[altarius]

I don't think it's the design, it's the usability. I might argue that it has always more about usability than design.

Sure, the iconic designs of the G4 Cube, iMac, metal Powerbooks and later Macbook were what drew people in, but the usability is what kept many people with Apple.

Is the better scrolling a design or a tech thing? Probably tech, but I'm sure it's only that good because someone really understood how people use it and what it really needs to do well and then insisted that the tech worked flawlessly.

[slowmovintarget]

Usability is a sub-discipline of user experience, which is a sub-discipline of... wait for it.. design.

Design, from designare - to mark out, to prepare the plans for, especially to plan the form and structure of

Usability is just one area of emphasis for design. Apple simply included too few elements of usability in their efforts.

[altarius]

Definitely. It's also mostly Steve Jobs'/Apple's definition. But in the context of discussing Apple, many often solely talk about the shiny exteriors and looks of Apple products while neglecting usability.

We may disagree, but the usability used to be and maybe is again the main selling (or at least "staying") point. I think this was lost a bit during Apple's "high design" years before Ives departure. It was often form over function.

[robertlagrant]

If I had to start from first principles and I had to either be the tech person who figured everything out or the person who insisted it work flawlessly, I'm pretty sure I know which would be the easier job.