AT&T canvasses buyers on future iPhone features
AT&T has recently begun surveying some of its longer-term iPhone buyers asking what features they would most like to see added to the Apple handset.
The survey chiefly touches on post-purchase satisfaction with both Apple and AT&T and is described by AppleInsider readers as a follow-up to a similar survey from a few months ago, or shortly after the iPhone 3G launch.
It's also said to be gauging reactions to iPhone firmware 2.1 and whether or not the update improved the phone's features.
A single page of the survey, however, is committed just to judging which features customers would most likely to see added to the iPhone in the future. The questionnaire asks owners to pick the top five hardware or software add-ons they'd like to see and include many of the most prominent requests made in the community, including cutting and pasting text, built-in instant messaging, Flash/Java support and MMS messaging.
A handful of the items have already been partly or completely addressed. Users can already search contacts, for example, while it's also possible to download ringtones from iTunes on a computer but not the iPhone itself.
Readers shouldn't necessarily interpret this as a sign of Apple's future direction with its multi-touch device; companies regularly poll their customers to determine the level of demand for particular features.
Apple has previously said, however, that it's continually looking to add new features to the iPhone's software and that it was a question of priority and that copy-and-paste, directional GPS, and other features have been put on the backburner in the past to address other components first or due to complications.
During the summer, some of Apple's iPhone 2.1 beta seeds included directional positioning but didn't expose the feature in the final build, which instead focused on resolving bugs.
As such, it's difficult to tell which if any of the features in the AT&T survey will translate to actual improvements in the near future.
The survey chiefly touches on post-purchase satisfaction with both Apple and AT&T and is described by AppleInsider readers as a follow-up to a similar survey from a few months ago, or shortly after the iPhone 3G launch.
It's also said to be gauging reactions to iPhone firmware 2.1 and whether or not the update improved the phone's features.
A single page of the survey, however, is committed just to judging which features customers would most likely to see added to the iPhone in the future. The questionnaire asks owners to pick the top five hardware or software add-ons they'd like to see and include many of the most prominent requests made in the community, including cutting and pasting text, built-in instant messaging, Flash/Java support and MMS messaging.
A handful of the items have already been partly or completely addressed. Users can already search contacts, for example, while it's also possible to download ringtones from iTunes on a computer but not the iPhone itself.
Readers shouldn't necessarily interpret this as a sign of Apple's future direction with its multi-touch device; companies regularly poll their customers to determine the level of demand for particular features.
Apple has previously said, however, that it's continually looking to add new features to the iPhone's software and that it was a question of priority and that copy-and-paste, directional GPS, and other features have been put on the backburner in the past to address other components first or due to complications.
During the summer, some of Apple's iPhone 2.1 beta seeds included directional positioning but didn't expose the feature in the final build, which instead focused on resolving bugs.
As such, it's difficult to tell which if any of the features in the AT&T survey will translate to actual improvements in the near future.
Comments
at&t is doing this for their own purposes. Jobs doesn't take suggestions, especially not from these silly people. In the near future, when their agreement has FINALLY ended, at&t will contract with another manufacturer to fold these "suggestions" into their post-iPhone products.
I think AT&T will still sell iPhones after the current agreement expires. They just
won't have exclusivity.
I like how the survey refers to "teh iPhone 3g"
Taht's teh bmob!
Just my 2 cents.
(EDIT: sorry, I can't fix my missing apostrophe in the title. Just assume I knew better, but type poorly.)
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OF THE ITEMS ON THE LIST:
1) GPS Turn-by-Turn Directions
2) Landscape keyboard Universal (I guess this fits under "Landscape mode for email")
3) Cut and Paste
4) MMS
5) User-replaceable battery
Explanations:
1. To have your iPhone's screen off but with announced turn-by-turn vocal directions would be really nice. Looking at your iPhone's directions can be a hazard.
2. The small keyboard is fairly accurate because of the great corrective feature, but it would be nice to have a larger keyboard for longer emails, sms, etc.
3. I'd have a use for a find function (like in Safari) than cut and paste, but cut and paste would be useful.
4. As with MMS, many people don't know this but you can send SMS/MMS to an email address and send emails to MMS if you know the subscriber's carrier. So via email, the iPhone does has some form of MMS. A built-in feature would be nice though.
5. I actually have never run out of battery before I had to charge, so this isn't a problem yet, but I also don't have 3G and I haven't been on a trip were I didn't have a chance to charge. I doubt this is coming, but it'd be nice to see.
Other things:
? Ability to use the iPhone 3G with other service providers: doesn't affect me, would be nice for other people I guess.
?Search function in contacts: Useful, I suppose, but I'm not having a problem with contacts. I do, however, want to see a better search feature for iPod playlists.
?Ability to edit documents: it'd be nice, but I don't see that being so useful... typing full-fledged documents would be hard.
?Flash/JAVA: can do without.
?Video recording: perhaps, but I wouldn't use it often.
?iChat: There is already IM, albeit it's not great. I might like to see an IM service that functions like SMS.
-Downloadable ringtones: another way for them to steal my money.
-More storage: 16GB is enough for me.
Just sayin'.
Although copy and paste would be *nice*, it's not crucial for me. I'd put it three on my list.
Me neither, over the months I've had mine, I could maybe have done with it twice. However if it was there, I'm sure I'd be using it almost daily.
I've only needed to use copy & past once or twice. But I'm always in need of:
- Voice activated dialing.
- Better driving directions.
- Video capability.
- Free tethering, like many other AT&T's phones.
- Ability to automatically dial a calling card's number when calling overseas. (This one might be too much to ask)
Choosing my carrier of choice would suit me just fine. For this and EVERY phone out there.
I recall Kansas City having all major US carriers and several MVNOs.
My top feature request though is the ability to download podcasts directly to the iPhone. I've got a fast data connection everywhere, why isn't this included already?
Are we sure this survey is not bogus? It seems strange to me that it clearly states that " the following items are not available in the iPhone 3g" and then lists search in contacts which is clearly available. Add to that "teh iPhone" and it's starting to get a little suspiciously unprofessional to me.
Just sayin'.
AT&T has a survey with "ability to use the iPhone 3G with other service providers (not just AT&T)" as an option?
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You used a hidden iPhone feature? How the!?