I'm an Apple fanboy.
But I admit some of their apps suck.
Here's my brutally honest take on the 9 most popular @Apple apps (as a product designer):
1. Apple Maps
Apple maps went from being the app everyone laughed at to a genuinely great experience - BUT only in the US.
It sucks in most other places.
It also still misses some of Google Maps' best features like Street View and business info details.
2. Apple Wallet
This app is unmatched.
It's so intuitive and I find it almost weird when someone doesn't use Apple Pay. I spent an hour looking for my physical card when I needed cash because I'm so used to just tapping my phone.
The animation is 🤌
3. Apple Health
This one's... confusing. I don't need both Health AND Fitness apps.
It's a data gold mine but feels like opening an excel sheet.
It also doesn't show where data is gathered and most of the times it's from a watch - which isn't accurate.
4. @AppleMusic
It feels clunky compared to Spotify.
It's slow, the library management is frustrating, and the recommendations just aren't as good.
I don't know if they'll ever be able to beat Spotify tbh.
5. Apple Weather
Really good.
Clean data visualization, intuitive hourly scrolling, and the subtle animations when checking different cities make it feel alive.
I also absolutely love the weather-dependent animations. It's beautiful.
6. Apple Notes
It's fast, syncs perfectly, and does EXACTLY what it needs to.
The OCR for handwritten notes is magic, and the way you can scan documents now makes it indispensable.
After trying Notion and Obsidian, I'm back to Apple Notes.
7. Apple Books
A great experience. Love the context menu animation and the seamless page-flicking.
No complaints really - I'd reach for Apple Books over the Kindle app any time.
8. Apple Calendar
Utilitarian but underwhelming.
It works, but compare it to Fantastical or Amie and it feels like using a Nokia 🤣
No natural language input, limited views, and the awkward tap targets make scheduling feel like work.
9. The worst Apple app? Mail.
It's like they haven't updated the core experience since 2007.
Terrible at threading conversations, search is unreliable, and the composer feels dated.
This is why Superhuman can charge /month and people gladly pay.
The verdict?
@Apple creates some of the best app experiences in the world - but they're still inconsistent right now..
When they focus on craft, they're untouchable. When they don't (Mail and Music), they leave the door open for competitors.
What's your favorite (or most hated) Apple app?
Let me know 👇
And if you're building a product that needs to feel as intuitive as Apple's best work, book a call...
I’ve helped 60+ startups ship beautiful products with sick animations like the one you see here 😎
Let’s see how I can help:
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