I also think the way Apple handles animations gives people a sense of the OS being more organic and friendly and less technical and difficult. In the past, they

I also think the way Apple handles animations gives people a sense of the OS being more organic and friendly and less technical and difficult. In the past, they did that with skeuomorphism, but people are more OK with their phone being a technical device. Still, they're continuing to communicate the underlying concept is that everything has a LOCATION. So menus move in from off-screen, they don't just fade in from thin air. Unused UI-elements move off-screen as well, so they're not gone, they just moved outside your view. The Dock is another great example of this, as well as the animations for opening apps or three-finger swiping between full-screen apps. I believe this makes users less confused and more confident in their ability to use the system. It is also important that Apple is very specific about which speeds and accelerations elements move at, adding to the organic feel and making the OS feel more polished. Apple's big strength is to make people feel safe and welcome in their ecosystem, and they target people who are willing to pay more for that experience.