Memories of Macintosh, 40 years later

I will never forget the day my Dad and I went to the computer store in June 1984 and he purchased the very first Macintosh. We got it home, in this big white box with a Picasso style rendition of the Macintosh on the side. Excitedly I opened the box and started unpacking: the Mac, the keyboard, the mouse, and the Getting Started kit, which included two cassette tapes that would take you through learning and using the Macintosh. We set it up on the kitchen table, plugged everything in and turned it on. We were greeted by a simple tone and the screen sprang to life showing a smiling Macintosh icon. Then a box appeared on the screen that said “Welcome to Macintosh.”

The next morning my Dad came downstairs to find me sitting at the kitchen table, having stayed up all night learning this amazing new machine. By the time he awoke that morning, I had mastered how to do everything on it, and I would take time over the next several weeks, helping my Dad and my sister to learn it. These are cherished memories of the Macintosh in 1984.

We would eventually take advantage of the upgrade programs that Apple offered to upgrade the original Macintosh to the Macintosh 512k, and the in 1986 the option to upgrade the 512k Mac to a Macintosh Plus. My Dad, like me, wanted to keep our Mac upgraded so we could do more with it.

Over the next 40 years I, personally, would own more Macintosh computers than most people. I was an Apple fan boy, and every time Apple introduced something revolutionary, I would do my best to try and get it (within reason). I was an avid fan of Steve Jobs, and his death in 2011 impacted me greatly. I still admire him a great deal, and I am thankful for all the hard work he and his team did to bring this amazing computer into the world. The revolutionary products Apple has produced have definitely changed the way we live and work. I happily use my M1 iMac everyday, throughout the day. I write my books on it, I listen to music on it, and I play online games on it. I don’t know what I would do without my Mac.

Happy 40th birthday to the Macintosh, a computer that not only changed the world, but also changed our lives for the better. Here’s to another forty years!

Apple Music is a usability nightmare!

I have been a Spotify user now for over two years and I applaud all the improvements they have made to their software over that two year period. Well I decided to give Apple Music a try, since I am an Apple fan-boy. Well, I am not going to be dumping Spotify anytime soon.

I upgraded to the latest iTunes and iOS release and began messing around with Apple Music. I soon came to realize – this thing is an overcomplicated hot mess. The user interface design on both iTunes and iOS is a HORRIBLE experience. When you first setup Apple Music it comes up with a bunch of circles and asks you to choose what types of music you like, trying to push the whole Apple Watch UI in my face. Then it compiles a page of artists based on your answers. I found that to be very frustrating. I don’t give a crap about some of those artists, why not just let me find the artists I like and put together some playlists? Why throw me into a convoluted, overcomplicated, congested pile of crap filled with artists I don’t really like?

For a company like Apple who has prided itself for decades on making clean, positive, user interfaces – Apple Music is essentially heaped on top of an already overburdened app (iTunes/Music app). It relies on the functionality that has already been built into iTunes and then piles on more complicated user interface elements. I mean, finding what I wanted and figuring out how to do something simple like make a playlist on my iPhone was a CHORE!

When I look at Spotify and Apple Music side by side – I see this: Spotify is what Apple should have made and Apple Music is something Microsoft would have made. When you put the user through hoops, hurdles and gigantic stone walls to do the simplest task, its an instant failure. An instant bad user experience.

Don’t force users down a narrow path to reach something they ultimately won’t want to see. Allow users the freedom to do what they want to do, to add the bands and artists they want to add. That is the key. When you force users into doing something, regardless of whether or not you think it’s a fun idea – it’s always going to be a bad experience. Users want to be able to do what they want to do, not what YOU want them to do. That is a very Microsoft mentality. I understand you want to find out what the user likes and then take them to a screen which displays every friggin artist in those genres, but most users just want to find their favorite artists and add them to a playlist, listen to the music and share their playlists and who they love to listen to. Guess what, Spotify does that in a clean and non-forceful way. Apple Music does not.

I think Apple needs to get a big slap upside their head and they need to go back and rethink this. Until they do figure out the RIGHT WAY to make a music service app design, I will be on Spotify.

I already cancelled my Apple Music account renewal. Because Apple Music is just a DISGRACE from a user interface and user experience design perspective. And I know I am not in the minority, I have heard the same complaints from several people already who have given it a try.

It’s a sad time for Apple fan-boys (like me)…

In June 1984 my Dad bought me my very first computer, the first generation Macintosh. Ever since then I have grown to love and evangelize Apple products. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple I was like…HELL YEAH! And that’s when everything went from “Apple is gonna die” to “OMG Apple is kicking butt!” Sadly after Steve Jobs died, I felt very worried that the Apple I had come to know and love died with him. I remember telling a friend about 2 weeks after Jobs’ death:

Apple has about two, maybe three years left in it and then things are going to go downhill.

That was four years ago and things haven’t been going so well, maybe for the exception of the iPhone 6 series.

On Monday Apple revealed the new MacBook laptops and I have to say I am seeing something that is terrifyingly wrong. While I can admit that a minimal design is great for an operating system, for software applications and such, I cannot say it works in hardware. I think the world has made it clear that one port on a computer is just not right. If the laptop is charging, how am I supposed to charge my iPhone, or connect it to a projector for a presentation? Smaller and thinner isn’t always a good solution. For laptops, being light and elegant is nice – but in the case of the MacBook, the sacrifices made to make it so thin and light are way too high. The Force Touch trackpad is a disaster in the making, you literally have to crush your finger into it to get any feedback from it. The new keyboard is stiff and you really aren’t getting the tactile feedback your brain needs to help you know where your fingers are hitting. Next and most unfortunate is the screen size, 13 inches. That’s great if this was 2001, but this is 2015 and today’s applications require a lot more real estate. As a graphic artist I could never use this laptop for my work, and I don’t see anyone being able to benefit from a screen so small. Perhaps a grandmother who wants to Facetime with her grandchildren. I don’t even think a college student could tolerate a screen so small with all the windows that are usually open when doing research for a paper.

And for the first time in my life, I am going to say this: The MacBook is overpriced. Why would anyone spend $1299 for such a handicapped laptop, when you can get an incredibly feature rich laptop, with plenty of ports, for significantly less. Granted it would run Windows (yuck), but I am trying to make a point here – you are paying Apple for that stupid minimalistic design and all the work they had to do to cram stuff into that small space. It’s just ridiculous.

Next is Apple Watch. I cannot imagine Steve Jobs allowing such a thing to fly. It’s a vagrant display of wealth and serves no useful purpose except to extend your iPhone to your wrist. But you still need an iPhone to use all of the features. Why should I spend $500 on an Apple Watch when I can go out and get a Fitbit Surge, which covers the health monitoring aspect, for half that price. I don’t see why people need a watch on their wrist to tell them they have an appointment coming up in 30 minutes or that someone messaged them. That’s what we have smartphones for! So again, I think this is just Apple’s way of becoming a luxury company that sells luxury goods for people who are swimming in cash.

Last, but not least, is software. I have seen some very disturbing trends in Apple’s OS X and iOS operating systems. But before I start bashing, let me first say that Yosemite is an awesome OS, I love it. What I don’t like are the accessory applications that come with OS X, specifically iMovie. iMovie used to be an easy to use, easy to learn and understand, application. Sadly it has now become so complicated and so counter-intuitive, it reminds of something Microsoft would make. The user interface design is worthy of a greek tragedy. As a UI/UX designer myself I notice these things instantly. The first time I launched the latest version of iMovie I was lost. I had no clue what did what or where my stuff was or what the app was doing when I told it to share a video. In iOS 8, when I send a video or a photo to someone via Messages – I used to be able to tap on the video I just sent them and watch it again at full screen. Now I can’t do that – it plays inside a postage stamp sized area. If I want to see the video full screen I am forced to exit Messages and go into my camera roll. That’s just stupid.

So here we are, exactly where I figured Apple would be. I am still an Apple fan-boy, but at a much lower level. If Apple continues on this path, I may have no choice but to jump ship and become a follower of another product that is doing things the right way for their users and not wasting time and money with things that just aren’t practical.

During Monday’s presentation of the new MacBook and Apple Watch, all I could do is shake my head and shed a tear. The Apple I have known and loved, for over 25 years, really did die on October 5, 2011.

#Bendgate is a Bunch of Horse Shit

Okay I am going to just come out and speak a very solid truth…I am an Apple fan boy. I have been using Apple products since the day my father bought me an original Macintosh back in June of 1984. My admiration for Apple is great, but at the same time I do have a lot of complaints about certain things Apple has produced. The new version of iMovie for example is a pile of crap, the Apple wireless mouse is a battery inhaling piece of shit, and the new folder icon colors in the upcoming OS X release, Yosemite, make me want to vomit.

But when it comes to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, I have nothing bad to say at all. They are, as Tim Cook said, the best iPhones Apple has ever made. I love my iPhone 6. In fact if I had maintained my normal routine, I would never be enjoying an iPhone 6 right now. Normally I skip a generation. But the iPhone 6 had way too many awesome features to keep that tradition. But this post isn’t about how awesome the iPhone 6 series is, it’s about people who hate Apple looking for any and all ways to tarnish the company’s products. I am talking about bendgate.

Bendgate is total horse shit! Yes there were some iPhone 6 Plus phones which had some kind of defect and were bent. But to date there have been less than 1% of the total number of phones sold that have had this issue. This issue was precipitated by one of two possible reasons (or both):

A. The user put the phone in their back pocket and sat on the phone : Absolutely ludicrous! Who the hell puts a big phone like the iPhone 6/6 Plus in their back pockets and sits down? That’s just a clear lack of common sense and apparent lack of intelligence.

B. The user purposely bent the phone to show the world that Apple’s products are terrible : I wouldn’t doubt it. There are plenty of people out there who, for whatever fucked up reason, hate Apple. Sure Apple’s products are more expensive, sure Apple uses proprietary technologies and so on, yes Apple does keep a tight control over what goes on their devices. Hey, how about you look a little closer at the industry as a whole. For YEARS Microsoft has been doing things far more evil than Apple. You want to talk about proprietary stuff and closed source, Microsoft reeks of being the most closed-minded company in the world. Apple isn’t alone in that line of thinking. But that’s no reason to display the level of hate people display toward people who use Apple products. I mean, good fucking grief, you’re almost on the verge of a holy war – Android users versus Apple users. They’re TOOLS, all these things we use everyday are TOOLS! If you want to get bent out of shape over one person using one tool versus another – why not start doing the same for everything else? I drive a Nissan, you drive a BMW – omg hate me for driving a Nissan! I like Craftsman tools, you prefer Stanley tools…omg hate me for using Craftsman. See how ridiculous that is?

Anyway, out of the 40 million iPhone 6/6 Plus smartphones sold so far, only a very very very small percentage have had an issue with bending. But you know I think who summed it up best was the CEO of T-Mobile…

Last, but not least, allow me to further exemplify the amount of horse shit involved with the whole bendgate thing with this simple illustration I threw together…

 

‘Nuf said.

 

iPhone 6 goes back to basics

Last Friday I got my preordered iPhone 6. This is unusual for me, I usually skip a generation when it comes to phones and tablets. But this time I could not resist the awesomeness of the iPhone 6, it was just too amazing. Considering Apple has now sold more than 14 million iPhones (4 million preorders + 10 million opening weekend sales) in just one week is evidence of this.

But now that I have it I am amazed at how Apple went back to the very beginning in its design. When you look at the iPhone 6 and the original iPhone that was introduced in 2007, you see some amazing similarities. Both phones feature a smooth, curved, design. The smooth transition from glass to aluminum on the iPhone 6 mimics the polished aluminum bevel on the original iPhone, which offers a similar transition. Even the rounded corners are similar, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Below are some photos I took of my iPhone 6 alongside my original iPhone from 2007. Pretty amazing how far technology has come!

I love my iPhone 6 and yes, I have to agree with a lot of the reviews out there and what Apple themselves claim – it definitely is the best iPhone made to date.

 

 

 

30 Years of Macintosh

On a warm summer afternoon, my father and I drove up to Alexandria, Virginia. It was a day I had long been waiting for. Several weeks earlier he and I were sitting at the kitchen table talking about computers and which one we should invest in. My father was a systems engineer with a masters degree in Computer Science. He knew that getting a computer into the house would not only be good for him, but also for me as a tool for learning. The year was 1984 and in January of that year, Apple introduced a revolutionary new computer called the Macintosh. We saw the commercial during the superbowl and I had an opportunity to try one out shortly thereafter.

So the discussion was essentially: an IBM PC (or equivalent) or an Apple Macintosh. Well, I have always been a visual person so when my Dad gave me the choice, it was a no brainer. So several weeks later here we were, driving in the car to pick up our very first Mac. It was June 1984 and the Mac had been out for nearly six months. I remember when we got it home, the big white box with the abstract Mac on the side. Inside was the Mac, one cassette tape and a keyboard and mouse. We got it setup on the kitchen table just to see it in action. I’ll never forget popping the tape in a cassette player and inserting the getting started disk, it was an awesome experience. It was the beginning of what would be over 20 years of interest in computers. Because of that experience I entered into a career in Information Technology. Then ultimately rediscovered my true passion 23 years later, that being design, which also is very Mac biased.

Today I still use Macs, in fact I have probably owned more Macs than most people. So today, 30 years later, I wish Apple’s Macintosh a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My life in Mac all began with one very awesome thing, this television commercial…

 

Ten FACTUAL Reasons Why Macs are better than PCs

So this is a battle that has raged on for years and years. Which computer is really better? A Mac or a Windows based PC? Well here are some very realistic and factual reasons why Windows PCs fall miserably short compared to an Apple Mac.

1. THEY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY
Computers are meant to make our lives easier. This is harder to achieve when the device in question keeps popping up messages from its anti-virus software and hiding essential features behind a baffling new operating system. Macs are simple to use and incredibly reliable, which is why they have scored the highest in customer satisfaction surveys for ten years straight.

2. THEY COME LOADED WITH USEFUL SOFTWARE
When you get your shiny new machine home, the first thing you want to do is use it. With a PC this will take a little time as out-of-the-box Windows 8 has hardly any useful, quality apps. In fact, manufacturers are paid to include trial versions and various useless software that can be hard to uninstall. A Mac arrives loaded with the awesome iLife package (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband), a powerful email client, and the full iWork (word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software) online package – all for free. Free is good.

3. THEY OFFER GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY
One criticism often aimed at Macs is that they are too expensive. Certainly they’re not cheap, but that’s because they only use quality components, which often compare favorably against PCs at a similar price. Add to that the aforementioned software, plus the fact that Apple optimizes both hardware and software to get the most out of a machine, and you end up with a bargain. Additionally, the lifetime of a Mac is significantly greater due to the use of those quality parts.

4. THEY DON’T RUN WINDOWS 8
When Microsoft released its brand new version of Windows it was greeted with a collective ‘why would you do that to us?’ cry from the majority of its users. The touch-centric, unintuitive interface made PCs much harder to use, especially older machines. In contrast OS X Mavericks is a polished, refined and elegant experience. Additionally far more Mac users have upgraded to Mavericks than Windows users have to Windows 8. Oh, did I mention Mavericks is a free upgrade? You’d never see Microsoft giving away a major upgrade for free (ie. from Windows 7 to Windows 8).

5. THEY DO RUN WINDOWS 8
If you are hesitant in switching to a Mac because of certain Windows software that you absolutely need, then fret not. Windows runs on a Mac, and it does so rather well. In fact pretty much any modern operating system can. Even Linux inventor Linus Torvalds famously uses a Macbook Air as his daily machine. Not only that, most relatively current to absolutely current Macs have excellent graphics cards in them and can run nearly every PC game available while running Windows. I mean come on, the Mac is an Intel box – so Windows runs natively…no emulators here!

6. THE APPLE STORE
Every computer, at some point in its life, will have a problem or two. On a PC you’ll most likely need to find a repair shop and hope for the best. With a Mac you pop online, book a slot with an Apple Genius, then take it to the store where Mac specialists will find the solution, often for free. If you have Apple’s extended service plan, AppleCare, you can have an Apple Certified Technician come to your home and fix it there, including replacing major components of the computer. Again, another part of that bargain I talked about above.

7. ACCESSIBILITY
Macs have always come with plenty of ways to enable accessibility for users with special needs. By selecting from the menu in System Preferences you can enable voice control, screen zooms, high contrast displays, have your Mac read out text to you, or flash the screen when a message arrives. There are also a number of assistive devices which work really well with the Mac.

8. THEY DON’T GET VIRUSES
Viruses on Macs are as rare as pictures of Miley Cyrus without her tongue sticking out. Windows on the other hand is akin to the battle of Helm’s Deep, with virus laden orcs bombarding the stronghold in relentless fashion. Only Norton the bold or McAfee the white can save them now. And let’s not even discuss spyware, adware and other malicious things that PCs get. I don’t run a virus scanner on my Mac – haven’t in over 12 years.

9. THE TRACKPAD
While Windows 8 is designed around a touchscreen interface, Macs have an incredible range of simple to use trackpad gestures that make navigating the system fast and friendly. They also have the best trackpad on any laptop by an absolute mile, which is very important if you consider how often you use one on a daily basis.

10. APPLE PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNED IN ‘MURICA! (and soon to be made here too)
Apple’s packaging says it all “Designed in California, USA”. While there are still a few Macs manufactured overseas, a few of them are now being made right here in the USA. Apple has announced they are building an assembly plant in Arizona where they will be making many of their systems, providing thousands of jobs to Americans.

 

If those aren’t reasons enough to ditch a PC in favor of a Mac, well…I have done all I can do. In closing I will say this: I have been a Mac user since June 1984 and in those nearly 30 years I have never had any major issues or complaints with regards to my Mac. I also had a Windows PC from 1995 to 2002 (which was rebuilt once) and I had no end of issues with it, several viral infections despite having a virus scanner installed and eventually the whole thing ended up in the dump with the rest of the useless trash. So you may call me biased but at least I have used both platforms.

I currently run a 27″ iMac with both OS X and Windows installed.

 

When people start hating other people over a tool…

So Apple has launched two new iPhones, the iPhone 5S and 5C. And right on time, the hate is flying in all directions. A friend of mine got very wordy with me when I posted on my Facebook that Apple had sold 9 million of the new phones this past weekend, saying that Apple is a has been, a washed up company putting out phones that don’t amaze. On CNN a number of people went verbally non-linear when an article was published that the fingerprint sensor had been hacked, posting hate filled comments about “Apple fan bois crying themselves to sleep” over the news.

I find it amusing how our society has filled themselves with such hatred for people who choose to use one tool over another. You don’t see construction contractors harassing or belittling other contractors over their choice of tools do you? You don’t see people slamming other people because they bought an American car over a European car. What about flashlights, I actually prefer to use Maglites. They are a little more expensive but they are dependable and durable. Haven’t had anyone slam me for making that choice. What about if I prefer to listen to Classical music instead of Hip-Hop? Where is the hate there?

The point I am trying to make here is, we as human beings (especially those who live in a free and democratic country), are free to use something we have been blessed with: freedom of choice. If I like Craftsman tools instead of something else, that’s my choice. If my friend chooses to be homosexual, that’s their choice just as it’s mine to be heterosexual.

So the next time you want to thrash someone with hateful comments over their choice of a smartphone, perhaps you should consider what I have said first. Because if everyone, every human being, liked the same things, used the same tools, looked the same, loved the same way and did everything the same…well…it would be one hell of a boring world.

Don’t hate.

Whoa! Slacking on the blog posts

Man, I have been just swamped with work the past month or two. I haven’t had much time for blogging. I have had several design projects land on me and while I enjoy them, there’s been little time for anything else. So what’s been going on?

1. My Mom remains in a senior living arrangement. She is probably never coming home again. She just requires 24/7 care that I can’t provide anywhere else. She is healthy and I visit her every week.

2. Still single. No women in my life, sad but true it is. Meh, it’s just one of those things.

3. Been on a huge Vivaldi kick the past few weeks. Dunno why, just have been.

4. I have almost finished sketching out a Piano Sonata that I hope to compose someday when I have time. I still need to finish my Mass in D minor too. 😦

5. Waiting anxiously for one big day and two big events. September 10th Apple is supposed to unveil their new iPhone(s). I sure hope they rock people’s socks off, otherwise it’s gonna be bad. Second event is the release of World of Warcraft 5.4 which is supposed to be a big patch release. Lots of new content and stuff. Can’t wait for both of these.

6. Started walking!! I have been walking on and off over the past two weeks. I am starting to force myself into a daily walking routine. So far so good, I am starting to enjoy it. Also my doctor says I am in great shape as far as cholesterol and blood sugar is concerned. Two years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (insulin resistance). I swore I would kick it’s ass and I did. I changed my diet, exercised more than I had been and in a year’s time I reversed it. The lab results from a week ago indicate I am completely free of it. My numbers are all below pre-diabetic levels. So yeah, nailed it.

And I think that’s about it. I promise to post more soon…cheers!

My iPad Workstation

So for some time now I have been pondering the idea (which is actually something a lot of people have been pondering) of using my iPad as an actual workstation. So I went out and grabbed a few items I would need to make it so.

First and foremost is a wireless Bluetooth keyboard, I got the sleek Apple keyboard because of its small footprint and awesome feel under the fingers. Second, an iPad stand from Griffin Technologies called Loop. It’s an awesome stand with several options for iPad placement. Plus it’s weighted, so it’s not going to slide all over the place.

Then I setup a special Google account for my work related stuff and a Google Drive setup. I then downloaded Google Drive to my iPad.

Now with Google Docs and Google Drive, I can write down ideas for stories, just plain ideas and notes as well. Then the information is accessible anywhere on any device capable of running Google Drive.

And then there is this post, which was composed entirely on my iPad with my new setup using the WordPress app for iPad (which totally rocks btw). I have joined the twenty-first century. 🙂