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I don't necessarily buy the idea that iOS's lack of complexity and compatibility is the reason for its success. You can already see complexity and compatibility

I don't necessarily buy the idea that iOS's lack of complexity and compatibility is the reason for its success. You can already see complexity and compatibility problems 4 years in with iOS. Things like the undiscoverable double click method to call up the app drawer and the weird double pixel support for iPhone apps on the iPad are already here. iCloud seems to be poised to basically become the filesystem for iOS devices (if my prediction is right). Even Gruber says that iOS will eventually consume Mac OS X in this article. So if iOS is going to continue growing in complexity and trying to maintain compatibility over the years while also trying to remain user friendly, why is attacking the same goal with Windows from the opposite direction any worse?

ashr 15y ago
I agree. I was very skeptical about having a "Windows" OS slapped on the touch devices, but after seeing this first video I would say that it doesn't look bad. Lack of complexity in UX and lack of capabilities are 2 different things. The former is desirable while the latter is a limitation. For instance, IIRC, iOS didn't start out with bluetooth API and they came in later. It is an example of lack of capability. Gruber seems to imply that one means the other, in fact he seems to infer that you need the OS to be less capable for it to be easier to use. People like iOS not because it does less or in other words can not do certain things. They like it because it does things that it is capable of with ease in a pleasurable way. Great usability and versatility are not mutually exclusive things and that is how MS seems to be approaching this.