This is the Trackpad preference pane on the new MacBooks:
The bottom right is a video loop demonstrating the various gestures. When you click options on the left, the video changes to show just the selected gesture. Even though the new trackpad gestures are fairly intuitive, Apple went the extra mile to train users in a slick and effective way.
The iPhone is loaded with subtle but wonderful design touches:
- I use the iPhone to pipe music through my car stereo via the audio jack. When I get out, I don’t have to go to iTunes and hit “pause”. I just unplug the audio jack and it pauses automatically.
- When music is playing and I get a call, it fades the music instead of stopping abruptly.
- By holding “home” and “hold” I can take a screenshot of with the iPhone. A nice touch, useful for bloggers doing iPhone reviews, showing clients what designs looks like on mobile Safari, emailing friends screencaps from Google maps, etc.
My favorite example of the iPhone’s fit and finish is something most people won’t ever encounter: the orientation of the iPhone LCD polarization.
I have polarized sunglasses. I can’t tilt most screens — like the one on my Canon camera — vertically or the polarization blacks out the display. The iPhone orients the polarization diagonally so I can see the screen both horizontally and vertically.
iPhone as seen through polarized glasses
That’s downright considerate design.