Is OS Lion dumbing down for the masses?
Hi,
I am writing a report on the future developments of Apple Inc. I would like to gather opinion of the the next installment of Apple's OS X, Lion.
Do you feel that Lion will be a true step forward in terms of pushing the boundaries of PC performance, capabilities and usability for professional use, or is it dumbing down user output for a more commercial approach to reach out to the mass consumer market?
Do you feel this OS, which is being developed to incorporate successes from the iOS user experiences on hand-helds products is appropriate for PCs?
Will it make the computer-users experience better or is it more a case of implementing changes for familiararity purposes? e.g. the tiled Apps screen (Launchpad)
Any responses and opinions will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks in advance.
I am writing a report on the future developments of Apple Inc. I would like to gather opinion of the the next installment of Apple's OS X, Lion.
Do you feel that Lion will be a true step forward in terms of pushing the boundaries of PC performance, capabilities and usability for professional use, or is it dumbing down user output for a more commercial approach to reach out to the mass consumer market?
Do you feel this OS, which is being developed to incorporate successes from the iOS user experiences on hand-helds products is appropriate for PCs?
Will it make the computer-users experience better or is it more a case of implementing changes for familiararity purposes? e.g. the tiled Apps screen (Launchpad)
Any responses and opinions will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks in advance.
Comments
Hi,
I am writing a report ...
Thanks in advance.
Are you inferring that an OS can only be powerful if it seems complex?
iOS has been shown to be a winner. Apple sees the big picture trend and it's pointing to touch based computing for everyone. Lion is an attempt to bridge the gap so to speak.
Hi,
I am writing a report on the future developments of Apple Inc. I would like to gather opinion of the the next installment of Apple's OS X, Lion.
Do you feel that Lion will be a true step forward in terms of pushing the boundaries of PC performance, capabilities and usability for professional use, or is it dumbing down user output for a more commercial approach to reach out to the mass consumer market?
Do you feel this OS, which is being developed to incorporate successes from the iOS user experiences on hand-helds products is appropriate for PCs?
Will it make the computer-users experience better or is it more a case of implementing changes for familiararity purposes? e.g. the tiled Apps screen (Launchpad)
Any responses and opinions will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks in advance.
The big problem now is that everyone is so used to the ease-of-use of iOS. Coming to Mac OS X Lion, new users will be confused by the apparent fusion of OS X and some iOS concepts. For example, LaunchPad and Dock existing at the same time, can be quite confusing. New users to Mac seem totally lost at many OS X concepts and are so twisted from using Windows that they need some time to adjust at first. Not with iOS, that is really "dumbed down" and intuitive. But also, for iOS, it removes you mentally from even thinking about "using a computer". It just, does. Using a Mac has the challenge of people thinking about "Oh, it's like Windows but different", instead of thinking, "Ah, it's a Mac, now what can I do with it, let's see..."
For example, LaunchPad and Dock existing at the same time, can be quite confusing.
As opposed to iOS devices where there's just a Springboard or just a Doc... WAIT.
As opposed to iOS devices where there's just a Springboard or just a Doc... WAIT.
Big difference. The OS X Dock is a shortcut to where apps actually live. And it is a shortcut to anything, actually, you can drag whatever you want there. Moreover, the Dock is populated by more apps once you open them, then disappear when you stop using that.
The iOS "Dock" is simply the bottom part of Springboard. It is not a shortcut, it behaves the same way as apps floating above (tap to open, tap and hold to jiggle, x to delete). Running apps are clearly separated by the multitasking bar which pops up when you double click the Home button, running apps do not confuse the Dock but populating the Dock.
So I'm not sure how Launchpad works exactly in Lion but for new users Launchpad and the OS X Dock could be confusing.
Also scrolling is inverted in Lion(???) That's going to be very weird.
One tick box in System Preferences fixes this. It's the first thing I fixed.
If performance was streamlined and improved, professional applications may be more responsive, quicker, etc. - should this be the main focus at the cost of a more linear OS?
or, do you think its more important to have a linear OS across both PCs and consumer electronics that may be at the expense of performance improvements? .. So that anyone can pick up and use any Apple product, if they have used another beforehand?
I'm not saying that an OS only seems powerful if it is complex, I'm saying would you rather see Apple concentrate on squeezing out performance from its machines, like Snow Leopard did, or do you think its more important to incorporate the display and placement of things so that a more mass-market approach is reached?
If performance was streamlined and improved, professional applications may be more responsive, quicker, etc. - should this be the main focus at the cost of a more linear OS?
or, do you think its more important to have a linear OS across both PCs and consumer electronics that may be at the expense of performance improvements? .. So that anyone can pick up and use any Apple product, if they have used another beforehand?
I'm not getting your point. I have no idea which Mac you use, but I do know this. It is faster than any supercomputer on Earth just a few years ago. If squeezing the last bit of performance were a goal worth pursuing, then Apple, Microsoft, or whoever could develop a text-based operating system written in assembly language. However, that computer--powerful though it would be--would have just a few hundred users in each State and a few thousand in each Nation.
Apple is using the awesome power of the processors available to it to make that power accessible to an ever growing audience. The residual power that remains is more than we could have imagined at the Turn of the Millenium. Based on Apple's growth and wealth, it appears that the strategy is a success.
i believe the goal is to seamlessly integrate iOS and OS X.
right now i use a VNC client on my ipad 2 to control my mac mini home server, MPB (work station) and MBA (travel). as of now the wireless interface is so laggy i spend most of my time in terminal.
i would love to see a system where my mini is safe at home connected to a router and NAS drive, and my ipad works as a mobile launch pad with a decent processor and a fair amount of flash storage. ideally the mini would do all the heavy lifting (downloading/extracting video) while the ipad would handle the lighter apps and both would synced up like clock work.
it's not that apple is dumbing things down. i think the goal is to make computer interface more intuitive. when there's less of a learning curve you can sell more computers. remember, PC still dominates the market and lots of mac customers have never used os x.
i believe the goal is to seamlessly integrate iOS and OS X.
right now i use a VNC client on my ipad 2 to control my mac mini home server, MPB (work station) and MBA (travel). as of now the wireless interface is so laggy i spend most of my time in terminal.
i would love to see a system where my mini is safe at home connected to a router and NAS drive, and my ipad works as a mobile launch pad with a decent processor and a fair amount of flash storage. ideally the mini would do all the heavy lifting (downloading/extracting video) while the ipad would handle the lighter apps and both would synced up like clock work.
I like your thinking! Which VNC client are you using on your iPad?
The premise that simpler means dumber is both generalistic and inaccurate. More often than not it's the exact opposite!