[voqv]

I will probably soon add an old 3D Touch iphone to my small Human Machine Interface hall of fame along with the old click wheel iPod Classic.

They probably removed it because nobody was using it and they couldn't figure out how to teach people, while spending extra $ to add it into phones.

[empyrrhicist]

As if they put any effort whatsoever into teaching or UI discoverability these days. If there was a tutorial app I would have used it, but I have repeatedly had to use Google to find unrelated blog sites describing how to accomplish things in the iOS interface.

Cynically, it feels like they think everyone should already "just know" how the various gestures work, which is obnoxious and user hostile.

[everyone]

As someone who only occasionally has to use macOS and iOS for work. The gestures and key combos required to do even the most basic things are insane.. and there is (almost) zero discoverability or affordances for them. On iOS gestures with multiple fingers, on macOS keyboard shortcuts with 3 or 4 keys.

I also dont often use Linux, but I could try some new distro with a completely different windows manager I have never seen before and I can figure it out and be happily computing in no time.

apple stuff always requiring searching on the internet to find out how how to do even most basic functions.

Also, not relevant, but I gotta mention as it grinds my gears so bad.. The only reason I have to use macOS is that it's required to build to iOS, which is just uniquely egregious. That sort of business should actually be illegal. Hopefully it will be in EU soon.

[simonh]

>if there was a tutorial app I would have used it..

Isn't that the Tips App? I'm pretty sure it gets recommended every time you set up a new phone. Mine has a tip on using Haptic Touch with the keyboard to move the insertion point.

[Elidrake42]

Not only is there a tutorial app ("Tips") but you receive a notification pointing you towards it shortly after setting up a new iOS device. Also after major iOS updates. So... Yeah I suppose you're making their point for them, to an extent.

[jhanschoo]

As I understand it 3D touch's functionality per app depended on the app author, so the discoverability problem is not that simple.

[llaolleh]

One way to do discoverability here is to make a suggestion if you notice the user hoping around between texts during typing.

[happyopossum]

> If there was a tutorial app I would have used it

There is/was - it's called Tips, and most people ignore or uninstall it.

[bombcar]

These features really need games added, where the only real requirement to play is learn the new feature.

Some say it's why minesweeper et al were added to Windows, so people could learn how to use the mouse.

[duskwuff]

Way back in the day, Apple shipped several different "Mouse Practice" tutorials on their computers to teach new users how to use the mouse. Here's videos of two of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvcwFYPiKKA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV-d5F-AdX8

[failTide]

That game really does build up mouse skills. I remember playing it when I was 5 and having no idea what the rules were - I just liked to click all the fun little boxes with the cool numbers and bombs.

[xsmasher]

That's a great idea. Steam deck comes with a short game - Aperture desk job - that tests all of the controls. I didn't know it had a gyro until I played that game.

[kaba0]

I believe it was removed in big part due to being a relatively big energy drain. With that in mind, I don’t believe it was a bad decision, even though I liked the feature as well. (Though probably with additional R&D on the topic, it could have been improved)

[duskwuff]

And, IIRC, 3D Touch was also technologically infeasible to implement on iPad. That sharply limited what they could do with it, since it would never be available on all iOS devices.

[psychomugs]

I’ve never met anyone who was aware of the feature. Its removal kept me from upgrading my 6S until just this year.

[rasz]

>Human Machine Interface hall of fame along with the old click wheel iPod Classic

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA

"just few hundred clicks away"

[cainxinth]

I read they removed it because it required space-consuming hardware to accomplish, and Haptic Touch approximates most of its features (most) with just software.

[gullevek]

3D touch failed because it wasn't on all iOS devices.

The end. (I didn't even know about it until I finally switched to an iPhone Xs after years and years of lowest tear iPhones).

[yreg]

In addition to what you mentioned they were unable to bring it to the iPad.

[itsthejb]

I suppose it’s indicative of why the feature was removed, that I wasn’t aware of most of the features mentioned in the article

[conradev]

Features like that not only add cost, but also take away from available volume for other features

[ghoulishly]

I’m curious to hear what else lives in that collection