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   VidBITS: Opinions on iOS 7

   Josh Centers

   The TidBITS crew has been using iOS 7 full time for a week or so, so we
   convened a special staff [1]roundtable to discuss our impressions of
   Apple's newest, flattest operating system, with Adam Engst, Tonya
   Engst, Jeff Carlson, Michael Cohen, Rich Mogull, and yours truly, Josh
   Centers.

   IFRAME: [2]http://www.youtube.com/embed/WVmfw_OuosA

   Needless to say, our reactions were mixed:
     * 'It's definitely different,' said Jeff Carlson. I noted that most
       regular users I know seem to hate it after the first week, and
       Tonya said that she was seeing mostly negative comments among her
       Facebook friends. Michael Cohen's mother hated it until she had a
       chance to get used to it. Jeff added, 'Like a lot of things, it's
       different. Shut up and give it two weeks.'
     * Adam brought up the fact that Apple is preventing dissatisfied
       users from downgrading to iOS 6. 'It's unconscionable,' he said.
       But, as Tonya pointed out, 'You can't just sit there with old
       stuff. Sooner or later it's going to bite you.' But I ask if
       unhappy iPhone users will stick around or start taking a serious
       look at Android?
     * Rich is thrilled with responsiveness of the Touch ID fingerprint
       scanner in the iPhone 5s (for more general details about the
       technology, see his '[3]Q&A about Fingerprint Scanning,' 10
       September 2013). But, he said that he would turn it off at hacker
       conferences and when travelling internationally. Jeff wants Touch
       ID on his iPad.
     * Rich also gave a big thumbs up to the new slow motion video feature
       in the iPhone 5s. 'If you have kids, you want slow-mo,' he said.
       It's apparently more useful than we first thought (for our early
       iPhone 5s impressions, check out '[4]The MacJury's Verdict on the
       New iPhones,' 13 September 2013).
     * Tonya, along with most of the staff, is unimpressed with the use of
       layers in the iOS 7 interface. 'It felt like someone threw some
       darts,' she said. However, as I mentioned, Apple at least fixed the
       inconsistent use of the linen layer in iOS 6, which was presented
       both below the interface in the multitasking bar and above the
       interface in Notification Center. Adam admitted to not having
       noticed the linen inconsistency'¦ or caring now that he does know.
     * Michael and I butted heads on the Notes app. Michael loves the
       paper texture, but I hate it for uncharacteristic skeuomorphism and
       use of yellow text on a white background. I shamefully admitted
       that I liked the stitched leather in iOS 6, but it now looks out of
       place in iOS 7 in the Find My Friends app.

   While we couldn't seem to agree on much, the one common thread is that
   iOS 7 lacks much of Apple's traditional polish, and it still has a long
   way to go until the kinks are worked out. It'll also take some
   adaptation by users, because iOS 7 breaks the muscle memories developed
   around previous version of iOS.

   (Remember, you don't have to watch the video; you can click the Listen
   link at the top of the article's Web page to listen to the audio, or
   subscribe to the [5]TidBITS podcast to have it downloaded to iTunes or
   your favorite podcast app automatically.)

References

   1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVmfw_OuosA
   2. http://www.youtube.com/embed/WVmfw_OuosA
   3. http://tidbits.com/article/14089
   4. http://tidbits.com/article/14108
   5. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/tidbits/id276986548?mt=2&at=10l5PW

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