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Apple's Phones Prompt iTypos

Nov. 15, 2007 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

IDG News verifies my feelings about the iPhone virtual keyboard:

iPhone users make mistakes more often when texting compared to users of phones with hard keys, a new study found.

User Centric tested how many mistakes mobile phone texters make, comparing the results of iPhone users with customers who have phones with full keyboards and those with numeric keyboards. User Centric, a Chicago usability consulting company, studied 20 users in each group.

The study, while based on an extremely small sample size, makes for interesting reading.

iPhone users made 5.6 errors per message, while keyboard users made 2.1 mistakes per message and numeric phone typers made 2.4 mistakes.

Surprisingly, the study found that iPhone texters don't improve with experience.

That's not surprising if you know anything about user interfaces, actually. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Virtual keyboards aren't as good as real keyboards. And this issue is exacerbated by the fact that Apple's oft-touted iPhone "rotating screen" feature doesn't actually work when the keyboard is enabled in almost all iPhone applications: You are literally forced to use the keyboard in hard-to-hold portrait mode in text-heavy apps like SMS and Mail. That shows a lot of immaturity in the product.

Anyway. This is a funnier, Doonsebury-esque headline about the same topic: Sorryy. I’m Tyipng on my iPhonw

Good stuff. 

Discuss this Article 22

fivepoint
on Nov 15, 2007
I guess I am in the minority then... Personally, as a previous owner of a Treo 650, I find the iPhone's virtual to be an improvement in design. Don't go all crazy on me yet... until you understand what that means. When I first got the iPhone, I did not have the same thoughts. As I got used to it however, I realized that when I didn't have to actually depress or add any real pressure to the keys, I could go a lot faster. Now, all I have to do is glide my finger over the screen, let up on the key I want, and keep on moving.... it is faster because you don't have any vertical movement whatsoever. Now, almost 3 months after purhcasing my iPhone, I can say with all honesty that I can type significantly faster on my iPhone than I every could on my Treo. People with exceedingly large fingers, and less than average eye/hand coordination may not agree... Paul? BTW, here is a great video of someone typing very fast on their iPhone, which kind of proves my point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKfhxMpEGpM
DRWAM
on Nov 15, 2007
Fivepoint, I have the same experience as you. My wide fingers have a tougher time typing on my Treo 650 then on my friends iPhone. Once you touch the 'real keyboard' on phones, the letter,number or character is typed and you must erase mistakes. However, the virtual keyboard allowed me to slide my finger to the correct letter before it was typed, hence, there were actually less mistakes. I probably have a little more dexterity than most, but my 4 friends with iPhones feel the same. they use their iPhone with their XP boxes. The 20 users in the study must have been 20 doofuses. They all had had stop walking to chew gum too!
joe-dokes
on Nov 15, 2007
Paul will latch onto any article that bashes the iphone. He only gave it three stars in his initial review and the product has turned out to be one of the fastest selling phones in history. Paul is simply looking for any criticism of the iPhone that can justify his bias. A study of 20 people who only owned the iphone for a month? WTF, that's not even a large enough sample size to qualify as a high school level survey. Regards Joe Dokes
CCIE 3421
on Nov 15, 2007
iPhone is the overhyped POS ever. I'd pay to see a touch enabled device that has a backup slideout keyboard. The iMasses be damned, I'm really sick of hearing every study to do with his product.
cesjr
on Nov 15, 2007
Paul - what are you going to do when MS releases their copycat device with a virtual keyboard? You're going to have to backtrack big time. In all of Paul's complaints about the iPhone virtual keyboard, he never mentions the upsides to such a keyboard - the larger screen, the additional flexibility, the removal of visual clutter that is confusing when you don't need it. These upsides far outweigh the downsides of virtual keyboard, for most people. For many people, including myself, I prefer typing on the virtual keyboard so there is no downside at all. What we're going to see here is a replay of what happened when the mac introduced the mouse and menus to the mass market - a lot of griping from people tied to MS (then DOS) about how typing in key commands is so much better than mice and menus --- and then 10 years later everyone is using mice and menus.
fivepoint
on Nov 15, 2007
cesjr, VERY GOOD POINT. Without a virtual keyboard, you are limited to half the screen size... unless you have a slider which doubles the thickness. Without a virtual keyboard, you can't have keys that change to match the program you are using. Without a virtual keyboard you can't remove that keyboard and clutter from view when not in use. There are so many reasons for the non-physical keyboard, and they FAR outweigh the reasons against it. It is crazy to see so called experts like Paul completely gloss over this issue, when a 10 year old could probably easily see the difference.
cesjr
on Nov 15, 2007
another thing worth noting - on their website, the company that performed this study, User Centric, lists their "clients over the last two quarters" and they include Verizon Wireless, Microsoft, LG, and Motorola. Apple is not listed http://www.usercentric.com/experience.asp?menu=1&sub=0
DRWAM
on Nov 15, 2007
Yo fivepoint, although I am a little biased toward my Treo as it has important apps to me that iPhone does not, I have got to admit that even when the keyboard is locked to prevent accidental use , including speed dialing, I always manage to accidentally hit the unlock button and something happens. This obviously is less likely to happen with a Virtual keyboard. Also, statistics. While this survey barely meets minimal requirements of tester numbers to make it statistically valid, a group of 20 is far from any good real data. Therefore the study is a POS, especially since the Clients of User Centric are all competitions of Apple and ATT, showing probable bias. They need many more people and longer time period, and users that are actually enthusiastic about the device, that actually desire to become proficient. I am still waiting for either suitable apps for my needs on the iPhone, or the Palm Centro arrival to ATT.
shark47
on Nov 15, 2007
@cesjr: Windows Mobile phones with touchscreens have had virtual keyboards since 2003 at least. Now resume your bashing.
daveinla
on Nov 15, 2007
actually I think 2 things are being mixed together here: - the comfort of typing and the accuracy of typing. The regular smartphones with their cramped keyboard and tiny button are very uncomfortable to use and can even cause some bone defect if used too much. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002251352_blackberry2... the iphone virtual keyboard is wider (when used in landscape mode) and doesn't require you to fold your thumbs as much thus causing less pain. now as faras accuracy is concerned, a virtual keyboard will never give you the feedback of actual keys, and thus will never ive your physical indication that the proper key was actually pressed. Thus these keyboard will always be less accurate. Apple tried to minimize this by adding a zoom function that magnifies keys as the finger approaches the screen and it somewhat works. But it will never compensate this. Now for for the article, it's a negative article for the iphone so it's "good stuff", as well as the good article of windows are "good stuff". BTW Wired named the iphone the smartphone of the year.
cesjr
on Nov 15, 2007
shark47 - "Windows Mobile phones with touchscreens have had virtual keyboards since 2003 at least." I'm not aware of any that completely eliminated the physical keys. If a device still has a physical keyboard (in addition to a stylus driven touchscreen), the device won't have the full-sized screen of the iPhone in the same compact, thin form factor. Without the full size screen you lose a lot of the advantage of the virtual keyboard. The large screen is critical for video, web browsing, maps, and just overall application usability. With keys still there, you also lose the ability to get rid of them when they aren't necessary (except for slide outs, which add a ton of bulk).
lotsamystuff
on Nov 15, 2007
Paul actually has a very valid comment about the non-rotating rotating feature, but as usual, he's up to his smartass self with the "Good Stuff" comment at the end, which he tacks on to everything that bashes Apple in a smarmy way. Paul, why don't you just give up all pretense of objectivity? Really, it's just annoying.
lotsamystuff
on Nov 15, 2007
"Surprisingly, the study found that iPhone texters don't improve with experience." Yeah, I call BS on that, too. I wonder how much time they were given to "improve"? That's just an impossibly stupid thing to say. The first time I played with an iPhone at an AT&T store, my screen typing "improved" after about five minutes. What a crock.
meatbandit
on Nov 15, 2007
@lotsamystuff "These novice iPhone users made mistakes at the same rate as people who have owned iPhones for at least one month, the study found." Probably past that first 5 mins. there is not much further improvement. Keyboards without haptic feedback will never be as fast as those where the user can sense which key is pressed. That is the trade-off, screen-space vs. accuracy. The choice is personal preference.
CCIE 3421
on Nov 15, 2007
ROFL The applepheliacs seem to be virulent today. Is it too much to ask they go back to stroking their mighty mouses...maybe lube it up and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. ;) Keep up the great work Paul.
daveinla
on Nov 15, 2007
"ROFL The applepheliacs seem to be virulent today. Is it too much to ask they go back to stroking their mighty mouses...maybe lube it up and shove it where the sun doesn't shine." Very smart people come on this website !!! amazing to see people so open to discussion and different point of view. We used to have itard weedmonk, and now we have itard#2 CCI3421... greeeaat. !
DRWAM
on Nov 15, 2007
Actually, my mouse is a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, model #1052, which works well with my Quad 3GHz Pro Tower. The Mighty Mouse is still in the box and has never been used, let alone up someone's butt. However, it may work better up there do to wireless interference. Next time my wife spends too much, we may get a chance to find out. :)
Cfischer83
on Nov 15, 2007
Does this prove that iPhone keyboards are worse than regular keyboards or does it prove that Apple fanatics, who are the ones that bought most of the iPhones, are idiots? Something to ponder ;) *runs away*
cesjr
on Nov 15, 2007
"Does this prove that iPhone keyboards are worse than regular keyboards or does it prove that Apple fanatics, who are the ones that bought most of the iPhones, are idiots?" Why does it seem that only the windows enthusiasts resort to insults and name-calling here? Something to ponder.
DRWAM
on Nov 15, 2007
Cfisher83, my four friends with iPhones are all Windows users and do not own a Mac. Most iPod owners are Windows users. I would not be surprised that most iPhone users are Windows users too.
Dipsh t Admin
on Nov 19, 2007
"Why does it seem that only the windows enthusiasts resort to insults and name-calling here? Something to ponder." lotsa, care to comment?
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on Jul 4, 2009
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