Not many people realize this, but touch screen devices didn’t just magically appear with the 2007 iPhone. There had previously been many attempts at creating a device or computer that didn’t require a keyboard. But for the most part, they have failed. I mean seriously, look at this picture of the HP-150 from 1983:
Now I suppose that was pretty cool for the time, but given the fact that the operating system and interface had pretty much no difference from the standard computer of the 80’s, and the fact that the sensors on the screen would get really dusty and start failing, there was really no point in using a touch screen other than trying to convince people that you believe there is someone living inside the monitor and that the only way you can communicate with them is through poking the screen.
Of course, the 90’s brought the advent of the palm pilot, which I suppose was relatively popular. But again,the OS was usually bland, had no real difference from the rest of the computers of the time, and used…a stylus. Ugh.
In 2002, Microsoft actually started running Windows XP on tablet PC hardware. Here are some examples:
As you can see, the design was really clunky, and had no benefit compared to the laptops being sold during this period. Again, the operating system and interface seemed to be literally copied from the normal version of XP,and they used…a stylus. Ugh X 2. Soon manufacturers were like “OH DEAR GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE” and realized the monster that they created would come to destroy the world through mediocrity, so they eventually stopped their production.
Now in 2007, when the iPhone was revealed, what did Apple do differently? For one, they started small – applying their new design to a phone before creating a tablet (which I think was a smart idea). But more importantly, they made an entirely new operating system and interface JUST FOR THE DEVICE. This would later be known as iOS. And this interface was leagues above the typical phone OS of the time. So let’s examine how iOS changed the game when it comes to digital rhetoric.
First, Apple decided that the best stylus in the world was our finger (yay!). The icons, digital keyboard, and app designs were all made to be used by one finger or thumb. This radically changed the way developers designed their software. Apps, especially games, had to be created in such a way that all you had to use were your fingers, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to run on the iPhone. Thus, games like Angry Birds, which uses finger motions in order to give a nuanced sense of physics, were formed out of Apple’s hands-on approach (pun intended).
Yet the most important feature of the iPhone, in my opinion, was the fact that the interface was incredibly fast. Attempts at creating touchscreen devices before the iPhone failed not simply because they were practically pointless, but because they were also incredibly slow and prevented the user from enjoying the device. With the 2007 iPhone, the OS was really quick compared to pretty much every phone on the market. But what does speed have to do with digital rhetoric?
Well the fact that the OS and interface were really fast meant that the entire device responded to your natural movements and was therefore intuitive – you don’t need to be told how to use it. In fact, Apple has never packaged actual instructions for their iOS devices. Therefore, both the design and content of apps on the iPhone had to utilize its intuitive nature, or they wouldn’t be allowed on the device. Even the standard apps on previous Apple devices, like iTunes, were completely redesigned for the iPhone. Its speed allowed for quick scrolling, zooming, and sliding, removing the need for excess buttons and supported the whole “one finger” design. This made the OS look clean and very attractive.
Of course there are other features that have probably influenced the way people present material on the iPhone, such as limiting physical buttons and giving people the ability to program apps themselves. But the speed of the device, combined with the interface, created a standard for touch screen devices we can see across tablets and phones today. Websites, games, and apps on tablets and smartphones are now all designed to maintain this intuitive nature.
Arman is Awesome 