96 replies to this topic 3 votes

[Scorbing]

Dude, Apple is obsessed with animations and eye candy. It's a known fact. As much as I love my iMac, iPhone and iPad, I can tell you right now I absolutely hate the stupid animations. They are totally unnecessary. I managed to completely turn them off on the iMac through the command prompt, but on the other devices I cannot unless I jailbreak them and I am not going to do that because they are working perfectly fine.

Microsoft loves Eye Candy too, but at least they are respectful to the user and give the user the option to turn the animations "off", Apple does not, and that's where Microsoft shines.

[Charisma]

Strange that this comes about now. I think the design of Windows 7 was more "tasteful" than what they are focusing on now with Metro (or, as I like to call it, the Fisher-Price UI).

[CSharp.]

I might be more sympathetic to the the design of the Podcast app if it wasn't so god-awful slow.

[PyX]

CJEric, on 22 July 2012 - 18:26, said:

I might be more sympathetic to the the design of the Podcast app if it wasn't so god-awful slow.

This. Are you running it on a 3GS like me ? It feels like they’re giving us treats by still supporting our phone for a fourth year (seriously, a 4th year of support for a cellphone ! which company has done this in the past ?), but for me it’s more of a reason to buy the upcoming iPhone right on release day.

About the subject : Never in a hundred years. Apple has put a main focus on design for at least the last 15 years, and it shows. Its sales have proven it over and over for so many products. It takes an insane mind to write an article to say the opposite.

I get depressed each time I open my Windows laptop at my job. Windows 7 feels so dead and dirty. By having these classic boards and grids of data, I feel completely alienated by technology. With Apple, my calendar feels real and alive, my address book feels real and alive, my notes feel real and alive, I could go on for an entire day. I’m not fond of their leather in the calendar app, but it’s a light-year away in front of what Microsoft has been able to do since their existence.

[Dashel]

I've never been a big fan of Apple's software design for precisely this reason - they still think they are making hardware. Let's be clear, the issue isn't gloss or eyecandy, its about UIs that try to make digital things mimic real world objects.

More reason to run Win8 on your MacBooks though.

[+Vice]

Boz, on 22 July 2012 - 10:25, said:

Windows 8 and all new stuff Microsoft is releasing looks disgusting to me and completely tasteless. Compared to Apple stuff it's night and day and that's when Apple is at it's worst (like ical with that awful leather).

I think hell just froze over because I find myself agreeing with Boz.

[Scorbing]

Dashel, on 22 July 2012 - 18:42, said:

I've never been a big fan of Apple's software design for precisely this reason - they still think they are making hardware. Let's be clear, the issue isn't gloss or eyecandy, its about UIs that try to make digital things mimic real world objects.

Apple is a hardware company. Software is not their strength, although they are doing a good job with the few apps they have made. No matter what Apple haters and fan boys say, the truth is Apple makes unique hardware devices and gadgets. No company out there has been able to come close, not even Samsung (yes, I said it. Not even Samsung). The iPad, the Iphone, the Apple TV, the iMac - all excellent machines that do what they are designed to do with hardly any flaws (they are not perfect, but they are better than the alternatives out there). I have had my iMac for 3 years now. I have never, and I mean never, had any issues with it whatsoever...None.

[Enron]

sexypepperoni, on 22 July 2012 - 14:12, said:

Weren't you employed by Microsoft at one point?

Seems to me you hate everything except Google, they must be your employer now then.

Everything except Google and Flash.

[+Vice]

Scorbing, on 22 July 2012 - 18:51, said:

Apple is a hardware company. Software is not their strength, although they are doing a good job with the few apps they have made. No matter what Apple haters and fan boys say, the truth is Apple makes unique hardware devices and gadgets. No company out there has been able to come close, not even Samsung (yes, I said it. Not even Samsung). The iPad, the Iphone, the Apple TV, the iMac - all excellent machines that do what they are designed to do with hardly any flaws (they are not perfect, but they are better than the alternatives out there). I have had my iMac for 3 years now. I have never, and I mean never, had any issues with it whatsoever...None.

Really it's an interplay of Software and Hardware. Apple wouldn't be this successful if they only shipped Windows on their computers or Android on their iPhone and iPad. The synergy between their own hardware and their own software is what makes them so successful and it's for that reason Microsoft made their own XBOX 360 (Which is a great product) and the forthcoming Surface tablet which looks to be in the words of Nigel Thornberry, smashing.

[Scorbing]

Vice, on 22 July 2012 - 18:58, said:

Really it's an interplay of Software and Hardware. Apple wouldn't be this successful if they only shipped Windows on their computers or Android on their iPhone and iPad. The synergy between their own hardware and their own software is what makes them so successful and it's for that reason Microsoft made their own XBOX 360 (Which is a great product) and the forthcoming Surface tablet which looks to be in the words of Nigel Thornberry, smashing.

Agreed. Microsoft needs to take more control of the hardware part like Apple does. I wish Microsoft would make their own hardware and drivers.

[CSharp.]

PyX, on 22 July 2012 - 18:30, said:

This. Are you running it on a 3GS like me ?

No. On the original iPad. Such a simple app should really be running much better on a two year old device.

Scorbing, on 22 July 2012 - 19:02, said:

Agreed. Microsoft needs to take more control of the hardware part like Apple does. I wish Microsoft would make their own hardware and drivers.

So really, you have it backwards. Apple would be a mere shell of itself without their software and it is a major aspect of what users find delightful about their products. If anything, Apple is a software company that saw it fit to design their own hardware to deliver the best overall package. Admittedly, they've gotten very good at designing hardware but what makes Apple Apple is the close integration of hardware with (usually) excellent software.

[einsteinbqat]

Scorbing, on 22 July 2012 - 19:02, said:

Agreed. Microsoft needs to take more control of the hardware part like Apple does. I wish Microsoft would make their own hardware and drivers.

That probably will not happen. OEMs will go on a monopoly rant. Let's wait and see with MS Surface. If Surface is successful without alienating OEM manufacturers too much, perhaps MS would get more involved in hardware. And if Surface fails, perhaps MS should just stick to mice and keyboards.

[Athernar]

Two sides of the same coin. Apple's designs are over-done, Microsoft's belong in the last century.

Such a shame too, Microsoft were close to finding a nice middleground between minimalism and polish, and then they throw away all that progress for a gimmick. Sad.

[humanz.]

Metro isn't the worst UI I've used, it's not bad at all but I just have a bit of an issue with the mouse hover when I try to get to the charm bar. Sometimes it just doesn't register my gesture and as a result slows me down in multitasking.

[Scorbing]

Athernar, on 22 July 2012 - 19:15, said:

Two sides of the same coin. Apple's designs are over-done, Microsoft's belong in the last century.

Such a shame too, Microsoft were close to finding a nice middleground between minimalism and polish, and then they throw away all that progress for a gimmick. Sad.

Agreed here too. I think Windows 7 is a great OS. Hardly any flaws in it and it simply works. The UI is great and now MS is going to tarnish all that with that Fisher Price interface called Metro. Bad, bad move. What they should have done is improve Windows 7, polish it more and make it better, not change everything. Change is not always good and you know what they say:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."