The genius of Steve Jobs, Apple, and other great products:

Creating something which is simple, intuitive, and fun to use!

To create things which are a JOY to use, and tools which EMPOWER us!

In praise of iPhone and iOS

I’ve been experimenting much with iPhone vs Android and this is my conclusion:

iPhone and iOS is superior to Android, because iPhone/iOS is simpler to use, less spammy, more minimalist and elegant, and beautiful/joy to use.

Also this is what I notice — even most people I know who work at Google prefer to own and use an iPhone over an Android phone.

I believe that the narrative that Android, Samsung, or any other mobile device or company is superior to iPhone because of technical specs is false. For example, I really loved using the Xiaomi 9 SE phone (image quality/aesthetics of the camera, the cheap price, the great OLED screen), but over time, it became burdensome to use. Small little bugs and inconsistencies complicated my life and my user experience. Eventually (almost organically), I shifted to using the iPhone more and more (I love the HUJI CAM app, iA writer, Apple Photos, iCloud sync, Apple Books for reading ebooks and PDF). I don’t think I’ll ever go back to an Android device (I’ve only purchased Android phones from 2009, since the introduction of the HTC EVO 4G).

And why is the iPhone, iOS, or any other Apple device superior to the competition? It just works!

In praise of the Apple AirPods

We all know those little q-tip Apple earbuds. Why are they so popular? Because they just work! You take them out and stick them in your ears, and they instantly sync with Bluetooth to your iPhone or iOS device. It seriously works 100x better than any other Bluetooth device I’ve ever used (shout out to my boy Anthony and everyone at the Apple Bluetooth team).

Which makes me understand more and more about technology, tools, and everyday life —

Ease, simplicity, convenience, lightweight, small, and minimalism will always triumph over the complex, complicated, heavier, and bulkier.

Simple is complex

Simplicity is insanely difficult to pursue, obtain, and execute.

With building arsbeta.com (critique platform for photographers and visual artists), the greatest challenge was this:

How can we simplify, scale, and make the best critique platform for photographer-artists, with the least amount of drag, friction, and complexity?

We got rid of the superfluous. No user names when critiquing photos to distract you, no captions to distract or influence you. Just you and the image. The most direct connection you can get to an image, while being able to give real and honest feedback on the photo.

Conclusion

Let us avoid this nerdy “optimization” way to think about life.

Instead, let us think about “bounded rationality” (Gerd G.), to “satisfice”, and to make things which SIMPLIFY our lives, not “improve” our lives.

This means everyday strive to strip what you consider superfluous from your life. Seek to become more empty, in order for you to cut distractions, to concentrate your focus and power to create more, dream more, think more, dance more, shoot more, lift more, and become more!

ERIC