BlackBerry CEO calls Apple's iPhone user interface outdated - Page 2

sorry again
UI design and next gen ipad internal design..
It will be a pakka elegant
ios 7 will be the first 64 bit os with next gen 64 bit processor. (guess possibly dual core/quad core)
it is enough powerful to beat all hardware on the market
Edited by Selva Raj - 3/18/13 at 6:42am

Well, thats one way to get some press coverage I guess.

There is a problem though, how to keep 'freshness' while not losing the benefit of the simplicity of the springboard. It just does one thing and it does it well.

Android phones confuse with their variety of different numbers of icon bearing views, mixed in with personal views which are somehow different fro the default ones, then you can customise them, add widgets. And with Nexus and Amazon devices there are views selling you stuff you don't necessarily want, you can probably 'configure' them so they don't appear... but I don't have time to mess around with that. It all adds up to a UX dogs breakfast.

I trust that the design wizardry at Apple will find a way to square this apparent circle (maybe change the curve radius subtly, introduce some nice new visual tweak with gradients and fonts) but can retain the simplicity.

I could not agree more. I said that and my feeling is, that people are moving to android because Apple is kind of uncool. The iOS GUI looks simply childish. In many ways Microsoft did a better job with windows 8. On the other hand it will be a bold move to leave all these app icons behind as the whole marketing strategy builds up on these.

He has a point.  iOS has the most solidly reliable, visually consistent and widely usable interface out there.  And great as those things are, from a modern, flashy, consumer electronics buyer perspective they're quite boring.  It's like having a great defensive line, but no offensive players with flair who can run with the ball and get the crowd screaming.  It's a perception problem, that right now applies more to nerds than to regular joes, but it's still a problem, and for as long as nerds are able to bleat about it regular joes will increasingly hear their bleating and take notice.

 

 

I don't think Apple needs to do something right now to win back market attention, but some headline grabbing features in iOS7 and iPhone 5S/6 would help with a currently middling perception issue that could become a major issue if not checked.

 

Obviously I have no idea what that would be, I just hope that Apple does.  They have a knack for it.

My 19 month old son disagrees. He picked up the iPhone interface concepts 2 months ago (I have the videos). He had the basic concepts down almost immediately. Home-button start and safety escape. Swipe to activate (he loves that). His favorite Sesame Street videos a couple of easy taps away, behind icons he easily recognizes. He *loves* CoverFlow, and the change of function that comes with an orientation switch. His favorite music appears to be Coldplay - he's been playing their Paradise video for months and keeps returning to their album for background music while he plays.

The iPhone interface is amazing and does not need to be changed significantly. Providing it can be extended as new facilities are added, it really is a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

There are so many bogus complaint themes doing the rounds right now. Here's another attempt to create a negative meme about Apple.

Yeah, right. Apple is doomed! (/s, if you could not tell).

 

As Henry Ford didn't say: If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

 

The iOS UI is NOT outdated.  It's just familliar.  I admit to being one of those considering other phones due to this.   I don't find anything wrong with iOS, but am considering other phones simply for something different.   

 

The problem is the fanboys of all stripes that insist there's only one best phone.  That everything else is dreck.   This all or nothing mentality is exhausting.   The need to insult others that don't hold the same opinion as you.   And you're all idiots if you don't agree with me.  !!!

 

Oh, and I do like what I've seen so far of the BlackBerry Z10.   Doesn't sound like native apps will be coming to it any time soon though.   It'll be a tough sell.

 

He is a self serving d-bag with a valid point. The iOS interface is dated. I still have hope Apple has been working on something for the past few years and will surprise us this year. Letting another year goes by with a largely static iOS would be very damaging.

That was perfect.....

 

The general interface is good in the general working of the device, but the App launcher is visually dull, uninformative, lacks functionality and customisation options. Even when it was introduced it was hardly innovative: the resemblance to Palm OS launchers would make even a Samsung lawyer blush. And one of the most popular App types on the Palm platform was alternative launchers.

 

The importance of this shouldn't be underestimated - when people try out smartphones in the shop they won't get into the individual Apps in any great depth, but they see and interact a lot with the launcher to see what's on it.

 

Also the OS should also be smart enough to recognise when Twitter, FaceBook data is not set up. I dislike being presented with these options when I want to 'send' something. 

This.

 

An overhaul would be a huge mistake, but they've been sitting still for too long.

 

Everyone keeps asking what Apple could improve:

1. Home screen. It works fine for <50 apps, but when you're up to 200+ it gets really clumsy. You either put in constant effort to keep it rationally sorted (folder size limit and lack of nested folders means re-categorizing as apps get added and deleted), or end up with 8+ unorganized screens like my wife.
2. Multi-tasking. Which apps are still running? What if there's an app I want to keep running, and others I want killed immediately? Automatic management is great, but the ability to give manual hints would be fantastic. Yes you can manually kill an app but its SLOW to get to. What about a fast way to flick back and forth between a pair of apps rapidly? Currently the double-press on home is really cumbersome. Gestures on the iPad are great but the iPhone needs a parallel.
3. Rapid access to settings. Ie toggles for bluetooth, wifi, tethering, airplane mode, airplay etc... This has been something people have wanted forever.
4. Document management. The current system works for now, but it's already starting to get unwieldly. You have to go into the app that "owns" the document, and count on that app to give you a (sometimes very long) list of other apps to open it in. Then each app has its own copy, and you have to remember which is newest. There is no way of picking a default app to handle a document type.

 

How could these things be improved? (not all ideas are compatible with each other)

 

Home screen

• Add a section (ie half a page, or even a full page) that gets automatically populated with the most used apps, not the most recent apps.
• Make the far-right page be all your apps in an automatically-categorized list. Make it so that apps no longer have to live on other pages, this can be the only page they exist on for lesser-utilized apps.

 

Multi-tasking

• Swipe up from the bottom to show the multi-tasking tray. Only show apps that are still running. Add a check to each app icon that means "try to keep me running at the expense of other apps". Change double-press home to "immediately quit the foreground app".
• Allow interacting with the foreground app while the multi-tasking tray is still open on "tall" devices. All apps already support the shorter aspect ratio for legacy devices anyways.

 

Settings

• Add a notification center widget for the main toggles.
• Make a new splash-page for the main settings app that puts these settings front and center right away
• Add a screen that can be popped up at any time without interrupting the current app with access to these toggles, perhaps launched from the multitasking tray or notification center.

 

Documents

• Obviously security is a huge concern here, but you could implement an implied-consent system based on a system-controlled "open file" screen that only grants an app access to a document when a user picks it. Automatic versioning would limit the damage an app could do, since the user could always roll back the document. "Recent documents" for each app could be built into the open file screen, adding convenience while maintaining the consent system.
• To keep user friendliness,  make it a document library sortable based on document type, name, date saved, saved by app etc... similar to the "Music" interface. No direct filesystem exposure to the user. Only documents openable by the app show up in that app's open dialog. Obviously there would be a master "Documents" app that allows the user to see them all, manage them and perform a "Open With..." and "Share" functions. Apps like Mail could use the same interface to pick attachments.

 

So don't say there's nothing Apple could improve.

 

Henry Ford's foot dragging on replacing the Model T lost his company the dominance they once had. He knew deep down that the Model T was all anybody would ever need.

Agree.

 

There seems to be two camps of opinions.  Those who want an updated aesthetic experience and those who want improved UI.

I don't think it's outdated.  It just works for me...but there's always room for improvement.  I'm just waiting for the next Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion.  I could really care less how it looks (except for the fact that there are way too many blue-colored apps on both iOS and OS X), just that it work as well as my first experience on my first iPhone.  What irritates me more than words can say is when they start moving around features and functions that i'm so used to tapping that i could do it with my eyes closed.

 

Personally, if you know anything about how Apple develops anything you'll know that they look at a million-and-one options and tediously scrutinize every little details before an initial release.  Jobs even helped develop a better looking set of Fonts for the first Mac.  Point is, which this kind of scrutiny over the little details, they really get it right the first time.  All that's left are really minor updates and polish.  They rarely add anything radically new release over release.  They wait until there's something good to contribute, again going over every little detail until they get it right.  They're famous for getting it right the first time.  However one might say they're not perfect (Mobile Me, etc...).

 

So what's left to do?  My hopes are for improved web-services (iCloud, Maps, Siri)  Fix the things that need improvement first, then wrap it up in a nice package.  One thing on my wish list would be to treat the spotlight search screen more like Dashboard on the Mac.  Put weather, stocks, clock, calc, etc. on that blank screen.  Keep the search bar (even though i know no one that actually uses spotlight at all).

 

Addition: I'd also like to see the Dictionary App from OS X make its way to iOS.  I use it all the time as a go-to Wikipedia App on my Mac.  The official Wiki app for iOS is nice, but it's painfully slow to load and search.  The Wiki on the Dictionary App is like lightning.  I'd also like to see some of the Mac Safari Multi-touch gestures make its ways to iOS.

 

Aesthetically speaking though, they could improve how the app icons look between iOS and OS X.  I'd they start with making the icons look the same across platforms.  They kind of do already but have minor differences that seem like an obvious quick fix.

 

Settings App vs. System Preferences

Blue iTunes icon vs. Purple (iTunes store, and podcasts app) and Orange (Music App) in iOS

Mail app envelope vs. Mail app stamp.

Messages app is blue in OS X and the bubbles look too round vs. Green and rounded squares in iOS.

 

Etc, etc., etc....

Edited by antkm1 - 3/18/13 at 7:19am

Some UI suggestions which I would like to see on the ipad (some small, some large)

 

* Kill a program from the tasklist by using a swipe (need to do this too often for the daily challenges in where's my water to work.... he, it's important to me)

* Rich content for the icons, simple-widgets... Now only a number can be shown, but a little bit more info would be nice

* Allow me to remove any icon I want

* Allow groups/folders to hold an infinite number of icons

* Have an auto-organizer which puts newly installed apps in the correct folder (android auto-organizer works like a charm)

* Move settings from the centralized and messy single settings store and allow per application settings to be accessed from the application. (taskbar actually is already app specific, for instance to get airplay streaming from youtube etc.)

* Have quick enable/disable for things like bluetooth/wifi, integrated with the notification bar. Or have other bars available from the top bar depending on the position (dragging the middle = notification bar, dragging from the wifi icons = toggles)

* Have a back button as well as a home button, to allow for a more 'workflow' kind of working. (I know multi-finger swipe does about the same thing)

* Allow for splitscreen in any application, possibly with distinct 'split' rendering, like w8 (20/80 split).

* Stop with the modal dialogs/alert boxes

* Allow for keyboard plugins, the current keyboard/autocorrect is outdated. Or implement the suggestions about 1 year ago (see youtube) with keyboard gestured.

* Have 'dragging from outside the screen into it' gestures instead of double-clicking, holding buttons

Um, other competing platforms? Really?
99.99999999% of the industry uses Android because it's free!!!!!
That BB CEO is a joke. Therefore, if what he said was an Eddie Murphy movie it would have been the funniest thing he did in 30 years.

Yup he is correct. It is outdated for him. For me, it works just fine. I am not interested in interfaces that are complex and require me to think about how to make a call or do something.

So thanks for your insight. We Apple fanboi's appreciate your thoughts and ask you to go bankrupt quickly.

Some suggestions:
-Speed scroll to bottom of page, not just the top like current.
-Mulitiple accounts per device in iOS, people have been asking for years.
-Multi-tasking sucks. It barely works and most of the time does not save your apps in the background.
-Update the alerts from red circles to actually being within the icon and maybe a red border color to let you know
-Some info in the icon (like the calendar) but for more apps

There are many improvements they could make, without changing the whole thing and being disruptive.

As for the stupid argument that if we want change, we need to propose what they should be, it is far dumber than anything BB has ever said or done. The consumer can ask for change without having to do the work the Appld folks are paid millions to do. Besides, when people do come out with design or other ideas Apple rightfully ignores them and does its own thing.

What would the point of the 64-bit processor be? We are probably 2+ years away from a 64-bit processor being useful in a mobile device

 

I agree with most of those complaints, but not number 2.  (And coming up with great solution to those challenges is hard or Apple would have done it already).

 

Very, very few apps run when they aren't the foremost app.  Most apps are completely dormant when not in the front and there is almost never a reason to kill one.  Whenever the foremost app needs memory, it asks the OS for some.  The OS decides whether it needs to steal it from one of the sleeping apps or not.  If you're killing apps to free up memory, then you're just wasting time.

 

The only time I kill an app is if it's "stuck."  For example, an app that spending longer than usual starting up or loading.  Sometimes killing that and restarting fixes whatever app-specific problem it was having.

As someone who trains and works with many different clients using computers, tablets, and smartphones , from my experience most users actually use less than 20% of the device features.  

 

I have seen most Android users never set up any widgets or gadgets. They use email, text messaging and web browsing along with their favorite apps the notification screen on the iPad and iPhone is not setup.  Notifications setup properly provide a great way to visually see what content is being pushed to the phone,

 

Siri is another example, once learned is a great tool to handle lots of functions. From sending texts, reading texts, email, calendar, apps, etc...

 

there are a lot of new additions to the iOS UI , people  just have to spend a little time learning them all.

In other news, Blackberry CEO announces that using foot operated pedals to control the speed of a motor vehicle is SOOOOOO 18th century and they are also hard at work on a new and improved version of walking upright, he was quoted as saying, "You wanna talk about antiquated, don't get even get me started, we have so much in the pipeline right now, pretty soon you'll be asking why you were so addicted to oxygen your whole life without even realizing it." 

People are always throwing out this idea that the iOS interface is "dated" or "stale" but they all have two things in common.

 

1) They can never actually say what specifically about it is "outdated" or what they would change.

 

2) Those that say it are almost always competitors.  

 

 

You are making the assumption that Apple is resting on its laurels. I think Apple has learned from the whole Maps launch. In other words, why release something when its not ready?

 

I'd rather be a bit more patient and wait then be blown away. Android, Blackberry or Windows Phone UI aren't blowing the iOS UI away in any case.

 

The closest comparison to iOS quality wise was/is WebOS.

 

Not going to "lambaste" you, but I would argue that if one says the UI is "outdated" it does suggest that "sweeping changes" are in order.  If instead, as you describe, only a few tweaks are necessary, then that would be closer to "it needs a bit of a refresh," which I think most people would agree with.  

 

I would like to see specifically more control myself.  More options in the users hands versus like being able to get rid of the "swipe to open" if I want or getting rid of crap I don't need that's integrated into the system like "Game Center."  

 

While we are at it, it would be nice if the names of the applications were aware of the dictionary and localisation too so "Game Center" would show as the (more correct), "Game Centre" instead of having to stare at irritating mis-spellings all day.  

^^

there are some good suggestions here, and I think a lot of them would make iOS more functional.  I don't think they're just change for the sake of change.  I'm not necessarily a fan of widgets but why does the home screen need to be a grid of apps?  What if I wanted it to just show date/time/weather and the apps I use the most?  Or access to most used settings.  And have all my other apps on a different screen which could be organized alphabetically or by some category.  And I'd only need to see them when I want to access one of those apps.  There are things Apple can do which would benefit the user. If iOS was perfect Scott Forstall would still be at Apple.

A big part of the reason that the iPhone and iPad took off so successfully was the fact that their interfaces are "user friendly". Dated...maybe...but even toddlers are learning to use these things!

If I had to guess, Apple strikes me as a company that's aware of the fact that their home screen UI is starting to show signs of age. That being said, they aren't the type of company to implement half baked ideas into their products until they're confident it will work. The point being, I don't think they would disagree with this assessment... but until they can come up with a better replacement, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Thank you for answering your own question.

 

I think it is about time that we change from using a number dial pad on all phones to one that has more flash - plain numbers laid out in a static 3x4 format is so yesterday.  We need active widgets to represent each number, each with the ability to show current weather or the faces of people we know, maybe facebook status or twitter feeds.  REALLY?  Is that really where people want things to go?  I think people must have a lot of time on their hands that they need their phones to entertain them even when in a mode meant to be the starting base.  Maybe I'm not the norm, but I think it's totally fine that I have to push an app icon to get to something like weather, where I can be "entertained" by radar images or active examples of what the weather is like where I am.

 

The app icon model, on a smart phone or tablet was created as a simple means of getting to whichever app or function you want/need quickly.  This push to have everything be active all the time is simply furthering people's short-term attention spans.  Kind of like saying it's a benefit to be able to watch a video and work on a spreadsheet at the same time.  Really, is that something people can or want to do?

#1. BBerry has been standing still for .... well forever.

#2. BBerry has been lapped countless times in the 'mobile computing grand prix'. Heins' 'starting grid' exists only in his own mind.

 

And, not just "what" is "outdated" or "stale", that's too simplistic, but what about it specifically is, and why is it? If one can't answer those questions, one is just blowing hot air.

 

I see a lot of posts in this thread about how Apple should add this feature or that (often things of very little general utility), but none of this tacking on features is "updating the UI", it's just tacking on features.

Blackberry CEO to publicist: "I want to burnish my public image, give me some ideas".

 

Publicist: "Let's release a series of short articles opining on the shortcomings of various competitors. Let's start with Apple".

 

BB CEO: "Great!"

 

Your not making much sense except it's obvious you are striving for attention.  You post an image of what looks like a web page, with an oblique reference to the iPad combined with a link to a patent for an old internal iPad 30pin cable.  WTF?! 

 

I sense that you may have an ESL problem, but still ... you need to try much, much, harder to make some kind of sense.  

 

Except: 

 

- people actually aren't "moving to Android" (iOS is actually used more)

- a GUI that looks "childish" (children can use it) is actually a good thing

- objective studies (and all the reviews) say Microsoft actually didn't do a "better job" with Windows 8

 

Be happy in your little fantasy world though.  It seems like everything makes sense in there. 

 

Swype was pretty laggy, but on my Note 2 gesture typing was fantastic. It's not a make or break thing, but I'd love to see it on iPhone.

I like how the home screen is set up I can access all my apps easily and with speed.

Things I would like to see

Increase the app limit in folders
Quick settings in NC (wifi and blue tooth)
Third party support NC widgets (weather)
Change default apps (web browser)
Be able to hide apps (newstand)

I'm really happy with my experience so far. I can't see anything drastic changed with ios on the iphone as much as the ipad. Now if I could have a filesystem on my full size ipad I'd be on cloud 9

You sound like a pre-BB10 blackberry user with those comments.  I remember blackberry folks making the same comments when the first iPhone was released.

 

The changes that need to come to the iPhone (to name just a few) are true multitasking (double clicking on the home screen and flipping between apps is not considered 'true' multitasking), a better native email experience (there is a reason why iPhone users were jumping over each other in order to get a third party email app - Mailbox), a more intelligent predictive keyboard experience, and find an alternative to constantly having to use the home button - this is probably my biggest gripe.   

 

Lets stop beating around the bush. The primary reason why Apple does not want to re-write iOS is because the app catalog will reset to zero.  From my limited knowledge of phone technology, I dont believe you can just add multitasking capabilities to the current OS. 

 

So the unlock moves up by it's hight and a row of icons the same size as the camera icon are displayed for user quick reference apps such as the weather, flight information, stocks, news, etc? 

 

I like that! 

 

First, what the hell is the "App launcher"?  I wasn't aware iOS had one.  

 

This statement alone shows how completely out of touch you are with the average iOS user in that if you asked a hundred people to tell you what the "App launcher" in iOS was, I would think the only answer you would get is "my finger."

 

Secondly, the resemblance to Palm is superficial at best, as is the resemblance of Palm's home screen to Newton's (which is where they got the idea from in the first place).  

Personally I don't think they should make any aesthetic changes to ios7, I'm against them adding widgets and live wallpapers. Also I don't think they should add anything to the lock screen either like brightness settings and shortcuts like wifi on/off etc.. just keep everything in the settings. If they change anything, make things simpler with what you already have.