"No, not what *people* want at all. I've noticed for decades that cars seem to be built to cater to car salesmen."
That reminds me of a discussion I read on a UI blog about how Apple devices, since the demise of Steve Jobs, seem to be oriented not toward advanced or even beginning users, but toward prospective users. Things like disappearing scroll indicators to let the user know where he is in the document result in an uncluttered UI that probably looks really simple and easy to a prospective buyer in the Apple Store, but once that person gets the device home and starts to use it, he begins to notice that these features inhibit his use of the device.
I haven't been able to find that blog again, and I don't remember the name of it, but it is one of those things that had the "ring of truth" to it... I wonder if it is helpful to Apple's bottom line by promoting new sales to former non-Apple customers, or if it does more harm by driving more seasoned users to consider other platforms. I don't think ALL Apple users are cultists who would use Apple devices even if Apple screwed them up so much that it was nearly impossible to get anything done.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
