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In the user manual. Which is, btw, one of the very best user manuals you will ever see. It's very easy to find, and the fact you haven't found it tells me you p

by Bud 8y ago

In the user manual. Which is, btw, one of the very best user manuals you will ever see. It's very easy to find, and the fact you haven't found it tells me you probably didn't bother searching, since almost any Google search finds it instantly: https://support.apple.com/manuals/iphone https://support.apple.com/manuals/iphone And no: Apple does not "believe their product is so easy to understand that people will just get it". You just made that up. It's...surprising what people will claim sometimes about what Apple "believes" based on zero evidence. The fact is, Apple knows very very well what is easy and obvious, and what isn't. They have done rigorous study of all of this. I'm not saying that Apple always makes the right choices, design-wise. But to say that they are blithely ignorant of the basic usability facts surrounding the most successful consumer product in world history is...a bit of a stretch.

graeme 8y ago
I'm an avid apple user and honestly had no idea that manual existed. They could do a better job advertising it. Is there anything in the box mentioning it? Edit: and according to the article, the manual doesn't cover a lot of the hidden features described in the article. I learned at least five new things: select multiple pictures, announce calls, swipe right for forward, and a couple others I don't recall. I would rate myself as an advanced iphone user. I've made very complicated Siri shortcuts. But a lot of stuff has been rather hard to discover.
- sitharus 8y ago
  It's referenced in the only piece of paper in the iPhone box at the end of the getting started instructions. Or at least it was when I got my latest phone a year ago.
- kemayo 8y ago
  It's the first thing mentioned on the small-print card that's in the box. I somehow suspect that most people don't read this card. More likely to be found is that in the Tips app that a newly set-up iPhone tries to point you to, once you've gone through a few tips one'll suggest that you download the manual through Apple Books.
  - dingaling 8y ago
    > one'll suggest that you download the manual through Apple Books. That reminds me of the 1990s scenario of having to know and understand FTP in order to install a web browser. Wouldn't it be more sensible to have it preloaded on the phone? I presume the OS is already regionalised, so they could include the appropriate manual.
- Bud 8y ago
  Absolutely correct. This is actually one of Apple's biggest flaws: failure to take credit for dozens and dozens of things that they do better than anyone else. Failure to advertise it, to market it, to inform.
- Twisell 8y ago
  When he got his first iPhone, my dad found it and proudly told me that he manage to download it all by itself. It’s purely anecdotal but as far as I’m concerned I would rate discoverability as good enough.
PhasmaFelis 8y ago
> And no: Apple does not "believe their product is so easy to understand that people will just get it". You just made that up. You're being weirdly hostile about this. I like Apple's design for the most part, and I enjoy a good comprehensive manual as much as the next guy, but the expectation these days is that software should be self-teaching. Presenting the user with an incomprehensible pile of options is bad, but so is only giving them a tiny subset of practical functionality. Good design presents the common/important options front and center, then lets power users drill down into advanced settings if they want. And all that should be at least nominally discoverable with recourse to the manual.
- Bud 8y ago
  I am sorry if I came across as hostile. My apologies.
JustSomeNobody 8y ago
> And no: Apple does not "believe their product is so easy to understand that people will just get it". You just made that up. Stop being hostile, dude. Poll a hundred iOS users and ask how many know there's a manual.
vlovich123 8y ago
Having actually asked this question of Steve Jobs at a town hall for interns (& having worked at Apple later as a full time employee) and it is 100% in the DNA of Apple to try to make things intuitive without needing to reference a manual. There's a reason they don't include anything more than a getting started guide. That a manual exists and is high quality isn't proof that they intend or even expect the typical user to use it. A lot of it could also be for SEO purposes so that if you're searching for a question the top hit could be directly from the manual rather than a random blog post. I have a feeling they also rely on less tech savy users buying in-person at the Apple Store where their sales staff can do whatever custom 1:1 training is required.

by Bud 8y ago

graeme 8y ago

I'm an avid apple user and honestly had no idea that manual existed. They could do a better job advertising it. Is there anything in the box mentioning it? Edit: and according to the article, the manual doesn't cover a lot of the hidden features described in the article. I learned at least five new things: select multiple pictures, announce calls, swipe right for forward, and a couple others I don't recall. I would rate myself as an advanced iphone user. I've made very complicated Siri shortcuts. But a lot of stuff has been rather hard to discover.

sitharus 8y ago
It's referenced in the only piece of paper in the iPhone box at the end of the getting started instructions. Or at least it was when I got my latest phone a year ago.
kemayo 8y ago
It's the first thing mentioned on the small-print card that's in the box. I somehow suspect that most people don't read this card. More likely to be found is that in the Tips app that a newly set-up iPhone tries to point you to, once you've gone through a few tips one'll suggest that you download the manual through Apple Books.
- dingaling 8y ago
  > one'll suggest that you download the manual through Apple Books. That reminds me of the 1990s scenario of having to know and understand FTP in order to install a web browser. Wouldn't it be more sensible to have it preloaded on the phone? I presume the OS is already regionalised, so they could include the appropriate manual.
Bud 8y ago
Absolutely correct. This is actually one of Apple's biggest flaws: failure to take credit for dozens and dozens of things that they do better than anyone else. Failure to advertise it, to market it, to inform.
Twisell 8y ago
When he got his first iPhone, my dad found it and proudly told me that he manage to download it all by itself. It’s purely anecdotal but as far as I’m concerned I would rate discoverability as good enough.

PhasmaFelis 8y ago

> And no: Apple does not "believe their product is so easy to understand that people will just get it". You just made that up. You're being weirdly hostile about this. I like Apple's design for the most part, and I enjoy a good comprehensive manual as much as the next guy, but the expectation these days is that software should be self-teaching. Presenting the user with an incomprehensible pile of options is bad, but so is only giving them a tiny subset of practical functionality. Good design presents the common/important options front and center, then lets power users drill down into advanced settings if they want. And all that should be at least nominally discoverable with recourse to the manual.

Bud 8y ago
I am sorry if I came across as hostile. My apologies.

JustSomeNobody 8y ago

> And no: Apple does not "believe their product is so easy to understand that people will just get it". You just made that up. Stop being hostile, dude. Poll a hundred iOS users and ask how many know there's a manual.

vlovich123 8y ago

Having actually asked this question of Steve Jobs at a town hall for interns (& having worked at Apple later as a full time employee) and it is 100% in the DNA of Apple to try to make things intuitive without needing to reference a manual. There's a reason they don't include anything more than a getting started guide. That a manual exists and is high quality isn't proof that they intend or even expect the typical user to use it. A lot of it could also be for SEO purposes so that if you're searching for a question the top hit could be directly from the manual rather than a random blog post. I have a feeling they also rely on less tech savy users buying in-person at the Apple Store where their sales staff can do whatever custom 1:1 training is required.