What does 'pushing the envelope" actually mean? I'm hearing this from a lot of people but no one is expanding on the cliche's as to what Apple really needs to do to move ahead.
For me -- apart from things such as better battery life, better screen resolution, generally better spec-ed hardware, etc (but those are merely catching up others, not pushing the envelope) -- it would have to do four things: (i) provide seamless integration with the tablet (I am assuming the tablet will happen), (ii) have ability to act as an external disk drive (hopefully, there will be a 64GB version available), (iii) have the ability to pull up/view files from my desktop at work or at home, and -- here's the clincher, although I doubt it will happen -- (iv) integrate iLife functionality into the iPhone.
As for the "losing cards" business, that only happens if you are using the feature to actually swap cards in the field. mSD cards can be used simply as extra permanent memory in the device. I buy a phone in 2008 with 2 GB of built in memory, time passed, mSD card capacity increases and prices fall for flash memory, and in 2010 I can buy an 8 GB card for my phone for much less than a 4 GB was in 2008. I've increased the usefulness of the device and prolonged it's life for me without having to buy a whole new unit.
Why would you buy such a small card? The base iPhone already includes 8GB standard, has been standard for a couple years. If you said you wanted to buy the 8GB model and later upgrade to 16 or 32, fine, but those cards still aren't cheap. Newegg doesn't sell 32GB, so they might not even be available yet. SDHC maxes out at 32 anyways, you're not going to get a 2008 or 2009 phone to go to 64 with an add-in card, probably not a lot of 2010 phones will have a slot capable of 64.
As it is, I'm planning on replacing my 3G model when the 2010 phone comes out because it's had its share of accidental damage, and I want faster CPU.
1. Apple said in order to keep the phone slim as they intended... user replaceable batteries not possible.
They said that 3 years ago with the original design of the iPhone. Granted, batteries have improved since then and is probably not true anymore, but do you honestly believe that was the only reason given the history of the iPod?
Why do I have to have my nose up Apple's ass to agree that I don't think a user-replacable battery is not an innovation? Having a user-replacable battery is not an improvement... That's an opinion; my opinion and I'm entitled to it. I've owned cell phones before, and I've never had to buy a second battery. My original iPod I had for 5 years, still ran 8+ hours on a single charge, that's 80% after 5 years!
Quote:
Originally Posted by realmike15
2. Your story about a 6 hour bus ride, with a 100% at the end of your trip. I'm assuming you mean you don't use the phone at all during that trip. Because if you're suggesting that you can use your phone for 6 hours... hell even 1 hour, and still have a 100% charge. Well all I can do is laugh at you, for thinking anyone would believe that kind of bullshit.
First of all, think about it for a second...... no? didn't think so. allow me to explain
I was countering g3pro's point of not being possible to travel long distances without having a second user-replacable battery. He was wrong. I was demonstrating that I do this all the time. I have an external battery pack that uses 4 AA rechargeable batteries. And when you're traveling long distances, you're usually sitting down and have a travel bag or backpack. It is not an inconvenience to carry an external battery pack and have your device plugged into it. The iPhone will first use all the power from the external pack, which alone can actually last 10+ hours of heavy use; games, video, web surfing, etc. So with this battery pack, I can actually use my iPhone for a much longer time than with a second battery. And when I step off the bus, my iPhone is still fully charged. Chances are when you get to your destination, you'll have the ability to recharge all your devices... and if not, I can buy regular batteries for the battery pack. Which makes it much more versatile than even a second or third user-replacable battery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by realmike15
3. You really think Apple's attitude is, people who use their phone enough that they require 2nd batteries should stay away from their products? Please go ahead and show me any indication of them ever suggesting that, or feel free to write to them and come back with that info. Apple wants as many customers as they can, they marketed the 3G for business people by adding exchange and cloud syncing features. Business people are the exact sort of crowd who could benefit from user-replaceable batteries. I don't have a need for a replaceable battery either, but guess what... you and I don't make up every Apple customer out there.
No. I don't think that at all. I think Apple makes the products they want to make. Period. And you're never going to get a user-replacable battery. I was just pointing out that fact. And if you are someone who needs one, then why would buy an iPhone, or an iPod?
Quote:
Originally Posted by realmike15
You're such a pompous little prick, I could just tell 10 seconds into reading your post without even knowing you personally. The sad part is, you're actually just a dolt who should keep his mouth shut. I can't tell you how happy I am knowing, with that attitude you'll never get a job at Apple because of your poor attitude. Crawl back into your miserable existence and stop bothering people.
Oh! Wow! Name calling and lifestyle assumptions; I love anonymous Internet wit.
How is my attitude poor? Im actually a very happy person who understands not all things will be agreeable to all people. And I can except that without whining about it. Apple doesn't owe me anything, neither does anyone else for that matter. If something comes along that I don't agree with, I just simply don't bother with it. I'm a completely open-minded and patient person except when it comes to people who assume they're owed something for nothing and their view of the world is the only right one.
I can completely understand how some people would think a user-replacable battery would be beneficial to them, but that doesn't mean having one would necessarily make the device any better.
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
The iPhone UI sucks big time.
It's not so terrible, but I agree the UI needs help, though you can rearrange the icons in iTunes. I've seen several Apple fans ask for folders, you're not the only one asking for them.
I think part of the "problem" is that there are so many programs, I easily have 2x more programs in my iPhone than I ever had in my Palm-based Tapwave. While PalmOS used folders, I've never had the opportunity to change the arrangement of the icons that I remember, it was alphabetical only.
One thing I would like is an option to not have the transitions and bounces. I just find them to be distracting and time wasting.
Because Apple would rather have someone throw out a perfectly good phone minus a dead-battery so that you are forced to buy a new unit or pay someone an ungodly amount of money to have it serviced.
Which explains the class-action lawsuit over this issue? Which explains the millions of people who complain when their iPod or iPhone batteries are dead and need to be serviced?
Ungodly? I hardly consider $60 ungodly. Apple covers the battery for the first year expanded to 2 with a protection plan (same $ as a battery replacement) which is the amount of time most people are going to use the phone before upgrading. I dont know where you are from, but no one has ever held a gun to my head and "forced" me to buy a new phone. I CHOOSE to own one.
At this point, Apple really needs to catch up in terms of having the same features of other phones that have come out within the last year, and that includes both hardware and software features.
All the other phone makers are still trying to catch up to Apple. Who does Apple need to catch up with?
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
The iPhone UI sucks big time.
Going so far to say the iPhone UI sucks based on SpringBoard's inability to quickly access icons, is a bit of a stretch.
I completely agree that SpringBoard needs work. More than likely when it was designed, Apple didn't realize that people would actually be installing and using so many applications. There definitely needs to be a better way to organize and get at applications quickly.
It is a huge pain in the *ss to have to scroll through x amount of screens to get to the icon you want. At the very least it would be nice to be able to create icons on the first screen that represent other screens and clicking on one would take you directly to that particular screen. This way they could make a bit more useful and not change it drastically enough to confuse other people.
We'll probably (hopefully) see a change in iPhone OS 4.
All the other phone makers are still trying to catch up to Apple. Who does Apple need to catch up with?
We already talked about this:
1) Faster processor
2) More RAM
3) Larger screen
4) Higher resolution screen
5) Multi-tasking of non core applications
6) Dual microphone to cut out background noise
7) Voice input in all text entry fields
8) User-replaceable battery
9) User-replaceable memory and expandable memory
10) Placement on a network which is not a piece of crap
Apple needs to catch up in all those areas to be on par with the rest of the smartphone field right now. They have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.
Not to mention the fact that even if the iPhone had a replaceable battery, you would still have to BUY it. Making the whole point moot.
You would spend $60 every time your phone needs to be charged because of low battery? And that somehow justifies not having a user-replaceable battery?
I know a lot of Apple users, and quite a few of them throw money in the toilet, but this just takes the cake.
Going so far to say the iPhone UI sucks based on SpringBoard's inability to quickly access icons, is a bit of a stretch.
I completely agree that SpringBoard needs work. More than likely when it was designed, Apple didn't realize that people would actually be installing and using so many applications. There definitely needs to be a better way to organize and get at applications quickly.
It is a huge pain in the *ss to have to scroll through x amount of screens to get to the icon you want. At the very least it would be nice to be able to create icons on the first screen that represent other screens and clicking on one would take you directly to that particular screen. This way they could make a bit more useful and not change it drastically enough to confuse other people.
We'll probably (hopefully) see a change in iPhone OS 4.
Now, here's a situation I also would like to see resolved. But, what I would like to see is the ability to attach keywords or tags to your apps via iTunes. This is done for photos in iPhoto, so why not apps in iTunes?
Then, to compliment that, Maybe they could add the ability to create Smart Folders that simply display the apps that match whatever criteria you set. Only problem is... this solution doesn't sound like something that is easily expressed in an elegant manor. It needs an aesthetic and intuitive implementation so as not to interrupt the Apple experience. Any ideas?
N1 has an SD slot for extra storage, but not for applications, you're limited to 512MB of non-removable storage, 300MB+ of which is dedicated to the OS. So you're left with only 190MB of storage to install applications in. The applications I have installed on my iPhone take up 860MB.
The Android limit is for binaries only. I would be surprised if you have more than 50MB of binaries out of the 860MB of application data.
As for the microSD vs. internal memory debate, I can see why Apple went down the built-in route. You may think that microSD cards conform to a specification but there's a myriad of speeds and other complexities to worry about. What Apple don't want to see is someone buy a cheap (or fake) microSD and then blame Apple when their phone runs slow or crashes.
As already mentioned, the Nexus One is limited to 32GB microSD cards (the same capacity as the top iPhone) so it's a moot point anyway.
Quote:
Then, to compliment that, Maybe they could add the ability to create Smart Folders that simply display the apps that match whatever criteria you set. Only problem is... this solution doesn't sound like something that is easily expressed in an elegant manor. It needs an aesthetic and intuitive implementation so as not to interrupt the Apple experience. Any ideas?
That sounds like an excellent idea. I think you should patent your idea quick.
10) Placement on a network which is not a piece of crap
Apple needs to catch up in all those areas to be on par with the rest of the smartphone field right now. They have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.
We did talk about this and you have still not answered my question. Who does Apple need to catch up with? Motorola? LG? Samsung? HTC? Just name a company. Palm is the one I can think of that has come the closest.
The things you list are nice, don't get me wrong. But they aren't that important. The only truly important feature is usability. Apple is way ahead of the game here.
The Android limit is for binaries only. I would be surprised if you have more than 50MB of binaries out of the 860MB of application data.
That's an interesting possibility. How well does it work to split up binary and data? Seems to me that might cause unnecessary complications, the program would have to have extra code to check the memory card and handle a potential lack of data gracefully, because maybe it's on the other card and the user forgot to transfer it. Then you have the possibility that a program is idle in the background and the user swapped cards, call up the program again and it doesn't have the required data, then what happens?
Though 512MB should be plenty for apps, it does seem a bit stingy, that's only double the space of my 2004 PalmOS Tapwave, and that offered two full SD slots. Sadly, it wasn't a phone, otherwise I might still be using one because it really was snappy and did what I wanted it to do. I'm surprised chips that small are still made. I would prefer to have a lot more built in, and have a supplementary slot.
We did talk about this and you have still not answered my question. Who does Apple need to catch up with? Motorola? LG? Samsung? HTC? Just name a company. Palm is the one I can think of that has come the closest.
The things you list are nice, don't get me wrong. But they aren't that important. The only truly important feature is usability. Apple is way ahead of the game here.
Pretty much Apple needs to catch up with everyone else. I didn't mention a physical keyboard, which is something Apple should really offer in a version of its phone. A physical keyboard version and a software-only keyboard. It can have 2 different models of the iPhone and make more people happy.
Usability is more than just being familiar with an operating system and a particular iteration, which is what a lot of people think usability is.
Just because something is different does not make it less usable. Android 2.1 is the most advanced operating system for a mobile phone today and it is setting the standard for usability.
One of the most usable and coolest features? Voice-input for text fields. No longer do you have to dink around on a tiny keyboard with mistakes and all that. Just speak into the phone and it translates it. Another usability feature is multi-tasking of all applications on the phone. Want to listen to pandora while receiving a text message on the iPhone? NOT POSSIBLE. That is NOT usability. That pisses me off.
The iPhone does not have these key usability features among many others, which makes it less usable than others.
Pretty much Apple needs to catch up with everyone else. I didn't mention a physical keyboard, which is something Apple should really offer in a version of its phone. A physical keyboard version and a software-only keyboard. It can have 2 different models of the iPhone and make more people happy.
Usability is more than just being familiar with an operating system and a particular iteration, which is what a lot of people think usability is.
Just because something is different does not make it less usable. Android 2.1 is the most advanced operating system for a mobile phone today and it is setting the standard for usability.
One of the most usable and coolest features? Voice-input for text fields. No longer do you have to dink around on a tiny keyboard with mistakes and all that. Just speak into the phone and it translates it. Another usability feature is multi-tasking of all applications on the phone. Want to listen to pandora while receiving a text message on the iPhone? NOT POSSIBLE. That is NOT usability. That pisses me off.
The iPhone does not have these key usability features among many others, which makes it less usable than others.
You can arrange any iPhone icons any way you want. All my favorite apps are on my first page.
You can even delete the apps from the device itself. You don't need iTunes for anything. In fact, I haven't used iTunes for anything except to load some music on.
That's an interesting possibility. How well does it work to split up binary and data? Seems to me that might cause unnecessary complications, the program would have to have extra code to check the memory card and handle a potential lack of data gracefully, because maybe it's on the other card and the user forgot to transfer it. Then you have the possibility that a program is idle in the background and the user swapped cards, call up the program again and it doesn't have the required data.
Yeah, that's my issue and concern as well. It seems to me, people are acting like you're going to just switch out cards whenever you wanted for more space. But if all the app data was on the card, does it make those applications useless?
All three iterations. Unlike some people, I actually know what the hell I'm talking about. I am understandably upset that I can't do even simple stuff like listen to pandora and use other applications. Who would have thought that they couldn't listen to pandora or have an IM program running in the background?
Comments
What does 'pushing the envelope" actually mean? I'm hearing this from a lot of people but no one is expanding on the cliche's as to what Apple really needs to do to move ahead.
For me -- apart from things such as better battery life, better screen resolution, generally better spec-ed hardware, etc (but those are merely catching up others, not pushing the envelope) -- it would have to do four things: (i) provide seamless integration with the tablet (I am assuming the tablet will happen), (ii) have ability to act as an external disk drive (hopefully, there will be a 64GB version available), (iii) have the ability to pull up/view files from my desktop at work or at home, and -- here's the clincher, although I doubt it will happen -- (iv) integrate iLife functionality into the iPhone.
As for the "losing cards" business, that only happens if you are using the feature to actually swap cards in the field. mSD cards can be used simply as extra permanent memory in the device. I buy a phone in 2008 with 2 GB of built in memory, time passed, mSD card capacity increases and prices fall for flash memory, and in 2010 I can buy an 8 GB card for my phone for much less than a 4 GB was in 2008. I've increased the usefulness of the device and prolonged it's life for me without having to buy a whole new unit.
Why would you buy such a small card? The base iPhone already includes 8GB standard, has been standard for a couple years. If you said you wanted to buy the 8GB model and later upgrade to 16 or 32, fine, but those cards still aren't cheap. Newegg doesn't sell 32GB, so they might not even be available yet. SDHC maxes out at 32 anyways, you're not going to get a 2008 or 2009 phone to go to 64 with an add-in card, probably not a lot of 2010 phones will have a slot capable of 64.
As it is, I'm planning on replacing my 3G model when the 2010 phone comes out because it's had its share of accidental damage, and I want faster CPU.
1. Apple said in order to keep the phone slim as they intended... user replaceable batteries not possible.
They said that 3 years ago with the original design of the iPhone. Granted, batteries have improved since then and is probably not true anymore, but do you honestly believe that was the only reason given the history of the iPod?
Why do I have to have my nose up Apple's ass to agree that I don't think a user-replacable battery is not an innovation? Having a user-replacable battery is not an improvement... That's an opinion; my opinion and I'm entitled to it. I've owned cell phones before, and I've never had to buy a second battery. My original iPod I had for 5 years, still ran 8+ hours on a single charge, that's 80% after 5 years!
2. Your story about a 6 hour bus ride, with a 100% at the end of your trip. I'm assuming you mean you don't use the phone at all during that trip. Because if you're suggesting that you can use your phone for 6 hours... hell even 1 hour, and still have a 100% charge. Well all I can do is laugh at you, for thinking anyone would believe that kind of bullshit.
First of all, think about it for a second...... no? didn't think so. allow me to explain
I was countering g3pro's point of not being possible to travel long distances without having a second user-replacable battery. He was wrong. I was demonstrating that I do this all the time. I have an external battery pack that uses 4 AA rechargeable batteries. And when you're traveling long distances, you're usually sitting down and have a travel bag or backpack. It is not an inconvenience to carry an external battery pack and have your device plugged into it. The iPhone will first use all the power from the external pack, which alone can actually last 10+ hours of heavy use; games, video, web surfing, etc. So with this battery pack, I can actually use my iPhone for a much longer time than with a second battery. And when I step off the bus, my iPhone is still fully charged. Chances are when you get to your destination, you'll have the ability to recharge all your devices... and if not, I can buy regular batteries for the battery pack. Which makes it much more versatile than even a second or third user-replacable battery.
3. You really think Apple's attitude is, people who use their phone enough that they require 2nd batteries should stay away from their products? Please go ahead and show me any indication of them ever suggesting that, or feel free to write to them and come back with that info. Apple wants as many customers as they can, they marketed the 3G for business people by adding exchange and cloud syncing features. Business people are the exact sort of crowd who could benefit from user-replaceable batteries. I don't have a need for a replaceable battery either, but guess what... you and I don't make up every Apple customer out there.
No. I don't think that at all. I think Apple makes the products they want to make. Period. And you're never going to get a user-replacable battery. I was just pointing out that fact. And if you are someone who needs one, then why would buy an iPhone, or an iPod?
You're such a pompous little prick, I could just tell 10 seconds into reading your post without even knowing you personally. The sad part is, you're actually just a dolt who should keep his mouth shut. I can't tell you how happy I am knowing, with that attitude you'll never get a job at Apple because of your poor attitude. Crawl back into your miserable existence and stop bothering people.
Oh! Wow! Name calling and lifestyle assumptions; I love anonymous Internet wit.
How is my attitude poor? Im actually a very happy person who understands not all things will be agreeable to all people. And I can except that without whining about it. Apple doesn't owe me anything, neither does anyone else for that matter. If something comes along that I don't agree with, I just simply don't bother with it. I'm a completely open-minded and patient person except when it comes to people who assume they're owed something for nothing and their view of the world is the only right one.
I can completely understand how some people would think a user-replacable battery would be beneficial to them, but that doesn't mean having one would necessarily make the device any better.
Agreed that Apple has nailed the UI.
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
The iPhone UI sucks big time.
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
The iPhone UI sucks big time.
It's not so terrible, but I agree the UI needs help, though you can rearrange the icons in iTunes. I've seen several Apple fans ask for folders, you're not the only one asking for them.
I think part of the "problem" is that there are so many programs, I easily have 2x more programs in my iPhone than I ever had in my Palm-based Tapwave. While PalmOS used folders, I've never had the opportunity to change the arrangement of the icons that I remember, it was alphabetical only.
One thing I would like is an option to not have the transitions and bounces. I just find them to be distracting and time wasting.
Because Apple would rather have someone throw out a perfectly good phone minus a dead-battery so that you are forced to buy a new unit or pay someone an ungodly amount of money to have it serviced.
Which explains the class-action lawsuit over this issue? Which explains the millions of people who complain when their iPod or iPhone batteries are dead and need to be serviced?
Ungodly? I hardly consider $60 ungodly. Apple covers the battery for the first year expanded to 2 with a protection plan (same $ as a battery replacement) which is the amount of time most people are going to use the phone before upgrading. I dont know where you are from, but no one has ever held a gun to my head and "forced" me to buy a new phone. I CHOOSE to own one.
At this point, Apple really needs to catch up in terms of having the same features of other phones that have come out within the last year, and that includes both hardware and software features.
All the other phone makers are still trying to catch up to Apple. Who does Apple need to catch up with?
I disagree. Springboard is lacking in funcionality. It is dumbed-down and devoid of useful options.
No folders? Having to scroll 11 times to access icons? No ability to place icons where you want them, and have them stay there? No ability to use better icons or more intuitive labels?
The iPhone UI sucks big time.
Going so far to say the iPhone UI sucks based on SpringBoard's inability to quickly access icons, is a bit of a stretch.
I completely agree that SpringBoard needs work. More than likely when it was designed, Apple didn't realize that people would actually be installing and using so many applications. There definitely needs to be a better way to organize and get at applications quickly.
It is a huge pain in the *ss to have to scroll through x amount of screens to get to the icon you want. At the very least it would be nice to be able to create icons on the first screen that represent other screens and clicking on one would take you directly to that particular screen. This way they could make a bit more useful and not change it drastically enough to confuse other people.
We'll probably (hopefully) see a change in iPhone OS 4.
All the other phone makers are still trying to catch up to Apple. Who does Apple need to catch up with?
We already talked about this:
1) Faster processor
2) More RAM
3) Larger screen
4) Higher resolution screen
5) Multi-tasking of non core applications
6) Dual microphone to cut out background noise
7) Voice input in all text entry fields
8) User-replaceable battery
9) User-replaceable memory and expandable memory
10) Placement on a network which is not a piece of crap
Apple needs to catch up in all those areas to be on par with the rest of the smartphone field right now. They have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.
Not to mention the fact that even if the iPhone had a replaceable battery, you would still have to BUY it. Making the whole point moot.
You would spend $60 every time your phone needs to be charged because of low battery? And that somehow justifies not having a user-replaceable battery?
I know a lot of Apple users, and quite a few of them throw money in the toilet, but this just takes the cake.
Going so far to say the iPhone UI sucks based on SpringBoard's inability to quickly access icons, is a bit of a stretch.
I completely agree that SpringBoard needs work. More than likely when it was designed, Apple didn't realize that people would actually be installing and using so many applications. There definitely needs to be a better way to organize and get at applications quickly.
It is a huge pain in the *ss to have to scroll through x amount of screens to get to the icon you want. At the very least it would be nice to be able to create icons on the first screen that represent other screens and clicking on one would take you directly to that particular screen. This way they could make a bit more useful and not change it drastically enough to confuse other people.
We'll probably (hopefully) see a change in iPhone OS 4.
Now, here's a situation I also would like to see resolved. But, what I would like to see is the ability to attach keywords or tags to your apps via iTunes. This is done for photos in iPhoto, so why not apps in iTunes?
Then, to compliment that, Maybe they could add the ability to create Smart Folders that simply display the apps that match whatever criteria you set. Only problem is... this solution doesn't sound like something that is easily expressed in an elegant manor. It needs an aesthetic and intuitive implementation so as not to interrupt the Apple experience. Any ideas?
N1 has an SD slot for extra storage, but not for applications, you're limited to 512MB of non-removable storage, 300MB+ of which is dedicated to the OS. So you're left with only 190MB of storage to install applications in. The applications I have installed on my iPhone take up 860MB.
The Android limit is for binaries only. I would be surprised if you have more than 50MB of binaries out of the 860MB of application data.
As for the microSD vs. internal memory debate, I can see why Apple went down the built-in route. You may think that microSD cards conform to a specification but there's a myriad of speeds and other complexities to worry about. What Apple don't want to see is someone buy a cheap (or fake) microSD and then blame Apple when their phone runs slow or crashes.
As already mentioned, the Nexus One is limited to 32GB microSD cards (the same capacity as the top iPhone) so it's a moot point anyway.
Then, to compliment that, Maybe they could add the ability to create Smart Folders that simply display the apps that match whatever criteria you set. Only problem is... this solution doesn't sound like something that is easily expressed in an elegant manor. It needs an aesthetic and intuitive implementation so as not to interrupt the Apple experience. Any ideas?
That sounds like an excellent idea. I think you should patent your idea quick.
We already talked about this:
1) Faster processor
2) More RAM
3) Larger screen
4) Higher resolution screen
5) Multi-tasking of non core applications
6) Dual microphone to cut out background noise
7) Voice input in all text entry fields
8) User-replaceable battery
9) User-replaceable memory and expandable memory
10) Placement on a network which is not a piece of crap
Apple needs to catch up in all those areas to be on par with the rest of the smartphone field right now. They have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.
We did talk about this and you have still not answered my question. Who does Apple need to catch up with? Motorola? LG? Samsung? HTC? Just name a company. Palm is the one I can think of that has come the closest.
The things you list are nice, don't get me wrong. But they aren't that important. The only truly important feature is usability. Apple is way ahead of the game here.
The Android limit is for binaries only. I would be surprised if you have more than 50MB of binaries out of the 860MB of application data.
That's an interesting possibility. How well does it work to split up binary and data? Seems to me that might cause unnecessary complications, the program would have to have extra code to check the memory card and handle a potential lack of data gracefully, because maybe it's on the other card and the user forgot to transfer it. Then you have the possibility that a program is idle in the background and the user swapped cards, call up the program again and it doesn't have the required data, then what happens?
Though 512MB should be plenty for apps, it does seem a bit stingy, that's only double the space of my 2004 PalmOS Tapwave, and that offered two full SD slots. Sadly, it wasn't a phone, otherwise I might still be using one because it really was snappy and did what I wanted it to do. I'm surprised chips that small are still made. I would prefer to have a lot more built in, and have a supplementary slot.
We did talk about this and you have still not answered my question. Who does Apple need to catch up with? Motorola? LG? Samsung? HTC? Just name a company. Palm is the one I can think of that has come the closest.
The things you list are nice, don't get me wrong. But they aren't that important. The only truly important feature is usability. Apple is way ahead of the game here.
Pretty much Apple needs to catch up with everyone else. I didn't mention a physical keyboard, which is something Apple should really offer in a version of its phone. A physical keyboard version and a software-only keyboard. It can have 2 different models of the iPhone and make more people happy.
Usability is more than just being familiar with an operating system and a particular iteration, which is what a lot of people think usability is.
Just because something is different does not make it less usable. Android 2.1 is the most advanced operating system for a mobile phone today and it is setting the standard for usability.
One of the most usable and coolest features? Voice-input for text fields. No longer do you have to dink around on a tiny keyboard with mistakes and all that. Just speak into the phone and it translates it. Another usability feature is multi-tasking of all applications on the phone. Want to listen to pandora while receiving a text message on the iPhone? NOT POSSIBLE. That is NOT usability. That pisses me off.
The iPhone does not have these key usability features among many others, which makes it less usable than others.
Pretty much Apple needs to catch up with everyone else. I didn't mention a physical keyboard, which is something Apple should really offer in a version of its phone. A physical keyboard version and a software-only keyboard. It can have 2 different models of the iPhone and make more people happy.
Usability is more than just being familiar with an operating system and a particular iteration, which is what a lot of people think usability is.
Just because something is different does not make it less usable. Android 2.1 is the most advanced operating system for a mobile phone today and it is setting the standard for usability.
One of the most usable and coolest features? Voice-input for text fields. No longer do you have to dink around on a tiny keyboard with mistakes and all that. Just speak into the phone and it translates it. Another usability feature is multi-tasking of all applications on the phone. Want to listen to pandora while receiving a text message on the iPhone? NOT POSSIBLE. That is NOT usability. That pisses me off.
The iPhone does not have these key usability features among many others, which makes it less usable than others.
Do you actually have and use an iPhone?
You can arrange any iPhone icons any way you want. All my favorite apps are on my first page.
You can even delete the apps from the device itself. You don't need iTunes for anything. In fact, I haven't used iTunes for anything except to load some music on.
I sync via MM not iTunes.
That's an interesting possibility. How well does it work to split up binary and data? Seems to me that might cause unnecessary complications, the program would have to have extra code to check the memory card and handle a potential lack of data gracefully, because maybe it's on the other card and the user forgot to transfer it. Then you have the possibility that a program is idle in the background and the user swapped cards, call up the program again and it doesn't have the required data.
Yeah, that's my issue and concern as well. It seems to me, people are acting like you're going to just switch out cards whenever you wanted for more space. But if all the app data was on the card, does it make those applications useless?
Do you actually have and use an iPhone?
All three iterations. Unlike some people, I actually know what the hell I'm talking about. I am understandably upset that I can't do even simple stuff like listen to pandora and use other applications. Who would have thought that they couldn't listen to pandora or have an IM program running in the background?