The Monolith vs Unix approach.
The "one tool for each task" was a huge selling point for X to me. Apple did bring a lot of promising features and apps into X from the beginning. I think a lot of us saw the "services" point within the app menu as an option for a totally new way of making apps (simple core with a number of tools from different developers). Apple did go some steps in that direction from the beginning (having seperate tools for very specific jobs, Adress Book, iCal and Mail in seperate apps. The non integration of iMovie and iDVD can be seen as that too).
But lately Apple has gobe in the opposite direction. You just have to take a look at iTunes to realise that: A music player, music library, music store, video player, video library, internet radio player, transfer music, contacts, calender, video and pictures to iPod and propably more I have forgotten.
Is Apple abandoning the "one tool for each task" way of doing things? Do you think its good or bad?
But lately Apple has gobe in the opposite direction. You just have to take a look at iTunes to realise that: A music player, music library, music store, video player, video library, internet radio player, transfer music, contacts, calender, video and pictures to iPod and propably more I have forgotten.
Is Apple abandoning the "one tool for each task" way of doing things? Do you think its good or bad?
Comments
Originally posted by Anders
The "one tool for each task" was a huge selling point for X to me. Apple did bring a lot of promising features and apps into X from the beginning. I think a lot of us saw the "services" point within the app menu as an option for a totally new way of making apps (simple core with a number of tools from different developers). Apple did go some steps in that direction from the beginning (having seperate tools for very specific jobs, Adress Book, iCal and Mail in seperate apps. The non integration of iMovie and iDVD can be seen as that too).
But lately Apple has gobe in the opposite direction. You just have to take a look at iTunes to realise that: A music player, music library, music store, video player, video library, internet radio player, transfer music, contacts, calender, video and pictures to iPod and propably more I have forgotten.
Is Apple abandoning the "one tool for each task" way of doing things? Do you think its good or bad?
I think iTunes is really the only app that doesn't follow Apple's "one tool for each task" ideology. And I suspect the reason for this is that iTunes is cross platform. And because Apple doesn't want to build new apps for Windows, it decided to shove everything but the kitchen sink into iTunes.
I don't think Apple is abandoning the "one tool for each task" idea (except for iTunes unfortunately)...after all, iLife '06 shows how well separate apps can stand alone as well as integrate with each other through inter-app communication (media browser).
The idea of "one tool for each task" is marvelous. It allows the user to decide which tools he wants to keep or throw away (or ignore). When apps start doing too many things, the focus/purpose of the app is lost. Redundancy starts to set in (apps that do things other apps can do better) leading to wasted resources (HD space, memory, CPU cycles, etc.)
I too am sad that iTunes became the monster that it is.
IMO, iTunes should have remained a simple music player...now it's a video player and an all-purpose iPod syncher. But like I said, I think this is the unfortunate result of the app being cross platform and trying to cram everything that may be iPod-related into a single app.
As far as one tool for each task, i was hoping apple would see that for iWork. Rather than incorporate the new, somewhat shotty spreadsheet feature into Pages, they should have gone all the cell and created a program. On the other hand, i think there was some other types of pressure thee because they had to remain on MSFT's good side
Originally posted by Jwink3101
I agree about itunes that it needs to be what it is. Personally, it doesn't bother me too much. I am continually amazed at the power that iTunes possesses.
As far as one tool for each task, i was hoping apple would see that for iWork. Rather than incorporate the new, somewhat shotty spreadsheet feature into Pages, they should have gone all the cell and created a program. On the other hand, i think there was some other types of pressure thee because they had to remain on MSFT's good side
I'd imagine that once they release a proper stand-alone spreadsheet, the spreadsheet feature from Pages and Keynote will simply integrate with the spreadsheet app...much like apps in iLife '06 use the media browser to communicate with each apps' media library and much like the photos in iLife '06 apps use some kind of new system-wide (or iLife-wide) iPhoto-style transparent image color-adjustment palette.
Originally posted by Anders
The "one tool for each task" was a huge selling point for X to me. Apple did bring a lot of promising features and apps into X from the beginning. I think a lot of us saw the "services" point within the app menu as an option for a totally new way of making apps (simple core with a number of tools from different developers). Apple did go some steps in that direction from the beginning (having seperate tools for very specific jobs, Adress Book, iCal and Mail in seperate apps. The non integration of iMovie and iDVD can be seen as that too).
But lately Apple has gobe in the opposite direction. You just have to take a look at iTunes to realise that: A music player, music library, music store, video player, video library, internet radio player, transfer music, contacts, calender, video and pictures to iPod and propably more I have forgotten.
Is Apple abandoning the "one tool for each task" way of doing things? Do you think its good or bad?
This depends if you define the tool as all those sub-pieces, or if iTunes is the computers interface to an iPod. That would make it a single tool that has several uses.
The Library, store demarcation line is also fuzzy. Isn't music in the store just music in the vast musical library that you haven't bought yet? And the transaction is actually done on Apples servers, not within iTunes.
Videos are about the only obviously odd part out or are they. Is iTunes just a poorly named media library? A library that maintains a full computer resident version and a subset of the library on an iPod?
The contacts and calendar conduits are tack-ons, but have their own separate sections of code and only function as conduits. iCal and Address book are still separate apps for maintaining them.
It's all in the angle you look at the issue from.
I actually think Apple's worst interface is that of the iTMS. It's ok for searching but for browsing I'm not a huge fan. The worst is the audiobooks.