Friday
Apr092010
iPhone OS 4.0: It has all been done before, but...
Friday, April 9, 2010 at 2:59AM 
Within minutes of the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement yesterday the nay sayers were filling Twitter and various blogs with comments like “that feature has been on (insert mobile OS here) for years!” To be fair they are completely correct and it does seem odd that Apple can announce ‘new’ features that have existed in some mobile operating systems for over 5 years.However, these negative comments mean nothing to iPhone users who use their devices every day because they consider them easier to use and to provide a richer experience than other mobile platforms, and completing the circle with a set of features that the others have makes them even happier with their iPhones.
The fact is that iPhone OS 4.0 includes everything that people like me have been annoyed about for many months. Calendar access is a big one because this should open the door to third party alternatives which brings PIM up to scratch in one fell swoop. Unified email will stop the crazy tapping frenzy that is required to access multiple accounts and the addition of folders brings some much needed organisation to the simple, but annoying icon setup we have to live with at the moment. Wallpapers will be overlooked, but is needed to offer the user the personalisation they expect in any smartphone in 2010.
There are many other additions which will enable developers to further flex their muscles and bring us even more apps that make our lives easier. I have to say that I for one am very pleased with what iPhone OS 4.0 will bring, but that won’t stop me upgrading to the next iPhone if it solves some of the current problems.
I have been away for the past four days and my iPhone 3GS has been used a great deal, but not half as much as I would have liked. For three quarters of that time I had no 3G and for about a quarter of the time no signal at all. Admittedly the signal coverage is not great where I visited, but my BlackBerry Bold 9700 had 3G coverage for three quarters of the time and did not drop the full signal once. This left me having to browse the web using the BlackBerry and to deal with my emails on the same unit. Apple needs to do something about signal strength.
Add to this the charging twice a day regime that I now employ and it starts to get annoying. It does look as though power problems will be resolved in the next iPhone, and I am aware that the iPhone lends itself to more intensive use than other smartphones, but it is a problem for heavy users at the moment. Every person I know with an iPhone complains about this. Apple needs to do something about battery life.
Despite these quibbles, as big as they are, I still use the iPhone a lot and a new model with improved battery, a stronger antenna (GPS as well), hardware keyboard (although I am not so bothered about that any more) and a memory upgrade would offer me a smartphone that does almost everything I need.
Reader Comments (8)
I must admit that I am puzzled by the extreme reactions to the iPhone. On the one hand, adulation. On the other hand, derision or hatred. People get really childish: my phone's better than yours. My phone's had that feature for years. Nah nah.
Surely it's just a gadget which does what some people want but not others? Or am I missing something? Is it somehow linked in with the second coming of Jesus? Will he have one? Or is it the choice of the anti-Christ?
Please enlighten me
"hardware keyboard (although I am not so bothered about that any more)..."
You what? Do you know how long those Apple boffins have been working to mod the iPhone so that you, Shaun McGill, can have a hardware keyboard and NOW you just shrug and say, I can use the onscreen one, no worries. Man, Jobs is going to go ballistic - all that research down the pan. If I were you, I'd hide somewhere - and quick.
"However, these negative comments mean nothing to iPhone users who use their devices every day because they consider them easier to use and to provide a richer experience than other mobile platforms, and completing the circle with a set of features that the others have makes them even happier with their iPhones."
This sums up my reaction entirely.
"You what? Do you know how long those Apple boffins have been working to mod the iPhone so that you, Shaun McGill, can have a hardware keyboard and NOW you just shrug and say, I can use the onscreen one, no worries..."
Oh if only that were true. At least Apple could then say "We have invented a smartphone with a keyboard!" No one else makes keyboard quite the same as Apple with letters and things on it.
I'm pretty excited about the upgrades coming. Currently I have a 3G and so no multitasking for that but everything else will be great. I may be able to persuade my company to let me use an iPhone for work rather than the BB what with the enterprise enhancements.
Anyway, I'll have the 4th Gen in the summer and I'm excited about this.
Sid
I think the V4 of the iPhone OS shows that Apple are responding to feedback. At every release of the OS new features are added and in most cases these make the iPhone better. If the OS & iPhone were perfect there would be no need for Apple to keep developing the OS. Nearly 90% of the points the so called "iPhone haters" have raised over the last 2-3 years Apple have addressed (Exchnage sync, A2DP, multi-tasking, etc) so what is the problem with people pointing out their views?
Am I the only one concerned with the direction that Apple are heading with this?
1. Thanks to "always on" GPS, apple are going to be able to monitor our movements. The places we visit, and how long we spend there.
2. Apple will also have a way of analysing out txt messages, and e-mail, and probably the books we read and web sites we visit. All thanks to built-in spell checking. If it can check your spelling, it can analyse keywords.
3. Apple are going to build into the OS an Advertising application, and they are going to encourage third party developers to use it. Think about it! Why would a developer sell an application for a one-off payment of $4.99 when they can earn much more than that in advertising revenue. And Apple will really be pushing this because it means that they can make more money. I can imagine buying an application from the app store, for 99 cents, and then having it push ads in our face when we use it. Of course, they will kindly allow us to remove those ads via an annual subscription. You only have to look at Shopper to see that they have already adopted this business model; resulting in much anger and disgust from their previous customers.
4. AND ... Apple will be able to do all this in the background!! Ah, now wonder Apple did a backflip on multitasking.
I suspect that business will be unhappy with staff using iPhones and iPads if it is going to expose their documents and communication to advertisers.
I also suspect there will be a huge rise in Jailbreaking.
I know I'm a bit late to this topic, but it is something that concerns me. I was keen to upgrade. I'll wait and see.
Colin