Apple problems.

[Sleazy]

Apple is the shit when it comes to user interface

Only if you are planning to use the software exactly as they intended, otherwise it can be frustrating as hell.

PCs usability is bad too, oposite end of the spectrum with endless configuration and bad defaults.

[grimcity]

PCs usability is bad too, oposite end of the spectrum with endless configuration and bad defaults.

Damn, I agree a million percent... I'm glad though, as it helps to ensure that I have a vocation. hehe

[1987]

I used Drive Genius to maintain my drives on my G4. 

http://www.prosofteng.com/products/drive_genius_info.php

Works like a charm.

[Sleazy]

Expand Quote

PCs usability is bad too, oposite end of the spectrum with endless configuration and bad defaults.

[close]

Damn, I agree a million percent... I'm glad though, as it helps to ensure that I have a vocation. hehe

warning, boring tech stuff. could hurt your eyes if you don't like astronomy.

I prefer having to find a needle in a hay stack to not having the needle all together.

I think that Microsoft is definitely trying to make improvements. The problem with a lot of their products is that they are simply too mature. Take Word for example. Probably 65% of the features are too advanced for most of the users and it got that way because for the programmers, product managers, QA, etc... to all keep their jobs they have to introduce new features and that software is bundled with the OS so much that it has kind of a life of it's own from the revenue side.

Mac on the other hand does the opposite. They only provide you with minimal use cases (or usage paths) and a lot of the time they pick use cases that don't suit the target audience. For example with Ipod. It is designed around use cases that suite the RIAA and not Ipod owners. If you doubt that then answer these questions:

- who would want a two way sync?
- who would want an ipod to only be usable on one computer at a time?

etc... Obviously they didn't have the end users best interest in mind at design time. If they did then the device would be designed differently.

And of course the most egregious Apple "feature" has to be the automagic bullshit with no overrides. Why in the fuck wouldn't you want a button that says "mount Ipod" or "mount MP3 Player" in Itunes? Would anyone really not want that button to exist so when it fails you can at least try it manually and hopefully get back an error message that you can then google with or use with tech support?

Anyway as far as Interfaces are concerned they both have issue. Apple has a better aesthetic with limited options and use cases making it way easier for beginers, while Microsoft goes with less money on aesthetic design and support every use case under the sun making it good for advanced users but frustrating for beginners.

GUI Bloopers is the definitive "interface design" book. It's an easy read and you will quickly see what the issues are on both sides of the fence if you do read it.

[1987]

You use the ipod as the example for your point, but what about the zune?  It's even worse than the ipod with respects to suiting the RIAA.  Choose a better example please.  And it's not because I'm biased.  I'm an information systems security manager for my command with both Macs and PCs.  I just have less problems with Macs.  Also, for anyone that needs help with their Mac, what are you doing ask for help in this forum?  Go to macaddict.com forum under balloon help and someone will help you very quickly.  That's where I go for my answers when I'm stumped.