Knappsterbot

It’s an aesthetic choice that’s taken on ridiculous sociological connotations because of the way that Apple has become a status symbol. And there are definitely lots of people who do consider Android users inferior and the green bubble becomes a persistent reminder of that.

Why is it a corporation’s right to deny people equivalent means of communication? There’s absolutely zero technological barriers to this problem, it’s just to cement the ridiculous superiority complex that Apple engenders in its customers.

The way we’re being forced into two sides of a debate was always going to foster a misplaced sense of righteousness and loyalty in the smooth brained among us, which is exactly what Apple bets on by refusing to make things better for people. It goes both ways to some extent but Apple marketing is firmly pinned to the image of elitism they’ve cultivated and most people are happy to be told that a product makes them better than others.

I think I’m defending designers. "Gimmick" is a pretty nebulous term when it comes to UI design and I think they did a great job with the design of the island and its effects. I think calling it "visual gimmickery" is denigrating the very fact that they had to make design choices. There’s nothing they could’ve done besides having zero functionality that wouldn’t necessitate design choices that could then be called gimmicky in bad faith.

I think it does. You say yourself that it’s practical, but since no UI element on a phone OS is purely utilitarian they have to make some design choices that boil down to "visual gimmicks" if you choose to put it that way.

Sure but that’s specific, "visual gimmickery" would apply to any design choice

"Visual gimmickery" is just a pretentious way to say design.

Did an island kill your family? Take a chill pill dude.

Well wish in one hand and shit in the other. Please.

Yeah I wouldn’t mind Android cribbing some of that functionality, it looks really slick.

All parties involved have freedom of speech and are exercising it. Stop being a whiny baby.