A lesson from Apple and Jobs

While I disagree with some of the points in this article, it is well written and well thought out. Sure, Apple can act in a rather haughty way sometimes, and there are certain things (like the forgetting the cut and paste function, then saying it wasn't needed, then adding it as a function) that aren't thought through, but when it comes to design and usability, as the article says, they do this very well. After a lifetime of using Windows and rubbish smartphones (Samsung i600, Blackberry Storm), I now have a MBP and an iPhone. They do everything I need them to do reliably, easily and quickly.
 
Yep. User interface design is the #1 most import feature of any piece of hardware or software. So many desginers get this wrong. Don't get me wrong it not a trivial thing to do. Easy to use and robust will always trump technical superiority (dependant on the target market). This is true for most apple products, they target the masses. The only thing that stops it from being a top brand in our country is due to the price tag. Then again, that in itself coerces some people into buying the product :D
 
Isn't it because of the strict rule/control of everything Apple that it all works so well all the time? Isn't it because other things are so open that they don't work so well? As this article rightly states ... it works therefore it is in demand ... and I'm saying it works so well because everything is controlled/managed so well to the finest detail. Detail in design and detail in control is what makes Apple succeed in my mind.
 
Hmmm... this really depends on your market. For phones and other daily things... yes simpler is better. But in some cases, like 3D Applications, it's not always the case.
There's a lecture on TED.com about Apple's designs. They actually have a click counter. If any function in a piece of software takes more than 3 clicks... it gets redesigned. Microsoft needs one of those. It takes more than 3 clicks to create a new Word Document (Because we might do that often).

I don't think that there's really a formula for Apple's success. Perhaps it's just the name. Microsoft did try to simplify things the same way Apple does, and it was often a big failure.

We associate Apple with effective and slimed down, Microsoft with a million features and Linux with this dark scary place...
 
Personally I like the way Apple controls the distribution of applications for the iPhone/iPad/iPod. A user can download and install applications without any worries that it may cause instability etc. All the different applications coming from any source - totally uncontrolled/unchecked/unvetted - kill a Windows machine/device in no time. Apple's control protects my device/machine and ensures stability, and I like that. Worry-free reliability, doing what it does beautifully.
 
The new iAds is another great example where Apple gets it right. I think it's exactly like Jobs said, that people don't click on Ads because they don't know what the app or browser will do when they click on it. Also, i'm wondering if people will trust Ads more becuase it is controlled by Apple. No more "YOU ARE THE 1 000 000th viewer!!!!!!!!" popup things for instance.

That's all.
 
Compare what Documents To Go (example) costs for the iPhone with that for the BlackBerry. Most Apple apps cost <$1. Try getting that right on any other platform. That's what good control of the ecosystem can do for the end user.
 
I prefer the freedom to do what I want with my devices, when I want to do it.
 
Google: we created Android to stop an Apple-dominated future

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/05/20/google.io.keynote.says.jobs.vision.is.draconian/

Android was created precisely to prevent the kind of mobile future Apple is trying to make, Google said in its day 2 I/O conference keynote. The company's Vic Gundotra said Android was necessary as, without it, too much control would be put into the hands of Steve Jobs and the iPhone platform. Gundotra didn't mention Jobs by name but left little mystery that he was being blamed for creating a dystopic mobile environment not unlike the "1984" Apple once criticized.

"If we did not act, we faced a draconian future where one man, one phone, one carrier was the future," he said. "That's a future we don't want."

Direct jabs at Apple were also strewn throughout the keynote, pointing out either policy or technical limitations in the iPhone and iPad that Android 2.2 would overcome. A new feature to push cloud data to devices wasn't like Apple's push notifications, which were made to "make up for a lack of basic features like multitasking." Android phones can also share their connection with other devices, which was shown to great effect by getting an iPad online; Apple has said iPhones can't share access.

Flash also came up, as Google stressed that being open on the Internet also included allowing effective standards to co-exist. A prominent example was a daughter trying to visit Nickelodeon on an iPad, which just shows a blank page; she asked for an Android device. "Being open means you're inclusive rather than exclusive," Google said.

Apple's iAd was already part of the criticisms, which took the form of contrasts. Google is a veteran at advertising and has hundreds of thousands of developers. It's not working with a handful of partners charging them $1 million each to participate, the company said in a clear shot at Apple's rumored costly ad placements.

Android 2.2 will have AdSense for Mobile Apps and is expected to be much more open, since it will include not only different ad types but won't be locked into a particular implementation. Analytics will be available for everyone, for example.

The tone of the keynote set out Google and Android as much larger opponents to Apple than in the past. Google is already known to have created Android as an open alternative to closed mobile platforms and to have triggered a ferocious reaction from Apple's CEO for allegedly betraying a partnership, but it has usually shied away from criticizing Apple's overall direction.
Click to expand...

Competition is great! :D
 
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