The utter simplicity of the iOS home screen is Apple’s innovation. It’s the simplest, most obvious “system” ever designed. It is a false and foolish but widespread misconception that “innovation” goes only in the direction of additional complexity.
John’s whole commentary on this is spot on.
I’d argue that we’re at a critical junction, however, where the simplicity is starting to make things actually more complicated.
Oh man. There are no words. But you should definitely watch this.
I’ve been using an iPad st school for about 3 months now, and one thing is becoming painfully obvious. The iPad is the best student computer that’s ever been made. I’ve been bringing a computer with me to almost every class for about 4 years now, but never has one so completely and naturally fit into my workflow the way the iPad does. So much so, in fact, that given the hard choice between an iPad and a “real” laptop as the sole choice for your soon-to-be college student, I’d recommend the iPad.
The iPad is a more natural note taking computer, as it doesn’t put a big screen between you and the teacher, and the multitude of drawing apps mean that it’s easy to add a custom chart or diagram on the fly- drawn naturally right on the screen. I’ve also found that because I can’t type as fast on the ipad as I can on a keyboard, I can’t try to type everything. Instead I have to choose what to write down and synthesize it a bit more, like I did when I took notes by hand. Now, however, those notes remain permanently legible and searchable. I can even include an audio note if I feel the desire. I’ve found it gives me all the advantages of paper notes and digital notes in one.
The iPad is also much better suited to digital textbooks than computers are, as well as the multitude of digital readings I’ve seen increase significantly over the last 4 years. I find that long digital articles that never held my attention when I tried to read them on the computer are easily digestible on the iPad. Perhaps because it’s more like holding a book, or perhaps because the screen can be rotated, pinched, and zoomed to no end to make whatever I’m reading easy on the eyes, but reading on the iPad is a transcendent experience after doing this type of work on a computer.
There are a few caveats, though I think within a few years none of these will be any type of issue whatsoever. The first is the terrible required software that sometimes comes bundled with textbooks. It’s usually java-based and only works on a computer browser. If you go with the iPad instead of the computer and need to use this software, you’re kind of out of luck. However, the textbook market will respond to demand and professors hate getting lots of emails about how that software won’t work because I have an iPad, so they’ll be gone soon.
The second, and possibly major, concern is Microsoft Office. The technorati have been declaring it dead for about 5 years now, but it’s still very much alive and well in the education world. Teachers will send to you and expect to receive from you, documents for Microsoft Office, usually Microsoft Word. Sometimes this isn’t a problem- after all, Apple’s pages reads and writes the .docx format just fine. However, it can cause some gnarly formatting errors which are the last thing you want your professor to be dealing with when he’s grading your term paper. Most professors do seem to be warming up to the idea of Google Docs in my experience, but it’s kind of a crapshoot.
The final caveat is Dropbox. It’s not a problem now, but if Dropbox goes away, the usefulness of the iPad diminishes greatly- Usually I can hop on a campus computer for 5 minutes and get things working on my iPad through Dropbox (including those Microsoft Word files) but without dropbox this becomes a much more laborious process.
Overall, though, the iPad feels like the computer that should have been in school all along. We’re going to see them take over in education, and it’s not going to take long.
All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do
(via elchacoveloz)
Source: seeyouaroundriver
What’s Wrong With This Mockup?
A buddy of mine shared this mockup on Twitter and said,
“Hey #apple, hire this guy and then make this happen in the next iOS. Pretty please?”
While I’m not going to say I don’t think Apple really needs to figure out glance-able information in iOS, and I won’t say the concept isn’t well done or well thought out, I hate it, and here’s why: I think Apple will do it.
Why does that make me hate the concept? Let’s go back and take a closer look at that concept video. Notice the mechanic employed to resize those icons into widgets. It’s the same one they currently employ for moving icons around and organizing into folders, the long icon press. “But-” you say, “that makes perfect logical sense to resize icons in the same interface as move them around the springboard. It’s a familiar territory and an extension of a current paradigm. Some other method will just confuse people”. That argument does make some logical sense but let’s revisit some things we already know to see where it fails.
That paradigm (of long-pressing an app icon to go to ‘app arranging mode’) in and of itself is an abstraction, requiring the user to understand the concept of moving apps around by way of a long press on any app in the springboard. I’d venture to bet there’s a sizable number of iOS users that have no clue this functionality even exists. It’s hidden from plain sight; available for those who want it, and hidden peacefully away from those who don’t care. That’s what makes it so genius. There’s not some bit of chrome getting in the way for the user who knows how to initiate ‘app arranging’ and once learned, it is is intuitive and easy to use as it exists now, even though there are tiny, moving, x buttons to delete apps because there isn’t too much else going on.
But this concept is fundamentally flawed. In this mockup there’s now an x in the upper left hand corner of every app icon, and a + button in most of the bottom right corners. Tiny x’s and +’s really close to each other, wiggling around. It’s a user interface nightmare, and all for the sake of being “easier to use” via showing a bit of chrome in the interface. The ‘app arranging’ interface works because through a fairly simple and intuitive abstraction, it actually becomes simpler to complete the task. Not so with a tiny, almost unusable bit of chrome like that wiggling + button. Perhaps the the true simplicity is re-imagining the entire app arranging interface to accommodate this new widget paradigm, rather than tacking a paradigm on a paradigm or an abstraction on an abstraction.
It’s very Apple-like as of late to add some UI element for “ease of use” (see for instance the x buttons to remove notifications in notification center or the persistent camera icon on the lock screen) or to tack on bits to existing mechanisms when they add features. I could see them implementing this interface verbatim, rather than finding the truly best way to get things done. That’s why I hate this mockup, and please don’t do this Apple. Do something even better. I beg of you.
You don’t have to do everything to do something.
Now that I’ve had time to get back in town and look at the goodies from Apple this week, I have a few thoughts
1- The new iPhone, once again, is a modest upgrade for iPhone 4S owners, but a pretty substantial one for iPhone 4 owners. It’s pretty clear Apple views the iPhone on a two-year upgrade cycle to coincide with wireless contracts.
2- Those wireless contracts are really expensive.
3- I really like the new iPod touch. It’s a huge win to add a for-real camera, siri, and the exact same screen as the iPhone 5. And I like the colors. A lot.
4- The smartest thing Apple did with the new iPod nano was to add their standard remote earphone control-scheme to the side of the device. This is a dedicated music device, mind you, and the 6th gen. really didn’t do its job elegantly. Hardware buttons always win for ease of use in doing simple functions like changing volume, play/pause, and song skip.
5- I would really like it if they brought those buttons to the iPod touch and the iPhone too; it would make doing a few simple things a whole lot easier. (the multipurpose center button as camera shutter anyone?)
(Hopefully some pictures coming soon!)
A company called ZooGue is running a promotion for their new iPhone 4/4s case right now where you can get one for free (although you still pay about $5 shipping and handling). I got mine in the mail yesterday, and I have to say, I’m very impressed. First of all, the material it’s made from. ZooGue calls it “a special TPU”, and it’s absolutely wonderful. It feels very natural to the touch, with the perfect amount of grippyness. It’s flexible, but not rubbery, so you won’t find it collecting all kinds of lint and gripping to the inside of your pocket. It’s lightweight, but feels strong.
The case itself is very well-made, though the design is not my favorite. I’m coming from a case with no top and bottom, which I feel is the best design for accommodating bulky cables or earphones. Also, the case has a ridged grippy design on the sides to make it easier to hold, but I find the ridges to be too sharp and distinct. They also make me wonder how prematurely my pants-pockets will wear out because they grab quite badly on the way out. Overall though, a very very nice case, especially for free but even for the normal price of $15.
Finally got an arduino- I’ve been wanting one for quite a while now. Here’s my “hello world” sketch (program in arduinospeak)
