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What Apple is doing is not dissimilar to what Unix vendors have always done: provide a custom UI on top of Unix, bundle the whole setup with proprietary (typica

What Apple is doing is not dissimilar to what Unix vendors have always done: provide a custom UI on top of Unix, bundle the whole setup with proprietary (typically RISC) hardware. In the mobile space, this proprietary hardware is remarkably similar to other vendors in terms of silicon used, but only in Apple's case (and perhaps Nokia) are they providing the customized OS as well. On the other hand (and this is just my opinion), Apple's design engineers are wiping the floor with essentially everyone else. They have had the most robust feeling (in terms of weight, rigidness, materials, etc.) device on the market for 3 years straight. In fact, I have not handled a non-Apple device that feels as solid as any iPhone model.

dkarl 16y ago
They have had the most robust feeling (in terms of weight, rigidness, materials, etc.) device on the market for 3 years straight. In fact, I have not handled a non-Apple device that feels as solid as any iPhone model. So why does everybody have a case on their iPhone? Apple made a beautiful but fragile phone, and everybody gives them credit for micromanaging the physical aesthetics of the iPhone even though most users experience the physical aesthetics of a third-party case. Evidently they didn't like the aesthetic compromises required to make it robust against normal usage scenarios like dropping the phone onto a hard surface, so they just punted. They disclaimed responsibility and let the third-party case makers handle it. I'd much rather they had applied their design prowess to solving the complete problem, even if the resulting product wasn't as beautiful.
- nanairo 16y ago
  This is trolling of the highest form. Think of other goods, maybe even other goods that people really really like. Do they not protect them? What about computers? Do we not put them in protective cases? Cars and motorbike? Ever seen one of those guys who covers their car/bike when not in use? Or what about pens, that some people like to keep inside their case. Heck: I've seen military grade equipment that was still handled and carried with the care you'd reserved for an egg shell or a soap bubble!
  - dkarl 16y ago
    What else do we keep in a protective case 24/7, even when we're using it? The case is basically a part of the phone. It's there all the time and is a big part of the user experience. I think it's noteworthy that contrary to everyone's perception, Apple punted a big part of the iPhone user experience to third-party companies. They slipped this by everyone because we judge the iPhone based on its aesthetics without a case, even though the majority of iPhone users can't or don't want to use it that way. I'm not hating; I'm just pointing out the logical problem behind praising the robustness and external appearance of a device whose external appearance you rarely see in the wild because it isn't robust enough to use without a case. Think about it. As beautiful and sleek as the iPhone is without a case, most iPhone owners prefer to put a case on it. Every time you see a person with an iPhone in a case, Apple failed in the eyes of that person to create a better product than iPhone-in-a-case. The beauty was not enough to make up for the fragility, so the user gave up all the external beauty to get back the robustness that Apple traded away to make it beautiful. If you get used to thinking of the naked iPhone as inferior to iPhone-in-a-case -- and if you respect the judgment of the users, you have to -- then it doesn't make sense to admire its design so much.
    - maxharris 16y ago
      > What else do we keep in a protective case 24/7, even when we're using it? I keep my textbooks wrapped in book covers made from grocery bags. I keep my feet in protective shoes most of the time, especially if it's cold or raining outside. I'd put a car cover over my car, if it wasn't a rusty pile of junk (i.e., a Chrysler).
      - dkarl 16y ago
        That's ridiculous. Book covers are imposed on users (students) who personally gain nothing by using them by an authority (the school system) that cares nothing for their inconvenience. The human body is notoriously easy to improve on, and nobody covers their cars except people with expensive sports cars they love more than their wives. Next.
    - nanairo 16y ago

dkarl 16y ago

They have had the most robust feeling (in terms of weight, rigidness, materials, etc.) device on the market for 3 years straight. In fact, I have not handled a non-Apple device that feels as solid as any iPhone model. So why does everybody have a case on their iPhone? Apple made a beautiful but fragile phone, and everybody gives them credit for micromanaging the physical aesthetics of the iPhone even though most users experience the physical aesthetics of a third-party case. Evidently they didn't like the aesthetic compromises required to make it robust against normal usage scenarios like dropping the phone onto a hard surface, so they just punted. They disclaimed responsibility and let the third-party case makers handle it. I'd much rather they had applied their design prowess to solving the complete problem, even if the resulting product wasn't as beautiful.

nanairo 16y ago
This is trolling of the highest form. Think of other goods, maybe even other goods that people really really like. Do they not protect them? What about computers? Do we not put them in protective cases? Cars and motorbike? Ever seen one of those guys who covers their car/bike when not in use? Or what about pens, that some people like to keep inside their case. Heck: I've seen military grade equipment that was still handled and carried with the care you'd reserved for an egg shell or a soap bubble!
- dkarl 16y ago
  What else do we keep in a protective case 24/7, even when we're using it? The case is basically a part of the phone. It's there all the time and is a big part of the user experience. I think it's noteworthy that contrary to everyone's perception, Apple punted a big part of the iPhone user experience to third-party companies. They slipped this by everyone because we judge the iPhone based on its aesthetics without a case, even though the majority of iPhone users can't or don't want to use it that way. I'm not hating; I'm just pointing out the logical problem behind praising the robustness and external appearance of a device whose external appearance you rarely see in the wild because it isn't robust enough to use without a case. Think about it. As beautiful and sleek as the iPhone is without a case, most iPhone owners prefer to put a case on it. Every time you see a person with an iPhone in a case, Apple failed in the eyes of that person to create a better product than iPhone-in-a-case. The beauty was not enough to make up for the fragility, so the user gave up all the external beauty to get back the robustness that Apple traded away to make it beautiful. If you get used to thinking of the naked iPhone as inferior to iPhone-in-a-case -- and if you respect the judgment of the users, you have to -- then it doesn't make sense to admire its design so much.
  - maxharris 16y ago
    > What else do we keep in a protective case 24/7, even when we're using it? I keep my textbooks wrapped in book covers made from grocery bags. I keep my feet in protective shoes most of the time, especially if it's cold or raining outside. I'd put a car cover over my car, if it wasn't a rusty pile of junk (i.e., a Chrysler).
    - dkarl 16y ago
      That's ridiculous. Book covers are imposed on users (students) who personally gain nothing by using them by an authority (the school system) that cares nothing for their inconvenience. The human body is notoriously easy to improve on, and nobody covers their cars except people with expensive sports cars they love more than their wives. Next.
  - nanairo 16y ago