"People familiar with the matter...."
Are they the same people who newspapers quote as "our source says", or "a friend who did not wished to be named said". I.e it's something a journo made up because nobody would talk to them.
Visionary designer Sir Jonathan Ive’s perfectionism could be holding back the development of the latest version of the software used on iPads and iPhones, according to a recent report. Famed as the head of Cupertino’s industrial design division, the knighted Essex lad was recently handed control of software design in a …
"Ive or Tim Cook?"
I was actually referring to Ive but now that you mention it, it might very well also apply to Cook. So that's a very good point right there. On the other hand, Jobs' position in Apple was kind of specifically tailored to Jobs and so anyone who took the job was going to be a poor fit at best. But it was necessary for someone to take his place - and Cook it was. Still, whether Cook is cut out to be any kind of CEO at all is a good question and time will tell.
But giving Jon Ive his new, expanded responsibilities does not seem to have been done as a result of the same type of iron necessity that forced the advancement of someone - anyone! - into the role formerly played by Jobs. So while the Peter Principle would apply in Ive's case, it might not really fit the "somebody had to replace Jobs and it might as well as have been Cook as anybody else" situation.
Hey at least we are willing to show our post history. What does that say about you also visiting this trashy tabloid IT website AC? El Reg has its flaws (cough LP human climate change denial propaganda, AO raging on freetards) but compared to the corporate PR release rehash site that is ZDNet etc its at least amusing.
"Say the guys slagging off complete strangers of a trashy tabloid IT website. Class act, the pair of you."
Don't worry your little head about it. Jony and Timmy are big boys now; they can take it. Didn't your mommy ever tell you "sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you"?
If she didn't, then she was a negligent mother. And it shows...
Indeed it is probably fair to assert that others (of late) copy the look'n'feel of apple. In and of itself, it does not follow that Apple's approach is better, perhaps it is just an indicator of the fact that the press (present organ excluded) wet their pants whenever apple release or copy something else If apple were original I might sympathise with the tone of your comment but to date all I see is apple claiming to have invented something and the press reporting it as fact without bothering (read:wanting) to double check
More abstracted graphical elements are potentially much easier to get trademark or design patent protection for. Skeuomorphic designs by definition have obvious precedent from real life.
If the company that design patented 'rounded corners' abstracts it's UI design its a near certainty they will do the same to every possible individual element of iOS7.
Just what the world needs, balkanised UIs all the way down to individual icons, graphical flourishes and basic control elements. I already struggle to remember WTF each Google icon means, having icons with shared meaning across all OS and GUI combinations would be a bloody good idea. Even better if it was an obvious meaning to most of us... a bit like skeuomorphic!
> I already struggle to remember WTF each Google icon means,
Too true... There is a Picasa icon and a Chome icon pinned to my start bar, and sometimes I click the wrong one. They are both multi-coloured circles!
They have a passing resemblance to the 'Consignia' logo, that was around during the ill-fated Post Office rebranding exercise. Private Eye had a section in which they showed a dozen existing logos that looked more or less identical.
the anti-skeumorphic brigade seem to have had very loud voices for the last year or so. it seems to have been a bandwagon that many have jumped on, probably just to get clickthroughs to their blog. i wonder how many of the same will be decrying the minimalist look not 5 minutes after it is shown?
The point is by making everything look realistic you lower their contrast and you also reduce the amount of possible appearances.
By making icons more abstract and allowed to have more variation you can improve their clarity. The original icons were simple pictures that were much easer to understand in some cases.
Just imagine how rubbish everything would look if we only used typewriter style fonts (which is a representation of a physical print).
More importantly, by using skeuomorphic designs you constrain yourself by the limitations of the physical design you're aping. Digital systems are capable of much richer interaction but you need to break free of old metaphors in order to take proper advantage.
iOS 7 will be late because it has the future of Apple riding on it.
Even the fanbois must admit that the rate of innovation --real, wow!-moment innovation-- has slowed to a crawl in the smartphone market. iOS 7 must innovate in UI design and more importantly provide adequate hooks for the next generation of iDevices, with whatever they come with. The stakes are tremendous.
If anyone needs another reminder, recall that Apple just issued billions of dollars worth of debt with 30 year terms. They are essentially claiming that they can stay relevant and profitable for several technology lifetimes. One hell of a bet.
If iOS7 shows up with a significant flaw, Cook is gone.
>If anyone needs another reminder, recall that Apple just issued billions of dollars worth of debt with 30 year terms. They are essentially claiming that they can stay relevant and profitable for several technology lifetimes.
According to the financial papers, that is because most of their cash is outside the US, and bonds are the most tax-efficient way of returning $100 billion to share-holders.
> According to the financial papers, that is because most of their cash is outside the US, and bonds are the most tax-efficient way of returning $100 billion to share-holders.
Sure, but you're still assuming that they have that pile of cash in 30 years time when the bonds vest. Still a gamble.
But "Visionary designer Sir Jonathan Ive’s perfectionism could be holding back the development of the latest version of the software used on iPads and iPhones, according to a recent report." i do believe in releasing software when its ready. The new iOS will be interesting but with all software and games, if you leave punters waiting saying "this is going to be awesome" when it comes to the release day and the software falls short of perfection. Punters will look elsewhere, take Diablo 3 for example 10 years or so development 4-5 years of pre release hype, the biggest backlash from customers in the gaming industry. iOS 7 will be very interesting.
Apple lost that several years ago.. Every since the 6 monthly iPhone refresh that offered nothing new that wasn't already in Android.
I smell another Apple Maps, so going to be stocking up on LOTS of popcorn before WDC, where you can bet much of the talk will again be dissing Android rather than talking about what Apple have to offer...
Apple doesn't need another cock-up like the iOS 6 / Apple Maps débacle. Having someone who actually cares about creating good product, even if it takes a little while longer, in the driving seat is a good thing.
With hardware production, you have to pre-purchase components, reserve whole factories in advance, tool the casework machines, configure hardware pick-and-place component assemblers and gear up a production line. Delays cost fortunes, because the factory will still be charging you for the time the plant isn't making money elsewhere. If software is a little late, it's a lot less expensive. Production lines are much more generic and can be working on other products until the "gold master" is ready to press. If you're delivering electronically - which is far cheaper still - delays cost nearly nothing. Essentially, the costs of software delay are mainly deferred revenues.
Well done, Jony - seriously. Make it a good 'un, and let's see what Apple can do when its innovators are given the chance.
They will always be king of the laptop/notebook world for me until a manufacture can make a decent laptop! High res screens everywhere, on phones, tablets, and everything else and the only people who put one on a laptop are apple! Its not rocket science. Samsung and likes need to get the finger out!
Pixel Chromebook aside, I concede that MBPs have the highest resolution screens but that has only been the case since summer last year. Prior to that the MBPs had relatively low resolution and poor graphics.
To suggest that any given firm has the "best" anything all of the time is silly. When I got my Vaio Z11 in March 2000 it blew the 13" MBP out of the water (and continued to do so for 2 years).
Well I don’t understand how they have poor graphics? My Macbook Pro has 512MB ATI card in it. Very good graphics card by all accounts. Plays games on the native resolution on the 1440x900, the screen is also of higher quality to many of the manufactures that churn out windows PC's. Quite aggressive MATE screen but still nice.
Im not debating that 13 years ago your laptop was better! Im talking about now. God back then I was only 10 years old! The fact is right now I don’t think there is a machine that rivals the build quality or the screens on the Macbook line. They really are great notebooks.