The screen recording of the calculator app seems to just have "C", which I would assume deletes the whole number, not one digit. That's not the same action.
The Android calculator has a backspace button, that removes a single digit. It's clearly recognizable as a backspace, just like on any other on-screen keyboard input.
Correct. That’s how “irl” calculators work. You can retype the number easy enough, its not going to be more than a few characters long, but technically yes its a different action. To my point, you can still achieve your goal, through more discoverable means, but it may be more clunky. They should also have a regular backspace here imo.
The idea of holding a computer calculator app to exactly the limits of a historical four function calculator is skeuomorphism at some of its worst.
I have a nit-pick with the article, because all of the listed features are features where an obvious, more intuitive interface exists, but may be clunkier.
Eg. Calculator: the way “real” IRL calculators change the number you type is with the “clear” button. IPhones support that. Personally, i didn’t know about the swipe, and I think they should add a backspace button because swiping is confusing and younger people may not understand clear either. But you don’t need to swipe to use the calculator.
Keyboard cursor: This feature was demo’ed live when it was released, and it added a more dexterous way to position the typing cursor besides just touching the text where you want (old way, still works). Touching the screen where you want to type is pretty discoverable, and has been a stable feature for a while. It matches how mice and word processors on desktops would work, and seems intuitive to just tap on screen where you want to type anyways.
Safari Tab Change: You can just go to the safari tab page, available by touching a permanent on-screen button. Also, the swipe to change tab feature mimics the operating system’s swipe to change app experience, where the URL bar is indicative of the system’s handlebar. (Also demo’ed live when the feature was launched).