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It’s a commoditized market and Apple’s success blueprint is out for everyone to see, yet no one else can adapt mid century design principles and “high fashion”

It’s a commoditized market and Apple’s success blueprint is out for everyone to see, yet no one else can adapt mid century design principles and “high fashion” style marketing to technology. This sounds like shilling (and I do own Apple stock) but I’m serious. Compare the Apple remote (with the iOS “emulator”), Apple TV, and Airplay to Chromecast’s UX, for instance. Apple does have special sauce. They make tools that work together and are understood at a surface level. Everything, including the new keyboards, fits a hardware market driven agenda (quiet, “appy”, small like a phone). Google and Amazon work backwards from services, and Samsung and co just aren’t even playing the same ballgame. They are much more like traditional prebuilt computer companies. MS is kind of coming close with just computers but they are not nearly as sticky as an everything tech company.

october_sky 7y ago
Apple TV (and accompanying remote) is by far one of the worst UI/UX experiences I've seen.
- skygazer 7y ago
  I hear that constantly, but it's my favorite remote. I did, however, buy a sub 10 dollar silicone case for it, with a strap. It's easy to grip, comfortable, doesn't slide, and it is always obvious which way is up/forward both visually and tactilely. I think the shortcomings are well addressed with such a simple fix. But, I also use a case on my phone to fix it's same shortcomings, so perhaps that's why it doesn't feel like such a leap to me. On the other hand, it might just be that I can get used to anything. (Err, I also think the Apple TV UI is fine, too. But, perhaps I lack the imagination to envision a better UI.)
- delfinom 7y ago
  Try Carplay, it's an absolute fucking disaster to use compared to Android Auto.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - Aloha 7y ago
    How so? Having used both of them, I'd profoundly disagree with you on that statement. I consider CarPlay a much more elegant solution than Android Auto. Particularly that android auto will change settings on your head unit. The early versions of it also completely disabled your phone screen.
  - kalleboo 7y ago
    CarPlay is getting way better in iOS 13. E.g. you can finally run different apps on the car screen and the phone! It also has a nice "home screen" with useful widgets instead of just a grid of icons.
- david-cako 7y ago
  What is the alternative? It’s enough like a traditional TV guide experience that people get it, its remote uses similar touch physics as iOS (I typically tap directions rather than swipe though), your phone can act as a remote (with an identical UI) or a keyboard, and you can cast any arbitrary content pretty seamlessly. I also love that the iOS remote actually controls my AV receiver’s power and volume. The music app can get too deeply nested, but in general it is above all a consistent tabbed master-view experience in every app. The apis exposed to developers all lend to a very good, consistent experience for everything I’ve tried except YouTube TV, which doesn’t utilize the standard media transport API. In general I like the idea that casting, while still as deeply integrated as Google Cast, is supplemental to the hardware remote. It’s not an afterthought, and neither is the remote. Both are good IMO. Truly my only complaint is that the app switching dialogue uses reversed/“physical” swiping direction (like switching desktops with a trackpad). This makes no sense to me, as nothing else does this, including swiping between album covers in now playing. I get it, but it’s inconsistent with the whole rest of the UI.
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  I'm not sure why you are getting downvoted, I just got one and it's terrible to use. Mostly I get my phone out and use that instead. The original was better than the current one.
  - Fnoord 7y ago
    Because it only contains a conclusion, no premises whatsoever. Which is basically fuel for a flame-bait.
    - october_sky 7y ago
      > Because it only contains a conclusion, no premises whatsoever. Which is basically fuel for a flame-bait. I was responding to the parent's comment about Apple TV (the premise) with my conclusion, which is a subjective opinion. Which ironically is the exact same thing as what you're doing. Wasn't trying to flame-bait, but I really didn't feel the need to add more. In summary, compared to other devices, I really do not like Apple TV.
petra 7y ago
Apple's main value is it's brand. Being a status symbol. Second is their customer lock-in. Those can carry lots of value. And even strength, maybe. But growth ? And design ? Google can design well enough. Their interfaces are easy and fun to use. Beyond that, regular people don't care.
- scarface74 7y ago
  How is something a status symbol when 40%+ of the population in many 1st world countries own it? In the US, the number of people who can’t buy an iPhone on a carrier payment plan is small.
  - jcranberry 7y ago
    Maybe not iPhones, but there's probably some of that with their computers.
    - scarface74 7y ago
      Apple has been selling computers that cost more than their competitors for over 40 years. Do you think they have been that successful just based on a “status symbol”? The average person doesn’t even care about computers that much anymore. Besides, computer sales are only 11% of their revenue. https://sixcolors.com/images/content/2019/financials-2019-7-4-1.png https://sixcolors.com/images/content/2019/financials-2019-7-...
      - jcranberry 7y ago
        You've overreacted--I didn't say it was solely due to being a status symbol.
- Lio 7y ago
  Design UI well enough? I guess it depends on what you are used to. For me, Google will always be the company that high-jacked scrolling to use for zoom. That still trips me up every time I have to use Google Maps or any other mapping service that copied them on a laptop with a trackpad. They could keep that default (misguided as I personally think it is) if they just provided an option to let scroll be scroll but they don't. I'd much rather pay a premium for Apple's UI. I think they do a better job and it's worth paying for.
Thlom 7y ago
I got a new cable box with Chromecast built in a couple of months ago. Still don't know how to use it.
- marticode 7y ago
  Go into Netflix or YouTube on your phone. Press the cast icon.

october_sky 7y ago

Apple TV (and accompanying remote) is by far one of the worst UI/UX experiences I've seen.

skygazer 7y ago
I hear that constantly, but it's my favorite remote. I did, however, buy a sub 10 dollar silicone case for it, with a strap. It's easy to grip, comfortable, doesn't slide, and it is always obvious which way is up/forward both visually and tactilely. I think the shortcomings are well addressed with such a simple fix. But, I also use a case on my phone to fix it's same shortcomings, so perhaps that's why it doesn't feel like such a leap to me. On the other hand, it might just be that I can get used to anything. (Err, I also think the Apple TV UI is fine, too. But, perhaps I lack the imagination to envision a better UI.)
delfinom 7y ago
Try Carplay, it's an absolute fucking disaster to use compared to Android Auto.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- Aloha 7y ago
  How so? Having used both of them, I'd profoundly disagree with you on that statement. I consider CarPlay a much more elegant solution than Android Auto. Particularly that android auto will change settings on your head unit. The early versions of it also completely disabled your phone screen.
- kalleboo 7y ago
  CarPlay is getting way better in iOS 13. E.g. you can finally run different apps on the car screen and the phone! It also has a nice "home screen" with useful widgets instead of just a grid of icons.
david-cako 7y ago
What is the alternative? It’s enough like a traditional TV guide experience that people get it, its remote uses similar touch physics as iOS (I typically tap directions rather than swipe though), your phone can act as a remote (with an identical UI) or a keyboard, and you can cast any arbitrary content pretty seamlessly. I also love that the iOS remote actually controls my AV receiver’s power and volume. The music app can get too deeply nested, but in general it is above all a consistent tabbed master-view experience in every app. The apis exposed to developers all lend to a very good, consistent experience for everything I’ve tried except YouTube TV, which doesn’t utilize the standard media transport API. In general I like the idea that casting, while still as deeply integrated as Google Cast, is supplemental to the hardware remote. It’s not an afterthought, and neither is the remote. Both are good IMO. Truly my only complaint is that the app switching dialogue uses reversed/“physical” swiping direction (like switching desktops with a trackpad). This makes no sense to me, as nothing else does this, including swiping between album covers in now playing. I get it, but it’s inconsistent with the whole rest of the UI.
tonyedgecombe 7y ago
I'm not sure why you are getting downvoted, I just got one and it's terrible to use. Mostly I get my phone out and use that instead. The original was better than the current one.
- Fnoord 7y ago
  Because it only contains a conclusion, no premises whatsoever. Which is basically fuel for a flame-bait.
  - october_sky 7y ago
    > Because it only contains a conclusion, no premises whatsoever. Which is basically fuel for a flame-bait. I was responding to the parent's comment about Apple TV (the premise) with my conclusion, which is a subjective opinion. Which ironically is the exact same thing as what you're doing. Wasn't trying to flame-bait, but I really didn't feel the need to add more. In summary, compared to other devices, I really do not like Apple TV.

petra 7y ago

Apple's main value is it's brand. Being a status symbol. Second is their customer lock-in. Those can carry lots of value. And even strength, maybe. But growth ? And design ? Google can design well enough. Their interfaces are easy and fun to use. Beyond that, regular people don't care.

scarface74 7y ago
How is something a status symbol when 40%+ of the population in many 1st world countries own it? In the US, the number of people who can’t buy an iPhone on a carrier payment plan is small.
- jcranberry 7y ago
  Maybe not iPhones, but there's probably some of that with their computers.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Apple has been selling computers that cost more than their competitors for over 40 years. Do you think they have been that successful just based on a “status symbol”? The average person doesn’t even care about computers that much anymore. Besides, computer sales are only 11% of their revenue. https://sixcolors.com/images/content/2019/financials-2019-7-4-1.png https://sixcolors.com/images/content/2019/financials-2019-7-...
    - jcranberry 7y ago
      You've overreacted--I didn't say it was solely due to being a status symbol.
Lio 7y ago
Design UI well enough? I guess it depends on what you are used to. For me, Google will always be the company that high-jacked scrolling to use for zoom. That still trips me up every time I have to use Google Maps or any other mapping service that copied them on a laptop with a trackpad. They could keep that default (misguided as I personally think it is) if they just provided an option to let scroll be scroll but they don't. I'd much rather pay a premium for Apple's UI. I think they do a better job and it's worth paying for.

Thlom 7y ago

I got a new cable box with Chromecast built in a couple of months ago. Still don't know how to use it.

marticode 7y ago
Go into Netflix or YouTube on your phone. Press the cast icon.