iOS 7 is Two Steps Back

[AliOop]

Nonsense! It's beautiful. Looks very nice. I like it very much. I guess some folks don't like change. Missed call does work for me. The only complaint I have is the ring tones are low in volume. I guess I'll have to sleep with the phone along with my dogs - God I need a life!. Other than that, things are going swimmingly - so far.

 

[zBernie]

I embrace change, when it's change for the better, not just change because Apple thinks they need to change.

 

[CPulsar]

Sad thing is the minimal look is in. Not sure why but a lot of things seem to be going in that direction. I hate to say this, but I switched to Apple products to get away from the minimal look. Well, one of the reasons anyway.

 

[Chris H.]

Windows Phone 8 is by far a huge difference through and through over iOS 7.

To me, I still see iOS's general grid design overlaid with less glare and more color. That's it.

I have to admit - you have decent control over the theme in iOS 7 now - wallpapers make or break the overall theme of the device.

Lastly, between my iPod touch and my new Windows Phone - there are some things that WP8 could definitely use. That and the amount of apps. I miss my apps.

But I've been using iOS 7 since beta 2 on the iPod touch (since I cringed at the performance on my old iPhone 4) - returning to iOS 6 on my iPad mini was a jolt. Helping my mother figure out her iPhone 4 running iOS 6 was also a jolt. (She hates iOS 7 but I think she'll get used to it).

To each their own. Personally, I'd like to see MSFT take WP8 somewhere else, faster (since I'm hearing WP8.1 is being delayed another six months). But I'd also like to see Apple take iOS even further with this design-thinking in future revisions.

 

[fak119]

While we are (or some are...) whining:
HOW DO I GET THE SWISS RAILWAYS CLOCK BACK...? ;-)

 

[dtravis7]

While we are (or some are...) whining:
HOW DO I GET THE SWISS RAILWAYS CLOCK BACK...? ;-)

You won't like this news but best I can do for you. Sorry

Apple Drops Swiss Railway Clock From iOS 7

 

[Nighthawk4]

3.1 GB to install iOS7?

Are they kidding?

 

[mrplow]

3.1 GB to install iOS7?

Are they kidding?

Space to download, space to unpack, space to install.

Do it via iTunes and you'll not need to worry about that as the download and unpacking stage takes place on your mac/pc

 

[Nighthawk4]

Space to download, space to unpack, space to install.

Do it via iTunes and you'll not need to worry about that as the download and unpacking stage takes place on your mac/pc

Nice thought.

Unfortunately, Apple recently made it possible to setup an iDevice directly without needing a computer. Sadly they do not seem to have advised iTunes of that - so every time I connect my iPad Mini to iTunes it wants to set it up as a new device or restore a backup.

Leaving it alone and letting me sync files from one to the other does not seem to be an option.

Therefore, no backups are possible (unless the iCloud thing actually works) and no updating via iTunes.

The same applies to my iPod Touch (4th Ed), although it appears that is not supported by iOS7 anyway. I assume an iPhone4S would not be either.

 

[mrplow]

And that's exactly what you want to do when upgrading.

Backup to iCloud, restore through iTunes putting iOS7 on then disconnect and restore your iCloud backup

For info you can also ignore those messages, right click on the device a take manually backup too.

The 4s is support by iOS7.

 

[Nighthawk4]

And that's exactly what you want to do when upgrading.

Backup to iCloud, restore through iTunes putting iOS7 on then disconnect and restore your iCloud backup

For info you can also ignore those messages, right click on the device a take manually backup too.

The 4s is support by iOS7.

Thanks

 

[CanuckBoater]

From the screen shots, it looks like a Fisher Price toy.

I've noticed a trend recently to this subdued texture. As others have noted, it's subjective.

At the end of the day, I will hit the "Start" button to turn "Off" my computer. So you know where I'm coming from .

 

[T9RKELL]

For now I agree with OP and my wife too. Let's see if we can get used to new look

 

[osxx]

For better or worse tech will move forward we can either move with it or be left behind because if anything I have learned I will eventually be forced to upgrade if I want new features and product support.

 

[zBernie]

I could not agree more. I just used the iOS 7 camera app for the first time today and it is just as horrible as the other stock apps. Switching from photo to video is done by sliding this ridiculously small slider, which is so close to the camera button, it's nothing short of idiotic. I cannot believe that a company which specializes in user interfaces released something as user hostile as iOS 7!

All of the core apps such as Music, Mail, Reminders, etc., are white with difficult to read gray text, are anemic looking, and lifeless. The button icons on these core apps look like they were designed by a four year old. A rectangle with a line through it is for bookmarks. A square with an arrow is the share button icon. Absolutely hideous.

And the way the application icons are animated when you unlock the screen or exit an app is enough to give you motion sickness! I now need dramamine when using my iPhone! Many aspects of iOS 7 were clearly conceived by those with a fanatical "minimalist" obsession. I've read about developers at Apple who vehemently disagree with the minimalist design philosophy. I am firmly in their camp. Unfortunately Jony Ive's abominable UI won out, and now users are paying for it.

iOS 7 brings this malapropism to mind: "Ive tower syndrome".

 

[chas_m]

Installed it, loving it.

Good luck with your move to Android!

 

[cwa107]

Installed it, loving it.

Good luck with your move to Android!

Same here. My wife also loves it on her 4S... she, who is not technically inclined and ultimately a good judge of whether an interface is intuitive, is also enjoying it.

In my 15 years working professionally in IT, I have noticed some human propensities when dealing with technology. One of them is that people are rarely amenable to change.

If I upgrade a system and it includes a new UI, I can put money on a certain subset of users complaining vehemently about it because they have been pulled out of their comfort zone. Days, weeks or months go by and suddenly the complaints are non-existent. Why? Because people have either decided to embrace the change, or they just got used to it - and in actuality, it's still perfectly usable, just different.

Another trend I've noticed is that when you change something, regardless of whether the change is problematic or not, anything that goes wrong moving forward is related to that change - at least in users' minds. It doesn't matter if the system has been hiccuping in the same way for years, because I installed a transparent security patch, it has to be related to that change.

Such is life, I suppose... to be clear, there are some bone-headed design decisions that were made here in my view, but the overall improvement in functionality is profound. I have never been so satisfied with an iOS upgrade as I am with this one. I am sure the new UI elements will be refined over time (as they were after each subsequently iOS release), but it will take time and constructive feedback sent to Apple. If you feel strongly about something, Apple actually has a forum just for that:

Apple - Feedback

That said, whining like a petulant child rarely yields any results.

 

[zBernie]

Same here. My wife also loves it on her 4S... she, who is not technically inclined and ultimately a good judge of whether an interface is intuitive, is also enjoying it.

In my 15 years working professionally in IT, I have noticed some human propensities when dealing with technology. One of them is that people are rarely amenable to change.

If I upgrade a system and it includes a new UI, I can put money on a certain subset of users complaining vehemently about it because they have been pulled out of their comfort zone. Days, weeks or months go by and suddenly the complaints are non-existent. Why? Because people have either decided to embrace the change, or they just got used to it - and in actuality, it's still perfectly usable, just different.

Another trend I've noticed is that when you change something, regardless of whether the change is problematic or not, anything that goes wrong moving forward is related to that change - at least in users' minds. It doesn't matter if the system has been hiccuping in the same way for years, because I installed a transparent security patch, it has to be related to that change.

Such is life, I suppose... to be clear, there are some bone-headed design decisions that were made here in my view, but the overall improvement in functionality is profound. I have never been so satisfied with an iOS upgrade as I am with this one. I am sure the new UI elements will be refined over time (as they were after each subsequently iOS release), but it will take time and constructive feedback sent to Apple. If you feel strongly about something, Apple actually has a forum just for that:

Apple - Feedback

That said, whining like a petulant child rarely yields any results.

I am also an IT professional, and have done everything from systems administration, systems engineering, and software engineering. I write iPhone applications for my own consumption. So now that we've established our credentials to an extent, we can get on with the ad hominem attacks.

You sound an Apple fanboy who is drunk on apple juice. You parrot the same point that other apple devotees espouse, and try to blame apples blunders on people being resistant to change, when in fact, many of Apple's own developers think Ive's minimalist approach is excessive. The iOS 7 core apps ALL have an ugly white anemic looking interface, with small hard to read gray text, and "stick people" for button icons. Hideous. Many Apple developers think so as well. Google it, and maybe you will become enlightened, but I doubt it. Here's one story to help begin beginning your path to enlightenment:

Apple Facing A Designer And Developer Revolt Over iOS 7
Is Apple Facing A Designer And Developer Revolt Over iOS 7? - Forbes

 

[zBernie]

Installed it, loving it.

Good luck with your move to Android!

I would buy an Android phone in a minute if I weren't so entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. I was very close to doing so after I saw how hideous apple's core applications were in iOS 7. I definitely intend to jailbreak my iPhone once an iOS 7 jailbreak is available, and hopefully fix some of the esthetics of apple's anemic and childish looking core apps.

 

[cwa107]

I am also an IT professional, and have done everything from systems administration, systems engineering, and software engineering. I write iPhone applications for my own consumption. So now that we've established our credentials to an extent, we can get on with the ad hominem attacks.

Typically, I'd bounce you out of here for violating rule #1, but I don't think you read my entire post - or perhaps you just jumped to conclusions early on and started with your vitriol, so I will attempt to have a constructive conversation with you, if that's possible.

You sound an Apple fanboy who is drunk on apple juice. You parrot the same point that other apple devotees espouse, and try to blame apples blunders on people being resistant to change...

Please read:

Such is life, I suppose... to be clear, there are some bone-headed design decisions that were made here in my view, but the overall improvement in functionality is profound

My main point in preceding paragraphs is to explain the tendency for folks to get soured on one particular facet of a software release, and as a result, diminish the significance of overall improvements. But I think you missed that point.

You then continue on with your comments about the developer community, which I've seen as well and didn't discount in my post...

, when in fact, many of Apple's own developers think Ive's minimalist approach is excessive. The iOS 7 core apps ALL have an ugly white anemic looking interface, with small hard to read gray text, and "stick people" for button icons.

I don't doubt that many iOS developers are disappointed in the new approach, as it certainly means a lot of work, particularly with apps that haven't had a refresh in a while.

Apple has made similar UI redesigns in the past, and while jarring at first, they are typically refined over time - and I have little doubt that the same will be true with iOS 7. But I think that characterizing the entire OS as a blunder, when there are many significant functionality improvements, is more than a bit overzealous.... and your approach of ridiculing those who disagree with your own opinion, doesn't exactly add to your credibility.