“Mobile technology is like a train, at every major stop a few people get off and a few people get on. That is to say, with every major development some people are left-behind and never make it back onboard as the train speeds away into the distance.”
That’s what I said roughly a year ago about iOS 9. On the face of it, things don’t seem to have changed much with iOS 10.
Yesterday Apple unveiled its years mobile OS update and listed 10 new features to add to its bulging roster. As I, and Forbes’ Theo Priestley, commented last year Apple’s magic of simplicity is -or was - fading. The sheer number of apps, functions, bit, bobs and doodahs on your iPhone is too much for one person to master, especially if they have a partial interest in mobile technology.
Of those 10 new features in iOS 10, I wonder how many will be in regular use for the average iPhone owner. We know that people use their smartphones for basic actions like calls, browsing and messaging. It’s the same for Smart TV owners who do little else other than, well, watch TV with their connected boxes. There’s clearly little appetite for complex and difficult-to-find features that aren’t necessary to the core experience. People have neither the time nor the inclination to find those features, then learn how to use them and then incorporate them into their daily lives.
I’m not alone. Two former Apple designers, Bruce Tognazzini and Don Norman, launched a scathing attack on Apple's poor design last year, asserting that the company had strayed away from its simplistic, accessible origins.
But, after yesterday’s announcements, there’s a clear solution on the horizon: Siri. After years of obscurity, Siri looks like it's going to take a central role in future iterations of iOS as it moves from being a passive to an ‘active’ personal assistant. That means Siri actively suggesting actions and responses depending on your activity.
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In practical terms, Apple showed off a few examples yesterday like suggesting locations if someone messages you with the phrase ‘where are you’. Across the platform, Siri gains a number of new abilities including booking Uber trips, sending messages, adding things to your calendar and suggesting routes to appointments in Maps, paying for things and making phone calls. And, as Siri now understands more phrases for one action, it’s instantly more accessible.
What all of this does is make discovering all of those features unnecessary, because they’re presented to you via Siri. More than that, they’re part of one fluid experience, rather than a collection of cool quirks (if you know about them). You won’t have to find these features, Siri will bring them to you. And, it’ll present them at opportune times on a silver plate, with one hand behind its back like a conscientious waiter.
This is a huge step towards a less confusing mobile experience. But it’s also just that: a step. iOS 10 is a transitional phase towards a Siri-controlled iOS, and, as such, there will be bugs, frustrations and irritations. I’m interested to see how smoothly Siri’s new in-app abilities will work. But, there’s a clear path toward a better, more intuitive and natural mobile experience. A better design.
Now check out my run down of the best new iOS 10 features.
