There’s an ongoing argument that because iOS is now the oldest mobile operating system, Apple needs to jazz it up a bit. Writing for ZDNet, James Kendrick encapsulates it:

Apple’s iOS home screens are looking a bit dated. This occurred to me as I put down my iPhone and picked up the iPad mini. The home screen is certainly clean and functions well but it looks much the same as it has for years. It desperately needs some pizzazz to modernize the interface.

(Via @Lessien who says “Change for change sake.”)

My reaction is the opposite of Kendrick’s. “The home screen is certainly clean and functions well.” Full stop. Would I like more information when I turn my iPad on? Maybe. But it depends on the costs associated with providing that information.

The picture Kendrick posts of an Android tablet screen doesn’t do his argument any favors. It looks like a desktop operating system. It’s a mess. As Rene Ritchie points out, trying to shove a more desktop-style user experience down mobile customers’ throats isn’t the solution.

The added complexity is actually off-putting, intimidating, confusing, or otherwise unwelcome on the even more personal post-PC.

This was my reaction to my Nexus 7 the moment I turned it on. Who threw up screen elements on my new tablet? The device itself was fine, but the interface was overly complicated and configured to suit Google’s needs, not mine. The first thing I had to do was rearrange interface elements to clean it up and get Google Play out of my face. Basically, I made it more iOS-like. Now, does that display my personal biases? Sure. But I believe my biases are toward simpler, not “Apple”.

If Apple does decide to take cues from someone to provide more user feedback, I hope it’s Microsoft instead of Google. I know some find the updating tiles distracting, but to me the Interface Formerly Known As Metro is attractive and provides more functionality without additional complexity. I can do without the different sized tiles, but being able to know what the weather is going to be without opening the weather app would be useful (these should ship in the “off” position, however). I’m not arguing that Apple should copy Microsoft. They’re probably capable of coming up with a better way to improve the interface. But I would much rather interact with the Metro solution than the Android solution.

I don’t know anything about how providing these updates to the home screen affects battery life and performance. It seems like on iOS it could be handled in the same way notifications work, but Apple considers these issues far more carefully, it seems, than its competitors. And to Kendrick I would say that pizzazz is a crappy thing to get in exchange for battery life.

It’s not that I think iOS is perfect the way it is, but there are a lot of good reasons why iOS is the way it is. Simplicity is a design goal and an important one.

I’m not a religious person, so when I saw the story of the kid in the UK who made $2,550 worth of in-app purchases and then the other kid in the UK who made $1,512 in in-app purchases, I said “There but for the grace of a cold and unforgiving universe go I.” I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense but it’s what I’m left with given my belief system.

The point is, I have been there. Yes, I have been victimized by an impulsive grade schooler. [sob] Fortunately, not to the tune of $2,550 or even $1,512. But it was $125 more than I cared for it to be. Which is to say it was $125.

Personally, I sucked it up and paid my credit card bill instead of complaining to Apple. Mostly because my damage was lower but, to a lesser degree, because I took it as a “teachable moment”. I mean for me, not for my son. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great kid who’s very smart, but he’s also very goal-oriented. If he needs the more powerful hero to get through a level in Kingdom Rush, then he’s going to tap every damn available in-app purchase to get it no matter how many weeks of allowance it takes to pay for it.

To the charge leveled in the article that Apple has no settings to prevent this, my pals over at The Loop helpfully said:

There are, dipshit. Check your settings.

I’m sure those British parents were greatful for the pointer. I know I was. Turns out the $125 setting is in Settings under General, and then Restrictions.

There you are, you naughty little setting!

All of this trouble and the implication that this is a problem for Apple and Apple alone could have been averted by turning Require Password for In-App Purchases to “Immediately”. Personally, I think this setting should ship on rather than off and I’m sure there are other improvements that could be made. If you’re a parent with an iOS device you let your kid use, though, you should familiarize yourself with the iOS Restrictions settings before handing it to them. You owe it to yourself, your child and your country (and, if you’re British, the Queen). As the “teachable” part of this “moment”, all 948 of our household iOS devices now have this setting on.

I also learned that the Google Play Store allows you to set a pin for purchases and activated that on my Nexus 7 (after literally having to let the battery charge for a full day because it had been sitting unused for months). Amazon, meanwhile, has solved the issue by offering FreeTime, an app that creates a restricted “playground” for kids where you can tailor the content and which requires a password for purchases.

Microsoft has solved the problem by not having any apps in its store.

Ha-ha! That’s a joke. But the five people with Surfaces can take them to the Microsoft Store and have one of the many bored sales staff help them figure it out.

Let’s see, did I leave anyone out? Nope, don’t think so.