Thread: Apple vs Nokia
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Wizard69 is offline Wizard69
2007-10-28 , 10:12
Posts: 27 | Thanked: 0 times | Joined on Oct 2007
#9
Originally Posted by benny1967 View Post
Havin used my first iPod Touch yesterday I can only say: I thank the Gods above that Nokia did not put the same focus on user interface as apple.
Interestingly I've come to the opposite conclusion.

As I described in another thread, I was lost with the UI, especially the keyboard. The UI in general is pretty, but inefficient.
What exactly do you mean by lost on a keypad? This doesn't seem like a genuine complaint.

In any event what has impressed me about Apples hardware is how well the interface is tailored to the devices primary usage be it phone or iPod. Getting to your major functions is pretty easy and as cell phones go a snap. It is a very good interface to the devices primary software components. If the devices are jail broken and updated to run more Unix software you can still have access to a command line environment if you want.

I'm not here to say the device is perfect, if any thing it is only half done, just that it does pretty good in the large. I wouldn't mind at all if the first page you see upon power up on a new Nokia was like the Apple screen. That is you are greeted with a set of nicely arraigned icons that lead you directly to the devices primary functions. In other words whip it out of ones pocket, press a button and be surfing the internet, generating a note, or finding a contact instantly. Sure I want access to all Linux offers but my primary purpose isn't to have a Linux machine, just to have that power there when needed.

Even more important, the device doesnt do much. After half an hour or so you sit there and watch beautiful lists, icons and who-knows-what-it-is dancing around a screen, keep running your fingers up and down the touchscreen to see how smoothly it scrolls - but thats about it. There's nothing more you could do because you've seen it all. no more features.
I can't dismiss this as the iPhone does have a limited feature set. However is that really a big deal for a tool? A toy is something different all together. A tool you need to do what you purchased it for. If you are looking for features to play with then the device isn't a tool anymore, at least not all the time.

Did you notice how well the lack of features and the UI go together? Yes, the UI is pretty, but it doesnt scale. Long lists are a pain, I'd get lost in the main screen if it had so many applications installed as I have on my 770,
No you wouldn't because the main menu is fixed in size.
and the lack of "all those unnecessary menus" (as my personal apple fanboi put it) simply translates to a lack of customisation/choices. ("You dont need to customize, everythings perfect", he said. Well, not for me.)
For a 1.0 device that could be argued by some to not even be 1.0 it is very customizable.

So for me it boils down to: Wow, the UI is pretty, its new. But at the end of the day all these visual effects dont help you achieve what you want more quickly, quite on the contrary.
Well the final chapter of the iPhone hasn't been written yet. I have to suggest though that those visual effects and other user interface features are what is making the iPhone popular. For the majority of the people out there it provides a better experience.

It makes a great demo on YouTube, but thats about it. I prefer a UI to be effective and simple, supporting me to get where I want quickly instead of being in the way and begging for attention all the time.
I'm not sure how it is getting in your way. It offers up pretty much what it is advertised to do. It does so in a way that is quick and easy to pick up. Even if you go beyond what it was advertised to do and jail break the unit it still has a very useful interface.

Dave