Apple, We Have a Problem
There was a time when Apple software was easy to use.
Alas, with the advent of PhotoStream, iCloud and a bunch of other nonsense, simple tasks like deleting photos from one’s iPhone from the Mac now requires Google searches to solve the problem. Not very intuitive.
Apple’s credo of “It just works.” may still apply to its hardware, but it simply no longer holds true in its native software offerings. iCloud and PhotoStream add unnecessary complication to my workflow, to the point where I have had to shut them off.
I have no desire to have my photos shared across all my devices. Like many people I’ve spoken with, I use my iPhone to capture my photos, with the intent of offloading them to the Mac afterwards. And what about having the ability to download my wife’s photos from her iPhone into our common photo library? Based on my research, there’s no easy method to do this.
I want wi-fi synching from both our iPhones to our iPhoto library on one Mac. That’s it.
And iTunes? It’s bloated to the point of insanity and needs a complete rewrite from the ground up. As it stands, iTunes manages syncing of music, videos, books, and yes, even photos.
Why?
I have no idea. And here’s another head-scratcher: Why on earth is there an option to sync photos from my Mac to my iPhone? Who uses this feature anyway? And why is it even in iTunes?
To me, Apple’s new software motto apparently appears to be: “It sort of works, but not in the way you expect.”
And I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way.
-Krishna
Bruce Clement
May 9, 2015 at 2:01 amCan’t speak for the Mac / iDevice world, but I occasionally copy photos from my desktop to my android phone. For whatever reason applies on the day I suspect I’m going to want to show it to someone I expect to meet that day.
Back in the days of the command line we’d work-around a lack of functionality in the applications, maybe even writing a script to add something you need on a regular basis. Unfortunately there is a downside to the gui world in that you are pretty much limited to the imagination of the developer. If iPrograms are choking under a plethora of non-obvious options it’s probably the result of a large number of things a small number of users absolutely need to beable to do.
Add-ins anyone?
BTW: For the haters, this tendency of simultaneously dumbing down and bloating softweare seems to be affecting *all* current gui platforms. Windows, iDevices, Macs, KDE, etc.
Krishna
May 9, 2015 at 12:09 pmI’m with you Bruce. “Simple” has become complex. And restrictive. Software developers should understand how people actually use their computers and not foist new rules based on their own whims.
Kevin S
May 9, 2015 at 7:21 pmI’m sorry, but I mostly disagree. (Although my post isn’t completely serious, so read everything as if I used a “silly winky” emoticon ;-P )
The reality is Apple has simply changed the way you should think about your media. “The Cloud” is where it should live, and the beauty of this is that it’s available all the time, everywhere you go. Gone are they days of taking photos on your phone (or a dedicated Digital Camera, for that matter), and then offloading them onto your Mac, worrying about synchronization and backups.
The New Apple Way™ is to have your photos all on iCloud. When you take a photo, it’s just automatically everywhere. If you’re the type of person that takes a lot of photos, then you should upgrade your iCloud account. It’s not very expensive, and (in my opinion) worth it for the piece of mind.
Just like when I first used iTunes… the “it just works” system only applies if you let whichever app you’re using manage things for you. Let go of the notion that you have to manage files, or have your own system of organization. Embrace the methods that engineers and designers have spent months optimizing. Stop second-guessing the app, and let it “Just Work”. If it’s making your workflow complicated, then maybe you can change your workflow.
At the same time, there’s nothing stopping you from continuing to use iPhoto, too…
To address your comments about iTunes… I do agree with you, but you should understand that It’s bloated and does so many things because Apple needs a single point of contact for iDevices on Windows (damn Windows!). It doesn’t make sense to install iBooks, Photos, Calendar, Contacts, iTunes, a dedicated app for managing Apps… Windows users would have none of it, and would complain about “the dozens of useless Apple apps that are cluttering up their Windows system”.
I do agree that a better idea would be a central “iOS Sync” app, but you’d still have to install iTunes and something to manage apps…
My final point is that Apple has definitely become a consumer company. Their software no longer reflects the needs of professionals (you and I). In the long run, this may be their biggest downfall, but only time will tell…
Krishna
May 9, 2015 at 9:38 pmI guess I’m old school then. I don’t want my photos everywhere. I want the ability to use wifi to download photos from my iPhone to my Mac. That’s it. Based on my use case, paid cloud storage would be redundant. All my photos are backed up to separate drives on my Mac and also remotely via Backblaze.
A hub app is what’s needed, and iTunes shouldn’t be it.
I agree that Apple is courting the consumer more than ever and that pro users are largely ignored (evidenced by the entire Mac lineup).
Scott P
May 11, 2015 at 6:11 pmKrishna,
I think Kevin hit the nail on the head, as did your self-admission. You (and to a certain extent, I) are (am) old school when it comes to files, organization, etc. You are set in your way of doing things, which you’ve documented in several posts regarding your 7 thousand ;-) backup drives and extensive cataloging system. There is nothing with the way you do that. That is the way your workflow works for you. It stems from the engineering side of your brain of meticulously embedding folders within folders within folder to classify and stratify everything you do. I do the same thing. It’s the engineer in me as well.
Further I think it also comes from your lifelong use of Apple products. You still try to work them as a “power user” like Apple was still a niche computer-only company. They are no longer the company you have used for the majority of your life. Jobs changed the company when he came back from exile and released the i-line of products. As soon as the iPod exploded, the die was cast, in my opinion. That drove further changes and further successes, and ultimately changed the company perspective and focus.
Gone are the days, in my opinion, that Apple caters to the power user. They now are a consumer-driven company that makes products that “just works” for the general masses. My dad is not a computer whiz at all. His new iPad was so intuitive for him, he works it better than a Windows PC he’s had for years. It is now his main choice of tech.
As Kevin stated, the masses want their pictures/media/etc. in the cloud and all of their devices. They don’t want the extra step of having to sync their phone, DSLR, etc. to a laptop in order to use their files. They want then accessible in the least steps possible. They don’t care how that data is arranged as long as they can get to it when they need it, whether they are on an iPhone, iPad, MBP, etc.
Apple makes things for general consumers. Off-device cloud storage is where everything is moving, whether we like it or not. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Linux, etc. knows that and is moving that way. We, as engineering-brained folks, have to embrace that change. :-) Just my two cents.
hari
May 11, 2015 at 11:25 pmThis dumbing down of computing is affecting all platforms to some extent, but luckily in Open Source, we have the choice of interfaces and the software we use and there are enough power users out there to keep development going in terms of power user apps.
Sadly every computer manufacturer wants to make computers into tablets and smartphones. Ridiculous, really.
And not everybody WANTS their files on the cloud – not even among the average non-techie consumer.