Apple Interface Mysteries

Introduction

“It’s not you, it’s Apple.”

When I first talked with Take Control publisher Joe Kissell about the idea for this book, that sentence came up as what they call in my home town of Hollywood the book’s high concept.

Let me expand on that a little. For decades, Apple has been legendary in the technology industry for its ability to make the complex simple, to package incredibly sophisticated technology into easy-to-use packages. And as with many legends, this one contains an element of truth, even though the legend itself is more legend than true. Apple’s devices may, on the whole, be easier to use than those of competitors, but easier isn’t the same thing as easy when it’s hard to figure out.

A couple of cases in point:

• To find out ...