8 ms·

Yeah that spinning click wheel was genius at the time.

by ianlevesque 10y ago

branchless 10y ago
Why? It allowed navigating up and down. And you could select. A simple plus sign like button did this.
- ChristianGeek 10y ago
  You obviously never used one. It gave you full, immediate control over how fast you scrolled, which buttons could never do. It enabled you to immediately change direction without lifting your finger. You could start by placing your finger anywhere on the wheel, which made it easy to use in the dark, and moving your finger from the wheel to the button in the center was just as easy. It was, and still is, the best interface I've ever used for navigating through large, grouped lists.
  - branchless 10y ago
    I've used one. I find them a little annoying when it comes to selecting the actual song. Not a real problem, but neither was using a regular button.
  - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 10y ago
    You could also adjust the volume through your pants, at least with some versions. It was just sensitive enough that I could do this with jeans without having to stick my hand in my pocket. Honestly this was one of my favorite features, at least until the headphone remotes.
- groby_b 10y ago
  That is exactly why Apple cleaned up and previous players didn't. From a technical point, that is correct. From a usability point, it isn't - because it took a previously digital control (button pressed or not) and made it feel analog (just turn the wheel). And it's much easier to precisely navigate over large distances with an analog(-feeling) control. Of course it wasn't only the wheel that made a difference, but it was the mindset behind it: Take things that to most engineers are functionally equivalent and choose the one that makes it easier for the user. Or find something that makes it easier for the user. That is a lesson that many of the products of our industry are still missing. What matters is not only functionality, but how easily and intuitively I as a user can access that functionality.
  - wruza 10y ago
    Not only still missing, but largely extinct. Analog displays had two brightness/contrast dials (or knobs? can't find a word), and you just rotated it until done. Now I have to use crappy OSD menu with 4 plus/minus/up/down/enter/exit/auto/mode/etc dynamic buttons each time I need to adjust these. Some manufacturers' ui designers are even so dumb that put unobvious logic into it like when you first press minus, it adjusts contrast, and when plus, it is brightness. HOW could that happen to the industry?
- sulam 10y ago
  Because it was tactile, and allowed for you to spin at higher and lower speeds. Good luck pressing a button with any velocity at all, and I've never seen the "press and hold for higher speeds" thing done half as well. Not to mention that it completely lacks in terms of feedback. The smartest thing they did with the click wheel after the wheel itself was the little clicking noise they played as you spun it. It made it feel mechanical, and gave you immediate feedback about how fast you were going.
bluthru 10y ago
I remember hearing that Phil Schiller came up with that idea. Apple really wouldn't be Apple without him. He's the guy who had the goal of making a laptop with one port. He's the guy who's on board with removing the headphone jack. He's the guy making decisions that piss a lot of people off but understands what makes their products uniquely Apple.
- IslaDeEncanta 10y ago
  Having one good idea doesn't mean that all of those are good ideas.
  - bluthru 10y ago
    Any company can add a bunch of ports and say "yes" to everything. It's characteristic of Apple to piss people off in the short term and keep things focused. Personally I wish the MacBook had 2 ports, but I love that Phil's philosophy is "what if we made a notebook with just one port?"
    - danieldk 10y ago
      Personally I wish the MacBook had 2 ports, Me too, but I have come to appreciate the whole product experience. I went from the MacBook Air 13" to a MacBook 12". I cycle to work nearly daily and take my MacBook in my backpack. Yesterday I had to connect my wife's MacBook Air 13" and then I realized that I forgot how heavy it is. If you need a laptop that is so light and thin, something's got to give. If removing a few ports and a CPU fan brings you there, it's like it is. (Before someone says that you have the extra weight of an USB-C to display/USB-A adapter: the MacBook 12" charger is also smaller and lighter than the MacBook Air charger.)
      - zimpenfish 10y ago
        Plus you can charge the Macbook from any* 2.4A USB charger with appropriate cable - and since I'm already carrying two of those for the iPad and iPhone, there's no need to carry the USB-C brick as well. * I've had issues with some of the cheaper ones I've tried.
nercht12 10y ago
Obligatory Onion News reference: http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no--14299 http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary...
ghaff 10y ago
The Click Wheel wasn't until the 4G though in 2004. That was my first and that's arguably when the iPod really broke out.
- shawabawa3 10y ago
  Pretty sure the 1st iPod had the click wheel. It was a mechanical wheel with a separate button in the middle to click. The 2004 ones were touch wheels with tap sensors
  - ghaff 10y ago
    Yes, but it's the 4G and successors that AFAIK had the selector that was dubbed the "Click Wheel." Previous models had a mechanical scroll wheel that looked somewhat similar and which incrementally added touch functions but when people talk about the click wheel they're normally referring to the tap sensors in the iPod Mini & the 4G and followons.

Yeah that spinning click wheel was genius at the time.

branchless 10y ago

Why? It allowed navigating up and down. And you could select. A simple plus sign like button did this.

ChristianGeek 10y ago
You obviously never used one. It gave you full, immediate control over how fast you scrolled, which buttons could never do. It enabled you to immediately change direction without lifting your finger. You could start by placing your finger anywhere on the wheel, which made it easy to use in the dark, and moving your finger from the wheel to the button in the center was just as easy. It was, and still is, the best interface I've ever used for navigating through large, grouped lists.
- branchless 10y ago
  I've used one. I find them a little annoying when it comes to selecting the actual song. Not a real problem, but neither was using a regular button.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 10y ago
  You could also adjust the volume through your pants, at least with some versions. It was just sensitive enough that I could do this with jeans without having to stick my hand in my pocket. Honestly this was one of my favorite features, at least until the headphone remotes.
groby_b 10y ago
That is exactly why Apple cleaned up and previous players didn't. From a technical point, that is correct. From a usability point, it isn't - because it took a previously digital control (button pressed or not) and made it feel analog (just turn the wheel). And it's much easier to precisely navigate over large distances with an analog(-feeling) control. Of course it wasn't only the wheel that made a difference, but it was the mindset behind it: Take things that to most engineers are functionally equivalent and choose the one that makes it easier for the user. Or find something that makes it easier for the user. That is a lesson that many of the products of our industry are still missing. What matters is not only functionality, but how easily and intuitively I as a user can access that functionality.
- wruza 10y ago
  Not only still missing, but largely extinct. Analog displays had two brightness/contrast dials (or knobs? can't find a word), and you just rotated it until done. Now I have to use crappy OSD menu with 4 plus/minus/up/down/enter/exit/auto/mode/etc dynamic buttons each time I need to adjust these. Some manufacturers' ui designers are even so dumb that put unobvious logic into it like when you first press minus, it adjusts contrast, and when plus, it is brightness. HOW could that happen to the industry?
sulam 10y ago
Because it was tactile, and allowed for you to spin at higher and lower speeds. Good luck pressing a button with any velocity at all, and I've never seen the "press and hold for higher speeds" thing done half as well. Not to mention that it completely lacks in terms of feedback. The smartest thing they did with the click wheel after the wheel itself was the little clicking noise they played as you spun it. It made it feel mechanical, and gave you immediate feedback about how fast you were going.

bluthru 10y ago

I remember hearing that Phil Schiller came up with that idea. Apple really wouldn't be Apple without him. He's the guy who had the goal of making a laptop with one port. He's the guy who's on board with removing the headphone jack. He's the guy making decisions that piss a lot of people off but understands what makes their products uniquely Apple.

IslaDeEncanta 10y ago
Having one good idea doesn't mean that all of those are good ideas.
- bluthru 10y ago
  Any company can add a bunch of ports and say "yes" to everything. It's characteristic of Apple to piss people off in the short term and keep things focused. Personally I wish the MacBook had 2 ports, but I love that Phil's philosophy is "what if we made a notebook with just one port?"
  - danieldk 10y ago
    Personally I wish the MacBook had 2 ports, Me too, but I have come to appreciate the whole product experience. I went from the MacBook Air 13" to a MacBook 12". I cycle to work nearly daily and take my MacBook in my backpack. Yesterday I had to connect my wife's MacBook Air 13" and then I realized that I forgot how heavy it is. If you need a laptop that is so light and thin, something's got to give. If removing a few ports and a CPU fan brings you there, it's like it is. (Before someone says that you have the extra weight of an USB-C to display/USB-A adapter: the MacBook 12" charger is also smaller and lighter than the MacBook Air charger.)
    - zimpenfish 10y ago
      Plus you can charge the Macbook from any* 2.4A USB charger with appropriate cable - and since I'm already carrying two of those for the iPad and iPhone, there's no need to carry the USB-C brick as well. * I've had issues with some of the cheaper ones I've tried.

nercht12 10y ago

Obligatory Onion News reference: http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no--14299 http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary...

ghaff 10y ago

The Click Wheel wasn't until the 4G though in 2004. That was my first and that's arguably when the iPod really broke out.

shawabawa3 10y ago
Pretty sure the 1st iPod had the click wheel. It was a mechanical wheel with a separate button in the middle to click. The 2004 ones were touch wheels with tap sensors
- ghaff 10y ago
  Yes, but it's the 4G and successors that AFAIK had the selector that was dubbed the "Click Wheel." Previous models had a mechanical scroll wheel that looked somewhat similar and which incrementally added touch functions but when people talk about the click wheel they're normally referring to the tap sensors in the iPod Mini & the 4G and followons.