I'd be curious to know, a few years on now, what type of phone he's using.
I'd have to say that as far as simplicity, iOS seems to be the leader right now (maybe not the most powerful/customizable though), in comparison to RIM/Android.
Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
51–60 of 93 posts
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#52We're all wrong at times. I can forgive that. What I can't forgive is quoting your own made-up "laws" like you've discovered deep truths about the natural world... "Because [Apple's] designers forgot Platt’s First, Last, and Only Law of User Experience Design ('Know Thy User, for He Is Not Thee')" -David Platt
I think this applies even when you're right or when in fact you did discover deep truths about the natural world.
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#53As I expound in great detail in my book Why Software Sucks (Addison-Wesley, 2006, http://www.whysoftwaresucks.com/) your user is not you. Why this narcissistic, self-praising blog post of an obviously incompetent at least in marketing person is hanging on top of HN? Caturday?
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#54> The designers and technophiles who encouraged development of the iPhone have fallen into the trap of all overreaching hardware and software designers; thinking that their users are like themselves. Actually, I think both the worst and the best designers think their users are like them. It's just that the best ones are right.
The best designers have an accurate mental model of their users. In their mind, they can put their product in the hand of the 30 year old floor manager at the Borders at the mall and predict what will happen with shocking accuracy. They can predict it because they've watched the floor manager interact with past products in the usability lab dozens of times. And because they have watched that person dozens of times, t…
Sometimes it also helps having an accurate mental model of yourself. Not as common as one could assume.
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#55This guy made a guess and also picked a title likely to engender some debate or get page views. Good for him I guess as he took a stand. Unfortunately, he was totally off the mark. All this proves is the best strategies and ideas are usually written after the fact. Once something works, it gets celebrated, becomes a best practice, becomes a subject of books, and companies with no interest in creativity assume they ca…
You've got to admit that Apple has an uncanny ability to find such things though. It's no random event.
No doubt. They've done remarkably well but this (1) hasn't always been the case with Apple and (2) they do benefit from a brand halo they have from the iPod which did change the game.
It'll be interesting to see if they can extend their wins into a new realm like with their social network - ping. That would be a testament to the firm's brilliance.
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#56The first comment hit the nail on the head though. [...] Now the iPhone. When it hits the streets I guarantee it will sell like hot cakes (though not to you or me!). It is the must-have yuppie accessory of the decade. I predict they will sell millions of the things before anyone even stops to evaluate what they have actually bought.
I would be surprised if he still does not have one.
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not missed primarily because there's perfect visual feedback – when you scroll, the screen scrolls immediately (even if you reached the edge, it still scrolls a bit), when you type you see the letters popping up exactly at the point you're looking at, etc.
Exactly. My iPad hung a little yesterday and didn't do anything when I hit a button. I had, in fact, pressed the button, but there was no visual feedback. It's startling when it's not perfect, but when it works just so it doesn't really matter that it's not tactile feedback, it's that your brain gets the message that "yes, I just did x-action"
My iPhone 3G nowadays basically takes guesswork to function. "I pressed this link four times, is it frozen or did I touch the wrong place?"
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#58Reminds me of all those "Why Ping will fail" articles.
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#59Why the iPod will fail (2001)
Re: Why the iPhone will fail (2007)
#60>Sell your Apple stock now, while the hype's still hot. You heard it here first. AAPL on June 21, 2007 - $123.9 a share AAPL on September 4, 2010 - $258.8 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=AAPL+JUNE+21,+2007 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=AAPL+September+4,+2010
1. Write troll article, urging everyone to sell their stock.
2. Stock dips, buy as much as you can.
3. Wait 3 years.
4. Profit!