> From: PDML [mailto:pdml-boun...@pdml.net] On Behalf Of Derby Chang > > I can't answer your question, Bob. But that skeuomorphism > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph) was a particular fetish of > the departed software head Scott Forstall > > http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/30/skeuomorphic-design-or-one-reason-we- > can-be-thankful-scott-forstall-is-gone/ > > Maybe in time, with Sir Jony taking over, the apps will change. >
Well, let's hope so. Thanks for those links - I'm glad I'm not the only aesthete whose delicate sense of taste has been offended. After the very engineered experience of taking the machine out of the box it really pulls you up sharp when you see that sort of thing. B > Logically, I can understand wanting some legacy visual clues to get new > users used to how apps work, but I totally agree with you about how > tacky they look in practice. Really reminds be of wood veneer on the > Brady station wagon. > > > > On 31/03/2013 10:38 PM, Bob W wrote: > > I bought an iPad yesterday, which is the first Apple product I've > ever > > owned, although I've used a few over the years, especially when they > > went wrong for non-computer-literate friends. I'm setting it up at > the > > moment, and transferring various bits and pieces off the Thinkpad > > notebook I've been using for the last 2 or 3 years. > > > > Considering the reputation they have for good design, I'm really > > surprised at some of the shitey junk in Apple's apps. > > > > For example, at the place where I worked way back in the Windows 3 > > days we used Lotus Notes for our calendar and email. The calendar had > > this really awful Filofax look, with fake ring-binder clips, and > > pretend paper and bits of pretend leather for the cover. It was > really > > vile, the worst sort of 'chartjunk', to borrow Tufte's term, and used > > to get a real hammering in books on good visual design - the same > > books which often promoted Apple's visual design as a standard - > which > > described this sort of thing as 'overbearing metaphor'. Think of > > Microsoft Bob <http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html> for another > > classic example, lest you think I'm merely Apple-bashing. > > > > So what do I find when I start setting up my calendar and stuff on > the iPad? > > > > > > A calendar with a really awful Filofax look, with fake ring-binder > > clips, and pretend paper and bits of pretend leather for the cover. > It > > is really vile, the worst sort of chartjunk. > > > > They've committed the same crime with their Contacts app, and worst > of > > all is their Newsstand, which has faux woodgrain shelves, believe it > > or not (not that I want to use it). > > > > It's not even ironic post-modernism. > > > > Do any of the Apple junkies here know if there's a way to re-skin > > these apps to something that doesn't look like it was designed by a > 13-year-old? > > > > Cheers, > > Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
