The day iOS 7 was released, there was a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of iPhone users suddenly called out in terror and were actually not silenced at all. The change in the design direction of iOS came as a bit of a shock in iOS 7. It surprised me too, but it grew on me after a few days.
The shock brought out some colorful comments from folks, my favorites being the ones who claim that iOS 7 is so different, they’re moving to Android. Something in their minds struck on first impression, telling them that a simple change in design direction (not functionality) was so far different from the iOS they had loved that it would be easier to switch to an entirely different phone with an entirely differently operating system, like being so upset with this year’s model of your favorite car that you switch to a bicycle.
If the professional industry operated on first impressions like so many of these outspoken critics want them to, you would have no clue what a graphical user interface was, and you would instantly mock the concept of any device used to interact with a computer beyond a keyboard, like a mouse. Both of these ideas where on the chopping block at Xerox in 1979 before they were practically given to Steve Jobs. First impressions stifle design and development, whereas time nurtures them.
Apple spent almost a year on iOS 7, sketching concepts, finalizing designs, and constantly adjusting the finest of details, even after it was unveiled last June at WWDC 2013. At some point in that year, Apple employees began using iOS 7 in the real world on their devices, and soon after, thousands of beta testers were able to join the fun. iOS 7 wasn’t built in a day. It took time, patience, and an awful lot of revisions.
Extend to iOS 7 that same courtesy of time. You don’t need to give it a year, just a few days. Soon, iOS 7 will seem perfectly normal, and iOS 6 will seem worn and outdated.
9 responses
“like being so upset with this year’s model of your favorite car that you switch to a bicycle”: I don’t think that analogy is accurate. If I didn’t like the new design of a car, I’d switch to another car. Yes, the new one does the same thing the old one did, but I hate the new body. That, to me, is closer to what is happening here.
I, for one, was one of those who mentioned switching to Android. My reasoning isn’t that iOS 7 is so different from iOS 6+ that switching would be easier. What I’m saying is that the new iOS 7 design is now so close to Google’s own (not just Android, but all their web properties too, like G+) that moving to Android wouldn’t be that big a leap anymore. 🙂
A very fair point. I completely understand folks who have been on the fence about switching to Android and this being the final push. The statement above was more directed to the folks who say things along the lines of, “I have always loved iOS, and wish I could still use it, but Apple has forced me to switch to Android.”
Leaps like that based on first impression really aren’t healthy. I imagine those folks are in for a long month of complaining as they settle in to Android (a completely different platform) due to the nature of their decision.
An equally fair point.
I didn’t like the look of iOS 7 when it was announced, but after a day or two I love it. Sure it’s different, but it’s fun and fast and works great.
My wife, who isn’t a big geek like I am, upgraded her phone to iOS 7 and said it doesn’t seem that different. For the majority of users, it’s not that different. It’s us nerds that notices all the things and then overreact.
Change is hard sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Well said! 🙂
you seemed to be an employee of apple? 😛
No, I just use some of their products. I don’t need to be an employee of Apple to appreciate iOS 7.
I don’t need to give it any time at all. I know what’s appealing to my eyes and what is not. I have had iOS 7 over a week now and my first impression (ugly, flat, cartoonish, no depth, no contrast, stick figure type controls, no boundaries, ect.) is still my opinion. I hate it….period! In fact so much I had Verizon send me a new iPhone 5 with iOS 6 on it. As long as the design of iOS 7 stays the same and keeps the same look, I will be buying android as well. That’s saying a lot given my hate for the android platform. Here is a list of other problems I have with iOS 7:
-New algorithm for signal ID has left me with little or no LTE service at my house.
-Battery life significantly decreased.
-Hotspot and WIFI Issues
Some of these can be fixed with updates. However, the design change or should I say lack of any type of design is the deal breaker for me. It’s a competitive phone market out there and the android can do just as many things as the apple phones if not more. Only design and the smooth operation of iOS 6 is what brought me to the apple world. Now there is no difference between Apple and android or Microsoft phones. Yes you’re right about the car analogy, but I wouldn’t by an ugly car nor would I hang an ugly piece of art on my wall and tell myself to get used to it no matter who it’s built or painted by. Same applies for apple. Anyone can make a phone with memory and a screen. It was the iOS platforms with the sleek, stylish and sophisticated designs that made apple the front runner.
With the new iOS 7 design, I will no longer by an apple product just as I will not by an ugly car.
It sounds like you have reached a well-informed decision based on your own personal desires over time. That’s really all that matters, giving something time rather than jumping to conclusions on first impression. 🙂