With the June 22nd announcement that Apple is selling one every two seconds, (informationweek.com) it’s no wonder that everyone’s talking about the iPad. But not every word you hear is a positive one.
Take the iPad user interface, for example.
Some product reviews (such as a recent one posted by Nielson) suggest that in Apple’s never-ending quest to be unique, a bit of user-friendliness gets lost in the mix. Features that we’ve all grown accustomed to, like readily-visible navigation buttons or application home pages, aren’t universally available with every iPad app.
The lack of crystal-clear navigation appears to be the result of two main factors:
1) Apple’s published desire for app developers to adopt a “less clutter” policy that seems to emphasize a clean look rather than a clean experience.
2) The Apple M.O. itself. All of Apple’s products are promoted with a cutting-edge, to-hell-with-conformity sort of style that sometimes betrays the consumer a little.
Most of the time with Apple products, different is good. But being different should be all about delivering better products, not just better marketing. And when it comes to the iPad UI, unfortunately, “different” is not always better.
OK, so the UI could use a little bit of attention. That fact hasn’t stopped the iPad from flying off the shelves at a pace that approaches 40,000 units per day. It’s clearly another spectacular Apple success, and it has provided app developers with a whole new platform of fresh opportunities. Hopefully, those opportunities won’t be affected over the long run by the compromises its UI presents.
Yes, the iPad may well be the new Sheriff in town. But until its UI is a little more UF, it may also be a little more wild west than a lot of potential buyers would like it to be.
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I think that one of these days, Apple will pay dearly for neglecting user friendliness and an easier experience with using the iPad. As more wannabes get into the fray, they will get trumped on in this regard. People, especially non-techies would opt for easier to use devices.