i'm really surprised to find myself more impressed with microsoft's metro style than ios. i wish android had gone with something extremely minimalistic like this.
That said, I could not be more impressed with Metro when it comes to search functionality, contracts and being able to view two apps at once.
Many things in iOS are pretty unobvious too. E.g. I didn't know the iPad keyboard could be split like that before I saw this video. It took me a while to figure out how to delete items in a tablecell (swipe horizontally). Most of my friends don't know you can double-tap home, press & hold running app icons to close them. I see no difference in per-app settings in Metro being a swipe right feature than iOS Settings > AppName. And remember, all of these features are for managing the OS. The app themselves can implement any features they want. 3-year-olds don't change brightness, they play Angry Birds.
You'll have to find another example of non-obviousness in iOS. The split keyboard isn't even in the iOS you've been using, unless you're running a beta release of iOS 5.
I listed delete tablecell & close application as two initially non-obvious examples. Two more examples for new users: Refresh for new email/events by dragging down the top rows and making folders on home screen by dragging one app over another. I'm not saying these are bad gestures - they're all very clever and once you know about them, they become second nature. I'm just saying I see no difference between having to learn/figure these out the first time and Metro's new gestures.
The iOS slide-to-unlock is certainly easier but didn't they patent it?* If the most obvious way of unlocking a screen is patented, others have to find either something even more obvious for everyone (not easy) or rely on something less obvious but not patented.
* Found it: http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/08/17/ios-slide-to-unlock-i...
I agree with you on settings. I find them confusing on iOS because some have the settings within the app and some have them in the settings app. Metro's way is much better but it's still hidden to the average user unless they know it's there.
I used an iPhone for a couple of years, and would hate to go back.
I was surprised how static and dull the iPad looked; just a bunch of dead icons that don't do anything for you. Reminded me a lot of the desktop in Windows 3.1
MS also makes or will make money each time an Android phone is sold
And let's face it, with all their faults Windows works pretty good. It ain't easy to make an OS that works with all printers.....scanners and everywhere in the world. My desktop is 4 years old and works perfectly.