Ok, so I wasn't able to vocalize my thoughts on this today during class so I figure I'll just let it out here. We are all getting so angry (maybe not angry, but disturbed and not sure how to handle it) with Apple and "apps" and all of these programs that are essentially what makes our Ipads and Iphones so accessible, simple, and easy to handle for everyone. Isn't that how Apple gained its popularity and fame? Everyone was way too confused by the other computer operating systems and wanted something simple, small, and easier to manipulate for the average person: this is where their market was. Now, they have just taken that idea and ran with it penetrating every technology available.
If consumers wanted Apple to be simple in the first place, why are we as consumers so disturbed when they dumb it down in apps and pretty aesthetics? Shouldn't we just praise them for being simple? If we wanted a more complicated system, or wanted to know and interact with all the ins and outs of installing and uninstalling on the computer we should just go back to our old Windows. This is what draws me to Apple products and apps: they make it easy for me. I don't have to do anything that is too challenging with my computer. If something happens, they will take it and fix it for free. Better yet, I can't fuck my computer up more by trying to fix it myself, they have to do it unless we have the ambition to jailbreak our Ipads or penetrate the computers more deeply.
I don't know, I just feel like we are an extremely small sample of people that are actually disturbed and worried about how simple the app is and how it is trying to simulate everyday actions (like Guru Meditation) that should be more complicated. Consumers wanted simplicity so that they could move into the Digital Native section of society and not be left behind and Apple gave them that. Essentially, Apple rid itself all of this complicated computer nonsense and made themselves extremely attractive to a Digital Immigrant. Am I wrong in this?
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And in this sense, would too complicated of an App, one that can truly influence our lives and change it around for the better to the point where we are immersed in it, piss even more people off? Or is it even possible to make something like that? Just doesn't seem like the purpose, seems like something that is meant to be simple and not life threatening or changing, it is just there for entertainment. Overdoing it will ruin the fun.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with a lot of your points in this post. I think that Apple has done a lot in the way of helping "Digital Immigrants" by marketing to them so that they do not get "left behind" in an increasingly digital era. I think that it's easy to get carried away with BIg Brother conspiracy theories and anti-commercialist rants.
ReplyDeleteAfter everything that I said in class, I do love Apple because their devices (I have a Macbook, an iPod touch, and an iPad) seem to have few problems (compared to the PCs I've owned) and because their customer service has always been wonderful in my experience. One reason that I got a Mac over a PC was because I knew that I could easily take it to the Apple store if I somehow fucked it up, and they would walk me through how to fix it myself or what they were going to do to fix it. After owning my Mac for 3 years, I've been to the Apple store about 4 times about my computer, and they've replaced everything that I've had a problem with free of charge. They also offer sessions with their "Geniuses" to help teach people the basics of using a computer (or what you need to know after switching from a PC to a Mac), which I think is a brilliant idea. Almost every time I've been to the Apple store, I've seen a "Genius" teaching an older person ("Digital Native") how to use the expensive device that they've just purchased. I don't know why more companies haven't started doing that.
I think that it's interesting that Apple is one of the few companies (as far as I know) that has actual stores with trained experts who sell, fix, and explain how to use their products. In an increasingly digital world, Apple still has these physical stores open where Apple buyers can go and speak face to face with representatives of the company. They also have support and merchandise available online for those more experienced with digitalization. Similarly, a Macbook, and iPad, or an iPod, are simple enough for "Digital Immigrants" to learn how to use them, but complex enough to carry out the functions that "Digital Natives" desire them to carry out. Perhaps Apple's aestheticization and simplification serve to make their devices more appealing to consumers who do not consider themselves digitally savvy, but they also serve to function for those who are digitally aware.
I think it all boils down to the fact that as a class (and I am generalizing a bit here) we find ourselves straddling the Digital Native and the Digital Immigrant worlds. Apple has done a brilliant job handling newcomers of all ages, but I do think that those of us who wonder about the simplicity of Apple products are a bit wary. I am PC user, I have always been a PC user, and, unless some miracle occurs, I will probably always be a PC user. That is not to say that I do not appreciate Apple or my iPad (which I treasure like it was my own child), but that it all seems too good to be true. It all comes down to a matter of taste--I enjoy the aesthetics of Apple products (I don't think there are many people who would even go as far as to claim that the iPad or a Mac is ugly), but the Apple software just doesn't sit right with me. My wariness can be seen in the iPad Apps that I have bought: I use Chapters instead of Pages, Terra instead of Safari, Kindle instead of iBooks, MightyMeeting instead of Keynote. My choices in Apps reflect my preferences. My iPad is about as anti-Apple as one can make an Apple product.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with the both of you: as a society, we practically begged for simpler software. Those of my friends who own Apple products never complain about their beloved iPad or iPod or Mac, and they are perfectly content to enjoy, use, and then discard the different applications that they purchase. I do have to wonder, however, if the simplicity of Apple is a reflection of us as a society.
(And to prove that Apple products are generally easy to use, my uncle bought my grandmother an iPod touch for Christmas. Since then, she has been known to stay up to the wee hours of the night downloading pictures onto her iPod and listening/recording Greek music on her favorite App. In actuality, I think that the iPod might be detrimental to her health.)
But some apps are labeled "productivity apps," which implies that Apple and the ipad wants us to know that it doesn't have to be just for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteAnd we did ask for this, we did want something less complicated and more user-friendly, and the first macs that did this are what set the whole apple craze in motion--what bothers me is that now the mac craze isn't about being more accessible or user-friendly anymore, it's not even about providing a good product for a profit anymore, it's about using a brand name to exploit and manipulate users into buying into what is essentially a digital monopoly... the app is just a tiny slice of software that you can spend .99 cents on and have a new little square icon on your big sleek square and not feel like you're being ripped off, cause after all, what's a dollar really worth?