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"The user is left to figure it all out." Last I checked, manufacturers provide fairly adequate quick-start guides with any android phones. Either way, I don't

"The user is left to figure it all out." Last I checked, manufacturers provide fairly adequate quick-start guides with any android phones. Either way, I don't get his point on this and fragmentation. Linux is ridiculously fragmented - doesn't mean anything in terms of how good it is for experienced users (the new Ubuntu is awesome for me as a developer) or how accessible it is to new ones.

MrFoof 16y ago
Do I really want to read anything before using a phone? No. I won't say that Apple is immune to this either. iOS's increase in functionality means there's a fair number of Settings, and even the default applications (like Mail or Safari) aren't as simple as they could be. iTunes itself is a great example of an application that desperately needs to be refocused and streamlined. Here's the kicker though, "Twitter client, Twitterdeck, recently launched their app for Android. They reported that they had to contend with more than 100 different versions of Android software on 244 different handsets. The multiple hardware and software iterations presents developers with a daunting challenge." He does tend to get beat up a bit by the geek crowd, but even Jeff Atwood pointed this out, and how it was reminiscent of a Windows Mobile deja vu. This is why I won't develop for Android devices. If I want to develop for handheld iOS devices I could buy an iPhone4, and pick up a first-generation iPod touch as my "worst case" scenario. If I can cover both, I can run on anything. If I really want to be very paranoid, I can kick iOS back to 3.x on the older device. Android? I can only target specific OS versions, and only the most popular devices. Everyone else I can't guarantee a good user experience, or that it'll work properly at all. That's incredibly unfortunate to consumers in the marketplace. There's not going to be any real "winner" between Android and Apple in terms of profit potential. There's plenty of room in the market for both platforms. However, this is a clear demonstration that having this level of control over the platform has very real benefits.
- grobolom 16y ago
  Wow. I hadn't thought about that as much. True, developing for over two hundred different handsets is going to be tough - but I see it as the same as the old Mac v. PC debate. The different software and hardware configurations of PC users is staggering. Truth to be told, it's something that will come up in any debate - depth and customization versus ease and simplicity. No way to move without making some trade-offs. I just find him dismissing the first option somewhat disingenuous.
  - MrFoof 16y ago
    Well, the response from the TwitterDeck developer was essentially, "Steve, it wasn't that bad. Trust us." I don't think that extra effort/cost can be completely discounted -- or the two developers could've simply been phenomenal -- but it may not be so terrible just yet. However the depth and customization, overall, is of limited interest to most audiences. Actually, if you take any product, most people don't care about a lot of things. For instance, what might rub an enthusiast the wrong way about the changes to BMWs over the past 15 to 20 years (myself included), will attract a completely different set of customers. BMW sales are better than they've ever been, despite the enthusiasts moving to other manufacturers. Think computers -- people just want to buy a box and use a few applications with it... they don't care about the upgradability, they'll just buy a new one 5 years from now. iPhone simplicity is still... well, let's say it has a ways to go. I've seen the following situations in the past few months. * A friend confused on how to move her data from her iPhone 3G to her new iPhone 4. Problem? She hadn't ever synced her phone with her computer since she bought it. * Someone on the street, with an iPhone 3GS in his hand, asked me for directions. I instead taught the man to use the expensive device he bought to find directions himself. He was thankful in the end, but initially perturbed that I hadn't said "Oh, it's this way." Another thing of interest is the Apple Store was 2 blocks away. I'm sure he'll never set foot in there unless he wants to buy something. * I see people who hold the iPhone below their chin to talk into it, then move it back to their ear to listen to the other party. They repeat this for the entirety of the conversation. I simply find this behavior baffling. I can't even imagine what goes on with in-car entertainment and navigation systems, as some of those are horrible to begin with, and almost necessitate the use of a manual. Television carrier DVRs? Flashing "12:00" on VCRs? Fancy functionality with new televisions (i.e. widgets and such)? Trust me, much of it is for nought. A large portion of folks may boast that their X can do Y, but only the real enthusiasts use any real number of those features. Good design is hard, but its one of the most important things to get right, as long as your good design also includes the features people actually care about.

MrFoof 16y ago

Do I really want to read anything before using a phone? No. I won't say that Apple is immune to this either. iOS's increase in functionality means there's a fair number of Settings, and even the default applications (like Mail or Safari) aren't as simple as they could be. iTunes itself is a great example of an application that desperately needs to be refocused and streamlined. Here's the kicker though, "Twitter client, Twitterdeck, recently launched their app for Android. They reported that they had to contend with more than 100 different versions of Android software on 244 different handsets. The multiple hardware and software iterations presents developers with a daunting challenge." He does tend to get beat up a bit by the geek crowd, but even Jeff Atwood pointed this out, and how it was reminiscent of a Windows Mobile deja vu. This is why I won't develop for Android devices. If I want to develop for handheld iOS devices I could buy an iPhone4, and pick up a first-generation iPod touch as my "worst case" scenario. If I can cover both, I can run on anything. If I really want to be very paranoid, I can kick iOS back to 3.x on the older device. Android? I can only target specific OS versions, and only the most popular devices. Everyone else I can't guarantee a good user experience, or that it'll work properly at all. That's incredibly unfortunate to consumers in the marketplace. There's not going to be any real "winner" between Android and Apple in terms of profit potential. There's plenty of room in the market for both platforms. However, this is a clear demonstration that having this level of control over the platform has very real benefits.

grobolom 16y ago
Wow. I hadn't thought about that as much. True, developing for over two hundred different handsets is going to be tough - but I see it as the same as the old Mac v. PC debate. The different software and hardware configurations of PC users is staggering. Truth to be told, it's something that will come up in any debate - depth and customization versus ease and simplicity. No way to move without making some trade-offs. I just find him dismissing the first option somewhat disingenuous.
- MrFoof 16y ago
  Well, the response from the TwitterDeck developer was essentially, "Steve, it wasn't that bad. Trust us." I don't think that extra effort/cost can be completely discounted -- or the two developers could've simply been phenomenal -- but it may not be so terrible just yet. However the depth and customization, overall, is of limited interest to most audiences. Actually, if you take any product, most people don't care about a lot of things. For instance, what might rub an enthusiast the wrong way about the changes to BMWs over the past 15 to 20 years (myself included), will attract a completely different set of customers. BMW sales are better than they've ever been, despite the enthusiasts moving to other manufacturers. Think computers -- people just want to buy a box and use a few applications with it... they don't care about the upgradability, they'll just buy a new one 5 years from now. iPhone simplicity is still... well, let's say it has a ways to go. I've seen the following situations in the past few months. * A friend confused on how to move her data from her iPhone 3G to her new iPhone 4. Problem? She hadn't ever synced her phone with her computer since she bought it. * Someone on the street, with an iPhone 3GS in his hand, asked me for directions. I instead taught the man to use the expensive device he bought to find directions himself. He was thankful in the end, but initially perturbed that I hadn't said "Oh, it's this way." Another thing of interest is the Apple Store was 2 blocks away. I'm sure he'll never set foot in there unless he wants to buy something. * I see people who hold the iPhone below their chin to talk into it, then move it back to their ear to listen to the other party. They repeat this for the entirety of the conversation. I simply find this behavior baffling. I can't even imagine what goes on with in-car entertainment and navigation systems, as some of those are horrible to begin with, and almost necessitate the use of a manual. Television carrier DVRs? Flashing "12:00" on VCRs? Fancy functionality with new televisions (i.e. widgets and such)? Trust me, much of it is for nought. A large portion of folks may boast that their X can do Y, but only the real enthusiasts use any real number of those features. Good design is hard, but its one of the most important things to get right, as long as your good design also includes the features people actually care about.