Can we discuss the swaggerlessness that is iOS?

[ninjahood]

Back in 2007 when i had a sidekick, one of my friends had
Da OG iphone and once he showed me how it couldn't copy & paste
When it dropped i knew it was all hyped & flash with questionable function.

This was a thread about the UI sir.

Do me a favor and figure out what da initials U.I. mean then

Re-read your comment

 

[iblink]

These threads are so pointless. You all have had to realize by now that the issue is subjective.

Ohhh my iPhone is better than your Android.
Nuh uhh my Android can customize
So my iPhone has better apps
So does my Android

There are roughly 3 threads on the first 2 pages of general discussing the same topic.

 

[futuremd]

only big picture I see in this thread is that OP's mad/butthurt
I don't have an iphone or any mac products but I just ordered the new ipod.
live and let live.

Yes, I am furious.

What UI preferences does Android have for you?

 

[semf]

Your points have been made. Scurry along.

 

[ootherocoo]

Why is Apple and their products such a topic of discussion/lighting rod....?

 

[lobotomybeats]

I think one thing Windows Phones have going for them is that NO ONE could have predicted that OS. It was a complete, albeit much needed, overhaul. It looks nothing like the previous generation. Now I'm not saying Android or iOS really needs that per se, but some energy or innovation would be greatly appreciated.

 

[futuremd]

Why is Apple and their products such a topic of discussion/lighting rod....?

Because people don't like Apple's marketing and presentation so they assert that their products could never stand on their own. 

Then people love to talk about "stats" of the products as if bigger numbers on the performance of the components equate to better performance. 

Apple breaks the mold of what you'd expect and what would happen in terms of performance and aesthetic so in efforts to understand it, people end up rejecting it as something that shouldn't exist.

Apple is nothing more than a company that does what it wants. Its not without fault, but it garners a lot of attention because despite many of its unconventional approaches to things, no one really understands it. 

Its like that dude that gets all the girls and NO ONE knows why so you either accept it, analyze it, or tell everyone else that its overrated by boosting their own stat lines in an attempt to peel people over. ...but in doing that, they forget that that dude did what they weren't doing. He did what he wanted to without regard for anyone else.

 

[semf]

so we should really be discussing the swaggerlessness of androids marketing.

since Google releases Android as open source, marketing is left to the manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Motorola (owned by Google), etc. So they're not going to sell you the Android experience, they're just going to sell you their specific phone (that just happens to be running Android). Apple has them beat in this regard since Apple tightly controls the experience (hardware / device AND software / OS). Google can put out an outstanding OS, but the manufacturers might put out crappy hardware and ruin the Android experience.

 

[kix4kix]

Nice to see imI not the only consumer underwhelmed by apples most recent release. I have an iPhone 4 and skipped on the 4s to wait on the 5. That 920 is calling my name, and while i have always thought nokia has the best hardware to offer in mobile devices, they now will also have a nice os as well. Apple has more cash on hand than any other company, but yet continues to offer pedestrian upgrades as revolutionary. Nokia has my interest now, something I would not have said a year ago. Whether my sentiments reflect an overall attitude towards apples complacency remains to be seen in regard to revenue, but I think it raises concerns that a fanboy like myself is jumping ship on apples cornerstone product.

-typed from my iPad.

 

[semf]

-typed from my iPad.

new iPad Mini might be coming out this October 17, 2012 . . . that'll start another flame war too

 

[ace]

I've spent time with both operation systems and personally I like the out of the box experience that apple offers over android. When you buy a new iPhone you know every app is going to run on it, and without lag. With android, your device may not be compatible and even if it is, it may not run at full speed without lag for whatever reasons.

 

[usafant]

First, that pic is NOT the current iPhone for 2012 . . .
THIS is the current iPhone 5

Same thing.

 

[jrdnsrnss]

Same thing.

I thought the same, just driving home OP's point that they're the same every year.

 

[mp3911]

iOS is a fine mobile operating system. However, it's been stagnant for a while now while its competitors have been delving into the core of interaction design and fundamentally making it easier and more efficient for users to interact with their hardware. Just in Jelly Bean, which was an an incremental increase in Android, the designers found a way to create metaphors that stuck with users and made sense.

Notifications

Clean, symmetrical lines that don't distract users from the functionality within. The key purpose of notifications is to see things that you need to see as quickly as possible, and act on them. Android accomplishes that by using expandable notifications, which allow users to swipe down with two fingers in order to view more of the notification and act on them. No unnecessary crap is present; just clean, simple actions that allow users to accomplish what they want to as quickly and simply as possible. And to get rid of an individual notification, just swipe it off the screen.

iOS religiously uses linen in its notification center, a metaphor that I really can't understand the purpose of. What does it truly accomplish for the end user other than confusing them? The rounded edges don't suit the screen or form factor and seem like they're being forced in for no real reason. How does a user dismiss the weather widget? Or the Facebook and Twitter integration? They have to dig into the settings and figure it out. How does an individual dismiss and individual notification? They can't. And how can they dismiss the entire set? They have to tap twice on a tiny icon.

Multitasking

First of all, to access multitasking on Android, all a user needs to do is tap one button. On iOS, they have to double tap the home button. Android allows users to view a quick thumbnail of all open apps and presents a large clickable area for them to select which app they want to go into. To dismiss an app, a user simply swipes it off the screen, a concept which recurs throughout the UX and gives it a lot of consistency.

Switching to an app from the multitasking bar in iOS is simple enough, but how about dismissing one? The user must hold the icon, providing a delay which is never a good thing, and must tap the tiny minus icon in the corner in order to get rid of it. There are no thumbnails present; users never know what state the app will be in when they enter it.

Sharing and Default Apps

I think this is the area where Android outpaces iOS and all competitors the most: inter-app sharing and the ability to set apps as default. For example, if Google ever messed with Chrome or the stock Browser and I didn't like it, I could (and have) set an alternate, like Firefox, as the default. That would completely replace the app that shipped with the device; you're never forced into any walled garden when using Android. And as far as inter-app sharing, you can share almost anything with any app that wants it: it's just as easy as sharing with any default app on the device. Every app feels like it belongs and gains a ton more functionality as a result.


iOS is usually fine for the average person and shares a lot of functionality with its competitors; however, it's quickly becoming stagnant and hasn't really innovated in a couple of years, while its competitors have really taken off. Android has changed; if you're still referring to it as it was in 2010, you've missed a lot. 2 years is a lot of time in the tech world, and if you're going to compare the two major OS's on the market, you better know the current state of both of them.

 

[j capo]

I have limited experience with Android, but I've owned an iPhone for a while. The main critique I have of iOS is how long we have to wait for features to release officially. A prime example was Apple's implementation of the notification center, something that was available as a feature on jailbroken iOS devices up to a year before it even came to light officially with the update to 5.0. Even with the official update it offered relatively little compared to what had been available via jailbreak. It seems like most of the new/updated features are just extremely delayed and dumbed down knock-offs of popular jailbreak features.

 

[joepac12]

My all time favorite phone will be my blackberry bold. It just got too buggy for me to keep it.

I love that keyboard and message interface. 

i actually agree with you future...i have had a bb since at least 2002...my bb 9930 was hands down one of the better phones i have ever used....granted i have a iphone 5 now but still a work bb 9350...

 

[milestailsprowe]

It works and simple. Thats all a phone needs.

 

[jordanscrub]

if it aint broke why fix it?

Exactly. I love the layout of the iPhone and iPod touch. I'd actually rather them not change it, but maybe add a few more gadgets and functionality to the notification bar.

Simply, I'd be mad if they changed the layout/look of Apples current iOS, I think it's fine the way it is.

iOS 6 is horrible though

 

[3am scholar]

I can FaceTime my technology-illiterate grandparents. Apple makes it easy and simple and that's what everyone likes.