
How Apple Is Giving Design a Bad Name - walterbell
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name
======
oldmancoyote
Reading this essay was cathartic.

It says everything that has frustrated me for years. The comments on this page
don't address the issues in the essay. They focus on what is clever in current
products not on core usability. I've been writing Mac and/or iOS apps for
thirty years. I know from experience that interface issues are deep and
subtle. Cleverness has nothing to do with it. Apple is in deep trouble.

Jonathan Ive (VP in charge of user experience) has been elevated the status of
a super star by the superficial press. He _does_ have an excellent artistic
design sense. That's all. I don't care how thin his products are or how pretty
they are. Ive must go!

------
Razengan
I believe Apple is designing things the way they SHOULD be. Their new products
are, in fact, actually amazing, and even _futuristic:_

* The out-of-the-box/first-power-on experience on any Apple device remains unparalleled.

• Just hold the AirPods case near your iPhone and open it, and they're
seamlessly paired. Complete with "YourName's AirPods" automatically set up in
the Bluetooth settings.

• AirPods do not require cumbersome Bluetooth unpairing/repairing across your
Apple devices; just select them from the output device menu on your
Mac/iPad/Apple Watch.

• Audio syncs perfectly between both left and right AirPods. They have
considerable range (I've tested them through multiple walls on different
floors.) They both have separate batteries (with their own battery meter,
which only shows up when they don't have the same amount of charge). They can
be used individually to conserve battery or keep one ear open.

• AirPods' microphones only pick up your voice, even in a loud environment.

• The Touch Bar. Apps SHOULD have a context-sensitive input device. Nobody
should have to learn and remember what each FN key does in each app.

• On the Touch Bar, you can just bring your finger down on buttons like
Brightness/Volume and just slide your finger left/right without lifting it.
That is, you don't have to tap, raise finger, then move your finger to the
slider control to drag it, even if the knob appears in a different area away
from your finger. A minor but VERY nice design and attention to detail.

• It takes time to recognize where the Touch Bar can improve input speed
compared to just keyboard/mouse/trackpad, but there definitely are moments
where it's _faster;_ For example, when I'm editing a contact's phone number,
the buttons for labels like "Home" or "Work" appear on the Touch Bar. It's
quicker than using the mouse pointer to open the dropdown list, and it's not
possible to have keyboard shortcuts for each label (including custom ones) but
they can be easily shown in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar.

• The new MacBook Pros. Modern computers SHOULD have a single type of port,
and we should be able to use any port for charging.

• Unlocking my MacBook by just raising the lid if I'm wearing my Apple Watch.
I need to be physically close to the laptop and the Watch notifies me every
time it happens.

* Touch ID on Macs. Can't wait for third-party apps to use it for authentication like on iOS.

• Being able to seamlessly copy/paste across your Apple devices is one of
those things you never knew you needed, but you'll sorely miss when you work
on devices that don't have it.

So, no, Apple is not giving design a bad name. They are actually doing a lot
of things right. They do have many flaws yes (especially on the software side,
some of which are very frustrating) but their biggest mistake is setting
themselves up to be a target of the tall poppy syndrome [1], and it's getting
rather tiresome.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome)

~~~
mixedCase
For all the things the Airpods do right, they're still easy to miss, in-ear
headphones with sub par audio quality.

> Apps SHOULD have a context-sensitive input device

Like the mouse. And the screen. Not a separate screen I have to look down to
be able to use because it has no proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key.

> A minor but VERY nice design and attention to detail.

An extremely minor thing that's not worth all the downsides. I can get a
better version of that gimmick on my mouse just using the side button+scroll
wheel.

> For example, when I'm editing a contact's phone number, the buttons for
> labels like "Home" or "Work" appear on the Touch Bar.

You don't need a separate screen to have context sensitive buttons. This
sounds like an UX compromise just to push the touch bar rather than something
I'd want.

Also "in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar." That _cannot_ be faster than a
mouse or keyboard shortcut, and would be trivial to replicate with the
keyboards F-keys (two keys for scrolling forward/backward, rest for
selection). Another example on how it's just a gimmick.

> The new MacBook Pros. Modern computers SHOULD have a single type of port,
> and we should be able to use any port for charging.

I value more being able to connect all my devices without 5 different dongles
hanging from my laptop than idolizing an ideal, non-existent world.

> Unlocking my MacBook by just raising the lid if I'm wearing my Apple Watch.

You can do this with any other programmable smartwatch. I remember people were
doing this with a Pebble. It's still a gimmick.

> Touch ID on Macs. Can't wait for third-party apps to use it for
> authentication like on iOS.

You're praising fingerprint readers under a marketing name. I literally have
this on a cheap refurbished HP laptop from 2010 or so I've been using as a
server.

> Being able to seamlessly copy/paste across your Apple devices is one of
> those things you never knew you needed, but you'll sorely miss when you work
> on devices that don't have it.

So... KDE Connect?

So indeed, Apple seems to be doing nothing but gimmicks and more proprietary
lock-in. This is a good thing, somehow?

~~~
Razengan
_> For all the things the Airpods do right, they're still easy to miss_

Anecdotal, unproven. It's YOUR fault if you easily forget about foreign
objects in your ear, and does not negate "all the things the Airpods do
right." In any case, Find My Phone will have support for tracking them in the
next iOS update.

I've gone running with them, used them in crowded environments with hundreds
of people jostling me, and I have yet to lose or even drop one.

The freedom from wires (and excellent microphones) are a HUGE convenience and
far outweighs any minor subjective quibbles. Can you tell me how YOU would
design something without any wires that's not easy to miss?

 _> sub par audio quality._

Subjective. Source?

They're good enough, no worse than the previous EarPods, and not bad at all.

\----

> _I value more being able to connect all my devices without 5 different
> dongles hanging from my laptop than idolizing an ideal, non-existent world._

Hyperbole.

If you carried 5 different devices with your laptop, you would need to carry
at most one USB/USB-C adapter and maybe a multiport USB hub.

I have an iPhone, iPad, a Bluetooth Mouse, a Bluetooth keyboard (for games)
and a WiFi harddisk. I haven't needed to plug them into my 2016 MBP yet, nor
do I carry all of them in my backpack, but I do have one small USB/USB-C
adapter for when I need it. File transfers of even several GBs work flawlessly
with AirDrop.

See [1]. Apple already did this long ago for the original USB standard, when
the first iMac came with nothing but USB ports.

\----

 _> I remember people were doing this with a Pebble. It's still a gimmick._

It still doesn't change the fact that it's still convenient.

\----

 _> I literally have this on a cheap refurbished HP laptop from 2010 or so
I've been using as a server._

It still doesn't change the fact that it's still convenient, and I would wager
more secure than the tech in a 2010 HP laptop.

Moreover, it integrates very nicely with authorizing App Store and Apple Pay
purchases, and giving permission for administrative actions. Did older laptops
integrate fingerprint authentication deeply into Windows?

\----

 _> Like the mouse. And the screen. Not a separate screen I have to look down
to be able to use because it has no proper tactile feedback unlike a proper
key._

Does not diminish its advantages.

"No proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key" can be used to downplay the
utility of all the phone and tablet touchscreens in the world, too.

A mouse does not provide visual feedback depending on what you're doing.

I'm looking straight at the screen right now on a 2016 MBP, and the Touch Bar
is within my field of vision.

In any case, it's no worse than having to discover, learn and remember what
each FN does in each app.

 _> An extremely minor thing that's not worth all the downsides. I can get a
better version of that gimmick on my mouse just using the side button+scroll
wheel._

Which "all downsides?"

To change brightness/volume, all I need is to swipe on the Touch Bar. Do you
have any of your mouse buttons permanently set to controlling volume and/or
brightness?

The Touch Bar is not replacing the mouse, trackpad or keyboard. You still have
a mouse, trackpad and keyboard. Why are you comparing it with them? The Touch
Bar replaces FN keys, and it's better than them.

 _> You don't need a separate screen to have context sensitive buttons. Also
"in a scrolling list on the Touch Bar." That cannot be faster than a mouse or
keyboard shortcut_

Say I have contacts named after companies/organizations, and I use tens of
different custom labels for each phone number/email for the different people
working at them.

Which of these is faster/better?

• I keep 10+ different keyboard shortcuts, for each label, and remember which
one maps to which label on _which contact._ (!)

• I take my fingers away from the keyboard to move the mouse pointer to open
the dropdown list, scroll it and click on a label.

• I keep my hands on the keyboard and tap a label on the Touch Bar.

\----

 _> So indeed, Apple seems to be doing nothing but gimmicks and more
proprietary lock-in. This is a good thing, somehow?_

Subjective. "Gimmicks" can be used against any feature from any company.

All of these things highly increase user convenience within the ecosystem
without any setup required beyond signing-on once with your Apple ID. This is
bad design, somehow?

\----

Your dismissals are a classic example of the tall poppy syndrome; Were Apple a
smaller company, you probably wouldn't be putting so much effort in
downplaying their accomplishments.

The fact that others companies came out with [half-baked] versions of some
features first, or anecdotes about misplacing equipment or subjective opinions
of audio quality, does NOT diminish the fact that Apple DO do a lot of things
right.

[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy-
free_PC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy-free_PC)

~~~
mixedCase
> It's YOUR fault if you easily forget about foreign objects in your ear

I don't use them. My friends do, and they don't lose them when they're _in
their ear_. Also, guess what? I don't risk losing my headphones just because I
fall asleep on long trips. It's not my fault, it's Apple's product being poor
at fitting an extremely common usecase.

> Subjective. Source?

Go to an audio store and ask them for monitoring headphones. You can't explain
audio quality to someone that has never experienced it, these things are a
night/day difference.

> Can you tell me how YOU would design something without any wires that's not
> easy to miss?

I would use shorter, interchangeable wires for the right occasion rather than
go wireless and have to _charge_ my headphones, tolerate a worse audio quality
than I'm accustomed to and risk easily losing them.

> Does not diminish its advantages.

Yes it does, same pros but with an extra con and on top of that, the touch bar
is not a free addition to a screen and keyboard you already have.

>"No proper tactile feedback unlike a proper key" can be used to downplay the
utility of all the phone and tablet touchscreens in the world, too.

Smartphones and tablets have a single screen, or at worst, they're contiguous
on the same plane.

> A mouse does not provide visual feedback depending on what you're doing.

No, that's the screen's job. I don't have to look at my mouse to change
volume, I just look at the screen. Or rather, I use my keyboard (caps
lock+[s/d] in my case), since I don't see the benefit of more than 5% stepped
increases.

> I'm looking straight at the screen right now on a 2016 MBP, and the Touch
> Bar is within my field of vision.

And my phone is technically in front of me beyond my monitor, but without
focusing on its smaller screen with a different DPI I can't read it. Which is
why I started using KDE Connect after all: to get notifications on my desktop.

> In any case, it's no worse than having to discover, learn and remember what
> each FN does in each app.

In how many apps do you exactly use its FN-options? And how is it any
different from labeling them in the screen next to the button it means? You'd
still not have to look at the keyboard. You can even do it for apps using the
Touchbar API: [https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-get-a-touch-bar-on-
your-o...](https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-get-a-touch-bar-on-your-old-
mac/)

> Hyperbole. If you carried 5 different devices with your laptop, you would
> need to carry at most one USB/USB-C adapter and maybe a multiport USB hub.

For 5 yes. For 4, no. The old laptop I mentioned has 4 USB ports, where I
regularly plug an external kb and mouse, an USB stick and my phone for
tethering or debugging an app on a real device.

> I have an iPhone, iPad, a Bluetooth Mouse, a Bluetooth keyboard (for games)
> and a WiFi harddisk. I haven't needed to plug them into my 2016 MBP yet, nor
> do I carry all of them in my backpack, but I do have one small USB/USB-C
> adapter for when I need it. File transfers of even several GBs work
> flawlessly with AirDrop.

Cool. I only need my laptop charger when I leave home.

> Which "all downsides?"

Again, cost and having to actually look down at the small thing to be able to
use it.

> You still have a mouse, trackpad and keyboard. Why are you comparing it with
> them? The Touch Bar replaces FN keys, and it's better than them.

Last time I checked, the FN keys are on the keyboard.

> Say I have contacts named after companies/organizations, and I use tens of
> different custom labels for each phone number/email for the different people
> working at them. Which of these is faster/better?

Assuming you have more than 10 of them, the keyboard and input with
autocompletion rather than the scroll list on a separate screen.

Or the same thing as the touch bar but on the screen. We've had this
technology for a while:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Norton_Comman...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Norton_Commander_5.51.png)

> Subjective. "Gimmicks" can be used against any feature from any company. All
> of these things ______highly increase user convenience __ __ __

When all you can offer is copies of barely useful things that have already
been done, you can hardly call your company "amazing" or "futuristic". The
rest of the quote speaks for itself.

> Your dismissals are a classic example of the tall poppy syndrome; Were Apple
> a smaller company, you probably wouldn't be putting so much effort in
> downplaying their accomplishments.

And your relentless shilling is a classic example of blind fanboyism (as
redundant as it sounds) and choice-supportive bias. You're literally attaching
a label to anyone criticizing a corporation you're trying to sell. Do I need
to link my comments shitting on smaller companies too? Or when I praise
Apple/{insert corporation here} when they do a good thing? Do yourself a favor
and reflect on your thought process for a bit. Unless you're doing marketing
work for Apple, in which case you should grab a PR book.

~~~
Razengan
_> I don't use them. My friends do, and they don't lose them when they're in
their ear. Also, guess what? I don't risk losing my headphones just because I
fall asleep on long trips. It's not my fault, it's Apple's product being poor
at fitting an extremely common usecase._

What exactly are you trying to say here?

Again, I have been using them for 2 months in a variety of situations and have
never come close to losing them.

Furthermore, if you don't use them, how do you claim sub-par audio quality?

\----

 _> Go to an audio store and ask them for monitoring headphones. You can't
explain audio quality to someone that has never experienced it, these things
are a night/day difference._

Will those headphones

• Be completely wireless?

• Work with all my devices without repairing?

• Have microphones on each side?

• Be trackable?

\----

 _> I would use shorter, interchangeable wires_

is not an answer to "How you would design something without any wires."

Your product is not for me. I will not buy it, neither will anyone who does
not want ANY wires in their earbuds.

~~~
mixedCase
> Again, I have been using them for 2 months in a variety of situations and
> have never come close to losing them.

It probably fits your ears well. It does fit mine well enough when I tried
them, but it did not the owner's. Even then I would not be confident enough to
use them on a bus when asleep.

> Furthermore, if you don't use them, how do you claim sub-par audio quality?

I don't use them, which has not stopped me from trying them.

>Will those headphones >• Be completely wireless? >[...] Your product is not
for me. I will not buy it, neither will anyone who does not want ANY wires.

I don't know of in-ear, wireless headphones that have acceptable audio
quality. I've read somewhere there are some wireless over/on-ear ones that do,
however. But I have never tried anything like that so I can't in good
conscience recommend them.

With that said, most people that have told me they can't do without wireless
change their mind when I invite them to try the half-broken ATH-M50 headphones
I use on the go.

However, I do understand that some people don't care about listening to the
details of a song and just having an audible beat and/or metallic voice is
enough to satisfy them. There's also even more people with hearing problems.
Whatever case it is, although I would recommend you go for a cheaper
alternative, if every one of those bullet points is mandatory and worth 230
USD to you, then yes, there's nothing to discuss and stick with the ear pods.

~~~
Razengan
They are US$160:
[http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEF2AM/A/airpods](http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEF2AM/A/airpods)

------
JohnJamesRambo
The lack of a back button is one of my top frustrations whenever I use an
iPhone.

~~~
Razengan
Really? Not being able to edge-swipe to go back was one of my frustrations the
last time I used Chrome (I think) on Android.

Taking up permanent space for a button that is not relevant in every
app/situation seems like the worse design choice here, and a half-hearted one
especially after you've made the decision to eliminate buttons in favor of
touchscreens.

