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We hate the way a lot of Apple design looks, these days: virtual leather, felt, wood, and glass. It’s like a sleazy game room in your Cool Uncle’s basement. Who is making these eye-screwing decisions? Fast Company says it was Jobs.
Skeumorphism—the design technique of making a virtual thing look like a real thing in order to help familiarise you with it—has grown from a mole to a tumour across both OS X and iOS. And while Apple’s Scott Forstall is considered the main culprit these days, FastCo’s Austin Carr spoke with former Apple designers who say otherwise:
But before Forstall, it was Steve Jobs who encouraged the skeuomorphic approach, some say. “iCal’s leather-stitching was literally based on a texture in his Gulfstream jet,” says the former senior UI designer. “There was lots of internal email among UI designers at Apple saying this was just embarrassing, just terrible.”
Pushing for a change in design trajectory based on the luxury stitching in your gaudy private jet seems so antithetically Apple, and yet so quintessentially Steve Jobs. The man was a vanity case and an egomaniac, with a track record of judgment lapses. It’s not as implausible as it sounds, but that doesn’t make it any less insane or disheartening. Let’s hope Tim Cook flies economy. [FastCompany]
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Apart from iCal, I’m not sure if I’d describe anything else as being ugly. The iCal in the photo above just reminds me of a leather bound organizer/diary.
What’s the big deal about skeumorphism? I personally don’t mind one way or the other as long as it’s pleasing to look at on the whole, functional, and intuitive. I really don’t understand all the hate this gets at Gizmodo. Sometimes skeumorphism looks good, sometimes it doesn’t – it’s not bad design solely because it looks like a thing in real life.
It’s all down to personal taste. I don’t mind it at all.. it’s not like I actually think it’s leather or whatever it’s just better than flat colour everywhere
I love them all <3
The ipod phone has a hideous look and feel everall. Everything from the grid of icons (ala Windows 3.1), the top row full of meaningless junk (ala Windows 95 system tray), the awful fading between screens, the glass/leather/plastic/crap littered all over the place like a tornado ripped through a flea market… One of the many reasons I appreciate Windows Phone’s clean and fast user interface.
Also compare the apps, use Cocktail Flow on Windows Phone and compare it to the ios version, my god…
Hmm grid of icons, where have I seen that before.. oh yes, iOS/Android and 100% WP7 !
Top row of meaningless junk.. that would be iOS/Android and yes Wp7
As for the glass/leather/plastic/crap appearance. You either like it of hate it but it’s personal taste so just give it up… Don’t like it, don’t use. Simple
As for fast user interface iOS is till one of the best, Jelly Bean has fixed Androids laggy-ness.. So whats your point
The only sime it’s a problem is when it impedes progress. There is probably a better way to do a calendar digitally but forming the interface around a hanging calendar could hold you back. I find people just see pretend stitches and cry out that it’s hideous when it’s really not.