10 features eWeek wants to see in iPhone OS 4.0:
• Multitasking: The most obvious choice for an addition to iPhone OS 4.0. It has been one of the most coveted features since Apple released the iPhone. Plus, it’s a feature that’s available in several competing devices. Apple needs to get to work on multitasking sooner rather than later.
MacDailyNews Take: iPhone has multitasked since inception. eWeek must mean multitasking for third-party apps.
• Gaming Integration: With Sony’s PlayStation Network?
MacDailyNews Take: We understand that this article is really just a thinly-designed vehicle designed to point out iPhone’s deficiencies vs. so-called competitors’ offerings, but that one is a stretch too far.
• Adobe’s Flash: Millions of Websites just don’t work on the iPhone.
MacDailyNews Take: And they still wouldn’t even if Flash was allowed on iPhone OS devices. Flash’s need for a hovering mouse doesn’t exist on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Please read: Why Adobe’s Flash doesn’t work on Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
• More Control: Apple should allow users to remove the iPhone’s stocks, weather or even Mail apps.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, eWeek is already having trouble filling out their list of 10 anti-iPhone bullet points.
• Improved File Management: Apple has attempted to market the iPhone as a mobile computer replacement… Until true file management comes around, the iPhone is still leaving users wanting more.
MacDailyNews Take: Just typing something doesn’t make it true. Apple has not “attempted to market the iPhone as a mobile computer replacement” and iPhone doesn’t need a Finder.
• Improved Mail: Including fixing its design and working on developing a single mailbox where people with multiple accounts can see all their messages in one spot.
MacDailyNews Take: Agreed. Finally.
• Built-In Social Networking: This is where we take a Microsoft talking point and use it to slam Apple while promoting Windows Phone 7 Series under the guise of “10 features we want to see in iPhone OS 4.0.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, alright, we wrote that description. We think it’s closer to the truth than eWeek’s.
• Power Scheduling: One of the neat features available to BlackBerry owners is the option to decide when the phone’s antenna can run… With better power scheduling, users might be able to increase battery life.
MacDailyNews Take: Okay, better power management is fine. Anyone left doubting that this piece is a thinly-designed vehicle designed to point out iPhone’s deficiencies vs. those of so-called competitors? That eWeek needs to take several platforms’ talking points to get to a list of 10 is telling.
• iBooks: Apple [should[ bring [iPad’s] iBooks to the iPhone. The device might not be the best product to read ebooks on, but iPhone owners will be expecting it in the new OS version.
MacDailyNews Take: This is where eWeek gets to denigrate iPhone’s e-book ability despite the fact that iPhone is the world’s leading e-Book reader by far.
• An Improved App Store: Apple needs to make it easier to find applications. It also should do a better job of organizing the apps to get the best and most relevant programs to the user.
MacDailyNews Take: Agreed. However we’d never trade such issues for having 1/10th or fewer apps.
Full article, you already know what we think of it, here.
Did RIM pay for this ad spot?
E-Weak
People’s expectations get more unrealistic each year…
I have said this over and over: a better home page for navigation. I would like to see the option to have icons on the home page that will take you directly to other pages. So, the #8 icon would take you to page 8, and so on. No more flipping through 10 pages to get to the last page. And we could title the home page icons whatever we want to describe content for its linked page: sports, games, news, utilities, etc.
Tethering is the only feature I want or need.
Since the iPad hasn’t launched and in turn iBooks hasn’t launched, how do we know it won’t eventually be available to run on an iPhone/iPod? Oh right, we don’t.
Gary,
Blame AT&T for that one. Apple iPhones tether just fine in countries with carriers that allow it (not to mention on jailbroken iPhones in the US).
” Improved File Management: Apple has attempted to market the iPhone as a mobile computer replacement… Until true file management comes around, the iPhone is still leaving users wanting more.”
That’s the 5% tinkerer talking. The rest of the 95% of the people in the world do not need to “Manage” files. When you open the word processor, all you see are word processor documents / files.
You do not need to manage anything.
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It just works.
Another top 10 IT/CIO/ULTRA GEEK suggestions from “PeeWeek” IT/CIO/ULTRA GREEK technobabbling blogger/writer/pseudo journalist. Go play with your Rubiks 3 dimensional octagonal toy please.
Not that bothered about multitasking 3rd party Apps, given that it would involve security compromises. But I would like to see some form of switching back to the previous App without going through the homescreen.
Flash. Yes, crap though the technology may be, and mouse-over doesn’t work, but it’s the only way to access a lot of content and will be for some time even if HTML 5 eventually wins the day . I’d like to make that choice, Steve – preferably in a Click-to-Flash manner. (ok, touch to flash)
I’d also like to be able to hide, or better, remove Apps like Stocks that I never use.
Not bothered about a lot of the others. An improved iCal would be welcome, and suspect this may be in the works, as the iPad seems to have a more fully-featured version.
Lift number of app limit
Permit certain apps during approval process to multitask, such as a chat app. Such that dont deplete battery
I said it once before, but the iPhone could have really benefited from just one, tiny, multicolored light indicator. Green for ready, blue for streaming Bluetooth, yellow for an incoming push notification or text message, and red for a missed call or low battery. Why enable 153,600 pixels on the LCD screen, when one quick flash of a single LED could have done the job? If the iPhone really wanted to save on battery power, this could have been one. easy. way.
Oh I don’t know. My 8 year old son has no need for the Mail, Stocks, or iTunes Apps but they’re stuck on there for him to have to navigate around. I don’t see why they couldn’t be removable to your computer’s iTunes account and restorable when needed. Seems reasonable and do-able.
I’m with you Gary simply give a Tethering option in the OS 4.0 software. I’d be happy even if it’s not selectable. I’m like give me a carrot on a string or something!
“Apple has attempted to market the iPhone as a mobile computer replacement… Until true file management comes around, the iPhone is still leaving users wanting more.”
Dropbox.
Next?
@ thethirdshoe
“Documents To Go” is all you need for your Word, Excel, Powerpoint files, read & write.
The main thing missing for me is Filemaker Pro for the iPhone/Touch/iPad. Unbelievable that Filemaker is so far behind the curve on this, Bento is too crippled except for the very basic. I suspect that Apple must be restricting investment for development by Filemaker on this, although historically Filemaker has always been slow with only minor improvements, whilst charging exorbitant prices for minor incremental updates, on an otherwise brilliant database. Shades of Microsoft here.
@ kevt
Can’t agree more on iCal, it truly is pathetic and years overdue on matching the modern interface of the Mac OS.
First of all, a note to the eWeek editors… a Flash slideshow is NOT an article. I hate these things!
Second, about the improved Mail, everyone always goes on and on about a combined Inbox. That’s fine. It should be an option. Personally, I DO NOT want my work email mixed with my personal email. I prefer them separate. Like Mail.app on my Mac, allow the user to choose: combined or separate.
“Oh, alright, we wrote that description.”
And this is why I visit your site at least once a day.
Well played, sirs.
Talk about totally misunderstanding what the iPhone is and why it’s so popular.
I want iCal to give me birthday reminders. The addressbook knows the dates anyway. Why not integrate the info?
Once again, Apple has made tethering available last summer, with the 3.0. It’s working great! If you don’t have it, complain to your carrier, since THEY are the ones blocking it (in the US, I believe it is AT&T).
At some point, you gotta get over this penis envy crossover into feature envy. What you get is what you get. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
Is that complicated?
Is that better than endless masturbation about features. Oooh, if only she had bigger xxxx or a tighter yyyy I’d be happy.
I’m still waiting for a garage door opener app.
Filemaker Pro for the iPhone?
Check out FMTouch in the App Store.
Have to take issue with MDN’s take regarding ‘Apple has not “attempted to market the iPhone as a mobile computer replacement”‘… Jobs said that Apple already had a netbook… the iPhone! or “Steve says that the iPhone could be considered an entrant into the netbook market, since it can browse the web” ( http://www.gottabemobile.com/2008/10/21/steve-jobs-iphone-is-a-netbook ), ( http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9117785/Jobs_The_iPhone_i_is_i_Apple_s_netbook )