iPhone and Windows Phone 7 series side-by-side: The chrome, the chrome!
Inspired by this post about information density in the interfaces of the two phones, I decided to compare the two in more detail. I may do a similar 360 phone comparison, as it is, in some points, similar to the Windows one.
The lock screen is up first, and a first example of the elimination of what Tufte would call interface debris. No controls here.
To get unlock a Windows phone, simply slide the screensaver upwards with your thumb. The phone is in there, sitting behind the screensaver image.
I remember when I first saw the iPhone and thought “oh, finally, no more remembering obscure keyboard patterns to open a phone”. Seeing the Windows unlock mechanism, well, caused a similar response.
Then, there’s the home view. The WIndows phone is dynamic. Again, I remember seeing the iPhone grid for the first time back in 2007 and couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. “That’s it? A grid?”. The Live Tiles on the Windows Phone could have been a hint of what I may have expected to see three years ago.
Moving on to the people view. Yes, we’ve had some enthusiastic discussion on our team if we should show photos on a list view. My view has always been “no way, no one navigates by photo”. Seeing the Windows list may change my opinion (okay, it does, x10)
The contact details view is one of the really tough examples of just how much chrome we’ve gotten used to in the iPhone. I mean look at it. Lines. Backgrounds. Boxes!
Another thing worth noticing is that while the iPhone seems to think that the data (ie phone number, email) is more important than the type (mobile, home) whereas Windows thinks the action: Call mobile. Text mobile (okay, what else would you text..). Again, the Windows Phone steals a point from the old iPhone.
Appstore / Marketplace. I have no words (contrary to the iPhone, who reads that?)
The first view when entering the department of music and videos. The iPhone gains some power here by letting me in to where I can do stuff and not having to select a menu, then do stuff. Other than that the iPhone view feels overloaded with interface elements compared to the Windows view.
Once again Windows insists on a gateway menu rather than letting me right in to where the action is. Other than that, note how the showing-small-thumbnails-in-the-list has been turned around. Well, it is about images after all.
Single image view. Not completely fair showing the iPhone with the interface as it actually doesn’t appear until the user touches the photo.
But there’s still a point here. When did you last need to know exactly how many photos in the gallery? Or need a back and forward button (when you know you can swipe)? The most used control here must be the “Camera roll” (back) button.
The Winphone has a physical back button, a pattern of which I’m strongly against. Why would you want all your interactions happening on the screen, and then one of the most frequently used ones outside the screen? I really thought the Android had proven that this was off. Could be me.
The contextual menu is really similar. I know I’m repeating myself, but … there’s less interface on the Windows Phone. In this case, however, I’m not entirely sure that it’s a good thing. The iPhone buttons serve as strong indicators as to where I can hit and still achieve impact. On the Windows buttons, is it only the text that is linked up? To be sure I’ll aim at the text labels, and thus decreasing the hit area and violating the law of Mr. Paul Fitts.
That’s it for now. It’s really interesting seeing how dated the iPhone suddenly looks.
A thing to note, of course, is that the iPhone UI – and almost all the views – is three years old today. Another thing to note is that we don’t yet know two things about the Windows Phone: How responsive will it be on the two different handsets, and do the hubs and all the integrated stuff actually work in day to day use?
Judging from the iPad interface no big overhaul seems to be in the making for iPhone OS 4. So, finally, maybe even for the first time in this millenium, Microsoft could be one step ahead.
Yeah.. and just one more example of much (from Claus’ iPad post) and less (iCal 2009) interface:
UPDATE: Here’s a hands-on video on a prototype. Apart from loading the People hub in the beginning, the responsiveness looks great.
February 17th, 2010 at 11:11 am
The age of rounded corners might finally be over… Phew!
February 17th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Jeg synes at samtlige iphone billeder er pænest :D men jeg er også mere til rene linier end det der nymoderne upbeat rodede design ;)
February 17th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Try to use the new Zune and you will have an as good idea of what the Winphone feels like to use – as an iPod Touch will give you an idea of the iPhone.
The Zune is more funky than the Touch, but demands more brain power and second guessing for simple interactions.
Facing the ultimate usability test: “Could a 3 year old use it?” the iPhone is still well ahead. Maybe not 5 years ahead as it was in the beginning – more likely 2 years ahead :)
February 17th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Actually IMHO android proved that you DO need back button. Perhaps Palm PRE proves you do not need it… so I guess I would say that a lot depends on the responsiveness of the OS and the accuracy of the touch screen.
February 17th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
What is this obsession that people have with rounded corners? It’s like people either denounce that style fully or buy into it completely – it’s a matter of context and particular branding, for G’s sake.
I don’t see that square boxes add anything to those images – on the contrary. Talking about the initial menu system, the iPhone offers far more potential interactions than the W7 above, and it does it with a minimum of clutter COMPARED to that potential. The factor between those two is the issue, not the absolute numbers (up to a certain amount, obviously).
As I see it, the W7 menu example has 1) enlarged the icons beyond necessary, 2) introduced confusion between interface elements (too many similar buttons), 3) skewed everything at least 10 pixels to the left (looks terrible compared to the gadget frame), 4) expanded the “desktop” beyond the frame (looks messy as hell), 5) made less information available (what’s the battery state? am I connected? what network?).
And I don’t buy the easy un-lock, either. Swipe the W7 in your pocket or through some thin fabric and it’s wide open to accidental calls.
February 18th, 2010 at 2:09 am
Note though that what we saw showcased by Jobs was not the iPhone OS 4 but rather the iPhone OS 3.2, so there might me a few surprises coming soon.
Even though there is a definite “coolness” to the Windows Phone 7 GUI, it reminds a bit of HTC’s additions to Windows Mobile which I used for a while; it’s not visually very similar but requires more attention to figure out, as Runar has noticed.
When the graphics are not as obvious, you have to concentrate more on the GUI itself, which is a departure from “don’t make me thing” principles.
I am all for new possibilities and have no intention of bashing Microsoft, they have done some great things and actually Windows Mobile 6.x was quite interesting, if geeky.
But unfortunately the more I look at the videos and pics from Barcelona the more it seems the the GUI was designed to look great on a big still screen behind Ballmer, not for real use when walking around and interacting simultaneously with a real attention-demanding environment.
February 18th, 2010 at 2:41 am
Problem with Windows 7 is…well it’s Windows : P
When Apple releases 4th gen iphone, it will make this look really, really old.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
There is no comparison, WP7S ROCKS!
February 18th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
“Facing the ultimate usability test: “Could a 3 year old use it?” the iPhone is still well ahead. Maybe not 5 years ahead as it was in the beginning – more likely 2 years ahead :)”
Why would a three year old’s technology needs be the same as an adult’s? Would you want them to be? Is it actually the ultimate aim to dumb things down to the level of an age group which has only just learnt to walk convincingly and not take a dump in their pants?
February 18th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
past winmo fan for over 5 year + 3 year fan of the iphone
Windows mobile 7 seems pretty nice althought usability, extensibility, responsiveness, effectives can not be compared by shots!!!
You need to use both devices to give an unbiased review. At the moment all we can read here is MS fanboys bash apple and Apple fanboys bash MS!
The good thing is that Win Phone 7 is a step in the right direction althought they need to build someting damn fast am ituitive in order to grab iphone users back. They will surely grab existing win mo fans thats for sure. Althought they might drive them away if this is not backwards compatible.
Iphone 4 is not needed to compete win phone 7, wp7 simply needs to prove it self once its in the market. Althought whar worries me is that MS is being too slow in catching up with the competition!
February 18th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Appstore / Marketplace. I have no words (contrary to the iPhone, who reads that?)
Well, actually it seams to me that they just stuck a picture of “Flight control” over the Windows phone…. it’s not even inside the border of the screen…
February 20th, 2010 at 1:02 am
Completely agree with Paris paraskev (re: Apple fanboys vs. MS fanboys).
It would only tell through use, just how good it is. I love my iPod touch, but can’t stand the iPhone (as a phone), niggly, fundamental things missing. I’ve had a couple of WinMo phones, from Windows Pocket PC Smartphone Edition, to Windows Mobile, and although the former was responsive… it was lacking features, the latter (a HTC TyTn II) was slow as hell.
I switched to a BlackBerry Bold and then a BlackBerry Storm 2 (bring on more bashing for going for an RIM device/OS), which overall I like. It too lacks features (particularly UI) that I like on the iPhone (and iPod Touch), and the handset is buggy (which is hardware thing rather than a software thing). I’m still not happy…
I hold out hope for Windows Phone 7, but at the end of the day, I’m not sure the hardware manufacturer’s can make a device that is also reliable enough to really sell the MS OS. Everyone has to remember that with the iPhone, Apple are selling a complete package… device and OS and (to their advantage) because they produce both, they’re able to ensure that they both perform to the best they can. I (personally) don’t think we’ll ever be able to see this level of compatibility with a WinMo/WinPhone OS.
But that’s just my view. :)
February 21st, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I’m waiting to see what “revolutionary” technology Apple will bring to the 4th gen iphone. Removable battery, perhaps? How about multitasking?
February 21st, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Kurt,
MS will control hardware as stated since the announcement of wp7
Rasmus,
you can’t unlock the phone with with link, it’s a capacitive screen, not resistive. I use wm 6.5 pro now and i keep my phone in my pocket (touch pro 2 with resistive screen) and it doesn’t unlock on it’s own and the slider is a shorter swipe.
No one seems to get the point here.. When MS first hit the phone market, Palm was in their sights and that’s why their OS looked like that for years. Professionals also like the look of windows mobile because it simple and direct.
Now that GUI has become cartoon-like, MS has adapted to it as they always do and have bettered the whole market as they always have done in everything they do. The XBOX has NATAL later this year (completely destroying Wii) and now WP7.
Face the facts people, you just don’t mess with MS.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:45 am
Actually, regarding the back button, there is a huge use for this that I really miss having gone to an iphone over a year ago. With no concept of “back” in iPhone, everything is a spoke from the “home” screens. This is not how people work, in general, but have adapted to it for the phone’s sake. As a design element, I think I can prove at least WHY this decision is an important one, even if you don’t buy into it.
Take, for example, tasks you do in everyday life at your desk. If you are preparing to pay some bills, for example, and you realize you need to look something up in your filing cabinet in the middle of the pocess, you don’t close everything up, put your checkbook away (I know…who uses a checkbook anymore…just go with it), put away all your bills until you have a clean desk. Then, with a fresh start, go get the information you needed, jot it down (copy), then go back to a clean desk, and start the process of paying bills again. When you get back to where you needed that information, then you fill it in (paste). People don’t WANT to always work in a single threaded, encompassed, walled environment, even on a smartphone. Granted, many scenarios don’t require interaction with multiple systems on the phone, but some do.
Let’s make this more related to a smartphone then. Consider this scenario (one example of countless scenarios). You are composing an email/facebook update/tweet/whatever, and want to inlcude a website you saw earlier, but can’t remember what it is, but also link to a photo that you haven’t taken yet. Then, finish the email/update/whatever and send. On the iPhone, this experience is painful (actually, impossible until a few months ago when cut and paste was finally implemented). The reason is that you must depend the application you are in to fully support everything you want to do. If you do have to use another app, this spoke model with no concept of “back” is not conducive to achieving your goal. You must do everything separately. With a back button, you can go do what you need to do (take a picture, find a website, an address, whatever, and hit the back button a few times, and you’re right back where you were. I have NO idea if that is how WP7S will implement the back button; we’ll have to wait and see. This is how MSFT has implemented the back button in WinMobile, and how it “should” be done (too bad the rest of WinMo lef so much to be desired).
Okay, so we know why a back button can be necessary/useful as a design element on a phone. Why a hardware button? That’s easy. Two major reasons. First, and this is more important, it’s because the back button trancends a task, an app, a webpage, etc. It is bigger than all of that. It allows you to go “back” between apps, hubs (in WP7S), tasks, screens, whatever. The second reason is related. Where do you put a “back” button on the touch UI that transcends everything on the screen and have that make sense? Especially in a “chromeless” UI like Metro on Windows Phone 7 Series? You can’t rely on each app or experience to provide this UI because it transcends that app/experience. You certainly don’t want it hovering over everything you do waiting for a finger touch, especially, again, in a UI without “chrome”. The only way to implement this on screen would be to put a hardware button on the device to bring up the back button, right? Well, at that point, just make the damn button a back button.
The defense rests.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:29 am
rtyuio