Apple's curious Design flaws (1 Viewer)

The famed Tog (creator of the original HIG) helps take on Apple's latest focus on aesthetics at the cost of usable design in this article:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name

It's not a perfectly well written article and he's kinda getting skewered in the comments (which are a hoot to read BTW), but the foundation of his thinking is right on: There's some curious relapse in the design principles Apple is following these days.

To name a few: Font wackiness, the absolute mess of hidden features and awkwardness of iTunes, thin-ness over battery life.

It's almost as if they have some unstated principles that they are acting consistently on but not making clear to everyone else. Or they just don't value the things that folks like Tog do any more. Which hey, happened in the pro markets for sure.

It's just curious to see it happen in real time.

I smile as I read that because, without having realized other people felt the same way, I remembered that on my iPhone I have the screen zoomed in and larger fonts turned on, and on the TV I have the bold fonts turned on so I could read the dang menus...

I think many of Apple's design choices have been good to great; however, the font issue is a real one, and for people that visit websites that use San Serif fonts is is very annoying.


But I think a lot of this is just trying to get on the right page. I think where everyone is struggling is what is the "next big thing". I don't think anyone has a clear idea of what the heck that is just yet... I don't think anyone knows who gets there with a truly revolutionary feature.


Google's glass went nowhere.

Sony & Occulus VR setups are yet to be really make a breakthrough showing.

Microsoft's hololens is interesting but no one knows what to use it for yet.

Apple & Google are both working on self-driving vehicles, and both Microsoft & Facebook have been circling the idea of partnerships with a car company.

Everyone thinks that wearables are the future and it's about an Internet of Things, (IoT) but so far adoption on almost all levels, aside from niche isn't that big; even for the biggest hits among them (Nest as an example)


What has really startled me about Apple most is that they are no longer the breakout leader with innovation you say: this isn't an evolutionary step. iTunes languishes most of all, in that it really has fallen way, way behind the core functions that people want to use it for, and when you look at the fact that IoT leaders like SONOS are changing the way localized media content works, it makes Apple's current initiative look clumsy, even though it is effective.


RIght now, a lot of the 'big boys' in the market are struggling with the "Next Big Thing" and I have absolutely no idea what the heck that will be; but I think the market is waiting for it...