The article fails to answer the most crucial questions: where will transferred files end up on iOS ? Will you be able to transfer all kinds of files to iOS?
"Mother of humanity, why is AirDrop so terrible? Why do we have to be IN it to do it?
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there's everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: "[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny" There's your security problems solved."
I agree. Good lord, surprising they don't have it function as effortlessly as you laid out.
"Keep it simple stupid"... AirDrop would be a great place to use that approach for the masses.
At the moment I use the awesome PhotoSync which also allows you to upload to Dropbox and a plethora of other services and devices. Device to device is reliant on both being on the same network. As I only use it to upload photos from my iPhone to my Mac I am very likely a lost customer. C'est la vie.
I thought the same until I remember that AirDrop works entirely locally. If you are out in the field without WiFi router, this will beat DropBox and similar services.
Mother of humanity, why is AirDrop so terrible? Why do we have to be IN it to do it?
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there’s everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: “[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny” There’s your security problems solved.
My guess is: security, potential interference and power saving.
Since this thing is peer to peer, they may have to scan the surrounding continuously for new devices showing up.
This sucks power if it is always-on.
They may need to add iBeacon to the stack for its low power BT discovery.
Perhaps next release. Just like how AirPlay adds BT discovery and then peer-to-peer over 2 releases. I remember they had some unexpected BT vs WiFi bug on the Mac some months ago. Plus this new AirDrop tech is different from the old one. They may have spent some engineering time to allow fast switching between these 2 protocols. Otherwise, the new and old AirDrop stack may need additional discovery time during switching.
Mother of humanity, why is AirDrop so terrible? Why do we have to be IN it to do it?
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there’s everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: “[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny” There’s your security problems solved.
Wtf are you babbling about? That's EXACTLY how it works....for devices with the same AppleID, which is all that makes any sense.
Separate AppleIDs could be totally separate uninterested parties, and no you should not be able to sneak files onto their machines.
Apple's HIG and related design principles have shifted, from pre-iOS concerns about ensuring that interfaces are so simple and obvious that anyone and their dog could use them without any learning curve (relatively), to post-iOS concerns about designing "computer" or rather "device" interfaces that are very similar in form and function to the appliances we use every day as a matter of course: iOS and Android devices.
From a pre-iOS perspective the UI design changes in Yosemite aren't very thoughtful from a new-user perspective - that is, the "I don't know about all that computer and phone stuff" perspective that is gradually fading away. There's much less UI hand-holding. But from the perspective of those by now accustomed to iOS and Android devices, most of it will look familiar, and in some ways we no longer require clearly-defined buttons or "depth" in order to help us distinguish certain elements from one another. Folks are just more technologically aware and know what to expect.
The only little niggle in all this, is that some of these iOS carry-over elements look a little out of place at this stage. They look natural on a handheld device, but look rather wonky in more places than not on a "computer" display. I imagine that Apple will naturally clean all this up for Release.
This is for security, so that you can't just go into an airport or Starbucks and try to send malware to people nearby. Sure, most people will probably click "deny", but all it takes is one person every now and then to click "allow".
This way, they have to be explicitly and knowingly participating in AirDrop. And with iOS 8 and Yosemite, it looks like it auto-allows any from the same Apple ID, which makes sense, since you probably aren't trying to trick yourself into running malware.
Apple's HIG and related design principles have shifted, from pre-iOS concerns about ensuring that interfaces are so simple and obvious that anyone and their dog could use them without any learning curve (relatively), to post-iOS concerns about designing "computer" or rather "device" interfaces that are very similar in form and function to the appliances we use every day as a matter of course: iOS and Android devices.
From a pre-iOS perspective the UI design changes in Yosemite aren't very thoughtful from a new-user perspective - that is, the "I don't know about all that computer and phone stuff" perspective that is gradually fading away. There's much less UI hand-holding. But from the perspective of those by now accustomed to iOS and Android devices, most of it will look familiar, and in some ways we no longer require clearly-defined buttons or "depth" in order to help us distinguish certain elements from one another. Folks are just more technologically aware and know what to expect.
The only little niggle in all this, is that some of these iOS carry-over elements look a little out of place at this stage. They look natural on a handheld device, but look rather wonky in more places than not on a "computer" display. I imagine that Apple will naturally clean all this up for Release.
This is understandable. Once you get to Grandma Threshold Alpha-60 which is where your grandmother can show how to do 60% of the functions on an iDevice then Apple can move to adding more features without having to worry about their users not being able to understand how they are implemented.
Have you tried using split-screen mode on a Surface? It's not very intuitive but if MS made the basics intuitive -and- it was popular enough they could add the other features down the line that aren't obvious while knowing that the GTA-60 effect would allow for quick adoption. Perhaps that's a sign Apple will offer that feature with iOS 9 on the iPad.
We now have the ability to share/use the same documents in iCloud. I work on a Numbers document on my Mac, then swith over to my iPad when I am watching TV. The next day when I get to work i can use iClound on a PC. on the web to access the document. Now we will be able to send this document from device to device. That sounds like an additional step and loses the syncd document feature. They are also giving dropbox funtionality. I don't get how this helps me, considering I have iCloud.
I don't think this will work with my 2009 MBP and iPhone 5 like many other features that are great with the new OS that won't work with it. It's sad when you buy a new computer from Apple and it last so long and is so great that you don't get those benefits. For those of us retired and on a fixed budget we can't go out and buy new computers we have to use what we bought when we could afford it. Could any beta testers out there tell me if I am wrong in this assumption?
I hear you. As a retired ( aka, unemployed) person for the last 7 years, I had to see all of these new OSs and apps pass me by, as I was stuck in 32 bit mode hell (late 2006 iMac). I finally took the plunge, stopped waiting to be able to afford another new computer, and bought a second hand late 2009 iMac from an Apple dealer.....and Heavens to Betsy....I'm really enjoying my computer again. No more computer envy. Mavericks is wonderful and, hopefully, it will be a few years before I get left behind again. People like you and I, sadly, pay the price for Apple's relentless drive to always do what's best for the customer, even when some of us suffer....but I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, the alternative is Microsoft's way.....keep dragging all of the legacy software into the new OSs which almost guarantees an OS that satisfies no one. Keep on trucking, my friend. Good luck and happy computing.
The article fails to answer the most crucial questions: where will transferred files end up on iOS ? Will you be able to transfer all kinds of files to iOS?
I'm assuming a folder in iCloud Drive titled "Airdrop"
I never store any files locally except temporary, I assume if my NAS is mounted as a drive in OSX I will be able to AirDrop any files from my iPad directly to it.
This is understandable. Once you get to Grandma Threshold Alpha-60 which is where your grandmother can show how to do 60% of the functions on an iDevice then Apple can move to adding more features without having to worry about their users not being able to understand how they are implemented.
Have you tried using split-screen mode on a Surface? It's not very intuitive but if MS made the basics intuitive -and- it was popular enough they could add the other features down the line that aren't obvious while knowing that the GTA-60 effect would allow for quick adoption. Perhaps that's a sign Apple will offer that feature with iOS 9 on the iPad.
Excellent point. But at this stage, it might be even more important to fight the urge to release early, and instead *release it right*.
I don't know about you, but I'm assuming this could possibly be incredibly annoying - imagine a university and someone just pinging everyone on the network (or even worse, the same person, over and over). Not good.
On another note, has anyone managed to toggle the "Everyone" or "Contacts Only" switch in Airdrop on the Mac?? Mine seems to be un-toggleable... That is, it is not a button. I can't do anything. And my "Preferences" in Finder are blank, empty. Force relaunch, restart of computer don't fix it. Hoping a reinstall isn't required.
Put ignore list, or make user choose in settings if he wants to make his device permanently visible (with confirmation pop up).
I'm with TS on this one. One of major reasons why I prefer ThinkPad Tablet to iPad is exactly that - easy access to other devices in my home network.
I don't think this will work with my 2009 MBP and iPhone 5 like many other features that are great with the new OS that won't work with it. It's sad when you buy a new computer from Apple and it last so long and is so great that you don't get those benefits. For those of us retired and on a fixed budget we can't go out and buy new computers we have to use what we bought when we could afford it. Could any beta testers out there tell me if I am wrong in this assumption?
Your Mac still has all the features that were advertised when you bought it, plus much more. Airdrop depends on HARDWARE that does not exist in your 2009 MBP, namely adhoc WIFI. It's therefor impossible for Apple to give you the capability, and it is unreasonable to expect it. When you buy a computer/device, you should expect a reasonable support for software upgrades, but you should expect new hardware capabilities to magically be added to your device after it is shipped and sold. Yes, no doubt it would be great if you could use airdrop, but thankfully you have many other options that can fulfil the same purpose (dropbox, etc).
Mother of humanity, why is AirDrop so terrible? Why do we have to be IN it to do it?
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there’s everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: “[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny” There’s your security problems solved.
Because unlike other companies, Apple takes your security and privacy very seriously, even if they need to inconvenience yo with a couple more clicks. I for one appreciate it.
Apple's HIG and related design principles have shifted, from pre-iOS concerns about ensuring that interfaces are so simple and obvious that anyone and their dog could use them without any learning curve (relatively), to post-iOS concerns about designing "computer" or rather "device" interfaces that are very similar in form and function to the appliances we use every day as a matter of course: iOS and Android devices.
From a pre-iOS perspective the UI design changes in Yosemite aren't very thoughtful from a new-user perspective - that is, the "I don't know about all that computer and phone stuff" perspective that is gradually fading away. There's much less UI hand-holding. But from the perspective of those by now accustomed to iOS and Android devices, most of it will look familiar, and in some ways we no longer require clearly-defined buttons or "depth" in order to help us distinguish certain elements from one another. Folks are just more technologically aware and know what to expect.
The only little niggle in all this, is that some of these iOS carry-over elements look a little out of place at this stage. They look natural on a handheld device, but look rather wonky in more places than not on a "computer" display. I imagine that Apple will naturally clean all this up for Release.
Lots of words to justify that a button does not look like a button anymore. While I do see your point, I do not agree this has yet happened with the iOS 6-7 shift. After iOS 7 was released I also read these enthusiastic posts about this new GUI paradigm and how great new user interfaces would emerge (flat screens, depth due to transparency, parallax, etc). Well, it never happened. Every single iOS 7 updated app just turned flat and white. End of story.
iOS 7 is more difficult to use and far less intuitive but it's just for esthetic purposes . It's fresh, clean and there's more room for content as lots of UI elements are hidden. But there's nothing you can do because of this new interface you absolutely couldn't do in iOS 6.
Comments
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there's everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: "[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny" There's your security problems solved."
I agree. Good lord, surprising they don't have it function as effortlessly as you laid out.
"Keep it simple stupid"... AirDrop would be a great place to use that approach for the masses.
I thought the same until I remember that AirDrop works entirely locally. If you are out in the field without WiFi router, this will beat DropBox and similar services.
My guess is: security, potential interference and power saving.
Since this thing is peer to peer, they may have to scan the surrounding continuously for new devices showing up.
This sucks power if it is always-on.
They may need to add iBeacon to the stack for its low power BT discovery.
Perhaps next release. Just like how AirPlay adds BT discovery and then peer-to-peer over 2 releases. I remember they had some unexpected BT vs WiFi bug on the Mac some months ago. Plus this new AirDrop tech is different from the old one. They may have spent some engineering time to allow fast switching between these 2 protocols. Otherwise, the new and old AirDrop stack may need additional discovery time during switching.
Separate AppleIDs could be totally separate uninterested parties, and no you should not be able to sneak files onto their machines.
One thing seems abundantly clear:
Apple's HIG and related design principles have shifted, from pre-iOS concerns about ensuring that interfaces are so simple and obvious that anyone and their dog could use them without any learning curve (relatively), to post-iOS concerns about designing "computer" or rather "device" interfaces that are very similar in form and function to the appliances we use every day as a matter of course: iOS and Android devices.
From a pre-iOS perspective the UI design changes in Yosemite aren't very thoughtful from a new-user perspective - that is, the "I don't know about all that computer and phone stuff" perspective that is gradually fading away. There's much less UI hand-holding. But from the perspective of those by now accustomed to iOS and Android devices, most of it will look familiar, and in some ways we no longer require clearly-defined buttons or "depth" in order to help us distinguish certain elements from one another. Folks are just more technologically aware and know what to expect.
The only little niggle in all this, is that some of these iOS carry-over elements look a little out of place at this stage. They look natural on a handheld device, but look rather wonky in more places than not on a "computer" display. I imagine that Apple will naturally clean all this up for Release.
Quoting this because it needs to be stated again.
This is understandable. Once you get to Grandma Threshold Alpha-60 which is where your grandmother can show how to do 60% of the functions on an iDevice then Apple can move to adding more features without having to worry about their users not being able to understand how they are implemented.
Have you tried using split-screen mode on a Surface? It's not very intuitive but if MS made the basics intuitive -and- it was popular enough they could add the other features down the line that aren't obvious while knowing that the GTA-60 effect would allow for quick adoption. Perhaps that's a sign Apple will offer that feature with iOS 9 on the iPad.
I don't think this will work with my 2009 MBP and iPhone 5 like many other features that are great with the new OS that won't work with it. It's sad when you buy a new computer from Apple and it last so long and is so great that you don't get those benefits. For those of us retired and on a fixed budget we can't go out and buy new computers we have to use what we bought when we could afford it. Could any beta testers out there tell me if I am wrong in this assumption?
I hear you. As a retired ( aka, unemployed) person for the last 7 years, I had to see all of these new OSs and apps pass me by, as I was stuck in 32 bit mode hell (late 2006 iMac). I finally took the plunge, stopped waiting to be able to afford another new computer, and bought a second hand late 2009 iMac from an Apple dealer.....and Heavens to Betsy....I'm really enjoying my computer again. No more computer envy. Mavericks is wonderful and, hopefully, it will be a few years before I get left behind again. People like you and I, sadly, pay the price for Apple's relentless drive to always do what's best for the customer, even when some of us suffer....but I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, the alternative is Microsoft's way.....keep dragging all of the legacy software into the new OSs which almost guarantees an OS that satisfies no one. Keep on trucking, my friend. Good luck and happy computing.
Sweet!
This is the revenge of aqua.
I love the new UI, even the new folder’s icon.
The article fails to answer the most crucial questions: where will transferred files end up on iOS ? Will you be able to transfer all kinds of files to iOS?
I'm assuming a folder in iCloud Drive titled "Airdrop"
I never store any files locally except temporary, I assume if my NAS is mounted as a drive in OSX I will be able to AirDrop any files from my iPad directly to it.
This is understandable. Once you get to Grandma Threshold Alpha-60 which is where your grandmother can show how to do 60% of the functions on an iDevice then Apple can move to adding more features without having to worry about their users not being able to understand how they are implemented.
Have you tried using split-screen mode on a Surface? It's not very intuitive but if MS made the basics intuitive -and- it was popular enough they could add the other features down the line that aren't obvious while knowing that the GTA-60 effect would allow for quick adoption. Perhaps that's a sign Apple will offer that feature with iOS 9 on the iPad.
Excellent point. But at this stage, it might be even more important to fight the urge to release early, and instead *release it right*.
Oh, I didn't mean to imply that Apple (or anyone else) should release early. I think it's best to release it right every time.
Yes, I was just adding to your comment. We're in agreement.
Put ignore list, or make user choose in settings if he wants to make his device permanently visible (with confirmation pop up).
I'm with TS on this one. One of major reasons why I prefer ThinkPad Tablet to iPad is exactly that - easy access to other devices in my home network.
I don't think this will work with my 2009 MBP and iPhone 5 like many other features that are great with the new OS that won't work with it. It's sad when you buy a new computer from Apple and it last so long and is so great that you don't get those benefits. For those of us retired and on a fixed budget we can't go out and buy new computers we have to use what we bought when we could afford it. Could any beta testers out there tell me if I am wrong in this assumption?
Your Mac still has all the features that were advertised when you bought it, plus much more. Airdrop depends on HARDWARE that does not exist in your 2009 MBP, namely adhoc WIFI. It's therefor impossible for Apple to give you the capability, and it is unreasonable to expect it. When you buy a computer/device, you should expect a reasonable support for software upgrades, but you should expect new hardware capabilities to magically be added to your device after it is shipped and sold. Yes, no doubt it would be great if you could use airdrop, but thankfully you have many other options that can fulfil the same purpose (dropbox, etc).
Mother of humanity, why is AirDrop so terrible? Why do we have to be IN it to do it?
How could it possibly be so difficult as to offer an AirDrop tab, you click it, and boom, there’s everyone on the local network. Drag a file to the person, they get a popup: “[name] wants to share a file with you. Accept/Deny” There’s your security problems solved.
Because unlike other companies, Apple takes your security and privacy very seriously, even if they need to inconvenience yo with a couple more clicks. I for one appreciate it.
Lots of words to justify that a button does not look like a button anymore. While I do see your point, I do not agree this has yet happened with the iOS 6-7 shift. After iOS 7 was released I also read these enthusiastic posts about this new GUI paradigm and how great new user interfaces would emerge (flat screens, depth due to transparency, parallax, etc). Well, it never happened. Every single iOS 7 updated app just turned flat and white. End of story.
iOS 7 is more difficult to use and far less intuitive but it's just for esthetic purposes . It's fresh, clean and there's more room for content as lots of UI elements are hidden. But there's nothing you can do because of this new interface you absolutely couldn't do in iOS 6.