Unbiased review on Apple’s new updates that are obsolete
I would like to give a disclaimer to save time. I wouldn’t be discussing here Apple’s Carplay, in-depth analysis of iPad updates, Apple watch, and developer-oriented updates. Think of this as a review from a layman who is using an iPhone 7 who shares about the updates that are really disappointing, and wish Apple did better.
I work as a Software Product Manager in an enterprise, and my experience has given me the ability to understand product decisions in many organizations. If you are interested in learning more about product management, check out my personal blogs here.
This year Apple has primarily focussed on Human Experience for their OS updates. Though there are some notable updates that are both useful and futuristic, you can find them here on the verge. What I am going to talk about is the new functionalities that are really disappointing.
I am not trying to prove a point here, I am describing this from a person who is not looking it from a developer’s perspective, but a common consumer’s perspective. And I am sure there are a lot out there who resonate with me.
Human Experience
What is really Human Experience for Apple? This is a relatively new area that many of the organizations are catching up with. My take on Human Experience is taking a step ahead of User Experience & User Interface combined. It’s about going in-depth to understanding how the user will “feel” when performing certain activities with the device. It is beyond icons, buttons, and widgets on the screen to actually giving the user satisfaction, stress relief when using the device. If you are wondering what I am blabbering, check this video from Microsoft.
Now that you know what Human Experience is, let’s dive into specific Apple OSs that have some updates that I am disappointed with from a Human Experience standpoint.
iOS — Apple Mobile Devices
- App Library (an addiction boosting agent)
I am going to keep it simple for this one. This is just making it easy for you to manage your apps on your home screen. I love tech and apps, and being a Flutter developer I tend to download multiple apps and try them out. But, if you are having 100 apps on your phone, you have a problem. Instead of looking up to Apple to release this feature, I would recommend removing the apps that you don’t use anymore.
If you choose to stick with those apps, it’s alright. Apple is helping you in categorizing those apps for you and making it easy for access. They have also introduced a “Suggestions” section for you to quickly see those apps that they think you would need. I am not really sure how it will help with my screen time management. I love playing PubG, but I am more likely to play PubG when my muscle memory is taking me there, which I don’t want. Apple’s suggestion is making it even worse, they say they will know when you will need it, but unsure how. In short, this might make the top 4 apps that you use to appear up there all the time making it hard to help with addiction. NOPE! SORRY! I would stick with MKBHD’s response. Don’t mess with my Home screen and App arrangements.
2. Widgets (Too late)
Widgets are not a new concept. This is years old from what Android had launched in the past. But Apple has added their own flavor to it. I am not talking about customization, I am referring to its capabilities. Widgets usually are static app previews that help you minimize the number of times you need to open an app. The best example is the Robinhood widget, I prefer to open the Robinhood app a few times a day to check where the market is. Widgets make it easier for me to check the key metrics without having to open them. However, what matters is the Smart Stack widgets, it’s a list of widgets that you can stack that will change based on your activity. Morning you will see news, later in the day, you may see your meetings, at night you may see the weather, etc. But, if this is something that the device decides instead of me deciding what I want to see, this may not be handy. Also, can we have Google News rather than Apple News? I don’t know.
3. Picture on Picture (LOL!)
I love the confidence when Apple describes something as the first time anyone has ever seen. One of the key features that I really miss from Android is the map preview while using any other apps. And YouTube already has released this so-called “Picture on Picture” feature to play videos in a mini preview while you can use any other apps. What really impressed me about this new feature is the ability to completely move it out of the screen without you constantly moving it around to do something on the screen. I wish Google thought about this too. That’s the human experience I am talking about.
Anyhow, I would still want a map preview rather than videos. And, I don’t know how YouTube music will make sense with this feature released.
4. Maps (Reducing carbon emission, not)
They call it the “new” maps. You now have amazing biking routes, yes, you heard it right, biking routes. I am sure they laughed right after recording that section for the video. I recently went to India, Google already has motorbike routes, and they will soon have the tuk-tuk routes too(maybe already in the making).
One other route that Apple is releasing is the “EV Routes”. I think that really makes sense. But, right now they only have support for BMW and FORD. If you really look at the market share for BMW and FORD vs TESLA here, you will know how small of an impact this really has. In my humble opinion, car manufacturers should opt for their own display and computer integration (just like Tesla). Otherwise, the updates from the Car manufacturer on self-driving might have some dependencies on the display which would cause delays in rolling out. Carplay could only be an add-on.
When they mentioned they have routes for reducing carbon emission, I seriously thought they are using machine learning to identify the route that will emit the least carbon fuel considering the distance, traffic, and so on. Just because you use the “new” Apple maps, it’s not going to make any difference as they claim. And, if you give a recommendation for people to choose between 28 min vs 40 min route, it’s known what people would choose. I don’t think the better solution for carbon emission is using the new Apple Maps. It’s “Electric Vehicles”.
iPad OS updates
- Scribble with Pencil
Let’s switch focus to the iPad for a moment. The only update that really mattered to me is the Apple pencil software. The ability to use the pen literally anywhere on your iPad instead of typing is a big plus. Especially if you are not used to handling such a humongous device and awkwardly typing on it. Supporting multiple languages is really cool too. The new Apple pencil software update is definitely a great improvement. But the question is, is an iPad worth buying it for? I will leave it to you.
Expecting anything else on iPad OS? I am sorry, that’s it.
Mac OS — Big Sur
Big Sur is an 85-mile long scenic drive in California. I am not sure if this is marketing for tourism, or for Apple’s strategy to have cool names. Let’s see what updates we have from Big Sur on Mac.
- New Icons
That’s all. The new icon design is an update. This is not 2010, Apple.
2. Improved Toolbar
They basically moved around the toolbar options with better spacing for ease of access. Both in Finder and Mail app, this is new changes. At least that’s what they call it. I don’t agree, I would buy it if they had mentioned them as simple UI improvements.
3. Apple maps on Mac
When was the last time you used Apple maps on a mac? I am a Mac user for about 3.5 years now, I have never used Apple maps on a Mac. I simply go to google chrome, open google maps, and do what I want to do. Maybe I should try. Maybe I won’t. Actually, I definitely won’t. Let’s leave it there.
4. Safari
I LOVE Safari. It’s by far my favorite browser, not because it’s lightweight. It’s for that one feature that helps me, “Reader’s View”. Google Chrome doesn’t support it natively, for a reason. To sell ads. I appreciate Apple in this front. Apple is known for protecting the privacy of its users. The privacy report button on the toolbar is a big step for Apple. But, in Google Chrome it’s not difficult to create such a plugin. I am sure there are 100s of plugins fo that already on Chrome. What would actually help is, instead of asking the user to go and check what that particular site is tracking, simply ask the user to select which metrics they want to be notified when being tracked. A simple change in color to Red when the website is tracking their current location for example.
Conclusion:
Upon watching the keynote from Apple today, it was definitely impressive to see some of the key updates that would make the “human experience” better. As a long term Android user who just moved to use Apple products, I must admit, Apple is still behind in many of the features that Google had deployed not only in stock OS but for all other distributors like OnePlus, Samsung, and many more.
However, one of my concerns is privacy. By using Apple, I am not confident that my data is not sold, it definitely is, but compared to Google products where there are multiple middlemen to blame, with Apple, they make sure it’s only them you can blame if something goes wrong. That’s a partial relief.
What do you think about the latest updates from Apple? Comment below!
