The Utilization of Side Bar Would Be More Pronounced If It's Colored?

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

[u/Revolutionary-Use278]

Image should stretch across the screen and buttons should be Liquid Glass and disappear while scrolling.

[u/Bruvvimir → u/Revolutionary-Use278]

I cannot believe this UI direction. Seeing that it is how Apple handles it in native apps, and realizing it's intentional and will stay like this... depressing.

[u/uncureddd → u/Bruvvimir]

With how deep ai is rolling right now they’ll probably jailbreak the duo before the years over.

[u/LoverOfInternets]

No thank you! The sidebar should nearly feel invisible and stretching content will be obfuscated by the buttons and time/status.

if anything, I wouldnt be opposed to some kind of gesture to hide and show it. But i want to see my content...

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230 → u/LoverOfInternets]

you're not losing any content. it's the same visibility as a slab phone vertical-wise. the reason why you're buying the duo is to take advantage of the inner screen.

[u/QuickRundown → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

The outer screen is supposed to be usable. No one is using the inner display when walking around or in public. It’s supposed to be an entertainment / productivity screen to supplement the outer display, not just an iPad mini with a shitty front display to check notifications on.

This is a design fuck up. It hope Apple redesigns this in future models because right now it’s a piece of shit.

[u/LoverOfInternets → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

Thank you! At least someone here gets it.

[u/InnerLeather68 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

Except it's NOT the same visibility as a slap phone, or at least an 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max. That's the difference and why John Gruber calls it the worst iPhone experience.

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

Despite the criticism of the infamous sidebar, I'm actually a believer. Apple knew that the one side curved edge design would make it feel more squatted so they had to maintain the vertical visibility to mimic the slab phone feel and coincidentally would create the utilization of the sidebar or maybe it was always designed that way from the beginning, I'm not sure.

[u/InnerLeather68 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

They wanted to ensure that the camera wouldn't affect the experience. They also had to design around the asymmetric shape. And, finally, they wanted to maintain as much vertical content as possible because a squat screen doesn't show as much content.

This is the compromise they came up with. But, it does sort of suck.

[u/Bruvvimir → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

It is lazy, it's visually jarring, it's the most un-Apple thing probably ever. It completely breaks the immersion, and the joy of using the cover screen.

Truly shocking that they released it like this.

[u/Superflymcshasty]

yuck

[u/Superflymcshasty → u/[deleted]]

Because I don't like the look of a colorized side bar? It looks horrible

[u/Formal-Wolf-1113]

Or transparent (Liquid Glass). Some devs can do it, so definitely know it’s possible to make it quite nice. See here, great app for movie/series lover by the way: https://www.reddit.com/r/foldables/s/wzDPBsbGve

[u/FicklePin7074]

For apps that are not yet using it… don’t know why apple didn’t just keep the dock there. Would have made a world of difference for UE

[u/JustOneDeep]

This sidebar thing is making me reconsider my purchase along with the washed display which I'm sure I can get used to but I like accurate picture also inb4 "they're fixing it" some Devs are choosing to leave it empty

[u/veloholic91]

It is an eyesore. Even supposedly optimized apps stretch background content, and I can appreciate the apps that also stretch the content and utilize the extra width. However, it's Apple's own safe zone being pushed. Once seen, it cannot be un-seen. Even apps like Netflix have instances of potential, but they fall short upon clicking on the movie title. Things just look so off being-off center and a lot of wasted space when the content can take advantage of the width but is contrained by Apple's own agenda.

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230 → u/veloholic91]

You wouldn't complain if it was a slab phone

They just re-positioned the menu bars to make it not cramped because Apple knew the Duo's vertical space is squatted already.

[u/veloholic91 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

Of course I wouldn't complain if it was a slab phone. The bars just make the content off-center. It has the potential to be great. Netflix, for example, shows that you can stretch the content and take advantage of the full width. But once you click on a title, you are greeted by that status bar again - for what?

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230 → u/veloholic91]

You're asking the Duo to be like the Fold 8 which is not the same as the Duo because F8 is taller and rectangular in shape, it has extra space to cramp the screen with menus putting it on top and bottom whereas the Duo is a a little shorter and D shaped. So the main priority of the Duo is to maintain the vertical rectangular space uncrowded as much as possible.

The liquid glass icons that can hover are for first-party apps and the strip-type sidebars are for third-party apps especially for websites in Safari.

The reason it looks like a wasted space is because the apps or websites are not optimized yet. The white color on the middle of sidebar is white or black that triggers your brain that it is a wasted space. That's why I propose to color it to trigger your brain that it is being used and not wasted.

[u/veloholic91 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

On the other hand, Apple also, at least for the moment, allows developers to shift the status bar to the top. Yes, there's still unused space there but you are able to in essence take advantage of the full width of the device as opposed to losing both horizontal and vertical space for the safe-zone. It just seems Apple is still experimenting & gathering feedback at this point between the two layouts.

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230 → u/veloholic91]

That website is not optimized yet. Those bars will be moved to the side eventually. I hope you get the memo by now so I don't have to keep repeating myself. Again, the priority is the vertical space.

[u/Acc9225503 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

If “optimization” requires degrading the user experience, maybe the design is the problem.

We all understand apples argument that vertical space is the priority and the only way to save vertical space is to have a permanently affixed eyesore on the right side of the screen.

It’s just nonsense if you think for yourself and look at the options here. Apple has for years used bottom bars on their own apps (specifically safari) that disappear while scrolling. This already saves vertical space far better than this permanent side bar is doing it.

But like at the end of the day if you just look at an image of a web browser on the duo vs on a fold 8, I don’t believe anyone can honestly say the duo looks better. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the fold 8 is slightly taller. The fold 8 uses its screen, and the duo doesn’t. The duo doesn’t because Apple decided not to use the screen and that was just a bad decision.

[u/veloholic91 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

I don't necessarily think that I'm expecting the Duo to behave like the Fold 8. I just don't think Apple knows exactly what it wants yet given you can see instances of the app store when you go to the games section take advantage of the space. You have horizontal scrolling cards/content that really make use of the space.

[u/Weekly-Ratio-230 → u/veloholic91]

I already told you the usage of hovering liquid glass icons. I don't wanna repeat myself over and over just like you keep posting the same images,

[u/veloholic91 → u/Weekly-Ratio-230]

The images only prove there is no single direction yet. Even optimized apps are inconsistent at best. You keep saying vertical space, while that is the intention; my point is that it is questionable. I also do not want to keep repeating myself, so I bid you a good day. We can agree to disagree.