Apple’s devices are getting more and more complicated and as the user interfaces for those gadgets gets more and more simple there comes a time where Apple needs to really start letting their customers know how to use their devices.
The new iPod Shuffle doesn’t have any buttons on it and the buttons ont the headphones aren’t as intuative as many would like them to be. That means that anyone who uses the new Shuffle has to read the instruction manual, but a lot of people don’t like to read, it would be nice if I could just plug it into my computer and get a nice little tutorial showing me how to use the device. Apple is already making the guided tours it would be nice if they could make it a little bit easier for new owners to see these videos.
What I’m proposing is for Apple to include their guided tours in iTunes so that when you connect an iPod or iPhone to your computer for the first time iTunes asks if you want to watch the video for that device. Not only would this help new users learn how to use their device but it could also teach 3 or 4 time owners of iPods a coouple of tricks that they didn’t know about.
Apple is doing something very similar to this with the latest version of GarageBand, where users can purchase videos teaching them how to play instruments. This proposal isn’t a rumor or even speculation it is more of a suggestion to Apple. How does Apple expect iPhone owners to figure out how to copy and paste (if it is implimented the way Kevin Rose suggests it will be), let alone just trying to explain to them the difference between double tapping, tap and hold, or double tap and hold. The actually user interface is getting a little more complicated (because of its open endedness) and it would be nice if Apple would help out their customers by puting their guided tours where they need to be, in iTunes.