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GOOD CALL!

imac_generation_icons-224611-1237962196.jpeg

Apple definitely changes designs a lot:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1353
 
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/lgs-next-gen-chocolate-bl40-teased-on-video-looks-good-enough/

"nuff said"

I have been an apple fanboy for so long now, and not once have I felt the urge to get something else - apple has always delivered.
Not one product in electronics do I own that I could have gotten better elsewhere than apple.

but excuse me for cursing. what the **** is this?

How DARE apple present the 3Gs with its dated design when LG can present this?



Right now, I am not even considering keeping my iPhone... I am whining about all the money invested in the appstore and mobileme.

(hmmm... really have to think it through when leaving mobile me, I LOVE that service - maybe keep it for the macs?).



So I guess I just had to vent my frustration with apple, as I just cant justify sticking with them when LG presents a phone like this.

I guess now is when Apple is not defining style anymore.



what do you guys think?

The newbie fanboys have gone too far in this thread. I agree with you OP. The UI on the iPhone looks dated compared to the Pre and this phone. The iPhone UI is 2.5 years old and will now likely have to go an entire year before any updating. The lack of multi process support is getting ridiculous. To reply to a text or IM you have to quit whatever you're doing. You can't use turn-by-turn and Pandora, or even the Mail or Safari apps while listening to Pandora or any other audio source but the iPod. When a phone call comes in you have to stop what you're doing instead of seamlessly answering the call while continuing your game or Internet browsing. The iPhone still doesn't offer a camera flash.

Will you fanboys ever stop kissing SJ's ***? I chose the iPhone (3GS) because, overall, it was the best device on the market in terms of design, UI, application support, and synchronization abilities, not necessarily because it is Apple. While this LG phone is unlikely to make a dent in iPhone sales, mainly due to the iPhone brand and app store, it's demonstrated UI is miles ahead of iPhone OS 3.0. It includes a great camera app/flash settings and high MP camera. It is also thin, and sleek.

The point isn't that this phone is better overall than the iPhone, the point is Apple needs to stay current. A lot of technologies like OLED (which would help improve the iPhone's abysmal batt life) are becoming more commonplace. Next year Apple will need something new, not a rehash of the same phone first revealed in Jan 2007.
 
joeshell383

I'm no fanboy and am new to the iPhone as of the 3gs. Is it possible that you are a fanboy looking down on other fanboys?

No disrespect - but you've obviously been with Apple for awhile and it sounds like you are "bored" with the UI. That's very different than a UI being outdated or old looking.

Whenever a person looks at something day in and day out (like a website) - if it hasn't changed in design, it feels stale when, in fact, it's still an amazing design. Should apple shake things up? Perhaps. But perhaps your sentiment and the OPs are more based out of your personal "boredom" and looking at different UIs which look (at first) more exciting. Also, you have no usability experience with these other "exciting" uis and a) might hate them even more and/or b) get bored with them after a year or so as well.

Point is - Apple isn't just going to cater to people who have owned the iPhone BEFORE - they're job is to cater to their FULL audiences.

As a new iPhone user - I love the UI and think that yes - there could be some improvements - but I wouldn't call it outdated, stale, not exciting or any words thrown about in this thread.

But that's me and my .02
 
The UI on the iPhone looks dated compared to the Pre and this phone....

I chose the iPhone (3GS) because, overall, it was the best device on the market in terms of design, UI, application support, and synchronization abilities.


/boggle

Then why not get the PRE if Apple is so yesterday?

Will you fanboys ever stop kissing SJ's ***?

These comments are always absurd. First the need to try and squeeze in profanity with *** or $#!@ as if you can't make the point any other way is laughable.

Second, all this "stupid fanboy this," "stupid fanboy that" stuff cuts both ways. The charge is a knife that cuts both ways. Sure there are people that will defend Apple under any circumstance (fanboys), but there are people that will bash Apple under the same circumstances. Simply calling people names does nothing for the substance of your post.

Looking at the substance, you can't even keep your own objection straight. Apple is dated on the phone and UI, yet you buy it over the other options because it is the best at "design, UI, application support, and synchronization abilities...." Which is it?
 
Looking at the substance, you can't even keep your own objection straight. Apple is dated on the phone and UI, yet you buy it over the other options because it is the best at "design, UI, application support, and synchronization abilities...." Which is it?

Perhaps I should have emphasized OVERALL. That means it was overall it was the best COMBINED package, even though other phones offer some better individual aspects. While I like the Pre's UI better than the iPhone's, OVERALL the sacrifices required would not be worth it, OVERALL it is not as good as the iPhone.

If you look at my original post, I stated "I chose the iPhone (3GS) because, overall, it was the best device on the market in terms of design, UI, application support, and synchronization abilities, not necessarily because it is Apple."

Also, you have no usability experience with these other "exciting" uis

I do have experience with the Pre UI.

Also, it is not about "excitement" or "newness". It is the fact that the OS is still based on one that had different goals. The goal of the original iPhone OS was simply to get a solid, easy-to-use stylus-less touch UI to the masses.

Now that touch screen phones are commonplace, the things that companies should strive for and work towards has changed.

Soft, smooth fonts, vibrant images, icons, and backgrounds, and seamless visual effects are the next steps. Simply having an easy-to-use touch UI isn't cutting edge anymore.

Consider the first computer GUIs. Same thing. At first the goals was simply to provide an easy-to-use, non-text based interface. The goal then shifted to make things more aesthetically appealing.
 
That's nice. I still think the UI is fresh, easy to use and has some great/cool effects like when I take a picture and I want to share it? How it reduces the size of the picture (animated) and slides it into my email.

You realize you're only talking about appx 2 years since launch, right? Ive been on Treos and Blackberrys that hadn't changed UIs for much longer

I still maintain that you're just bored. And I say that because I also have several people in my office who are brand new to the iphone and couldn't be more excited with their new phones.
 
...the UI goals have shifted......

No they haven't. Interface design is about making the resources in the device accessible to the user, and good interface design is about doing it in a way that is consistent and intuitive so users have to think the least in order to obtain the best usage of the device.

What has changed is that from the date of inception in 2007, when the iPhone was the only device in that corner of the market, there are now many competitors. It's easy to confuse competition with evolution, when in fact that isn't what has been happening.

Apple's interface has remained the same because in terms of their design criteria, it doesn't need to change. It maintains (in their eyes) the simplest and most consistent way to control and use the device. That other devices use different methodologies is inevitable, as inevitable as it is that some will look at the sophistication of those other devices and have a preference for an interface that is different from the one on the iPhone. That's as it should be. In the days of the almost ubiquitous Moto Razr, such a choice would have been unthinkable. Now everyone has jumped on the bandwaggon and brought their varying ideas to UI design in handheld devices. It doesn't mean Apple's is out of date - it isn't - it only goes out of date when it ceases to provide the user experience it was designed to provide. It just means other ideas have come to the market which for some are more appealing.

The iPhone UI will change when it needs to. As yet, given the rate of sales, it would appear it has not reached that point from the user's standpoint. It certainly hasn't from the standpoint of providing a consistent and intuitive user experience.
 
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/lgs-next-gen-chocolate-bl40-teased-on-video-looks-good-enough/

but excuse me for cursing. what the **** is this?

How DARE apple present the 3Gs with its dated design when LG can present this?



Right now, I am not even considering keeping my iPhone... I am whining about all the money invested in the appstore and mobileme.

(hmmm... really have to think it through when leaving mobile me, I LOVE that service - maybe keep it for the macs?).



So I guess I just had to vent my frustration with apple, as I just cant justify sticking with them when LG presents a phone like this.

I guess now is when Apple is not defining style anymore.



what do you guys think?

Are you joking?! I think you should get over yourself.
 
jWhenever a person looks at something day in and day out (like a website) - if it hasn't changed in design, it feels stale when, in fact, it's still an amazing design.
Yep.

Change for change sake is not good. There has to be a purpose behind the change.

The UI on the iPhone / iPod touch is very effective for the most part. Sure there might be some tweaks here and there, but overall, it is a simple and effective design.
 
actually when i saw on the internet,

LG Prada was the first phone with the touch screen idea

but apple patended it first or something lol

If apple patended it first they either had the idea first, or LG is retarded.
 
Apple definitely changes designs a lot:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1353

No, they don't. I pulled every photo in my first post from the link you posted. If you look at the design of their staple item in the line, the iPod, you will see that all physical changes have been either functional or minor. But the point remains, Apple isn't going to change the looks of the iPhone considerably.
 
No, they don't. I pulled every photo in my first post from the link you posted. If you look at the design of their staple item in the line, the iPod, you will see that all physical changes have been either functional or minor. But the point remains, Apple isn't going to change the looks of the iPhone considerably.

What about the imac, powermac, powerbook, ibook, ipod shuffle, ipod nano, mouse, keyboard, and airport?
 
No they haven't. Interface design is about making the resources in the device accessible to the user, and good interface design is about doing it in a way that is consistent and intuitive so users have to think the least in order to obtain the best usage of the device.

What has changed is that from the date of inception in 2007, when the iPhone was the only device in that corner of the market, there are now many competitors. It's easy to confuse competition with evolution, when in fact that isn't what has been happening.

Apple's interface has remained the same because in terms of their design criteria, it doesn't need to change. It maintains (in their eyes) the simplest and most consistent way to control and use the device. That other devices use different methodologies is inevitable, as inevitable as it is that some will look at the sophistication of those other devices and have a preference for an interface that is different from the one on the iPhone. That's as it should be. In the days of the almost ubiquitous Moto Razr, such a choice would have been unthinkable. Now everyone has jumped on the bandwaggon and brought their varying ideas to UI design in handheld devices. It doesn't mean Apple's is out of date - it isn't - it only goes out of date when it ceases to provide the user experience it was designed to provide. It just means other ideas have come to the market which for some are more appealing.

The iPhone UI will change when it needs to. As yet, given the rate of sales, it would appear it has not reached that point from the user's standpoint. It certainly hasn't from the standpoint of providing a consistent and intuitive user experience.

Agreed. Did anyone notice how similar the Mac OS X interface of today is to the Mac interface of 1984? We still have a single menu at the top, with an Apple on the left to control the general system, and icons on the desktop representing our connected storage media and shortcuts to our favorite applications. They haven't changed it much, because that design metaphor has worked fine on the computer for 25 years. They waited patiently while others came up with their interfaces in the late 70s and early 80s, and then stormed the market with the most elegant solution they could come up with after the methodical planning and late night cramming to get it out on the deadline (even if the deadline was later than they originally planned)... and as a result, they got an interface that has withstood the test of time.

I believe they did just that exact same thing with the iPhone. If they started adding more and more UI practices and added additional app management metaphors to it, it will lose that pick-up-and-go-without-a-manual appeal that it has now. There are already some things starting to creep in that aren't very obvious (having to press and hold to edit icons, or hold on the home button to open voice control, or even being able to doubleclick the home button), and if things keep getting added into it without careful design, eventually some very important things are going to get buried in the sea of committee design like in Windows Mobile.
 
What about the imac, powermac, powerbook, ibook, ipod shuffle, ipod nano, mouse, keyboard, and airport?

I guess this is turning into a case of "see what you want to see." I look at the photo I posted, the one you posted, and [most] of Apple's other product lines and see the same design concept repeated and refined over and over. There are growing pains along the way, but the essence of the line remains the same.

The thing with the iPhone's design, and this has been beaten over and over again, is that it is all screen and back. There isn't much you can do. You can change screen size, back material and color, etc, but you aren't going to see Apple change the basic form, you just won't. I would be willing to bet money that you will never see the boxy design of this LG phone pop up on the iPhone, it just isn't Apple.

This new Chocolate isn't introducing anything new. I don't know what the OP expects Apple to take from it. The basic structure is the same, the software appears less capable than the iPhones, and frankly I dislike the boxy-ness of it. As someone else pointed out, the chocolate isn't a smart phone in the way the iPhone is. Until that changes you are comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended).
 
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