ios Did Apple pointlessly change the design of iOS with iOS 7?

[Max Norris]

  On 28/09/2013 at 21:05, Northgrove said:

I checked Twitter following the release, and lots of non-techies liked what they saw, especially women, it seemed.

I have zero opinion myself, so don't take this as a cheap shot against Apple, I don't own any iOS devices. I've seen a fair number of negatives as well scroll on my various Twitter feeds, for example just search for #ios7sucks.

[Quillz]

It might be change for the sake of change to an extent, but I like it. I prefer the UI of iOS 7, just like I prefer the Win8 UI to Win7. I used to run Windows Classic all the time on XP. I like flat, simple design. iOS 7 certainly isn't perfect, but I also like that it gives me more screen real estate than did the skueomorphism of iOS 6 and earlier.

[Active.]

  On 28/09/2013 at 21:42, Max Norris said:

I have zero opinion myself, so don't take this as a cheap shot against Apple, I don't own any iOS devices. I've seen a fair number of negatives as well scroll on my various Twitter feeds, 

I hear Miley Cyrus is not impressed. 

 

[PGHammer]

  On 28/09/2013 at 16:42, Ace said:

After using iOS 7, iOS 6 does look very dated and definitely needed updating.

 

You always get people who hate change. Why should we care what they think?

Exactly.  And from what I've read, most of the anti-7 posts are from those on older iPhone models (iPhone 4 and older) - in fact, I haven't seen so much as one anti-7 poster from the iPad side.  (I updated a friend's iPad to iOS 7 last night, and I'm actually impressed more with iOS 7 than I was with iOS 5 OR iOS 6 on the same iPad.)

 

Further, as has been the case with software/firmware updates (on computers and other devices - it's not unique to Windows or even iOS) there is very much a tendency to want to stand pat - I first ran across that tendency in mainframe-based computing.  (That's right - mainframes, as in pre-PC.  And I'm referring to IBM mainframes in particular.  IBM, even in the pre-PC days, put mainframe OS upgrades through the compatibility wringer a whole lot more than folks expected - they did NOT simply code and throw out mainframe OS upgrades into the customer hardware!)

 

If anything, it's worse outside of Windows as opposed to PCs and Windows - and it's worse in terms of phones as opposed to tablets.

[PGHammer]

  On 28/09/2013 at 21:34, Brian Miller said:

In many ways, the change ruined the UI in many ways to the user in order spite Scott Forstall.

The real question is, has the new UI brought any benefit to the user? - The simple answer is no, and even worse, the new UI has actually negatively benefited the user. Example, why remove iconography in the Notifications panel that described the weather? We as users should not spend additional time reading 2 lines of text to determiner the weather, we should see an icon (like before) plus a High and Low temperature number. Done! Keep is simple Apple, not spiteful.

Is this on an iPhone (or iPhone-cabinet based device, such as the iPod nano/touch), or is this on an iPad?  (Yes - it's an honest question.  I was not that impressed with iOS 7 on an iPhone 4 in terms of appearance; however, I updated an iPad of the same vintage to the same flavor of iOS last night, and I'm more impressed on the iPad as opposed to the iPhone.  iPads have larger displays - even in the case of the mini - than the iPhones and iPods; therefore, it could be that iOS' benefits are more useful in terms of larger screen-sizes.)

[Hardcore Til I Die]

  On 28/09/2013 at 21:34, Brian Miller said:

In many ways, the change ruined the UI in many ways to the user in order spite Scott Forstall.

The real question is, has the new UI brought any benefit to the user? - The simple answer is no, and even worse, the new UI has actually negatively benefited the user. Example, why remove iconography in the Notifications panel that described the weather? We as users should not spend additional time reading 2 lines of text to determiner the weather, we should see an icon (like before) plus a High and Low temperature number. Done! Keep is simple Apple, not spiteful.

 

I think it has enhanced the UI in some ways, but worsened it in others. I agree it was better with the icon.

 

The multitasking tray, however, is much improved in this version.

 

Overall I think it's a lot better now. 

[mrp04]

I'm not even an Apple fan and it was LONG OVERDUE. The old iOS interface felt so cheap and extremely gaudy. It was pretty much the most tacky software still in use. Ugly skeuomorphism that has no place in modern design. I'm glad they copied the WP and Android interfaces, they look a lot better. 

[Anibal P]

  On 28/09/2013 at 22:50, mrp04 said:

I'm not even an Apple fan and it was LONG OVERDUE. The old iOS interface felt so cheap and extremely gaudy. It was pretty much the most tacky software still in use. Ugly skeuomorphism that has no place in modern design. I'm glad they copied the WP and Android interfaces, they look a lot better. 

 

What he said, pretty much what I was going to say

[McKay]

People have been begging for a UI refresh in iOS for years. It wasn't pointless. It was getting to the point where people were actually leaving iPhone because it looked so stale, with no sign of change.

[Rudy]

When I first installed the beta I hated it, after using it for a couple weeks it really grew on me. When I went to do something on my wife's phone that was still running iOS6 it did feel dated and inferior. At this point I wouldn't go back and can really feel it's a huge step forward.

[Dinggus]

Everyone that I know who updated to iOS 7, loves it.

[betasp]

Apple is a hardware company. They redesigned IOS to help drive sales of the next generation of iPhones and iPads. Based on initial sales they certainly accomplished that.

[remixedcat]

  On 28/09/2013 at 23:19, McKay said:

People have been begging for a UI refresh in iOS for years. It wasn't pointless. It was getting to the point where people were actually leaving iPhone because it looked so stale, with no sign of change.

 

 

This. Another reason Android has the Holo look I don't think it would go out of style as much as the ios skeomorphic design would. 

[PGHammer]

  On 29/09/2013 at 03:21, betasp said:

Apple is a hardware company. They redesigned IOS to help drive sales of the next generation of iPhones and iPads. Based on initial sales they certainly accomplished that.

That was why I asked what iDevice he was updating, remixed.

 

I pointed out that, even in the iOS Simulator, Retina devices and non-Retina devices look different when running the same simulated API - iOS 7 makes that even more obvious.

 

Most recent iDevices (AFAIK, the exceptions are iPods) are Retina devices - it's like GPU differences in Android hardware, or Windows Phone hardware, or even PCs (Vista, for example, had the greatest issue with, and pushback from, the low-end PCs with low-end GPUs or even those with non-GPU-based integrated graphics from Intel and others).

 

Now, I'm aware that there are Retina iPads - is there a way to spot whether a particular iPad is one (via System Preferences)?

[Nashy]

Everyone I've spoken to, including people I know who are very against change, love it.  It's fresh, it's similar, and it seems snappier.

[darkz]

I have only heard people asking if downgrading was possible. 

So, has anybody successfully downgraded to iOS6 from non-beta7? 

[MikeChipshop Member]

iOS6 was in need of a refresh. I think the main problem here is were the users ready for this much of a refresh?

Of course the empty vessels always make the most noise so there is little point looking at the social networks to ascertain this.

[francescob]

Norton iOS 2013?

[game_over]

  On 29/09/2013 at 03:00, Dinggus said:

Everyone that I know who updated to iOS 7, loves it.

 

Same. Everyone i know owns an iPhone and they all love it... only complaint i've heard off my boss saying it's too white and his lock wallpaper is pretty much white so he can't see the time he wanted to know if it could be adaptive to it's background.

[User6060]

  On 29/09/2013 at 03:00, Dinggus said:

Everyone that I know who updated to iOS 7, loves it.

opposite experience. 

[+Warwagon MVC]

I love the change in iOS7 and I dislike the change in Windows 8.

[defystars]

I got used to it. It looks brighter and more colorful, and I like that.

[Raa]

I would be in agreement.

[Kriz]

Disagreed, if there was one change that was unnecessary then its clearly Window 8. iOS needed a new look!

[hagjohn]

If you are an iSheep, you will probably love it. If you aren't, then its either "okay" or you don't like it. None of the men in my office like it. I didn't like it, that's why I bought a Nokia 1020.