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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > What the F is wrong with the icons?

What the F is wrong with the icons?
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mrtew
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Jun 30, 2010, 10:44 PM
 
I was amazed by the sharpness of the icons when I started up my new iPhone4 but quickly realized that it's only the Apple one's that look better. Some apps are being updated and their icons are being sharpened too but some updated one's aren't and still have the old low-res look to them. I don't understand why this is even necessary though since all apps have huge hi-res icons when viewed in iTunes after they're downloaded so why doesn't iOS4 just use the nice versions for all the apps?

This is how the icons for PCalc and PCalc lite looked in iTunes both before and after being updated for iOS4...



but this is how they looked on the iPhone4 before...



...and after the PCalc apps were updated for iOS4.



WHY doesn't the new iPhone just use the huge clear icons that are inside all the apps without the updates???

I love the U.S., but we need some time apart.
     
ibook_steve
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Jun 30, 2010, 11:39 PM
 
I don't understand. I don't see a difference between your screen shots. Am I missing something?

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imitchellg5
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Jun 30, 2010, 11:43 PM
 
They have extra shine. So the devs updated the icons. Does it matter?
     
kman42
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Jun 30, 2010, 11:54 PM
 
Do you have some kind of clock fetish?
     
mrtew  (op)
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Jul 1, 2010, 12:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by ibook_steve View Post
I don't understand. I don't see a difference between your screen shots. Am I missing something?
Yeah maybe you have to click the bars at the top of the pictures to make them full size and compare the two calculator icons that have the number 42 on them. On the top picture they are pixilated and on the bottom on they are sharp. Here's a shot that shows them better.



Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
They have extra shine. So the devs updated the icons. Does it matter?
I don't see the extra shine but my point is not that they updated the icons, it's that there's no reason that the developers should have to update the icons since there have always been huge hi-res versions of every apps icons in every app as you have always been able to see in iTunes. And it matters to people with good eyes more is suppose.

Originally Posted by kman42 View Post
Do you have some kind of clock fetish?
I wouldn't casually dismiss other people's interests as fetishes but yeah I love old clocks and calculators and since there are hundreds of them in the app store I'm not the only one.
( Last edited by mrtew; Jul 1, 2010 at 07:10 AM. )

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Jul 1, 2010, 12:51 AM
 
The reason there are larger icons in iTunes is because Apple makes the devs give them 2 different versions of their app's icons when submitting an app. A large one for iTunes and a small one for the device. And sometimes developers use slightly diffent designs for each one, to advertise a sale for instance. They don't necessarily want that SALE! badge on thie app icon once it's on the device.
     
mrtew  (op)
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Jul 1, 2010, 06:32 AM
 
Why would they want that SALE! badge on the app icon once it's in iTunes either though? So you can always remember that you got a great price? Why do apps even have icons in iTunes anyway? And why don't apps have icons in the Finder? That's always frustrated me too.

I better stop thinking about it because it's really started bugging me that a company like Apple that's had so much experience with applications running on different systems and different screens and has placed so much emphasis on a beautiful seamless consistent user experience over so many years would invent a brand new wholly owned and operated operating system for its own wholly owned devices and have fraked it up already. They have 200000 apps for sale in their own store that only work on their own devices that have icons that don't look right on their own new product nor on their own computers; they only look good in their iTunes program where they don't even work. Bleah.

I love the U.S., but we need some time apart.
     
subego
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Jul 1, 2010, 07:39 AM
 
I can see that Apple didn't want processing power wasted on resizing icons. OS3 had to work smoothly on a 1G, which is pretty anemic.

I'm using it right now. Man, this thing is dog slow.
( Last edited by subego; Jul 1, 2010 at 07:53 AM. )
     
ibook_steve
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Jul 1, 2010, 11:56 AM
 
No offense, but is this really that big of a deal? They're icons. You tap them to open an app. Done. As long as they correctly identify the app, that's all that's needed. I don't see how the sharpness or shininess or whatever of an icon can be this disturbing.

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The Final Dakar
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Jul 1, 2010, 11:59 AM
 
How dare you call yourself a Mac user.
     
Lint Police
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Jul 1, 2010, 12:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
Why would they want that SALE! badge on the app icon once it's in iTunes either though? So you can always remember that you got a great price? Why do apps even have icons in iTunes anyway? And why don't apps have icons in the Finder? That's always frustrated me too.

I better stop thinking about it because it's really started bugging me that a company like Apple that's had so much experience with applications running on different systems and different screens and has placed so much emphasis on a beautiful seamless consistent user experience over so many years would invent a brand new wholly owned and operated operating system for its own wholly owned devices and have fraked it up already. They have 200000 apps for sale in their own store that only work on their own devices that have icons that don't look right on their own new product nor on their own computers; they only look good in their iTunes program where they don't even work. Bleah.
lol. take a deep breath.

cause we're not quite "the fuzz"
     
Laminar
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Jul 1, 2010, 12:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
Why would they want that SALE! badge on the app icon once it's in iTunes either though? So you can always remember that you got a great price? Why do apps even have icons in iTunes anyway?
It's the icon used in the app store.
     
MacinTommy
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Jul 1, 2010, 12:53 PM
 
I see what the OP is saying and I agree that devs should make their icons "pop" a little more. I mean what's the point of the magical super high-rez retina screen if you're not going to take advantage of it?
     
kman42
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Jul 1, 2010, 01:02 PM
 
Why not just drink heavily for the next couple of weeks and when you wake up from your binge, most of the apps will have updated icons.

Just in the last week, I've had 5-7 apps per day updated to work with the iP4 Retina Display. It will happen soon enough and there is no reason to have a coronary over it.

I think Apple letting developers use different icons on iTunes and the phone is a good thing. It gives them flexibility.
     
Brien
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Jul 1, 2010, 03:20 PM
 
I just make my icons as 1,024 by 1,024 images and scaled them down for iTunes/retina/regular sizes. Sure, I could make each one a bit more unique, but I don't think it matters.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 1, 2010, 06:20 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
I better stop thinking about it because it's really started bugging me that a company like Apple that's had so much experience with applications running on different systems and different screens and has placed so much emphasis on a beautiful seamless consistent user experience over so many years would invent a brand new wholly owned and operated operating system for its own wholly owned devices and have fraked it up already. They have 200000 apps for sale in their own store that only work on their own devices that have icons that don't look right on their own new product nor on their own computers; they only look good in their iTunes program where they don't even work. Bleah.
You should download a bunch of third party apps onto an Android device with a high-res screen.
     
cgc
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Jul 1, 2010, 06:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
Why would they want that SALE! badge on the app icon once it's in iTunes either though? So you can always remember that you got a great price? Why do apps even have icons in iTunes anyway? And why don't apps have icons in the Finder? That's always frustrated me too.

I better stop thinking about it because it's really started bugging me that a company like Apple that's had so much experience with applications running on different systems and different screens and has placed so much emphasis on a beautiful seamless consistent user experience over so many years would invent a brand new wholly owned and operated operating system for its own wholly owned devices and have fraked it up already. They have 200000 apps for sale in their own store that only work on their own devices that have icons that don't look right on their own new product nor on their own computers; they only look good in their iTunes program where they don't even work. Bleah.
Really, since when is Apple known for their beautiful GUIs? You can point out all kinds of issues with OSX...people have been...and Apple doesn't care...they are more concerned with user experience than pixel-perfect GUI.
     
mrtew  (op)
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Jul 1, 2010, 11:19 PM
 
This forum has become nothing more than a bunch of 12 year olds waiting for someone to post a thread so they can dump all over them. One person out of thirty posters can bear to even acknowledge that the icons should look good. Everyone else can only attack and tell me to get a life. Does anyone know if there are any good forums like this one used to be?

I love the U.S., but we need some time apart.
     
Brien
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Jul 2, 2010, 02:43 AM
 
Nope.
     
cgc
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Jul 2, 2010, 07:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
This forum has become nothing more than a bunch of 12 year olds waiting for someone to post a thread so they can dump all over them. One person out of thirty posters can bear to even acknowledge that the icons should look good. Everyone else can only attack and tell me to get a life. Does anyone know if there are any good forums like this one used to be?
I think your fanaticism has turned people off and made them take an unhelpful tone in their replies. Sure, icons should look nice on a device with a high-resolution display, but it's not the end of the world, we probably all agree with you but there's no fix action until developers update their apps.
     
mrtew  (op)
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Jul 2, 2010, 02:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by cgc View Post
I think your fanaticism has turned people off and made them take an unhelpful tone in their replies. Sure, icons should look nice on a device with a high-resolution display, but it's not the end of the world, we probably all agree with you but there's no fix action until developers update their apps.

Fanaticism??? All I said is that I think the iPhone should use the nice hi-res icons in the apps instead of the low-res ones. I never said my life revolved around icons or that my world was ending... that's just what the obnoxious replies to my posting said. Go back and read what I wrote and look for any fanaticism. And I don't think most apps will be updated with new icons since most haven't been updated in a year and I don't think that's the only fix.... I think the fix is that the iPhone4 should use the large icon.
( Last edited by mrtew; Jul 2, 2010 at 02:35 PM. )

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Jul 2, 2010, 02:56 PM
 
With text being an inaccurate medium for gauging emotion, it's very easy for one to conclude that you have a greater than normal investment in the look of the icons on your iPhone apps by placing the F-bomb in your post title.

A simple "why are the icons like this?" would have probably conveyed a neutral position and generated a more normal discourse. At the very least, people would have not projected an emotional involvement that you indicate is not present.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 2, 2010, 07:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
Fanaticism??? All I said is that I think the iPhone should use the nice hi-res icons in the apps instead of the low-res ones. I never said my life revolved around icons or that my world was ending... that's just what the obnoxious replies to my posting said. Go back and read what I wrote and look for any fanaticism. And I don't think most apps will be updated with new icons since most haven't been updated in a year and I don't think that's the only fix.... I think the fix is that the iPhone4 should use the large icon.
You could have just emailed a suggestion to Apple.
     
mrtew  (op)
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Aug 8, 2010, 11:21 AM
 
Originally Posted by kman42 View Post
Why not just drink heavily for the next couple of weeks and when you wake up from your binge, most of the apps will have updated icons.

Just in the last week, I've had 5-7 apps per day updated to work with the iP4 Retina Display. It will happen soon enough and there is no reason to have a coronary over it.

I think Apple letting developers use different icons on iTunes and the phone is a good thing. It gives them flexibility.
All right, I took you're advice and cancelled my "coronary" and drank heavily for 5 weeks. (I even realized "it's not the end of the world" and "it's not a big deal" and it doesn't "really matter" and I took "a deep breath" and gave up my "fanaticism" and gave up my "emotional investment" and realized it's not "this disturbing" and even stopped "dropping the F-bomb".)

When I awoke I charged up my iPhone and fired up the ITMS to update all my icons and there were just a few. Maybe 80% of my apps still have blurry old icons that make my new iPhone4 look like crap. (If you have bad eyes don't reply and tell me that yours look fine BTW).

I don't even blame the developers since there are tens of thousands of them and most probably made a quick app for fun and moved on with their lives or something but I still say that the hi-res ICONS are already INSIDE the app; why can't Apple just make the iPhone4 just use them already???

And why do you say Apple letting developers use different icons for the phone screen and the iTunes window is a flexible good thing??? What possible benefit is there for the user or the developer or Apple or anyone for there to be different icons for the same app in different places? I like looking at the icons in iTunes because there are so beautiful and HD but I see no reason for them to be different from the actual ones on the phone.

What's Apple's email address for suggestions?

I love the U.S., but we need some time apart.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Aug 8, 2010, 12:15 PM
 
Apple - Feedback

BTW, this Retina thing is exactly the same phenomenon as a good stereo: I doesn't make everything magically better. More often than not, it makes painfully obvious how crappy the source is.
     
Cold Warrior
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Aug 8, 2010, 01:10 PM
 
Still, I would not trade back to the 3GS screen. Retina is amazing and many of my favorite apps have been updated. Even adding mobile YouTube to the home screen looks native res.
     
kylef
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Aug 8, 2010, 04:45 PM
 
None of you are as over-compulsive as I thought. Non-retina-display icons really annoy me.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Aug 8, 2010, 05:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by kylef View Post
None of you are as over-compulsive as I thought.
Oh, I assure you I am.

I just don't have an iPhone 4. My upgrade is due next summer.
     
Brien
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Aug 9, 2010, 01:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Apple - Feedback

BTW, this Retina thing is exactly the same phenomenon as a good stereo: I doesn't make everything magically better. More often than not, it makes painfully obvious how crappy the source is.
Yep. I'm having to redo most of the art for this new retina display, as simply using higher-res versions of the original stuff looks like crap.
     
badidea
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Aug 9, 2010, 08:20 AM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew View Post
Does anyone know if there are any good forums like this one used to be?
For anything GUI-related...especially for the iPhone...I'd recommend the Macthemes forum!
They don't like the F-Bomb either but they can probably answer your question why Apple doesn't use the high-res icons.

BTW...I don't like the low-res icons either and I'm not happy that most of the themes haven't been updated yet but I just wait..........
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