3 ms·

Curious what you think the conclusion should be from that? E.g., if 3D Touch should be removed because not enough people used it, does that mean right click sho

Curious what you think the conclusion should be from that? E.g., if 3D Touch should be removed because not enough people used it, does that mean right click should be removed for the same reason? It seems really obvious to me that computers should scale from the most basic of users to the most skilled of users, and features that only benefit a small percentage of users are still important because they let skilled users be more effective. This is the fatal flaw in modern Apple's design approach of allocating resources based on how popular features are (at least that's how it appears from the outside), rather than addressing areas where the device fails to scale to the needs to skilled users. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy to keep the device from reaching its full potential. This is directly why the iPad, while a great device for unskilled users, has failed to capture any market share in any of the skilled tasks that people use desktop computers for[1]. There's so much backwards thinking that come out of Apple because they can't seem to make anything for skilled users anymore, like Apple pitching the iPad as the future ("what's a computer"), while everything that Apple makes is made using Macs. [1]: https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-have-failed-creative-apps/ https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-ha...

ridiculous_fish 7y ago
Right click should be an accelerator. Everything you can accomplish via right click should be also be available via the menu bar, or other easily discoverable UI. 3D touch should have been an accelerator for long press. https://medium.com/@eliz_kilic/how-apple-can-fix-3d-touch-2f0ca5ea589e https://medium.com/@eliz_kilic/how-apple-can-fix-3d-touch-2f...
- ubercow13 7y ago
  Long press isn’t inherently more discoverable
scarface74 7y ago
rather than addressing areas where the device fails to scale to the needs to skilled users. How is it a “fatal flaw” seeing that Apple’s iPad+Mac business is more successful in terms of profit than any PC manufacturer? It seems like it is doing just as well ignoring “advanced users” as it is doing ignoring “the enterprise”
- robenkleene 7y ago
  It's a fatal flaw in Apple's plan to replace Macs with iPads. As I noted in another comment, that's Apple's plan, not mine. E.g., the Tim Cook quote from the article: the iPad is "the clearest expression of Apple’s vision of the future of personal computing." I actually think the declining iPad sales have already scared Apple off from this plan, but I do think that was the plan circa 2014/15. And, if they'd addressed the problems I described in my comment early on, they'd have had a better chance of succeeding.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Well, a few things Why would it be considered a failure if Apple has two successfully, profitable lines of devices? If Apple were interested in killing off the Mac, why would they introduce Catalyst to enable developers to more easily bring iPad apps to the Mac and why would they introduce Swift UI to make it easier to write cross platform apps? Lastly, iPad sales were stabilizing/increasing slightly before they stopped reporting volume sells.
    - robenkleene 7y ago
      These all sound exactly like what my comment would predict after Apple changed direction back to including the Mac circa 2015. EDIT: And I think both lines would be more successful if they made more features for power users (the iPad in particular).
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
      - scarface74 7y ago
        Apple never thought that the iPad was going to take the place of Macs. Apple made no movement in bringing its own development toolchain to iOS nor did anyone think that Apple was going to abandon the much higher margin high end Macs for iPads. Apple just added external drive support and mouse support this year. The iPad didn’t start getting unique features from the iPhone until around 2015.
sjy 7y ago
That article seems to be about the Mac App Store, not the iPad. Don’t you think the fact that an iPad has a maximum screen size of 13”, and is designed to be used with your fingers, might be at least as significant a reason why it hasn’t replaced desktop computers? I’m no fan of the App Store, but these are some significant limitations that must be accepted on a mobile device. It’s not like Android phones or tablets are any better in this regard.
- robenkleene 7y ago
  You're listing additional reasons the iPad isn't suited to more complex work, and I agree with all of them. I'm not sure what part of what I said you're disagreeing with? Just to clarify, it's Apple, not me, that's pitching the iPad as the future. E.g., the Tim Cook quote from the article: the iPad is "the clearest expression of Apple’s vision of the future of personal computing."
  - sjy 7y ago
    I disagree that "the iPad ... has failed to capture any market share in any of the skilled tasks that people use desktop computers for" because of "modern Apple's design approach of allocating resources based on how popular features are." I think the iPad has failed to replace desktops because every iPad app has to work on a tiny screen with no keyboard or mouse. I'm glad Apple created the iPad, because even though it's a dumbed-down device that makes some creative work hard, that limitation is what makes it a good mobile device. I agree with your concern about the idea that it's "the future of personal computing." I wouldn't trust Apple to make a good desktop computer anymore.
    - robenkleene 7y ago
      iPad's have keyboards, and tons of people do great creative work on laptops with small screens. But generally this feels like we’re way out in the weeds here, if you think it’s just the reasons you listed, and not that, because of the OS design, they can’t run Photoshop/Illustrator/Ableton/Final Cut/Logic/Xcode/a terminal, etc, etc... then shrug.

ridiculous_fish 7y ago

Right click should be an accelerator. Everything you can accomplish via right click should be also be available via the menu bar, or other easily discoverable UI. 3D touch should have been an accelerator for long press. https://medium.com/@eliz_kilic/how-apple-can-fix-3d-touch-2f0ca5ea589e https://medium.com/@eliz_kilic/how-apple-can-fix-3d-touch-2f...

ubercow13 7y ago
Long press isn’t inherently more discoverable

scarface74 7y ago

rather than addressing areas where the device fails to scale to the needs to skilled users. How is it a “fatal flaw” seeing that Apple’s iPad+Mac business is more successful in terms of profit than any PC manufacturer? It seems like it is doing just as well ignoring “advanced users” as it is doing ignoring “the enterprise”

robenkleene 7y ago
It's a fatal flaw in Apple's plan to replace Macs with iPads. As I noted in another comment, that's Apple's plan, not mine. E.g., the Tim Cook quote from the article: the iPad is "the clearest expression of Apple’s vision of the future of personal computing." I actually think the declining iPad sales have already scared Apple off from this plan, but I do think that was the plan circa 2014/15. And, if they'd addressed the problems I described in my comment early on, they'd have had a better chance of succeeding.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Well, a few things Why would it be considered a failure if Apple has two successfully, profitable lines of devices? If Apple were interested in killing off the Mac, why would they introduce Catalyst to enable developers to more easily bring iPad apps to the Mac and why would they introduce Swift UI to make it easier to write cross platform apps? Lastly, iPad sales were stabilizing/increasing slightly before they stopped reporting volume sells.
  - robenkleene 7y ago
    These all sound exactly like what my comment would predict after Apple changed direction back to including the Mac circa 2015. EDIT: And I think both lines would be more successful if they made more features for power users (the iPad in particular).
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - scarface74 7y ago
      Apple never thought that the iPad was going to take the place of Macs. Apple made no movement in bringing its own development toolchain to iOS nor did anyone think that Apple was going to abandon the much higher margin high end Macs for iPads. Apple just added external drive support and mouse support this year. The iPad didn’t start getting unique features from the iPhone until around 2015.

sjy 7y ago

That article seems to be about the Mac App Store, not the iPad. Don’t you think the fact that an iPad has a maximum screen size of 13”, and is designed to be used with your fingers, might be at least as significant a reason why it hasn’t replaced desktop computers? I’m no fan of the App Store, but these are some significant limitations that must be accepted on a mobile device. It’s not like Android phones or tablets are any better in this regard.

robenkleene 7y ago
You're listing additional reasons the iPad isn't suited to more complex work, and I agree with all of them. I'm not sure what part of what I said you're disagreeing with? Just to clarify, it's Apple, not me, that's pitching the iPad as the future. E.g., the Tim Cook quote from the article: the iPad is "the clearest expression of Apple’s vision of the future of personal computing."
- sjy 7y ago
  I disagree that "the iPad ... has failed to capture any market share in any of the skilled tasks that people use desktop computers for" because of "modern Apple's design approach of allocating resources based on how popular features are." I think the iPad has failed to replace desktops because every iPad app has to work on a tiny screen with no keyboard or mouse. I'm glad Apple created the iPad, because even though it's a dumbed-down device that makes some creative work hard, that limitation is what makes it a good mobile device. I agree with your concern about the idea that it's "the future of personal computing." I wouldn't trust Apple to make a good desktop computer anymore.
  - robenkleene 7y ago
    iPad's have keyboards, and tons of people do great creative work on laptops with small screens. But generally this feels like we’re way out in the weeds here, if you think it’s just the reasons you listed, and not that, because of the OS design, they can’t run Photoshop/Illustrator/Ableton/Final Cut/Logic/Xcode/a terminal, etc, etc... then shrug.