441: ‘Serious Opinionators’, With Adam Engst

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode centers on a deep critique of Apple’s Liquid Glass-era UI changes, especially the iOS 26 Phone and Messages apps. The hosts praise some modernization and consistency improvements, but argue Apple is making key usability mistakes by hiding controls, overusing icons, and violating long-standing interface principles. They also reflect on Apple’s 50-year history, TidBITS’ longevity, and the broader tension between aesthetics, human factors, and product design.

Main Topics: Apple’s 50-year anniversary and the hosts’ long Apple-writing careers (Priority: 4/5): The conversation opens by reflecting on Apple turning 50 and TidBITS nearing 36 years, which prompts nostalgia about Apple history, old Mac books, and how long both participants have been writing about Apple. Phone app redesign in iOS 26: classic vs. unified (Priority: 5/5): A major topic is the redesigned Phone app, which now offers both classic and unified views. The hosts debate the strengths of the new layout, especially its consistency with other message-style lists, versus the disruption to old habits and muscle memory. Hidden and inconsistent settings behavior (Priority: 5/5): They criticize Apple for making the 'Tap Recents to Call' preference appear only in Unified view, disappear in Classic view, and even crash Settings when toggled repeatedly. This is held up as a poor example of discoverability and consistency. Human interface guidelines vs. visual design excess (Priority: 5/5): The discussion broadens into a critique of Apple’s design culture under Alan Dye and Liquid Glass, arguing that Apple has overcorrected toward aesthetics and away from human factors, readability, and the discipline of the classic HIG. Messages app, filtering, and consistency with Phone (Priority: 4/5): Messages is compared to Phone as another app that benefits from the new filtering model for unknown senders/spam, but still suffers from hidden controls, icon-heavy UI, and too much reliance on modes and compact symbols. Broader concerns about macOS Tahoe and desktop UI regression (Priority: 5/5): The hosts discuss Tahoe’s desktop interface problems, especially unreadable transparency, bad scroll bars, and the import of touch-first iOS conventions onto the Mac, which they see as disrespectful to desktop norms. Apple Intelligence, machine learning, and a better future for personalization (Priority: 3/5): They end by arguing Apple could use machine learning more effectively for visual personalization and usability—such as choosing better contact posters or improving contrast and readability automatically—if it were more thoughtfully applied.

Key Arguments: The unified Phone app view is actually a better list design than the old classic interface because it aligns with how modern messaging/list UIs work. Apple’s choice to hide 'Tap Recents to Call' in only one mode is a poor design decision; it should be visible, explained, or split by view. Consistency matters because users build muscle memory; even small changes can cause confusion, accidental calls, or lost workflows. Apple used to treat UI as a human factors science, but now appears to favor visual style and icons over clarity and legibility. The Mac should not be forced to adopt iPhone-like interface conventions, especially when those conventions remove useful text and always-visible controls. Many old Apple design principles still apply: words are often better than icons, menu bars are useful, and scroll bars should remain readable and informative. Apple could improve its software by using machine learning to test and optimize readability, contrast, and personalized visuals. Some of the new designs are genuinely useful, but Apple is undermining them with hidden settings, missing labels, and inconsistent presentation across views.

Data Points: TidBITS age: 36 years (closing in on 36 in April) - Used to frame how long the publication has existed relative to Apple’s lifespan. Apple corporate lifespan coverage by TidBITS: 72% - A rough comparison made during the opening discussion about longevity. Daring Fireball age: 24 years in August - John Gruber notes the site started in 2002 and is nearing its 24th anniversary. Phone app view options: 2 - iOS 26 offers Classic View and Unified View in the Phone app. Clickable corner area on window resize: 28% visible / 72% off-window - They cite the window-corner resize affordance issue in Tahoe, where most clickable area sits in dead space outside the visible rounded corner. Tip Kit-style onboarding: 1 hidden introduction tip - The hosts speculate Apple uses a one-time tip to encourage users to try Unified view. Messages/Phone filter categories: Multiple categories including unknown senders/spam/voicemail/missed calls - These filters are discussed as a major addition to the new apps’ list handling. Settings crash behavior: Every third or fourth time - The settings app reportedly crashes when repeatedly switching the phone-view setting back and forth. iPhone line visibility issue: 20 years - They note iOS is now nearly 20 years old without a true Mac-style menu bar equivalent.

Pivotal Quotes: "Design is how it works." — Adam Angst quoting Steve Jobs: Used to contrast Jobs-era product thinking with what they view as Alan Dye-era aesthetic-first design. "I really do think it should be available in both." — John Gruber: He argues the 'Tap Recents to Call' preference should exist in both Classic and Unified Phone views. "they've taken the way that scroll bars look... and just colored them in on Tahoe" — John Gruber: A vivid criticism of Tahoe’s scroll bars and the broader desktop UI regression.

Implications: The episode suggests Apple’s 2026 design story will hinge on whether it can correct Liquid Glass excesses, restore clarity, and ship credible Apple Intelligence improvements. If it doesn’t, it risks alienating long-time users who value readability, consistency, and desktop-appropriate interaction models.