Comments on: Is The iPhone Sexist?

By: charmayne

charmayne — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:44:39 +0000

Well I guess I will have to keep my new Blackberry because I do have nails and it is a chose not a Female thing…so sad that we are still having this same topic go on …I am a child of the sixties…Steveie boy maybe next time…think outside of the box…we are all getting older and could use a little help with this tech thing…just a thought…

By: Peter Cooper

Peter Cooper — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You could just as easily say the phone “discriminates” against people with poor motor control who can’t accurately use the touch screen or those with poor vision or blindless because they can’t read the screen. Or even men with longer nails (which isn’t particularly uncommon these days).

Long nails and touch screen control aren’t female-only issues – but with “sexism” being such a hot button in the blogosphere lately, I guess tagging that word on to an article makes it all the more sensationalist.

By: AMcG

AMcG — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I work at an Apple Store and I recently had someone return their iphone for this same reason. He’s a professional classical guitar player and his finger nails are really long and they have to be. So in his case, he couldn’t just cut his nails… he had to get rid of the phone.

I’ve also read somewhere that you can buy artificial fingertips to put over your long nail so you can use an iphone. I just think that would be a total pain, because you would have to take it everywhere you take your phone.

By: Imran Hussain

Imran Hussain — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nice read, I do think that they wouldn’t have kept the male vs. female issues in mind when designing the iPhone though. Everyone touts these touch features as finger operated devices now. No mention of a finger nail.

By: joe

joe — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’d submit that women having long fingernails supports the Female Stereotype. That’s society’s problem, but not Apple’s.

By: nichoals.j.campbell

nichoals.j.campbell — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@joe – Wouldn’t it be considered a problem if they are losing customers to it? It is a usability problem and one that Apple _should_ focus on, especially with the new MacBook designs where everything is touch.

Now, in response to the users, if it isn’t going to work because you have nails or whatever impediment, don’t buy it.

By: Tony Bacigalupo

Tony Bacigalupo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Apple’s not the government; they don’t have a responsibility to build everything to comply to everyone.

They built a product for a market, and they’re selling to that market in droves. Lipstick companies don’t have to bother trying to make their products more accessible to men.

It’s not really a sex issue as much as a matter of the technology and the product they’re creating. This new multitouch technology is awesome, and a market of warm-fingered, short-nailed people love it. But there are some side effects. So be it. No big deal.

Can people with long fingernails or wearing gloves really effectively operate a Blackberry Curve? Or a Q? With those tiny little buttons?

It’s a lifestyle decision. Being able to use your fingertips affords you certain benefits, which you forfeit at your own discretion.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

One could have nine nails and it wouldn’t be a problem, just tap the key with the pad of your finger, that is how I do it and it is no doubt how it was designed to work. I don’t know why people think tapping straight down with the end of the finger is the way the iPhone must work.
How do people with long nails use a Blackberry etc?

By: lux

lux — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m a pretty geeky gal and even I have fingernails that are longer than the tips of my fingers. And yes, I noticed that my nails are a bit of an issue when using the iPhone virtual keyboard — which is a big part of why I still have a Blackberry.

By: istara

istara — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

So if you want to use an iPhone – cut your nails. Long nails are so disgusting anyway. It’s not like we’re Chinese emperors.

Besides – for the long-talonned – would carrying around an artificial finger pad be such a strain? Styluses were the norm for many PDAs regardless of nail length. Given long nailed people have already created difficulties for themselves in so many areas (ever seen that ludicrous typing style used by secretaries with inch-long fake plastic nails?) I can’t see why they would need to whine about the iPhone.

Congrats to Hank’s sensible mother for cutting her nails nice and neat.

By: Jon.Hersh

Jon.Hersh — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Women who want to sport long nails have been dealing with this for quite a while. Typewriters (remember those?) and the subsequent evolution of keyboards offer similar barriers to access. So do touch tone phones. One of the best solutions (at lease on an iPhone) is to use a knuckle. It won’t replace two-thumb typing but its fine for single digit typing.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

istara and joh.hersh have commented all that needs to be said about this issue.

Case closed.

By: Preciosa

Preciosa — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

thats funny i have finger nails and i use my iphone 3g just fine x)