One, and I have owned pretty much nothing but Apple products since before the PowerPC days. Even now, close to a month of use later, I still absolutely detest some aspects of the system (the icons, the overuse of white and text-based navigation), though many components have grown on me. If this is where an Apple fanboy is after a month with iOS 7, I don't think the software is going to be particularly well-received by the average consumer. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.
It took time for people to get used to the iPhone and iPad when they came out, but they're not fails. Many people said the iPhone and iPad would not succeed but lo and behold they have.
I get the feeling that many of your questions were probably worded in a slightly biased/negative manner, swaying their decisions a bit. Because everyone who's seen mine so far likes it.