[jgray91]

Using it as a watch was an afterthought. They'd added a clock function because, basically, all the iDevices with displays have some kind of clock functionality so it was going to show the time somehow. The second version of the square Nano included more watch faces because Apple noted the aftermarket was selling watchbands for it.

An acquaintance has a square nano he used as a watch for a while but said it didn't really work that well for the job, particularly when bluetooth was enabled. I forget the details. Sounds like Apple had a good idea in there but it didn't quite work.

Oh I got a bit confused. Oh well, I guess they could resurrect the idea once they could nail a good enough battery life.

I felt that the new apple products were very uninspired unlike the previous ones. Also, I think they look a bit too similar to nokia lumias

That could one of two things IMO: Nokia is doing something right design-wise, or Apple is running out of ideas.

 

[ardgedee]

Yeah, it was pretty egregious, even if they knew better than to circulate an executive memo to the design team with a bullet list of what's wrong with the Nano and what has to be copied from the Lumia.
 
As an aside, I don't really get all the hate of the Metro interface. I think Microsoft is out-Appling Apple in some aspects at a time when Apple is going weirdly skeuomorphic with their own UIs. It's one thing to have a "play" button in an audio player that looks like a cassette deck's, but it's a whole other, very annoying, level when the address book app in OS X is actually laid out like an opened bound book.

 

[PhoenixClaw]

looking at this source:
http://www.cultofmac.com/181782/every-iphone-prototype-apple-ever-made-before-released-the-first-iphone-gallery/
 
 
It looks like Apple actually designed the Lumia before Nokia :/

 

[MuppetFace]

There's something about the K1000 that has always bothered me. The gulf between the earspeakers and the ears---that which gives them their character in the first place---creates a certain effect that I find difficult to convey in words. It manifests in a lack of engagement, in a certain thinness of the sound.
 
Oddly I don't feel this way about the H2+ when the earspeakers are spaced away from the ears. Perhaps the directionality has something to do with it. Not sure.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Yeah, it was pretty egregious, even if they knew better than to circulate an executive memo to the design team with a bullet list of what's wrong with the Nano and what has to be copied from the Lumia.
 
As an aside, I don't really get all the hate of the Metro interface. I think Microsoft is out-Appling Apple in some aspects at a time when Apple is going weirdly skeuomorphic with their own UIs. It's one thing to have a "play" button in an audio player that looks like a cassette deck's, but it's a whole other, very annoying, level when the address book app in OS X is actually laid out like an opened bound book.

 
The new podcast app is an awful, heinous example of that design philosophy. It's tremendously dysfunctional and laggy / buggy as all heck to boot. Having to push up the album art just to scroll through the track infuriates me, no matter how cutesy the whole tape deck theme is. I couldn't see anything wrong with the old interface and I don't know how they can have patched that app several times and it still remains crummy.

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

I laughed. It's how I felt when photos of the parts started hitting the rumor sites.
 
 
Apple sells own-branded IEMs, actually, but they're $80 or so in the States. I see a lot of people who are content to use whatever earpieces came with their phones, and I know a lot of people who can't abide having things inside the ear; earbuds are the nearest they'll allow. I don't really know what a good solution would be without projecting my own interests on the matter (personally, I'd rather Apple included IEMs as well, but I'd probably just complain about uncomfortable bundled IEMs rather than uncomfortable bundled earbuds, maybe).

Yeah, it's a little caricaturistic over the new design. But I don't personally think it's too bad, but the picture clearly shows what other people may feel. LOL
 
The thing is, my dear friend, that I don't think we see the same things. Over here, I see less and less iBuds and more and more cheap IEMs. This, to me, is because I think people care less (not "nothing at all", but merely less..) about the sound quality, and more about fit. This, again to me, also means that if Apple would perhaps send cheapish Apple IEMs (no, not the ones they already sell - they can keep selling them) with a distinct form factor that people would start recognizing as an Apple product, people would probably be using them instead of buying cheap IEMs. Because one thing is clear: people seem to want to change the iBuds to IEMs, more and more, it seems.
 
Now, obviously this is just a reflection I've made this past year over here in Sweden. I haven't conducted a fully fledged research about the phenomenon (if it even is a phenomenon), so there is really no proof or scientific facts to support my claim. I just like to watch around and if people wear earphones, be it IEMs or earbuds, I - out of personal interest - like to check both the earphones out and what DAP/Phone they are connected to. As of late, say this past year, I've seen a clear demise of iBuds connected to iPhones and a clear rise of cheap IEMs instead.
 
I just think that Apple would actually benefit, marketing wise, from sending people cheap iEMs (see the name pun?) instead of iBuds. Somewhere I feel that Apple would like their customers to wear Apple products visibly, be it iPods, iPhones, iEMs or iBuds. This just doesn't happen, again over here, as much as it used to do.
 
Perhaps this is just a local thing, perhaps it's actually a real pehnomenon. Whatever it is, it's interesting to see from the side.

 

[PhoenixClaw]

Over here in Singapore there's an interesting crowd. There's the obvious audiophile demographic (customs/iems and the occasional portable can), the Beats users, those with upgraded earbuds and lastly the stock earbud users. The list is arrange in ascending order in terms of percentage of the population.

 

[jgray91]

Yeah, it was pretty egregious, even if they knew better than to circulate an executive memo to the design team with a bullet list of what's wrong with the Nano and what has to be copied from the Lumia.

As an aside, I don't really get all the hate of the Metro interface. I think Microsoft is out-Appling Apple in some aspects at a time when Apple is going weirdly skeuomorphic with their own UIs. It's one thing to have a "play" button in an audio player that looks like a cassette deck's, but it's a whole other, very annoying, level when the address book app in OS X is actually laid out like an opened bound book.

There's that part where I just skim the whole lot and haven't been following the case at all other than some cursory glance, but I don't see what's wrong in looking at what a competitor has done, study it and deem what's 'right' and 'wrong' in their eyes and try to improve it in their own way.


That skeu tumblr is awesome. Thanks for that!

looking at this source:
http://www.cultofmac.com/181782/every-iphone-prototype-apple-ever-made-before-released-the-first-iphone-gallery/


It looks like Apple actually designed the Lumia before Nokia :/

Didn't Nokia snagged some big shot hardware designer from Apple (or someone who worked in Apple then went other place before going to Nokia) after a few years of the iPhone's first debut?

Well one thing that's really not apparent at first glance (and through some pictures) is that the basic Lumia 900 shape (this would also include the 800 and its first bearer of the design, the N9) isn't really flat. They curve out juuust a little bit towards the center. It makes a very annoying spot to spin on when it's facing screen-side up. Heck, even the screen on the N9 isn't flush with its body since they were designed to flow with the UI. Likewise the Lumia 800, but that's just a quick rehash of the N9 since they just got in bed with MS back then. The Lumia 900 is a bit more not elegant when handled. There's somewhere that I read that compared the 900 and the 800 (in proxy the N9 too) is that the 900 is a bit more butch.

-----------------------

I had some thing to say about the earpods, but it's too much of a jumble of ideas.

 

[Magick Man]

looking at this source:
http://www.cultofmac.com/181782/every-iphone-prototype-apple-ever-made-before-released-the-first-iphone-gallery/


It looks like Apple actually designed the Lumia before Nokia :/

Holy smokes. Well, if that's accurate, then my position has changed a little.

 

[driver 8]

Quote:

There's something about the K1000 that has always bothered me. The gulf between the earspeakers and the ears---that which gives them their character in the first place---creates a certain effect that I find difficult to convey in words. It manifests in a lack of engagement, in a certain thinness of the sound.

 
That's how I felt when I heard them on someone's speaker amp at ChiUnify. 

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

 

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20medical%20talk%2C%20not%20really%20meant%20to%20anyone%20in%20particular%2C%20just%20needed%20getting%20it%20out%20of%20me

 

 
If you've already been taking the medication, and you didn't already get SJS/TEN (I presume you're not losing skin from top to bottom), then you're fine. SJS is a form of severe cutaneous adverse reaction (SCAR), and its onset is quick, and is basically determined by your immune system's susceptibility (variance in HLA) to certain molecules. Plain English: ~don't worry

 

[mutabor]

Quote:

 Over here, I see less and less iBuds and more and more cheap IEMs. This, to me, is because I think people care less (not "nothing at all", but merely less..) about the sound quality, and more about fit. This, again to me, also means that if Apple would perhaps send cheapish Apple IEMs (no, not the ones they already sell - they can keep selling them) with a distinct form factor that people would start recognizing as an Apple product, people would probably be using them instead of buying cheap IEMs. Because one thing is clear: people seem to want to change the iBuds to IEMs, more and more, it seems.
 
I just think that Apple would actually benefit, marketing wise, from sending people cheap iEMs (see the name pun?) instead of iBuds. 

 
Sure, Apple can make cheap IEMs but instead they are making so much effort to stay with earbud form factor. Did you read EarPods description? 
 
 "The audio quality is so superior, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more."
 
Pretty bold statement. Eh? Either they exaggerate sound quality of their earbuds or Apple engineers are of no good opinion about high-end headphones which cost not a hundred but  hundredS of  dollars. Or the third conclusion can be that EarPods DO sound like high-end headphones.
 
Also, one of the reasons why they probably want to stay with an earbud form factor is that earbuds are more comfortable to run with and exersize. And it is very important.

 

[Sylverant]

Quote:

 
Makes me wonder how bad isolation will be on these. I must admit rather cool looking design though. I wonder if they will sound exactly the same as the old iBuds
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what's everyone think of the new Nano? I personally never expected them to do such an extreme makeover on it. Doesn't really blow me away per say but as a entry level player it does look rather nice I guess. I was a little disappointed in the new iPod Touch. Although they had some nice updates with Siri support and a better camera etc what I really wanted was either more storage (128 GB) or SD Card support. I was also hoping Apple would shock us and announce FLAC support in iTunes. Speaking of which the new iTunes on first glance looks a little weird. For me it's going to take some getting used to.

 
Who knows, maybe after 3 years of research they'll be able to compete with better earbuds. That would be amazing, but is unlikely.

 

[jgray91]

Sure, Apple can make cheap IEMs but instead they are making so much effort to stay with earbud form factor. Did you read EarPods description? 

 "The audio quality is so superior, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more."


Pretty bold statement. Eh? Either they exaggerate sound quality of their earbuds or Apple engineers are of no good opinion about high-end headphones which cost not a hundred but  hundredS of  dollars. Or the third conclusion can be that EarPods DO sound like high-end headphones.

This reminds me of DF's story of him vs. the world an Apple Genius. It is your story, right DF?

 

[billybob_jcv]

Apple is one of those companies that really doesn't care what you *want* - they believe they know what you *need*. I suppose that can be good & bad - I do think it's a lost cause to try to chase the whim of the consumer market - you want to be the one steering the market, not the one being steered by the market. On the other hand, most companies like Apple take this too far and start believing their own BS. When they really start believing they know better than their customers, that's when they run the risk of completely missing the target, and if their arrogance continues to prevent them from seeing how badly they have missed, they will keep trying to push the wrong ideas. That's pretty much how I feel about QuickTime, the ipod dock connector (old or new) and some of the other technology that they just won't let die. Put a dang micro-USB port on it and be done with it already!