12 ms·

Apple at Its Best

143 points by mercutio2 9y ago

noncoml 9y ago
We get these claims with every new release of iPhones, but each time sales are as good or better. What does worry me a bit about Apple of today vs Apple before Jobs passed away, is that they seem to be to quick to compromise design when they are face with difficult engineering problems. For example the camera sticking out and the iPhone X screen notch.
- manuelflara 9y ago
  I think exactly the same way. I'm not sure if Jobs were still alive, we would've seen any revolutionary products that we otherwise haven't. But I'm SURE, he wouldn't not greenlighted a camera that sticked out of the phone, nor the infamous screen notch on the iPhone X. Without those two issues, I'd get an X in a heartbeat. But those are seriously annoying issues to me (and the reason I for now am sticking with an SE).
  - eref 9y ago
    The Touch Bar is also a ergonomic and UX catastrophe. Touching it accidentally happens way too often and your hands also tend to be in the way for reading it. It is also way too small and requires adjusting ones pose to read it properly. Then there is the iPhone case with extra battery that looks absolutely hideous: https://i.imgur.com/VZM2SED.jpg https://i.imgur.com/VZM2SED.jpg And not to mention the utter design flaw that the Mighty Mouse cannot be used during charging: https://i.redd.it/e5p6uoibkkkx.jpg https://i.redd.it/e5p6uoibkkkx.jpg Why not change the design altogether when adding a charging port? The original design was known to be an ergonomic nightmare for years anyway. Then there is the way the Apple Pen is supposed to be charged (and easily broken by accident): http://i.imgur.com/NjKqE2r.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NjKqE2r.jpg Why didn't they simply add a small cable accessory, or even better, a small 90° hinge like on an antenna? This is just such an awkward design decision. The speaker grilles on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar are also mostly merely cosmetics. Form follows form. What's next? Ornaments? http://i.imgur.com/aEz8pWN.jpg http://i.imgur.com/aEz8pWN.jpg I also thought the lack of indicators for buttons in iOS 7 was a really bad decision. Luckily, they are reversing that.
    - rimliu 9y ago
      Charging port at the bottom of the mouse is not even a problem, not to mention "ergonomic nightmare". The same goes for a lot of "problems" in your list. And of course there is always someone who knows what Jobs would or would not do.
      - sulam 9y ago
        Oh really? I suppose that’s why the keyboard and touchpad both have it on the rear so you can use the device while it’s charging? It’s clearly a problem.
        vlozko 9y ago
        The whole charging port on the bottom of the mouse isn't just for visual design. It's intentionally made to force you into using it exclusively wireless. If it were allowed to be a wired mouse far more people will have crappy experiences with the cable constantly snagging on things. Yes, technically you could plausibly run it wired until its charged enough but now there's the extra inconvenience of managing a cable. I know this all comes off as 1st world problems - and it certainly is - but Apple has always been about refining the experience. Besides, if the battery on my mouse does die, I just plug it in, go make some coffee, and come back to a mouse that'll last me for at least another week before another recharge. Fully charged, I've had it run for at least a month. The whole charge from the bottom is one of the biggest non-issues ever.
        tnova 9y ago
        Sounds to me, like you are finding excuses to defend a bad design decision. If my mouse dies on me, then I expect to be able to plug it in and then continue to use it, with a minimal interruption of my workflow. Which, how you presented it, is not possible. I shouldn't be forced to bend my workflow around my devices, but my devices should bend to my workflow. Yes, this is not always possible, but in this case it is just an unnecessary inconvenience. And if I decide, that I want to have the "crappy experience" of using my mouse while it's on a charging cable, then I should be able to make that decision. This is not "refining experience", it is just bad design.
  - raverbashing 9y ago
    Steve Jobs also wanted the circuit boards of the Apple II to "look beautiful", but of course things don't work that way I'd rather have a better camera with a small bump (though it could be improved) or a notch but bigger screen. Note doing away with both of these items requires some compromise. They could have had no notch but a smaller screen (like in any other phone), or have that section only be 'system usable'. It's a choice and a compromise. It can look weird to some people but that's what compromises are.
- nikbackm 9y ago
  The camera sticking out is not a problem when you use a case. Which most probably want to? Have to protect the expensive device somehow.
  - m_st 9y ago
    Full ACK. Even without a case it never is or was a problem. It's just a little weird. However, the notch is indeed problematic when the iPhone X is used in landscape mode (tested on simulator).
  - matt4077 9y ago
    The iPhone isn't designed to be used with a case. In fact, I'm pretty sure Jony Ive stops talking to anybody he sees using a case. His last words to you will be "If I thought you should put in a case, I would've made the back from cheap industrial plastic".
    - sveme 9y ago
      Then he shouldn't have made the iPhone 7 so damn slippery. I hate the case, but I hate the fact that I have to replace the fucking screen for 150 Euros due to it slipping from my dry fingers even more. Now I have an ugly case and a spider-web criss-crossing the screen at the same time. This absolute need for a case with the 7 is a real major design flaw.
      - lucasverra 9y ago
        remove the case. Now you have a badass rock styled iphone. Win win (that's my actual config :) )
    - maxerickson 9y ago
      Your imagined Jony Ive sounds like a real peach.
    - nicpottier 9y ago
      Source? Also note that some of the first iPhones had plastic backs. I for one miss plastic, it is a hell of a lot more durable and doesn't have any of the issues with interference. There are lots of ways of making plastic feel premium as well.
- matwood 9y ago
  The notch may have been a compromise, but in practice it just isn’t very noticeable. In portrait orientation moving the status bar items on either side gives the app more room. In landscape it’s a piece of screen real estate that can’t be used but is much smaller than where the home button would have been.
  - patates 9y ago
    I really don't understand the big deal about the notch. Does it cause any problems for anyone?
    - matwood 9y ago
      It has not caused any issues for me. And faceId, if I can channel my inner SJ, is magical. It’s like I have no security on the device. My only complaint about the X, is that I want it in the frame of an iPhone plus.
      - dr_ 9y ago
        Agreed. With the sacrifice in width it is, and very much feels like, a smaller phone, despite the increase in diagonal screen size measurement. I also find that it is not as bright as my 2014 iPhone 6 Plus.
        zimpenfish 9y ago
        > it is, and very much feels like, a smaller phone Whereas for me, coming from a 7, it looks like a huge phone even though it's near-identical in size.
      - pvinis 9y ago
        Wait for the iPad mini X.
  - agumonkey 9y ago
    Interesting. As a non customer, one thing made me cringe is the workarounds.. the notch felt like a gizmo costing the full screen a lot. Should have made a screen with a translucent slit with the sensors behind. Call me Tim.
- jmull 9y ago
  I don’t know where the idea came from that a featureless rectilinear slab is somehow the ideal design for a phone. Of course people are perfectly welcome to their own opinions, but there’s a deeper design principle here to let an object be what it is. If all you do with a phone is look at it and tap on it then a plain rectangle is very good. But you also hold the phone up to your head to talk into it and hear the person on the other side. Orientation is important. It’s also probably the best camera you’ve ever owned, which intrinticly have a lens and depth. Why try to pretend one of the most important aspects of the phone doesn’t exist? (There have been some truely great camera designs over the years... how many of those were featureless, symmetrical rectangles? But now we think that’s somehow the ideal design??) And the phone looks back at you, listens to you, and senses your environment. All key features. So why try to sweep those important sensors under the rug? Orientation is important here too, so again you want an orientation, not a symmetric featureless slab. Sorry to jump on you, but I think your examples aren’t good.
  - Shivetya 9y ago
    I guess we are trapped by lack of UI innovation so the form will be the driver still. for me I like many "sci fi" representations where the phone is everything, it just happens to work for calls. need a bigger display, point at something appropriate. need it to be private, well with tracking and directional displays we can get there. With regards to the X, +, and other phones, its not the form factor that was important, it was how you gained access. I think Apple emphasized the edge to edge screen too much when it was evident the notch was in violation, and should have wholly focused on what face id would give us. I do not understand why they cannot move some gestures only on X to other devices though.
  - throwawayjava 9y ago
    I see what you're saying, and agree, but the description you give reminds me of this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QNmG5af9rFs/R3ypiFV0XaI/AAAAAAAAAu4/VOYdzb_GeRY/s400/New+Image2.JPG http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QNmG5af9rFs/R3ypiFV0XaI/AAAAAAAAAu... Or, to be a bit less flippant about it: * flip phones * phones with slideout keyboards * blackberries * palm pilot stylus The featureless slab beat all of those for a few important reasons, but probably the most important is aesthetic. Even the iPad Pro, which has a stylus, is much more aesthetic, and so less nerdy, than the old palm stylus. So I also understand the ambivalence toward deviating from the featureless slab.
- decasteve 9y ago
  Apple before Tim Cook makes me more concerned about an Apple without Tim Cook. They seem to have a magical ability to keep squeezing more and more profit out of everything while making (large) incremental improvements on every iteration of each product: phone, computer, watch, headphone. I attribute this more to Cook than to Jobs. It can be argued that a Jobs and Cook Apple would be ideal but their continued success is an impressive thing to be a part of.
  - oflannabhra 9y ago
    the following things have occurred under Cooks tenure: - Apple Watch - AirPods - Apple Pencil - Apple Music - HomePod - ARKit Each of those represent entirely new product categories, have captured the majority of a pre-existing market, or have opened up entirely new use cases for previously existing products. I agree with you that an Apple without Tim Cook would be in trouble indeed. However, I think that Cook's record indicates that he is truly leading the company in the same way Jobs did: a focus on truly personal, well-designed products. I hope the "Cook is Ballmer" trope will quickly die.
    - sprafa 9y ago
      Cook is Bill Gates, not Ballmer. He's a genius level CEO who compromises on design and user experience while advancing the company in the right direction - well enough and fast enough that he crushes the competition.
- hashmal 9y ago
  For what it's worth, Apple released some devices (iPod touch I think) with the camera-wart when Jobs was still around. But I agree, lately I don't like what they do. My favorite is still the iPhone 5.
- 013a 9y ago
  Both of the things you listed could just as easily be interpreted as distinctive visual design elements. Ultimately, in every sense, function, capability, and limitations guide visual design. Look at the Made for iPhone badge [1]; the bezels of the older devices are prominently displayed; they + the home button are what enable someone to look at that picture and immediately know its an iPhone. How would that badge look if all they showed was a generic rectangle [2]? Today, both the bezels and the home button are gone. Yet, take one look at this [3] and tell me it isn't just as distinctive. Apple made the decision to rotate the camera apparatus on the back of the device by 90 degrees [4] relative to the original device. Is there a functional reason for this? Probably not. Its a visual choice; it differentiates the upper-end device as an almost status symbol. Think on that for a second; you want them to hide the cameras by making them flush, but they picked a completely opposite approach. They accentuated the cameras by making them a status symbol. Flush, hidden cameras could never do this. Want to bet that the iPhone X won't be their best selling iPhone they've ever made? I doubt it. You know it will be. Let's talk Pixel. Specifically, the glass part of the back [5]. Its there for a functional reason; improving radio connectivity by avoiding metal. But it could be much less distinctive and accomplish the same purpose. Apple did something similar by running less visible plastic trim around the device with the 6/6S/7/8. Pixel's way is a unique, differentiating design element. You can try to make a perfectly functional device. No design elements, flush cameras, a beige rectangle. Perfectly functional. Now, you've lost something qualitative; distinction. [1] https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iphone/accessories/made_for_iphone.png https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare... [2] https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge_wm_brb/public/article_images/2017/10/google-pixel-2-xl-15.jpg?itok=HxDKFlNN https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/file... [3] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/technology/2017/07/31/DGB1a6rWAAAbgnS_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq7HhxwjNlxuYWYxJ7vounExSgTecg3VXcB-1eUmydTgI.jpg?imwidth=450 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/technology/2017/07/31... [4] http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2017/09/DSC_1461.jpg http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2017/09/DSC_1461.jpg [5] https://www.theandroidsoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/google-pixel-2-back.jpg https://www.theandroidsoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/go...
thisisit 9y ago
I am no expert in technology analysis but I always thought Apple's strength lay in superior hardware and/or software created around them. In which case, the whole FaceId thing feels a bit of downer. The explanation - "you see how the notification is closed when the screen is off and opens up when you look at it", is at best a nifty trick for people who are more technically oriented. Others might not be able to tell the difference at all. And on the point of: " The most attractive customers to Google’s advertisers are on the iPhone — just look at how much Google is willing to pay to acquire them — and while Google could in theory convince them to switch by keeping its superior services exclusive, in reality such an approach is untenable." Isn't this more to do with demographics of an average iPhone user rather than iPhone as a platform? One might argue that both are related but using this as a reason seems kind of superfluous.
- samdoidge 9y ago
  > Isn't this more to do with demographics of an average iPhone user rather than iPhone as a platform? One might argue that both are related but using this as a reason seems kind of superfluous. Of course they are related. Why does the iPhone have this specific demographic, if not for the platform?
  - thisisit 9y ago
    I don't think it is related to platform but segmentation. The segment being premium phone users. If there was a way to segment Android Flagship users the results will be similar. Apple and iPhone users makes this segmentation much easier.
  - theshrike79 9y ago
    iPhone users have been conditioned to pay for stuff, even if it is just $1. They've had a working App Store from day one. Google screwed the pooch by not having paid apps on huge parts of the world for years. People got so used to side-loading their apps that getting them to pay is an ordeal.
    - deleted 9y ago
dade_ 9y ago
I almost want one, but the product was accelerated, which means rushed, and that has never been a good thing. I’ll let everyone else be a guinea pig. I agree that AI is the future for interfaces so I think this screen size obsession is a distraction from innovation. How many hours has Apple spent to make yet another fragile phone with a battery life that is too short? Now add in the rest of the industry because they just making a slightly worse version of the same thing. I just got back from Shenzhen where no one is complaining about this. I am certain I laid eyes on over a million (each) battery packs, replacement screens, screen protectors, protective cases, and bluetooth earphones. So it leaves me with a simple desire for a refreshed iPhone SE with wireless charging and a much better Siri. One last thing, I picked up a new flip phone for my Dad while I was there. He can’t find a decent one at the store anymore, but there are still many new models of candy bar style and flip phones being made and sold so there must still be a lot of people buying them...
- zimpenfish 9y ago
  > but the product was accelerated, which means rushed Got credible sources for that? > yet another fragile phone with a battery life that is too short? My X has been off charge for 6 hours, with reasonable amounts of use, and I'm only down at 50% battery - that's with nothing turned off and at least 3 background GPS tracking things running, btw.
mark_l_watson 9y ago
For years I was an Android user, loved them. Now I use two iPhones (one is a corporation phone). I depend on Google Assistant on both iPhones. Siri is getting better and I sometimes use it, but I find it convenient enough to tap the Google Assistant icon on home screen as hit the hardware home button for Siri. I expect Apple to continue to invest a ton of money in AI, AR, etc. But, Google has some advantages: when I asked for driving directions to the DMV yesterday Google Assistant immediately warned me they were closed. I worked at Google with the Knowledge Graph, and it with superior AI really is a great competitive advantage. That said, I am never going back to Android phones; I like iPhones and the integration with my iPad and MacBook is useful. Best of both worlds.
- suprfnk 9y ago
  > Google has some advantages [..] Advantages mainly coming from a far reaching disregard for privacy.
  - e1ven 9y ago
    Many of them do come from a disregard for privacy. That bothers me, but some people are happy to make that trade-off for better services.
    - celeritascelery 9y ago
      I would suggest that MOST people are happy to make that trade off. At least until your personal information is hacked and taken from googles servers.
      - pen2l 9y ago
        To be fair, practically speaking, it's more likely that your "personal information" will be hacked if it is in your possession vs. when in Google's cloud.
        ferdbold 9y ago
bsaul 9y ago
Apple is notorious for releasing not completely finished "revolutionary" products. They rush for the first release but get the marketing right, then they incrementally polish the product in the following years until it's really good. I'll probably wait two iteration of the X. And in the meantime if my phone breaks, i'll take the opportunity to experiment with other brands and OS. PS : anyone knows if ubuntu or sailfish or any other mobile OS is any good ?
- celeritascelery 9y ago
  No. They are not.
rgrau 9y ago
The fact that with this title and date, neither the article nor the comments mention the Paradise Papers surprises me.
- JonCox 9y ago
  Did it come as a surprise to you that Apple were aggressively (but technically legally) minimising their tax bill?
  - rgrau 9y ago
    To me? not really. I didn't say it surprised me that Apple appeared in the papers either.
auggierose 9y ago
> [Apple] has not embraced the open-source and collaborative approach that Google and Amazon are pioneering in AI Oh yes? So where can I download the open-source Alpha Go Zero?
- judge2020 9y ago
  Also, does anyone know where to download swift's source?
  - lukeholder 9y ago
    https://github.com/apple/swift https://github.com/apple/swift
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- mikeyouse 9y ago
  Most of the source components are publicly available: https://github.com/deepmind/ https://github.com/deepmind/ Based on the Alpha Go Zero paper and these open source repositories, people are quickly approximating AGZ (without Google's proprietary weights): https://github.com/gcp/leela-zero https://github.com/gcp/leela-zero
diminish 9y ago
It's no wonder important players are rushing to market premium segment prestigious smartphones: Notably, Google’s Pixel 2, Samsung S8/Note8, Xiaomi. In 3Q 2017, iphone got 12.5% flat market share with negligible YoY growth and runs to $900B valuations thanks to increased ASP price. I'm curious why Dell/HP and some others aren't chasing the $1000+ smartphone segment.
- judge2020 9y ago
  Because they're not inclined to produce a super expensive phone with Android on it. Apple's business model works because the software makes up where the hardware lacks and give it that premium feel. Depending on how well FUTURE android pans out, consumers usually don't think Android phones should be that expensive.
  - fhood 9y ago
    >Apple's business model works because the software makes up where the hardware lacks Could you clarify? I thought hardware was where Apple had the largest lead over it's competitors.
    - eggpy 9y ago
      Apple devices have almost always been laughably overpriced for the hardware specs. Android phones are normally more powerful with longer lasting batteries and better cameras. Windows computers are cheaper with more performance and are highly customizable. What Apple has is a great UI and near-seamless interoperability between all their devices. The hardware isn't (historically) incredible, it's the experience and environment that are great.
      - fhood 9y ago
        I would agree with that for their computers to a degree, but I was under the impression that their mobile processors are known for how far ahead of the competition they are.
Apocryphon 9y ago
Technically speaking, how is Face ID different from previous facial detection security systems?
- byebyetech 9y ago
  What previous facial detection security systems? Most face recognition systems i've seen are from movies.
  - cisanti 9y ago
    Android has had face unlock for ages, but as others commented Apple has different implementation and safer.
  - dagw 9y ago
    Windows 10 has had it from launch
- glbgnn 9y ago
  It uses depth to map your face in 3d instead of using basic face detection or iris scan. So it's more flexible than iris scan (you don't have to align to the phone cameras) and can't be fooled by a picture like face detection.
- gok 9y ago
  Technically, compared to say Android Face Unlock: Infrared instead of visible light, uses depth information, detects user attention, has specialized hardware to speed the vision processing. So to an end user, it works in the dark, can’t be fooled by a photograph or a wax model, can see through veils and most sunglasses, and works really quickly. You also don’t have to see the selfie UI every time you unlock your phone. The fact that iOS devices also have a Secure Enclave to store biometric information in a tamper-resistant area is nice too.
dmitriid 9y ago
There's a quote from doom-sayers that I absolutely love: > Consider Google’s Pixel 2 phone: Driven by AI-based technology, it offers unprecedented photo-enhancement features and deeper hardware-software integration, such as real-time language translation when used with Google’s special headphones…The shifting vector of differentiation to AI and agents does not bode well for Apple… Basically, Pixel's camera is praised for the same capabilities for which it is dismissed on the iPhone. This will never cease to amaze me
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
norswap 9y ago
> As we have seen, when the vector of differentiation shifts, market leaders tend to fall by the wayside. In the brave new world of AI, Google and Amazon have the clear edge over Apple. Many people seem to believe this meme of AI changing everything. I have trouble being excited. It seems like Google Translate has improved a bit over the past few years, but it can't be relied on more than before. Personal assistant fail to understand very simple queries (they're way beyond Wolfram Alpha, which is itself cool but far from awe-inspiring). It seems that with neural networks and what not, you can get really impressive results from the get-go. But once the low-hanging fruits have been reaped, it's hard to make quantum leaps. There is also a lot of conflation. Sure Google Maps and Waze really do change things. But that's not AI in the sense that is meant today.
- pm90 9y ago
  I think personal assistant AI's are still very much in their alpha state. It will get better as time passes. Google and Amazon have been aggressively investing in Research into AI (Google probably more so through Google Research, but Amazon has ramped up recently). Apple has recently been hiring aggressively as well; and I'm more optimistic about Apple than the article, simply because Apple has amazing amount of hardware experience. I hope that they leverage that to make better AI-enabled devices... the future is going to be VERY interesting.
- 1_2__4 9y ago
  To me, the thing that gives the game away is that every time a company talks about "AI" both current and near future in general terms it's blue-sky, the-future-is-robots glorious (not really) automated future. Then when they talk specifics it's "language translation" which is still pretty awful and "image processing" which has been the purview of AI for many many years with no indication it'll be breaking out of that box anytime soon. Yes I know there's massive advancements in using ML to make things seem more advanced than they are. But at the end of the day consumer AI today is: Language recognition and translation and photo recognition and manipulation. Everything else is snake oil. So pardon me if I don't start portending Apple's doom because they may have to spend a little more of their untold billions to buy an AI startup to make photo enhancements slightly more cool for the next version of IOS. I don't think there's a game-changing AI breakthrough waiting to happen that the big companies are all going to have to fight for market space with because I can't find any evidence of it anywhere.
ryanmarsh 9y ago
I don’t understand the premise that “Google (or anybody) is better at AI”. How can anyone make such an assertion? Because Google or Amazon’s AI efforts are more visible? Has someone totaled up all the AI innovation (secret and not) at these companies and scored them? Are we talking PhD head count? What is the measure? This reminds me of when I was fighting in Baghdad in ‘04 and everyone back home was arguing about a war happening on Mars or somewhere. They sure as hell weren’t arguing about Iraq because nothing they were talking about seemed to have anything to do with the facts on the ground. Facts that were nearly impossible for them to obtain. This is a narrative not an analysis.

143 points by mercutio2 9y ago

We get these claims with every new release of iPhones, but each time sales are as good or better. What does worry me a bit about Apple of today vs Apple before Jobs passed away, is that they seem to be to quick to compromise design when they are face with difficult engineering problems. For example the camera sticking out and the iPhone X screen notch.

manuelflara 9y ago
I think exactly the same way. I'm not sure if Jobs were still alive, we would've seen any revolutionary products that we otherwise haven't. But I'm SURE, he wouldn't not greenlighted a camera that sticked out of the phone, nor the infamous screen notch on the iPhone X. Without those two issues, I'd get an X in a heartbeat. But those are seriously annoying issues to me (and the reason I for now am sticking with an SE).
- eref 9y ago
  The Touch Bar is also a ergonomic and UX catastrophe. Touching it accidentally happens way too often and your hands also tend to be in the way for reading it. It is also way too small and requires adjusting ones pose to read it properly. Then there is the iPhone case with extra battery that looks absolutely hideous: https://i.imgur.com/VZM2SED.jpg https://i.imgur.com/VZM2SED.jpg And not to mention the utter design flaw that the Mighty Mouse cannot be used during charging: https://i.redd.it/e5p6uoibkkkx.jpg https://i.redd.it/e5p6uoibkkkx.jpg Why not change the design altogether when adding a charging port? The original design was known to be an ergonomic nightmare for years anyway. Then there is the way the Apple Pen is supposed to be charged (and easily broken by accident): http://i.imgur.com/NjKqE2r.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NjKqE2r.jpg Why didn't they simply add a small cable accessory, or even better, a small 90° hinge like on an antenna? This is just such an awkward design decision. The speaker grilles on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar are also mostly merely cosmetics. Form follows form. What's next? Ornaments? http://i.imgur.com/aEz8pWN.jpg http://i.imgur.com/aEz8pWN.jpg I also thought the lack of indicators for buttons in iOS 7 was a really bad decision. Luckily, they are reversing that.
  - rimliu 9y ago
    Charging port at the bottom of the mouse is not even a problem, not to mention "ergonomic nightmare". The same goes for a lot of "problems" in your list. And of course there is always someone who knows what Jobs would or would not do.
    - sulam 9y ago
      Oh really? I suppose that’s why the keyboard and touchpad both have it on the rear so you can use the device while it’s charging? It’s clearly a problem.
      - vlozko 9y ago
        The whole charging port on the bottom of the mouse isn't just for visual design. It's intentionally made to force you into using it exclusively wireless. If it were allowed to be a wired mouse far more people will have crappy experiences with the cable constantly snagging on things. Yes, technically you could plausibly run it wired until its charged enough but now there's the extra inconvenience of managing a cable. I know this all comes off as 1st world problems - and it certainly is - but Apple has always been about refining the experience. Besides, if the battery on my mouse does die, I just plug it in, go make some coffee, and come back to a mouse that'll last me for at least another week before another recharge. Fully charged, I've had it run for at least a month. The whole charge from the bottom is one of the biggest non-issues ever.
        tnova 9y ago
        Sounds to me, like you are finding excuses to defend a bad design decision. If my mouse dies on me, then I expect to be able to plug it in and then continue to use it, with a minimal interruption of my workflow. Which, how you presented it, is not possible. I shouldn't be forced to bend my workflow around my devices, but my devices should bend to my workflow. Yes, this is not always possible, but in this case it is just an unnecessary inconvenience. And if I decide, that I want to have the "crappy experience" of using my mouse while it's on a charging cable, then I should be able to make that decision. This is not "refining experience", it is just bad design.
- raverbashing 9y ago
  Steve Jobs also wanted the circuit boards of the Apple II to "look beautiful", but of course things don't work that way I'd rather have a better camera with a small bump (though it could be improved) or a notch but bigger screen. Note doing away with both of these items requires some compromise. They could have had no notch but a smaller screen (like in any other phone), or have that section only be 'system usable'. It's a choice and a compromise. It can look weird to some people but that's what compromises are.
nikbackm 9y ago
The camera sticking out is not a problem when you use a case. Which most probably want to? Have to protect the expensive device somehow.
- m_st 9y ago
  Full ACK. Even without a case it never is or was a problem. It's just a little weird. However, the notch is indeed problematic when the iPhone X is used in landscape mode (tested on simulator).
- matt4077 9y ago
  The iPhone isn't designed to be used with a case. In fact, I'm pretty sure Jony Ive stops talking to anybody he sees using a case. His last words to you will be "If I thought you should put in a case, I would've made the back from cheap industrial plastic".
  - sveme 9y ago
    Then he shouldn't have made the iPhone 7 so damn slippery. I hate the case, but I hate the fact that I have to replace the fucking screen for 150 Euros due to it slipping from my dry fingers even more. Now I have an ugly case and a spider-web criss-crossing the screen at the same time. This absolute need for a case with the 7 is a real major design flaw.
    - lucasverra 9y ago
      remove the case. Now you have a badass rock styled iphone. Win win (that's my actual config :) )
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    Your imagined Jony Ive sounds like a real peach.
  - nicpottier 9y ago
    Source? Also note that some of the first iPhones had plastic backs. I for one miss plastic, it is a hell of a lot more durable and doesn't have any of the issues with interference. There are lots of ways of making plastic feel premium as well.
matwood 9y ago
The notch may have been a compromise, but in practice it just isn’t very noticeable. In portrait orientation moving the status bar items on either side gives the app more room. In landscape it’s a piece of screen real estate that can’t be used but is much smaller than where the home button would have been.
- patates 9y ago
  I really don't understand the big deal about the notch. Does it cause any problems for anyone?
  - matwood 9y ago
    It has not caused any issues for me. And faceId, if I can channel my inner SJ, is magical. It’s like I have no security on the device. My only complaint about the X, is that I want it in the frame of an iPhone plus.
    - dr_ 9y ago
      Agreed. With the sacrifice in width it is, and very much feels like, a smaller phone, despite the increase in diagonal screen size measurement. I also find that it is not as bright as my 2014 iPhone 6 Plus.
      - zimpenfish 9y ago
        > it is, and very much feels like, a smaller phone Whereas for me, coming from a 7, it looks like a huge phone even though it's near-identical in size.
    - pvinis 9y ago
      Wait for the iPad mini X.
- agumonkey 9y ago
  Interesting. As a non customer, one thing made me cringe is the workarounds.. the notch felt like a gizmo costing the full screen a lot. Should have made a screen with a translucent slit with the sensors behind. Call me Tim.
jmull 9y ago
I don’t know where the idea came from that a featureless rectilinear slab is somehow the ideal design for a phone. Of course people are perfectly welcome to their own opinions, but there’s a deeper design principle here to let an object be what it is. If all you do with a phone is look at it and tap on it then a plain rectangle is very good. But you also hold the phone up to your head to talk into it and hear the person on the other side. Orientation is important. It’s also probably the best camera you’ve ever owned, which intrinticly have a lens and depth. Why try to pretend one of the most important aspects of the phone doesn’t exist? (There have been some truely great camera designs over the years... how many of those were featureless, symmetrical rectangles? But now we think that’s somehow the ideal design??) And the phone looks back at you, listens to you, and senses your environment. All key features. So why try to sweep those important sensors under the rug? Orientation is important here too, so again you want an orientation, not a symmetric featureless slab. Sorry to jump on you, but I think your examples aren’t good.
- Shivetya 9y ago
  I guess we are trapped by lack of UI innovation so the form will be the driver still. for me I like many "sci fi" representations where the phone is everything, it just happens to work for calls. need a bigger display, point at something appropriate. need it to be private, well with tracking and directional displays we can get there. With regards to the X, +, and other phones, its not the form factor that was important, it was how you gained access. I think Apple emphasized the edge to edge screen too much when it was evident the notch was in violation, and should have wholly focused on what face id would give us. I do not understand why they cannot move some gestures only on X to other devices though.
- throwawayjava 9y ago
  I see what you're saying, and agree, but the description you give reminds me of this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QNmG5af9rFs/R3ypiFV0XaI/AAAAAAAAAu4/VOYdzb_GeRY/s400/New+Image2.JPG http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QNmG5af9rFs/R3ypiFV0XaI/AAAAAAAAAu... Or, to be a bit less flippant about it: * flip phones * phones with slideout keyboards * blackberries * palm pilot stylus The featureless slab beat all of those for a few important reasons, but probably the most important is aesthetic. Even the iPad Pro, which has a stylus, is much more aesthetic, and so less nerdy, than the old palm stylus. So I also understand the ambivalence toward deviating from the featureless slab.
decasteve 9y ago
Apple before Tim Cook makes me more concerned about an Apple without Tim Cook. They seem to have a magical ability to keep squeezing more and more profit out of everything while making (large) incremental improvements on every iteration of each product: phone, computer, watch, headphone. I attribute this more to Cook than to Jobs. It can be argued that a Jobs and Cook Apple would be ideal but their continued success is an impressive thing to be a part of.
- oflannabhra 9y ago
  the following things have occurred under Cooks tenure: - Apple Watch - AirPods - Apple Pencil - Apple Music - HomePod - ARKit Each of those represent entirely new product categories, have captured the majority of a pre-existing market, or have opened up entirely new use cases for previously existing products. I agree with you that an Apple without Tim Cook would be in trouble indeed. However, I think that Cook's record indicates that he is truly leading the company in the same way Jobs did: a focus on truly personal, well-designed products. I hope the "Cook is Ballmer" trope will quickly die.
  - sprafa 9y ago
    Cook is Bill Gates, not Ballmer. He's a genius level CEO who compromises on design and user experience while advancing the company in the right direction - well enough and fast enough that he crushes the competition.
hashmal 9y ago
For what it's worth, Apple released some devices (iPod touch I think) with the camera-wart when Jobs was still around. But I agree, lately I don't like what they do. My favorite is still the iPhone 5.
013a 9y ago
Both of the things you listed could just as easily be interpreted as distinctive visual design elements. Ultimately, in every sense, function, capability, and limitations guide visual design. Look at the Made for iPhone badge [1]; the bezels of the older devices are prominently displayed; they + the home button are what enable someone to look at that picture and immediately know its an iPhone. How would that badge look if all they showed was a generic rectangle [2]? Today, both the bezels and the home button are gone. Yet, take one look at this [3] and tell me it isn't just as distinctive. Apple made the decision to rotate the camera apparatus on the back of the device by 90 degrees [4] relative to the original device. Is there a functional reason for this? Probably not. Its a visual choice; it differentiates the upper-end device as an almost status symbol. Think on that for a second; you want them to hide the cameras by making them flush, but they picked a completely opposite approach. They accentuated the cameras by making them a status symbol. Flush, hidden cameras could never do this. Want to bet that the iPhone X won't be their best selling iPhone they've ever made? I doubt it. You know it will be. Let's talk Pixel. Specifically, the glass part of the back [5]. Its there for a functional reason; improving radio connectivity by avoiding metal. But it could be much less distinctive and accomplish the same purpose. Apple did something similar by running less visible plastic trim around the device with the 6/6S/7/8. Pixel's way is a unique, differentiating design element. You can try to make a perfectly functional device. No design elements, flush cameras, a beige rectangle. Perfectly functional. Now, you've lost something qualitative; distinction. [1] https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iphone/accessories/made_for_iphone.png https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare... [2] https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge_wm_brb/public/article_images/2017/10/google-pixel-2-xl-15.jpg?itok=HxDKFlNN https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/file... [3] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/technology/2017/07/31/DGB1a6rWAAAbgnS_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq7HhxwjNlxuYWYxJ7vounExSgTecg3VXcB-1eUmydTgI.jpg?imwidth=450 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/technology/2017/07/31... [4] http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2017/09/DSC_1461.jpg http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2017/09/DSC_1461.jpg [5] https://www.theandroidsoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/google-pixel-2-back.jpg https://www.theandroidsoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/go...

thisisit 9y ago

I am no expert in technology analysis but I always thought Apple's strength lay in superior hardware and/or software created around them. In which case, the whole FaceId thing feels a bit of downer. The explanation - "you see how the notification is closed when the screen is off and opens up when you look at it", is at best a nifty trick for people who are more technically oriented. Others might not be able to tell the difference at all. And on the point of: " The most attractive customers to Google’s advertisers are on the iPhone — just look at how much Google is willing to pay to acquire them — and while Google could in theory convince them to switch by keeping its superior services exclusive, in reality such an approach is untenable." Isn't this more to do with demographics of an average iPhone user rather than iPhone as a platform? One might argue that both are related but using this as a reason seems kind of superfluous.

samdoidge 9y ago
> Isn't this more to do with demographics of an average iPhone user rather than iPhone as a platform? One might argue that both are related but using this as a reason seems kind of superfluous. Of course they are related. Why does the iPhone have this specific demographic, if not for the platform?
- thisisit 9y ago
  I don't think it is related to platform but segmentation. The segment being premium phone users. If there was a way to segment Android Flagship users the results will be similar. Apple and iPhone users makes this segmentation much easier.
- theshrike79 9y ago
  iPhone users have been conditioned to pay for stuff, even if it is just $1. They've had a working App Store from day one. Google screwed the pooch by not having paid apps on huge parts of the world for years. People got so used to side-loading their apps that getting them to pay is an ordeal.
  - deleted 9y ago

dade_ 9y ago

I almost want one, but the product was accelerated, which means rushed, and that has never been a good thing. I’ll let everyone else be a guinea pig. I agree that AI is the future for interfaces so I think this screen size obsession is a distraction from innovation. How many hours has Apple spent to make yet another fragile phone with a battery life that is too short? Now add in the rest of the industry because they just making a slightly worse version of the same thing. I just got back from Shenzhen where no one is complaining about this. I am certain I laid eyes on over a million (each) battery packs, replacement screens, screen protectors, protective cases, and bluetooth earphones. So it leaves me with a simple desire for a refreshed iPhone SE with wireless charging and a much better Siri. One last thing, I picked up a new flip phone for my Dad while I was there. He can’t find a decent one at the store anymore, but there are still many new models of candy bar style and flip phones being made and sold so there must still be a lot of people buying them...

zimpenfish 9y ago
> but the product was accelerated, which means rushed Got credible sources for that? > yet another fragile phone with a battery life that is too short? My X has been off charge for 6 hours, with reasonable amounts of use, and I'm only down at 50% battery - that's with nothing turned off and at least 3 background GPS tracking things running, btw.

mark_l_watson 9y ago

For years I was an Android user, loved them. Now I use two iPhones (one is a corporation phone). I depend on Google Assistant on both iPhones. Siri is getting better and I sometimes use it, but I find it convenient enough to tap the Google Assistant icon on home screen as hit the hardware home button for Siri. I expect Apple to continue to invest a ton of money in AI, AR, etc. But, Google has some advantages: when I asked for driving directions to the DMV yesterday Google Assistant immediately warned me they were closed. I worked at Google with the Knowledge Graph, and it with superior AI really is a great competitive advantage. That said, I am never going back to Android phones; I like iPhones and the integration with my iPad and MacBook is useful. Best of both worlds.

suprfnk 9y ago
> Google has some advantages [..] Advantages mainly coming from a far reaching disregard for privacy.
- e1ven 9y ago
  Many of them do come from a disregard for privacy. That bothers me, but some people are happy to make that trade-off for better services.
  - celeritascelery 9y ago
    I would suggest that MOST people are happy to make that trade off. At least until your personal information is hacked and taken from googles servers.
    - pen2l 9y ago
      To be fair, practically speaking, it's more likely that your "personal information" will be hacked if it is in your possession vs. when in Google's cloud.
      - ferdbold 9y ago

bsaul 9y ago

Apple is notorious for releasing not completely finished "revolutionary" products. They rush for the first release but get the marketing right, then they incrementally polish the product in the following years until it's really good. I'll probably wait two iteration of the X. And in the meantime if my phone breaks, i'll take the opportunity to experiment with other brands and OS. PS : anyone knows if ubuntu or sailfish or any other mobile OS is any good ?

celeritascelery 9y ago
No. They are not.

rgrau 9y ago

The fact that with this title and date, neither the article nor the comments mention the Paradise Papers surprises me.

JonCox 9y ago
Did it come as a surprise to you that Apple were aggressively (but technically legally) minimising their tax bill?
- rgrau 9y ago
  To me? not really. I didn't say it surprised me that Apple appeared in the papers either.

auggierose 9y ago

> [Apple] has not embraced the open-source and collaborative approach that Google and Amazon are pioneering in AI Oh yes? So where can I download the open-source Alpha Go Zero?

judge2020 9y ago
Also, does anyone know where to download swift's source?
- lukeholder 9y ago
  https://github.com/apple/swift https://github.com/apple/swift
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
mikeyouse 9y ago
Most of the source components are publicly available: https://github.com/deepmind/ https://github.com/deepmind/ Based on the Alpha Go Zero paper and these open source repositories, people are quickly approximating AGZ (without Google's proprietary weights): https://github.com/gcp/leela-zero https://github.com/gcp/leela-zero

diminish 9y ago

It's no wonder important players are rushing to market premium segment prestigious smartphones: Notably, Google’s Pixel 2, Samsung S8/Note8, Xiaomi. In 3Q 2017, iphone got 12.5% flat market share with negligible YoY growth and runs to $900B valuations thanks to increased ASP price. I'm curious why Dell/HP and some others aren't chasing the $1000+ smartphone segment.

judge2020 9y ago
Because they're not inclined to produce a super expensive phone with Android on it. Apple's business model works because the software makes up where the hardware lacks and give it that premium feel. Depending on how well FUTURE android pans out, consumers usually don't think Android phones should be that expensive.
- fhood 9y ago
  >Apple's business model works because the software makes up where the hardware lacks Could you clarify? I thought hardware was where Apple had the largest lead over it's competitors.
  - eggpy 9y ago
    Apple devices have almost always been laughably overpriced for the hardware specs. Android phones are normally more powerful with longer lasting batteries and better cameras. Windows computers are cheaper with more performance and are highly customizable. What Apple has is a great UI and near-seamless interoperability between all their devices. The hardware isn't (historically) incredible, it's the experience and environment that are great.
    - fhood 9y ago
      I would agree with that for their computers to a degree, but I was under the impression that their mobile processors are known for how far ahead of the competition they are.

Apocryphon 9y ago

Technically speaking, how is Face ID different from previous facial detection security systems?

byebyetech 9y ago
What previous facial detection security systems? Most face recognition systems i've seen are from movies.
- cisanti 9y ago
  Android has had face unlock for ages, but as others commented Apple has different implementation and safer.
- dagw 9y ago
  Windows 10 has had it from launch
glbgnn 9y ago
It uses depth to map your face in 3d instead of using basic face detection or iris scan. So it's more flexible than iris scan (you don't have to align to the phone cameras) and can't be fooled by a picture like face detection.
gok 9y ago
Technically, compared to say Android Face Unlock: Infrared instead of visible light, uses depth information, detects user attention, has specialized hardware to speed the vision processing. So to an end user, it works in the dark, can’t be fooled by a photograph or a wax model, can see through veils and most sunglasses, and works really quickly. You also don’t have to see the selfie UI every time you unlock your phone. The fact that iOS devices also have a Secure Enclave to store biometric information in a tamper-resistant area is nice too.

dmitriid 9y ago

There's a quote from doom-sayers that I absolutely love: > Consider Google’s Pixel 2 phone: Driven by AI-based technology, it offers unprecedented photo-enhancement features and deeper hardware-software integration, such as real-time language translation when used with Google’s special headphones…The shifting vector of differentiation to AI and agents does not bode well for Apple… Basically, Pixel's camera is praised for the same capabilities for which it is dismissed on the iPhone. This will never cease to amaze me

deleted 9y ago

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norswap 9y ago

> As we have seen, when the vector of differentiation shifts, market leaders tend to fall by the wayside. In the brave new world of AI, Google and Amazon have the clear edge over Apple. Many people seem to believe this meme of AI changing everything. I have trouble being excited. It seems like Google Translate has improved a bit over the past few years, but it can't be relied on more than before. Personal assistant fail to understand very simple queries (they're way beyond Wolfram Alpha, which is itself cool but far from awe-inspiring). It seems that with neural networks and what not, you can get really impressive results from the get-go. But once the low-hanging fruits have been reaped, it's hard to make quantum leaps. There is also a lot of conflation. Sure Google Maps and Waze really do change things. But that's not AI in the sense that is meant today.

pm90 9y ago
I think personal assistant AI's are still very much in their alpha state. It will get better as time passes. Google and Amazon have been aggressively investing in Research into AI (Google probably more so through Google Research, but Amazon has ramped up recently). Apple has recently been hiring aggressively as well; and I'm more optimistic about Apple than the article, simply because Apple has amazing amount of hardware experience. I hope that they leverage that to make better AI-enabled devices... the future is going to be VERY interesting.
1_2__4 9y ago
To me, the thing that gives the game away is that every time a company talks about "AI" both current and near future in general terms it's blue-sky, the-future-is-robots glorious (not really) automated future. Then when they talk specifics it's "language translation" which is still pretty awful and "image processing" which has been the purview of AI for many many years with no indication it'll be breaking out of that box anytime soon. Yes I know there's massive advancements in using ML to make things seem more advanced than they are. But at the end of the day consumer AI today is: Language recognition and translation and photo recognition and manipulation. Everything else is snake oil. So pardon me if I don't start portending Apple's doom because they may have to spend a little more of their untold billions to buy an AI startup to make photo enhancements slightly more cool for the next version of IOS. I don't think there's a game-changing AI breakthrough waiting to happen that the big companies are all going to have to fight for market space with because I can't find any evidence of it anywhere.

ryanmarsh 9y ago

I don’t understand the premise that “Google (or anybody) is better at AI”. How can anyone make such an assertion? Because Google or Amazon’s AI efforts are more visible? Has someone totaled up all the AI innovation (secret and not) at these companies and scored them? Are we talking PhD head count? What is the measure? This reminds me of when I was fighting in Baghdad in ‘04 and everyone back home was arguing about a war happening on Mars or somewhere. They sure as hell weren’t arguing about Iraq because nothing they were talking about seemed to have anything to do with the facts on the ground. Facts that were nearly impossible for them to obtain. This is a narrative not an analysis.