Post by account_disabled on Sept 12, 2023 10:52:58 GMT
WWDC 2023 is approaching. Apple fans who have been hungry for large-scale events since the launch of the iPhone 14 eight months ago will have high expectations. If the Reality Pro headset is completed on schedule, it will be the star of this event. However, there is a possibility that a relatively neglected product may receive unexpected attention.
It's the Apple Watch. Mark Gurman, an analyst with knowledge Phone Number List of private information, recently predicted that watchOS 10 is so good that no one will be interested in the new (as far as is known) Apple Watch hardware coming later this year.
The key to this outlook is the ‘updated’ interface. Considering that the word 'update' is used rather than a new interface, it does not seem to be as innovative and surprising a change as iOS 7. However, most experts expect that the way smartwatches are operated will change significantly in watchOS 10.
In fact, a few days after Gurman's prediction came out, new information about watchOS 10 was leaked. According to this, the biggest change is that the grid view app layout, which has been in place since 2015 (although a list view was added in 2017), where icons are arranged in a honeycomb shape without labels, has been discarded, and large icons are arranged in uniform rows to create a vertical layout. A method similar to iOS where scrolling is introduced is introduced. In fact, this approach seems much more logical and user-friendly. List view users have also had no way to place frequently used apps in the center, so this change will be greatly welcomed.
For reference, the source of the second leaked information is @analyst941, who also works under the name anonymous-AS, and Apple recently revealed the identity of this person. Currently, it is unclear how much of the information leaked by 941 is accurate information and how much is misinformation intentionally leaked by Apple. However, at least in the case of watchOS, it is confirmed through other sources. This is why the main content is expected to be accurate.
Grid being retired
In fact, there were many aspects of Apple's long-standing obsession with grid view that were difficult to understand. Not only is it not an efficient way to use a small screen, but using it properly requires a very good memory for icons (sometimes the icons change shape!) and nimble fingers. Perhaps Apple thought the grid view was the signature feature of the Apple Watch. Like the iPhone's home button, notch, and digital island. But the two are clearly different. If the iPhone is 'an inevitable part anyway, use it in a profitable way', then the grid view is 'just' bad design. It has been easy to improve in the meantime, but it is only now that it is being corrected.
Grid view is the worst for usability. ⓒ Dominik Tomaszewski/Foundry
Meanwhile, interface improvements may go beyond simply rearranging icons. According to @analyst941 (again, this is not a confirmed fact), Apple will be adding folders to the Apple Watch's home screen for the first time. At first glance, it doesn't seem to fit, and since I've never seen this feature implemented in actual watch OS, I can't say for sure that it will be useful. This is especially true if you transfer the iOS folder system to the watch. Apple's interface design team hit a few snags after Jony Ive left Apple. But I expect they will eventually find a way to implement folders properly on small watch faces.
What is most noteworthy in this analysis and outlook is the fact that Apple has become willing to take risks, try various methods, and be willing to 'change again' if they do not work properly. This has been the most disappointing part of Apple's watchOS development so far. In fact, Apple was hesitant to change the home screen and app layout of WatchOS. In fact, it was at a standstill. This stagnation is especially disappointing given how much the Apple Watch has changed for both manufacturers and users since Grid View arrived in 2015.
Apple acknowledged that another part of the interface, the side button, was also wrong. Apple has also accepted that this button is more intuitive to bring up the dock instead of the contact list. I should have acknowledged long ago that the grid view was also a wrong decision.
One More Thing, ‘Widget’
Although the changes to the grid view and folders are welcome, there is one more thing that is changing in the Apple Watch interface this year. It's a widget.
Gurman predicted in late April that watchOS 10 would focus more on widgets than apps. It is a cross between Glances, which was removed in watchOS 3, and the widgets currently implemented on iPhone and iPad (this part also matches @analyst941's prediction). It also brings some features of Smart Stack from iOS and iPadOS. Smart Stack is a very useful feature that switches between displaying multiple widgets depending on the current location, time, and information that the OS determines is most important to the user.
I didn't really like the 'At-a-Glance' feature and wasn't sad when it disappeared, but there were many people praising this feature at the time. Now, I also think that this feature can be improved, implemented, and effective.
The important thing is to think horizontally about how the Apple Watch works and the features and limitations that differentiate it from an iPhone or iPad. Since the watch is always worn, it has the inherent convenience of being able to quickly check information. On the other hand, the small screen poses a fundamental inconvenience in complex navigation tasks. Although it is inconvenient to actually navigate the map app, you can request directions to a saved location with a single tap.
Therefore, we need to find the optimal compromise that is simpler on the watch than on the app without being complicated. That compromise allows Apple Watch to quickly provide in-depth, relevant information without requiring excessive user intervention, and the new watchOS widgets are perfect for this void.
Of course, until watchOS 10 beta is released, it is impossible to say for sure whether the watch widget or other interface overhauls will actually be effective. Like iOS 7, it may be 'wary' at first, then go through 'aesthetic assimilation' and finally 'acceptance', or it may be very popular as soon as it is released or it may be a complete failure.
But regardless of whether the Apple Watch's new interface succeeds or fails, the most important thing is that Apple has finally acknowledged that the existing interface needs changes. The first step to solving any problem is admitting that there is a problem. All innovations also start from here.
It's the Apple Watch. Mark Gurman, an analyst with knowledge Phone Number List of private information, recently predicted that watchOS 10 is so good that no one will be interested in the new (as far as is known) Apple Watch hardware coming later this year.
The key to this outlook is the ‘updated’ interface. Considering that the word 'update' is used rather than a new interface, it does not seem to be as innovative and surprising a change as iOS 7. However, most experts expect that the way smartwatches are operated will change significantly in watchOS 10.
In fact, a few days after Gurman's prediction came out, new information about watchOS 10 was leaked. According to this, the biggest change is that the grid view app layout, which has been in place since 2015 (although a list view was added in 2017), where icons are arranged in a honeycomb shape without labels, has been discarded, and large icons are arranged in uniform rows to create a vertical layout. A method similar to iOS where scrolling is introduced is introduced. In fact, this approach seems much more logical and user-friendly. List view users have also had no way to place frequently used apps in the center, so this change will be greatly welcomed.
For reference, the source of the second leaked information is @analyst941, who also works under the name anonymous-AS, and Apple recently revealed the identity of this person. Currently, it is unclear how much of the information leaked by 941 is accurate information and how much is misinformation intentionally leaked by Apple. However, at least in the case of watchOS, it is confirmed through other sources. This is why the main content is expected to be accurate.
Grid being retired
In fact, there were many aspects of Apple's long-standing obsession with grid view that were difficult to understand. Not only is it not an efficient way to use a small screen, but using it properly requires a very good memory for icons (sometimes the icons change shape!) and nimble fingers. Perhaps Apple thought the grid view was the signature feature of the Apple Watch. Like the iPhone's home button, notch, and digital island. But the two are clearly different. If the iPhone is 'an inevitable part anyway, use it in a profitable way', then the grid view is 'just' bad design. It has been easy to improve in the meantime, but it is only now that it is being corrected.
Grid view is the worst for usability. ⓒ Dominik Tomaszewski/Foundry
Meanwhile, interface improvements may go beyond simply rearranging icons. According to @analyst941 (again, this is not a confirmed fact), Apple will be adding folders to the Apple Watch's home screen for the first time. At first glance, it doesn't seem to fit, and since I've never seen this feature implemented in actual watch OS, I can't say for sure that it will be useful. This is especially true if you transfer the iOS folder system to the watch. Apple's interface design team hit a few snags after Jony Ive left Apple. But I expect they will eventually find a way to implement folders properly on small watch faces.
What is most noteworthy in this analysis and outlook is the fact that Apple has become willing to take risks, try various methods, and be willing to 'change again' if they do not work properly. This has been the most disappointing part of Apple's watchOS development so far. In fact, Apple was hesitant to change the home screen and app layout of WatchOS. In fact, it was at a standstill. This stagnation is especially disappointing given how much the Apple Watch has changed for both manufacturers and users since Grid View arrived in 2015.
Apple acknowledged that another part of the interface, the side button, was also wrong. Apple has also accepted that this button is more intuitive to bring up the dock instead of the contact list. I should have acknowledged long ago that the grid view was also a wrong decision.
One More Thing, ‘Widget’
Although the changes to the grid view and folders are welcome, there is one more thing that is changing in the Apple Watch interface this year. It's a widget.
Gurman predicted in late April that watchOS 10 would focus more on widgets than apps. It is a cross between Glances, which was removed in watchOS 3, and the widgets currently implemented on iPhone and iPad (this part also matches @analyst941's prediction). It also brings some features of Smart Stack from iOS and iPadOS. Smart Stack is a very useful feature that switches between displaying multiple widgets depending on the current location, time, and information that the OS determines is most important to the user.
I didn't really like the 'At-a-Glance' feature and wasn't sad when it disappeared, but there were many people praising this feature at the time. Now, I also think that this feature can be improved, implemented, and effective.
The important thing is to think horizontally about how the Apple Watch works and the features and limitations that differentiate it from an iPhone or iPad. Since the watch is always worn, it has the inherent convenience of being able to quickly check information. On the other hand, the small screen poses a fundamental inconvenience in complex navigation tasks. Although it is inconvenient to actually navigate the map app, you can request directions to a saved location with a single tap.
Therefore, we need to find the optimal compromise that is simpler on the watch than on the app without being complicated. That compromise allows Apple Watch to quickly provide in-depth, relevant information without requiring excessive user intervention, and the new watchOS widgets are perfect for this void.
Of course, until watchOS 10 beta is released, it is impossible to say for sure whether the watch widget or other interface overhauls will actually be effective. Like iOS 7, it may be 'wary' at first, then go through 'aesthetic assimilation' and finally 'acceptance', or it may be very popular as soon as it is released or it may be a complete failure.
But regardless of whether the Apple Watch's new interface succeeds or fails, the most important thing is that Apple has finally acknowledged that the existing interface needs changes. The first step to solving any problem is admitting that there is a problem. All innovations also start from here.