James ArmstrongJan 29 2010 11:05 AM
Couldn\'t agree more.When I first saw the unlock screen, I actually thought, \"Could The Onion be playing some sort of joke here...\".I didn\'t [want to] believe it.
BrianJan 29 2010 11:44 AM
Man, I really have to disagree. I think the spaced out icons look far and above better than the crammed icons of the iphone. To me, the icons on the iphone look clumsy, being that close together. I\'m not saying they did the right thing on the ipad, but it is imrovement in my opinion. I was actually hoping they would take a little more of OS X instead of the iphone, but I know why they went the way they did.
Honestly, I think the ipad could be a real game changer as far as personal computing. A lot of people just want a computer for entertainment, and internet access, and I think this will be about the best option for doing just that. You have to remember, not everyone owns a laptop or an iphone, so this works perfectly.
I\'ll save most of my judgment for when I can actually hold it in my hands anyway.NathanJan 29 2010 12:11 PM
I also am hesitant about the UI choices made with the iPad interface. However, having not actually used the device, I\'m willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt. They have a pretty amazing track record when it comes to user interface design, after all.
I mean, when you talk about UI design, is there even any other company in the discussion? Not that there hasn\'t been a demo or one off product here and there, but what other company has so consistently got it right over the years?
So, yeah, the UI is kind of ugly in photographs. But how is it to operate?SymmetriqJan 29 2010 12:19 PM
While I don\'t consider it \"magical\" or \"revolutionary\", I do think the iPad is going to be a big hit. That said, I have to thank you for at least providing an intelligent criticism, as the Internet is rife with the usual peanut gallery of halfwits shouting from their soapboxes, most of whom have clearly not even bothered to verify their facts before spouting off about how \"stupid\" this thing is.
I actually like most of what I\'ve seen of the new user interface design on the iPad so far. The icon layout on the home screen does look a little overly spacious, and I\'ve never been a fan of the faux-3D dock (it\'s the first thing I disable after installing Leopard), but IMO the UI of most of the apps is quite nice. I had the same thought about Delicious Library/Classics when I saw the iBooks app, but you have to admit they\'ve done a really great job of it. The animated transitions, such as the shelf rotating around to reveal the store, and the books flying off the shelf when opened, really complete the picture, and in all honesty the bookshelf metaphor is a rather obvious one to arrive at. I\'m sure they had seen Delicious Library (since it has won numerous Apple Design Awards), but my guess is they thought they could take the concept a lot further, and they have definitely done so. Wil Shipley himself (creator of Delicious Library, for those not familiar) was impressed with the design:
http://twitter.com/wilshipley/status/8364672307
Anyway, while I disagree with the general conclusions of this piece, it\'s still nice to see some intelligent criticism among all the stupidity centered around this so-far-mostly-misunderstood device.Antonio OnoJan 29 2010 12:23 PM
While I was inititally disappointed by almost comically awkward-looking UI, seeing the device in action and reading reviews made me realize the wisdom in not creating a radically new UI for the iPad. Some points to consider:
1. Steve emphasized that the iPad would be instantly usable by owners of iPhone OS devices. That\'s tens of millions of users who already know how to use the iPad. Consistency between the iPhone and the iPad is a selling point in itself -- just as long as consistency doesn\'t encumber the usability of either device, which doesn\'t seem to be the case. Furthermore, consistency across the entire product line is very important to Apple, and the iPad\'s UI bridges the gap nicely between iPhone OS and Mac OS.
For Apple, consistency is its own reward.
2. There\'s a substantial amount of evidence that the iPad *was* designed before the iPhone, butthe technical and economic infeasibility ofbringing a tablet device to market likely led Apple to build a smaller, cheaper, voice-capable version called iPhone. I think it was either Gruber or Ihnatko who said in a review that the iPad\'s UI makes more sense if you think of the iPhone as a scaled-down iPad, rather the iPad as a scaled-up iPhone.
3. Imagine what the iPad\'s home screen would look like if the icons were packed as densely as they are on the iPhone -- it would look like Bejeweled. Likewise, the lock screen -- while a little awkward-looking -- would be unusable if the slider were scaled to the enter screen width. While the UI may _look_ a bit awkward, no one (who\'s used it) has said it\'s awkward to use.
I think it\'s pretty clear now that Apple wants iPhone OS set the standard for usability and elegance, not just for mobile devices, but for all computing devices. Delivering a highly consistent interaction model across multiple form factors is critical to achieving that goal.Here\'s a four minute video collection of the various multitouch interactions shown during the iPad announcement. Definitely worth a look, especially for anyone saying the \"UI is bad\" when they\'re really only talking about the home/lock screens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBPnB3noTa8LucaJan 29 2010 1:23 PM
Anybody remember when the original iPhone was first presented, and Steve Jobs showed a mockup of a regular iPod with a rotary dialer, saying \"here it is\"?
Well, when I first saw the iPad homescreen I thought it was doing the same thing…
But aside from this, I think Antonio Ono is right: nobody is complaining about how it feels, and that\'s (almost) all that matters.HMJan 29 2010 1:59 PM
Luca, I felt the exact same way, and watching the keynote presentation a second time, it seems the whole crowd did too. There is an uncomfortable silence for what would otherwise have been an obvious clapping moment!
AndrewJan 29 2010 2:09 PM
The iPad is AWESOME. I am so tired of people bickering about why it does not have this and why it does not have that. This device is cool - bottom line. People love to jump on the \"Haters\" bandwagon.
This device gives 3rd party developers a great opportunity to create some amazing things. It is just the beginning of a REVOLUTION. Relax people, smile more, embrace Apple\'s effort.
Buy one!!!!Ben Peck | Utah Web DesignerJan 29 2010 3:41 PM
I see nothing wrong with the ipad.I can clearly see why they\'re trying to keep some consistency in the design in conjunction with the iphone.As far as branding goes it only makes sense.Stealing the ibook application is rightfully wrong for sure and I can understand that.
I really see games and books being huge with this right now but as time goes on who know what designers and developers are going to come up with for this.BrendanJan 29 2010 3:51 PM
I\'m willing to bet that the joy and innovation of this product will come in its UI. The Apple execs were so excited about it...more than they were for, say, the G4 Cube. I\'m willing to bet that, even if the iPad flops, its UI will change tablets forever.
Plus, they have to be playing the planned obsolescence game. This thing will rock even harder in five years.VonsterJan 29 2010 4:20 PM
The iPad is glorified repurposing.
Gareth Coxon - Dot DesignJan 29 2010 4:52 PM
Some very good points well made, I had not noticed those design problems as I\'ve only seen the video and its moving too fast to pick up on them. That said I think people needed a more usable mobile device and this fits the gap well, but yes improvements are needed and no doubt on the way...
sasquatchJan 29 2010 9:33 PM
I agree. This is definitely not the product that I\'ve been expecting; it looks rushed on almost every level.
MickJan 29 2010 10:07 PM
How fat do they think our fingers are anyway?
They really messed this one up. The massive bezel makes it look like a very cheap digital photo frame. The fact that they\'ve crippled the system with the iPhone OS (and subsequently flaky interface design) just shows that this is just out to make a quick buck.
Considering how many fantastic tablet systems are already on the market it really does make you wonder if this will be successful.
It\'s already become the biggest joke of the year, I\'d like to see how the marketing execs manage to turn all this negative press around.Brady BoneJan 29 2010 10:32 PM
One question:
Have you used one?
If not, you are reviewing a movie based on solely its trailer - no matter how good or bad it may actually be.
- BonePaul M. WatsonJan 30 2010 4:50 AM
There are some UI additions in Mail and iWork it seems. But I think the larger point is \"If you can use an iPhone, you can use the iPad.\"
Nyle BussJan 30 2010 10:06 AM
@Ben Peck
Seriously? I\'m pretty sure Delicious Library stole that design from me, as I\'ve been keeping books on a bookshelf for my entire life. Or maybe it\'s just an obvious and elegant solution for dealing with books in a way that does not resort to listing them by their titles like a bunch of songs.Deron SizemoreJan 30 2010 10:59 AM
When I first saw iBooks it reminded me of the http://issuu.com/ interface. It\'s possible that Issuu also got the idea from Delicious Library.
BrettJan 30 2010 11:18 PM
When I first heard about this, the first thing that came to mind was a Wacom tablet that could actually have a screen. I was so excited. I was wanting this ipad to basically be able to have illustrator or photoshop installed and allow me to draw on the screen with a rubber pen device or something of that sort...and it\'s not.
So basically it\'s an iphone just bigger, that\'s cool but the features it should have it doesn\'t. Why can\'t they take the time to put a simple USB port on the side of it? That way we aren\'t restricted to just using itunes purchased movies/music to play, we can put it our own stuff too.
It just lacks basic features that a \"tablet pc\" should have.b.r.o.o.d.y.Jan 31 2010 11:18 AM
There is nothing really wrong with the iPad. I guess the disappointment stems from the fact that people had come to expect something revolutionary coming from Apple... Instead of a revolution what we got was a natural and logical evolution of Apple\'s product line.
And that\'s okay. People have come to place too much weight on something being innovative, and forget that at the end of the day product quality is what *truly* matters. This seems to be because \"quality\" isn\'t as much of a marketable word as \"new\" or \"revolutionary\".designsyJan 31 2010 12:32 PM
There are really some good points you mentioned, especially about the hole redesigned from iPhone to the iPad, but in this way apple left for itself some big steps need to be done the the near future after we get used to the ( big iPhone Pad ). and we will defiantly buy the iPad2. we all know apple is very smart company, why risk a millions $ on new product then it fail.
iPad is not a failure, time will prove it.Joe WilsonFeb 1 2010 12:42 PM
This is typically my favorite design blog to read.The articles are well written and thoughtful.I do have a few issues with the new iPad myself, as it\'s not all that I feel it was hyped to be.However, I firmly believe it will be a massive hit, evolving and adapting as quickly as the iPhone did.
To be frank, this article just seems venomous with little reason.Maybe I should read closer, but it seems like the look of the home screen is really all that\'s bothering you here... does that merit an entire article slamming the device and it\'s potential?I\'ll look forward to your next article, hoping for a better read.CheersbarryFeb 1 2010 8:43 PM
If Apple is successful, they will have created the first ubiquitous, omnipresent digital appliance for the home. A ‘thing’ that is remarkable because of the change in behavior it creates, more so than it\'s technical components. It is like the TV remote in that regard. It does not do an AMAZING thing, but you can\'t live without one and it completely reframed the act of watching TV.
It will sit there on the coffee table, next to the remote, in the kitchen, in the back seat of the car, on your night table. It will will be unremarkable, taken for granted, the digital version of a note pad, a newspaper, a photo album, a book and proof that our lives have truly gone digital.JohanFeb 2 2010 8:51 AM
The unlock shouldn\'t be bigger. It\'s an appropriate size for you fingertip as it is. And the shelves...anyone could have thought of putting books on shelves. I say Wil Shipley stole this idea from libraries.
DanFeb 2 2010 10:08 AM
I like how there\'s a \"photos\" icon in the perma-dock at the bottom, but it has no camera and no immediately intuitive way to download images to the pad except via the web.
Mark HedleyFeb 2 2010 3:42 PM
Agree completely with your summary of the problems with the iPad, it does appear to be nothing more than a big iPhone. Apple missed a huge opportunity to develop a potentially big seller and if they had included things like multi tasking, camera, interfaces like USB etc it would have been!
Harry StyrisFeb 3 2010 6:42 AM
I think one of the most powerful features of the iPad will be the portability and the ability to consume media more comfortably. Sure, you can surf the net, watch TV and movies, etc on the iPhone and iPod Touch. But it\'s not ideal. The screen is small and it\'s a bit hard to type. This larger format is essentially a TV, movie theater, gaming system, library and laptop all in one - that you can keep in your bag, on the coffee table, or on your night stand. It is the most effortlessly portable media consumption device that exists.
@Harry Styris - sounds like you just described a netbook, or and of the dozen tablet PCs that already exist.
paulFeb 14 2010 12:06 PM
delicious library\'s wooden shelves was an idea by mike matas, cofounder of delicious library and former apple employee. some of his work includes the page curl in google maps app on the iphone and the z-space window stack on time machine. i wouldn\'t be surprised if ibook was influenced by matas as well.
Michael LynchFeb 16 2010 12:32 PM
I agree, when sparse, the interface looks clumsy and bland. I do however like the consistency of the icon system and see the potential.
I imagine not much thought went into the backgrounds as I\'m sure most users will want to customize anyway.Brandon S. AdkinsFeb 18 2010 4:55 PM
I completely agree with this article. The unlock design and the icon design are completely overlooked details.
My absolute first thought when watching the keynote, was \"really, they\'re putting the icons on the home screen like that?\". Those really small icons seem very disproportionate and out of place.
Although, I understand that no one would have wanted to swipe all the way across a 9.7\" screen to unlock the device, they should have figured out a better way. It looks very last-minute and forgotten.mjFeb 19 2010 4:37 AM
Since when is the virtual bookshelf as a UI metaphor owned by Wil Shipley?
John mFeb 23 2010 5:20 AM
At least Steve Jobs has blessed the public and allowed them to have wallpapers on the iPad that arn\'t restricted to the lock screen.I had to jailbrake my iPhone for that functionality.Simple tweaks like adding a 5th column of icons would tighten the UI so much.It would also have been great to have some sort of basic widget support to the lock screen, a calendar, to-do list, weather, etc.
But if there is one thing the REALLY irks me isn\'t so much about the UI design, it\'s the fugly YouTube icon.It\'s like they gave the words \"you tube\" to a designer that\'s been under a rock for the past few years and make a logo around that.But a lot of the stock iPhone icons are a rather jumbled mess to begin with anyway.johnMay 17 2010 7:44 AM
I\'m pretty sure MOST book stores have shelves, and use them without having to worry about other book stores who use shelves whining about it.The shelves are not the point of a book store, so who cares...
Anyway, I think every argument you make here is complete bunk.They have simply taken the iPhone\'s strengths and applied to a larger screen, while using that space as an opportunity to correct some of the iPhone\'s weaknesses.