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'Insanely Simple' Shares Anecdotes on Steve Jobs and Apple
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People who confuse "Simple" with "Dumbed Down" aren't intelligent enough to know the difference, IMO. The cockpit of a 747 could be "elegant" but not necessarily "Simple".
The clusterf*ck that is the Windows 7 Control Panel is an example of something very far removed from "Simple" and "Elegent".
I don't think it has to do with intelligence as it is with some more deeper and bigger personal problems. A lot of nerds who use Android are super intelligent but they will laugh at anyone who mentions the word simple and easy. Making things easy robs socially-awkward geeks of the only advantage they had over the avg. joe, being able to use advanced technology.
This is the guy who came up with the name "iMac". I'd really like to hear what he has to say. Thanks for your blunt and uniformed opinions all the same.
Simplify?
It seems to me that simplify is a slippery slope that Apple has not always trod as surefootedly as they (Apple) choose to believe-case in point iMovie vs Final Cut. I'd take the original iterations of iMovie over the current ones at least in terms of interface (same could be said of iPhoto) simply due to the complexity that has built up to make this app far from simple to use, especially for newbies. Couple that with the "dumbing down" (simplifying) of Final Cut Pro X to the point of uselessness according to most folks as compared to what they had in FC Pro Studio and it is like ships passing in the night--no clue. My sister edits an end of year movie for her elementary students and already she has started with the WTF Why did they change this? Why can't I do what I did easily in the last version? questions about the latest greatest iMovie. I think maybe Apple should be looking for Steve's "This is ******" stick (or someone to start saying it/wielding it) before we see the latest OS/major app simplifications from the Mother Ship (what basic "features" are going to be hidden from us in Mountain Lion a la our hard drives and Libraries in Lion?). This is not about the Design end of things--there the simplification process has culminated in genius (at least on the outside; Apple still uses a lot of crappy components on the inside)--this is about the software side of things.
It seems to me that simplify is a slippery slope that Apple has not always trod as surefootedly as they (Apple) choose to believe-case in point iMovie vs Final Cut. I'd take the original iterations of iMovie over the current ones at least in terms of interface (same could be said of iPhoto) simply due to the complexity that has built up to make this app far from simple to use, especially for newbies. Couple that with the "dumbing down" (simplifying) of Final Cut Pro X to the point of uselessness according to most folks as compared to what they had in FC Pro Studio and it is like ships passing in the night--no clue. My sister edits an end of year movie for her elementary students and already she has started with the WTF Why did they change this? Why can't I do what I did easily in the last version? questions about the latest greatest iMovie. I think maybe Apple should be looking for Steve's "This is ******" stick (or someone to start saying it/wielding it) before we see the latest OS/major app simplifications from the Mother Ship (what basic "features" are going to be hidden from us in Mountain Lion a la our hard drives and Libraries in Lion?). This is not about the Design end of things--there the simplification process has culminated in genius (at least on the outside; Apple still uses a lot of crappy components on the inside)--this is about the software side of things.
Another descriptor we used to hear more often is "intuitive." It denotes a naturalness of design, making it a more sophisticated way to look at simplicity. But I guess you can't hit something with an "intuitive stick."
Simplicity is a slippery concept. Our brains are immensely complex and process information in ways we barely understand. Simplicity is really the art of discovering how to get humans to quickly comprehend how something works by addressing the right pathways in our brains. It certainly isn't about making the thing brain-dead. Quite the opposite, really.
Those of us who've been around the Mac for a long time have no doubt heard this simple-minded geek critique: "If you designed a computer simple enough for a child to use it, then only a child would use it." I have heard otherwise intelligent people make this statement, in print, in front of audiences. This is the counterforce to Apple's design philosophy, no matter what you call it.
Yep, I am "uniformed"...
I just don't take things at face value. Especially about someone that is dead and can't defend themselves. It is so easy for anyone that was in spitting range of Steve, to say anything they want to make a buck.
Ironic that the OS has been getting more complex, not more simple.
The one thing that has always struck me as odd about OSX is the download process for software.
DMG left over-how many folks have no idea what it is, should it be clicked, is it safe to trash?
My brother in law had them all over his desktop!
I would think Apple could have found a way to make it easier for folks to understand or make it an opaque function like it used to be
The one thing that has always struck me as odd about OSX is the download process for software.
DMG left over-how many folks have no idea what it is, should it be clicked, is it safe to trash?
My brother in law had them all over his desktop!
I would think Apple could have found a way to make it easier for folks to understand or make it an opaque function like it used to be
The last hotel room I stayed in was a perfect example of the OP's point. Entering the room for the first time (at 1:00am) involved stumbling in in the dark, dragging our luggage behind us as we searched the walls for a light switch. We eventually found the switch, on inside wall of the room, just after the entry 'hallway' ended.
That's right, a grand total of 8 feet into the hotel room, at night, with no light, we found the first visible light switch. The one in the bathroom? It was *behind* the door when you opened it. One switch on the wall *past* the bed controlled the two lamps by the bed.
It's not about "identical layouts so people don't become confused". (Talk about missing the point.
), it's about *sensible* layouts so people who are going to be in the room for one stinking night don't have to spend 20 minutes finding the appropriate light switches to be able to move around said room safely.
The last hotel room I stayed in was a perfect example of the OP's point. Entering the room for the first time (at 1:00am) involved stumbling in in the dark, dragging our luggage behind us as we searched the walls for a light switch. We eventually found the switch, on inside wall of the room, just after the entry 'hallway' ended.
That's right, a grand total of 8 feet into the hotel room, at night, with no light, we found the first visible light switch. The one in the bathroom? It was *behind* the door when you opened it. One switch on the wall *past* the bed controlled the two lamps by the bed.
It's not about "identical layouts so people don't become confused". (Talk about missing the point.
I have only ever stayed in two American hotels, and they were both fine. It seems they need some work?
Hotels in the rest of the world are pretty logical... or maybe I am just a little more practically or creatively minded?