I'm a bit concerned that Apple are losing focus.

[inscrewtable]

Why do I say this, well there is a design flaw in iOS 8 that breaks the most basic rule of the Apple human interface guidelines. Even in iOS 8.02 it has not been spotted. Not that it should ever have got to this point.

If Apple were a person it would be a precursor to dementia, it is so tiny, so easy to fix and worst of all so frikken obvious that it's as if the whole software engineering department are shellshocked.

Have a look at the start button on the Clock > timer. It's is as obvious as it is possible to be that thin bright green lettering on a grey background that is perfectly matched in tonal value to the green, meaning if you converted into b/w you would see no difference, is a combination that is often used in optical illusions. Here's an example below. So it's not only almost impossible to read because there is not contrast, but there is a complementary pink shimmering with the green. Don't they usually just do a green button in this instance rather than mid grey with green lettering?

How, how in the flipping hell could it be possible that someone just doesn't say, 'er... that's illegible'. Notice that the grey background and green running dot are the same grey and green on the start button.

Stare at the black cross and be amazed.

 

[MacDawg]

This is the end of Apple

 

[GreyOS]

What?

"if you converted into b/w you would see no difference"

I turned on Greyscale in the Accessibility options and I could still read Start

 

[Jacksonc]

I don't think apple is loosing fans

 

[inscrewtable]

This is the end of Apple

No need for a smarty 'doomed' type comment, I'm just saying that this seems to indicate to me an overworked engineering team, which might possibly explain the very un apple like iOS8 cock up, and these cock ups gradually erode the reputation that Apple has built up over 30 years. Couldn't blind freddy see that the whole button being green with no words is the correct solution?

 

[Parasprite]

What?

"if you converted into b/w you would see no difference"

I turned on Greyscale in the Accessibility options and I could still read Start

It could be a particular colour vision deficiency (i.e., red-blue, etc.) that is ruining the contrast for them. It isn't my area of expertise so I can't say for certain.

For me, it is exactly as readable as the Pause button next to it. The only real difference I could find is when you press (and hold) the button (in grayscale), it is extremely close in hue and hard to read...though if you're pressing it, chances are you aren't trying to read it anyways. I don't know if that is what they are talking about.

 

[Oppressed]

You think that's bad? I still can't get over this.

 

[zorinlynx]

You think that's bad? I still can't get over this.

Actually, this makes perfect sense. You can send to apps, or do certain other tasks. The apps are full color icons, to tell you that they're apps. The other tasks are greyscale icons, to tell you that they're not apps, but rather things to do.

 

[inscrewtable]

You think that's bad? I still can't get over this.

Well there is a case for some ugliness there, but there's nothing illegible about it.

It seems to me that there must be thousands of engineers at apple and there'd of course be the guy who doesn't do anything except run a quick eyeball over obvious gotchas and points it out, but it's like 'no we can't afford that now we need all hands in engineering'.

I mean can you picture Jonny Ive looking at that thin bright green type on 50% grey and saying, 'yes, that looks pretty good'

@jacksonc, not they won't lose fans. I've had a string of banjaxed mac going back to the G4/500 right up to my current mac that had the logic board replaced, emacs with leaking capacitors, g5 17" isight imacs (2) with the vertical line bollox. I've had a 27" imac with the faulty radeon 6970m replaced twice, and other stuff I can't be bothered to remember. However, would I ever switch from mac? Not a chance, I've been a bit unlucky. The only thing that really bugged me was the g5imac lines on the isight 17" only. That should have been a recall.

OK Tim Cook got big kudos for promptly apologising about the maps "fiasco", but now he's gone too far, the first thing he does now at complaint is apologise, it seems Apple is too investor driven. Maybe Steve was right, in that Cook is best to lead Apple as a super mega corp now that it is one. But the most fundamental element of mac is the Human Interface Guidlines, when they go out the window then the alarm bells start ringing.

 

[leventozler]

It seems to me that there must be thousands of engineers at apple and there'd of course be the guy who doesn't do anything except run a quick eyeball over obvious gotchas and points it out, but it's like 'no we can't afford that now we need all hands in engineering'.

That guy was Scott Forstall with "a jeweler's loupe in his office to check every pixel on every icon." It seems that the era of perfectionists at Apple is long over.

 

[Oppressed]

Actually, this makes perfect sense. You can send to apps, or do certain other tasks. The apps are full color icons, to tell you that they're apps. The other tasks are greyscale icons, to tell you that they're not apps, but rather things to do.

No look at the bottom it cuts off half the message. "Add to" and "add to".

 

[GrimmsGirl]

No look at the bottom it cuts off half the message. "Add to" and "add to".

That view scrolls. I think they might have thought about making it all fit on one screen, but at least you can scroll it all into view.

 

[Oppressed]

That view scrolls. I think they might have thought about making it all fit on one screen, but at least you can scroll it all into view.

Just seems a bit messy considering the large amount of empty space elsewhere.

 

[smoking monkey]

It's green writing on a white circle (start) and Black writing on light grey circle (lap). I don't see green writing on grey like the OP states. Or does OP mean outside the circle? That's grey.

 

[inscrewtable]

It's green writing on a white circle (start) and Black writing on light grey circle (lap). I don't see green writing on grey like the OP states. Or does OP mean outside the circle? That's grey.

http://s11.postimg.org/519w0gahf/image.jpg

 

[alphaod]

Can't you read that it says Start and Pause? If English isn't your mother tongue, perhaps switch the interface to another language should help.

 

[illusionmist]

I'm a bit concerned that Apple are losing focus.

http://s11.postimg.org/519w0gahf/image.jpg

I don't know what's wrong with your phone, but it's green on white here as well.

 

[C DM]

http://s11.postimg.org/519w0gahf/image.jpg

Seems like thst might be related to the use of the darken colors accessibility option.

 

[GreyOS]

I did wonder why they said it was since ios 8 as I don't remember it changing from ios 7 but I thought they might just be a new iPhone 6 user.

Now I'm thinking the difference is they accidentally hit the darken colours switch when upgrading

 

[inscrewtable]

Seems like thst might be related to the use of the darken colors accessibility option.

Bingo. OK, that's not so bad then.. I suppose it will be cleaned up soon anyway, like they did on the lock control screen where they took all the busy circles away and make nice solid blocks. The little things make a big difference. I completely forgot about darken colours seems to be implemented weirdly.

But this was not a post about the particular problem per se, it was my genuine fear that apple is doing too much too quick. Like look how much time they took over the mac pro or the new imac design, or the mac mini for that matter. I'm not so sure about this mad update cycle.