AppleInsider podcast discusses Jony Ive's promotion, Apple Watch bugs & Pixelmator for iPhone

We can only hope that Ive's promotion means that Apple as a whole will return to creating products that are useful tools for those of us who work for a living and need unpretentious but necessary features such as upgradable RAM, easy repairability, sufficient ports, and replaceable drives. I've grown tired of an Apple that seems to regard their customers as no different from H. G. Wells' Eloi, of whom Wikipedia says: "By the year AD 802,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are the childlike, frail group, living a banal life of ease on the surface of the earth...." Look at most Apple ads and you will find that they're appeals to Eloi. Apple is now large enough that it can create two product lines, one with pretty toys and one with functional tools. And I don't mind if the company spends most of its advertising budget on selling toys to the Eloi, as long as the rest of us get our tools, so we can make a living.

[quote name="Inkling" url="/t/186477/appleinsider-podcast-discusses-jony-ives-promotion-apple-watch-bugs-pixelmator-for-iphone#post_2728561"]We can only hope that Ive's promotion means that Apple as a whole will return to creating products that are useful tools for those of us who work for a living and need unpretentious but necessary features such as upgradable RAM, easy repairability, sufficient ports, and replaceable drives. I've grown tired of an Apple that seems to regard their customers as no different from H. G. Wells' Eloi, of whom Wikipedia says: "By the year AD 802,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are the childlike, frail group, living a banal life of ease on the surface of the earth...." Look at most Apple ads and you will find that they're appeals to Eloi. Apple is now large enough that it can create two product lines, one with pretty toys and one with functional tools. And I don't mind if the company spends most of its advertising budget on selling toys to the Eloi, as long as the rest of us get our tools, so we can make a living.[/quote] Does your paid profession include complaining? Because you certainly do a hell of a lot of it.

How can you guys say the Watch is done? As a product line it's just getting started. No way Jony Ive thinks his work with the Watch is finished. It's just beginning, As far as Ive's promotion portending him retiring...one thing no one has mentioned...why would Marc Newson come to work for Apple if Ive was on his way out? In a recent interview Newson said he currently spends about 60% of his time on Apple projects. Also it seems odd that Apple PR would give the New Yorker thumbs up to write a 20 page profile on someone who had one foot out the door. Nothing in Ive's world really changed except two of his lieutenants got promotions and will be taking on more responsibility. To me all that means is Ive has more time now to focus his attention on the future (Cook's memo said he would be focusing on "new ideas and new initiatives").

[quote name="Inkling" url="/t/186477/appleinsider-podcast-discusses-jony-ives-promotion-apple-watch-bugs-pixelmator-for-iphone#post_2728561"]We can only hope that Ive's promotion means that Apple as a whole will return to creating products that are useful tools for those of us who work for a living and need unpretentious but necessary features such as upgradable RAM, easy repairability, sufficient ports, and replaceable drives. I've grown tired of an Apple that seems to regard their customers as no different from H. G. Wells' Eloi, of whom Wikipedia says: "By the year AD 802,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are the childlike, frail group, living a banal life of ease on the surface of the earth...." Look at most Apple ads and you will find that they're appeals to Eloi. Apple is now large enough that it can create two product lines, one with pretty toys and one with functional tools. And I don't mind if the company spends most of its advertising budget on selling toys to the Eloi, as long as the rest of us get our tools, so we can make a living.[/quote] Here's what Tim Cook said in his all-employee memo. I think you're out of luck. ;) [QUOTE]Design is one of the most important ways we communicate with our customers, and our reputation for world-class design differentiates Apple from every other company in the world. [SIZE=4][b]As Chief Design Officer, [U]Jony will remain responsible for all of our design,[/U] focusing entirely on current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives.[/B][/SIZE] On July 1, he will hand off his day-to-day managerial responsibilities of ID and UI to Richard Howarth, our new vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, our new vice president of User Interface Design.[/QUOTE]

I agree about the discovery problems with hidden UI controls. To quote from a novel I'm reading at the moment: "Tell me about it! The user interface is so easy to use, I can't do anything!"