LarryRoth.net

Did usability save Apple?

by on Feb.17, 2009, under Apple, Usability

We all know that the Apple brand is ease-of-use. But, usability expert Jakob Nielsen contends that this may very well be why Apple has survived all these years:

During its first decade, the Mac offered clearly superior usability compared to competing personal computer platforms…

The Mac’s miserable marketplace performance seems to pose a strong argument against usability. Why bother, if it doesn’t sell?

The counter-argument is that usability is the only reason Mac survived. Compared to the PC, it was much more expensive, had only a fraction of the specialized applications, and was cursed by Apple’s business-hostile attitude.

So why would anyone pay more for less? Because Macs were easier to use.

Excerpt from Macintosh: 25 Years, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/macintosh.html, viewed February 16, 2009.

It’s an inspirational article for usability, with links to many other interesting articles.

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  • http://www.designinginteractive.com Josh Walsh

    In my opinion, the only reason Apple exists is because of it’s attention to the user experience. Every apple employee I’ve met is obsessed with ease of use.

    That reason alone is why people like myself will spend hundreds of dollars more for a mac. OSX is designed to run on Apple hardware, a key decision they made years ago. They have complete control over hardware and software compatibility, which means fewer problems and a more pleasant user experience.

    The same is true with the overtold iPod story. Jared Spool talks about why the iPod has 70% market share when compared to other players like the Zune. Even against far superior hardware players, like the Sansa, the attention to detail on the usability of the device allows them to demand more money for the device and take a much larger market share.

  • http://larryroth.net Larry Roth

    @Josh I agree. Having tried out many different OS’es and highly tweaking all of them, I just appreciate the “it just works” philosophy of Mac OS X.

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