Yet Apple makes the majority of its money off hardware. And as of late is being criticized for inferior software offerings.
But all that hardware, will it continue selling as well if they came with Windows and Android? They make money through hardware sales but those sales occur because of the OS (i.e. software). OS-X and iOS are Apple's primary differentiating feature, or in marketing talk, unique selling proposition.
I don't understand why there has to be a new platform every five years. I don't think the tech shrinks quite that quickly. Cars remained mostly the same for a hundred years and no one complained. It is enough for the products to improve each year. Wearable tech and accurate speech recognition and real time accurate translation could be the next big thing to further shrink the world but it will come when it comes.
I would sugest if you think everyone in Asia is poor you put down the US propaganda media you are consuming and open your eyes. In Hong Kong, Singapore and the other big cities around Asia Samsung is taking huge market share and these people have lots of disposable income. This to me is a classic case along the line of Nokia's lack of entry into the smartphone arena a few years ago. Apple, with its Many of its executives and their typically unworldly US style world view, they are missing the next revolution taking place NOW. Big screen phones.
I don't think so. Not everybody wants to make a fool out of themselves. There's still a lot of people who have got taste and style.
Hi Edge, Old man. 1. Double tap shift key for permanent caps lock 2. Set up zoom with three fingers in settings so you can zoom up all over the iOS. Enjoy. P.S. iOS has lots of hidden features.
Below from TheEdge I love my girlfriend's iPhone, but have been holding off buying one due to a few substantial limitations (to me). The include: 1. no easy system-wide sharing. 2. a keyboard that does not change to capital letters when hitting shift key (only small shift key lights up) and 3. too small of screen for my old man eyes (ok, this is hardware, not iOS) is it too much to ask for these few improvements to iOS? I mean really, Android solved each of these complaints years ago. I really want to switch, but can't get past these.
<span style="line-height:1.231;">It's okay. If someone doesn't like widgets, then they don't have to use them. Many of the rest of us would find them useful.</span>
<span style="line-height:1.231;">Anyway, it's too late. IOS already has some widgets, starting with the calendar icon showing the right date, and later on, the we</span>
<span style="line-height:1.231;">ather & stock widgets in the notification center.</span>
<span style="line-height:1.231;">Steve Jobs was a big fan of widgets on his own desktop computer. He gushed over their usefulness at the 2007 WWDC (see pic below), and used to call the iPhone Stock and Weather apps "widgets" during talks. </span>
<span style="line-height:1.231;">Even t</span>
<span style="line-height:1.231;">he original iPhone patents show a "widget creator" in the software block diagram.</span>
You should wake up and smell the coffee. Widgets are fine on desktops but not on mobile devices, I don't want even 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% wasted battery life because of some stupid widget.
- Integrated Infrared Transceiver. Would easily become the universal remote of choice to control everything in sight, and even out of sight
- Fingerprint reader for Unlock and integrated multi account capability on iPad. Used as Plain Unlock mechanism on iPhone.
- NFC Capability on iPhone, RFID Reader on iPad
- Siri API for third party apps
- Maps API for third party apps
- AppleTV opened up for third party apps
- Significantly improved imaging and video capabilities and features
- Migrate entire iLife suite to iPad.
- Convert Airport Extreme line to be a Home Gateway solution, running iOS - should support iTunes Server, AirPrint, AirPlay, DSL Modem, Back to My Mac, etc - allow households to get rid of regular macs and just use Airport Extreme as their home solution. Computing Appliance, with support for Mail/Web Server, File/Print Server, iTunes Media Server. Also it should support remote access to data through VPN. Probably branded "myCloud"!
Instead of making a Low Cost version of the iPhone and dealing with cannibalization, etc, Apple should just lower the cost of entire iPhone range. What they lose in terms of margins would likely be made up by larger volumes. Also, this would be the best way to put pressure on Android manufacturers running on very tight margins.
I am hoping iPhone 4S drops to $200, iPhone 5 to $300, and iPhone 5S to $400 unlocked. Sell the 4S, 5 and 5S with 8GB Flash in the low end model. That way most people would anyway upgrade to higher end models and increase Apple's margins. At this sort of price point, Android would be struggling to compete.
This is probably the best time for Apple to pull off the lower pricing - the stock price is anyway languishing at ridiculously low levels, so if Apple announces lower margins with increased revenues, it would be a positive!
Apple should also encourage Foxconn to open up manufacturing bases in India, so that they can benefit from lower taxes and import duties. They should also encourage their suppliers to open manufacturing bases in India. That would also help Apple compete effectively in a large market like India, and at the same time reduce their overall supply issues significantly. India is likely to be the next major market for Apple, and is currently one of the largest markets for Samsung - having a local manufacturing base will go a long way in helping to aggressively tap Indian market. India has a lot of infrastructure and power issues, but for a company with the resources and volumes of Apple, this would be easily manageable. Even in the US, where there is ample power, Apple created its own green power capability - they can use exact same approach at even lower cost in India. Apple can start with iOS devices to begin with, and then gradually expand to Mac devices. The new single foreign brand retail guidelines in India will also allow Apple to launch dedicated Apple Stores in the country. At the same time, India is a large enough market that Apple can consider creating a dedicated iCloud datacenter in India, anticipating a much larger user base in the country in the next 2-3 years.
Apple will get ecosystem benefits and lock in by having a large market share, than if they just sell the device at a premium. With over $100B in the bank, getting a little bit more of upfront profits is pretty meaningless to Apple, but if they capture huge marketshare, that adds much more value.
1. No easy system-wide sharing:I am not sure what you mean by this. I can share most of the things (pics, videos) through email, twitter, facebook, icloud, photo stream etc. It also have system wide Facebook and Twitter integration.
2. A keyboard that does not change to capital letters when hitting shift key (only small shift key lights up): It does. One tap on the shift key will Capitalize the next letter. If you double tap the shift key, all following characters will be CAPITALIZED.
3. Too small of screen for my old man eyes (ok, this is hardware, not iOS): Its an Hardware issue. Also the iPhone has the best size in my opinion. However, different people may have different requirements, so a bigger (or even smaller) screen can suit others.
Is it too much to ask for these few improvements to iOS? No
I mean really, Android solved each of these complaints years ago. I don't think these are problems to most people. As I pointed out, two of the three things you mentioned is already available in iPhone and the third is also subject to debate, not an automatic "deficiency".
The big question for me is "will iOS, at some point, take over Mac OS X?" Eventually, yes, I think so. Even now several developers are trying to make good productive professional iOS apps, but they're all just a supplement to its desktop counterpart. The biggest problems in my opinion that iOS is facing to become a full professional system are: - [B]file structure[/B]. There just MUST be a proper way to handle files before you can handle any kind of significant project. Imagine developing a game, and all textures and images are put in Photos, and all sound effects in iTunes, and all 3d models in the 3d App, and the files from the musician are shared in drop box... Eh.. Not cool at all. - [B]Shortcuts[/B] This might seem insignificant, but there are roughly 50 keys + 4 modifiers always accessible for shortcut actions that you can access blindfolded that will save you time and frustration going through menus, submenus and palettes over and over again. There is no way in the world that a touch interface can match this in terms of both volume, efficiency and accuracy. There has to be a solution for this. Easy old school solution: just connect a keyboard.. - [B]screen size[/B] Obviously you'll need a big screen to handle both complex interfaces and content. - [B]proper palm rejection and ergonomics[/B] The bigger the screen, the more important palm rejection becomes. You'll get tired hovering your hands all day long. The need for resting your hands will become increasingly important. And if this will be your main platform that you'll be working with, your neck will be bent even further down and put more strain on you neck and shoulders. Now whether this will be fingerprint sensing screens or a sort of IR sensing screen that can see your hands over the screen and distinguish fingers from palms I don't know. But it has to be solved.
"This is an awfully weak article. In the first place, while purporting to be about the future of iOS (a software platform), it goes on about everything under the sun for one and a half pages without even getting to the starting gate. Then there's just a few paragraphs about the software containing no new ideas, no suggestions, and essentially devoid of any content."
Amen. If there's a bigger fanboy that Daniel Eran Dilger, I defy anyone to name him. I think confining DED to a single page might go at least part of the way toward restraining his fawning, meandering, and largely pointless paeans to the glory of Apple ...
This is an awfully weak article. In the first place, while purporting to be about the future of iOS (a software platform), it goes on about everything under the sun for one and a half pages without even getting to the starting gate. Then there's just a few paragraphs about the software containing no new ideas, no suggestions, and essentially devoid of any content.
Amen. If there's a bigger fanboy than Daniel Eran Dilger, I defy anyone to name him. Please don't tell me he gets paid for writing this junk. I think confining him to a single page would go at least part of the way toward restraining his fawning, meandering, and largely pointless paeans to the glory of Apple ...
The System Preferences app on iOS could definitely take cues from OS X. The iOS one has grown quickly and it's time for a reorganization. The OS X one has gone through all those growing pains already and come up with a logical organization for a more complex system.
The big question for me is "will iOS, at some point, take over Mac OS X?" Eventually, yes, I think so.
I think Apple will just develop both to the best of their ability and let the market decide. Even though the "desktop" model is older than the touch model, it is still better for some things. The ability to have a big screen with lots of separate apps running in separate windows is as useful for professionals as it is confusing for beginners.
I would sugest if you think everyone in Asia is poor you put down the US propaganda media you are consuming and open your eyes. In Hong Kong, Singapore and the other big cities around Asia Samsung is taking huge market share and these people have lots of disposable income. This to me is a classic case along the line of Nokia's lack of entry into the smartphone arena a few years ago. Apple, with its Many of its executives and their typically unworldly US style world view, they are missing the next revolution taking place NOW. Big screen phones.
I don't think so. Not everybody wants to make a fool out of themselves. There's still a lot of people who have got taste and style.
Yes, you're absolutely right. There are still people with taste and style. I just bought a watch ... a mechanical automatic, a masterpiece of engineering and design that is utterly functional, reliable, doesn't need the internet, easy to read on land and under water and an exquisite timeless design appearance. Not some junk toy that will end up as land-fill in five years.
Like it or not, the iPhone is a consumer item, a mass market product for the huge consumer market. I think "taste and style" are the last things that motivate the purchasers in general. It's not even exclusive ... everyone has got one. It's the ball-point pen of the age.
From my experience, the iPad mini sold well because of its mobility, but not because it is smaller, but because it is lighter!
The Article should be named as Apple Product Next not iOS Next as it doesn't even touch much on iOS.
Apple will need to solve the what i call the Apple ID Crisis, Where the increasing the use of Multiple ID is creating a hell for support, and any use of it is simply not user friendly. It reminds me of days in Windows Vista when security is on top of all else. Not that i dont want it but Apple need to solve it, being secure and ease of use. ( That is where i hope fingerprint comes into play )
iCloud ? Nuff Said.
Inter App - Communication - Something needs to be done about it rather then not doing anything on it. Copying the idea from Android is no good as i find it too complex, but disallowing users doing is far too limiting, ( I have been asked far too many times from a novice users on this, and i have no answers to them ). I hope Apple comes out with something elegant.
iTunes - Hopefully to finally get rid out it as a tool to communicate bewteen PC/Mac and iPhone
Those are the four biggest area of iOS experience let down. Other conservative improvement are welcome and should be expected, but those four are top priorities in my view and experience.
Now On to Daniel Eran Dilger pieces on Plus Size iPhone. Which is the only one so far i strongly disagree with.
I am glad he specially mention US, and not the world ( like most would do ). Because apart from US, there are many region ( especially from Far East ) where Note II is doing better then SIII. And that is despite the Note series at disadvantage because it is always coming out after the latest S series. Also SII aren't selling well outside US compared to SIII or Note II. And " The majority of Samsung's customers are opting for cheap phones, not big ones." is like, How bias can you get? Which is simply false. And the whole paragraph on "Why are Samsung's phones big?" is like total FUD.
Just before i move on, I am an Apple Fans, but not a blind Fans, as much as i hate Samsung, FUD is FUD.
Then about SKU, talks about how ONE more size would make things complicated. That is like saying Apple should not make, 27" iMac, 13" MBA, 15" Macbook/ Pro. And then he mentions Colours on iPod Touch, isn't that just complicated the SKUs as much? And no, adding one is not as complicated, At least when he compared to Sammmy which really do have different SKUs with different baseband or SoC even on the same bloody model!. And they have MANY models! Apple in the sense only have a few relatively simple variants of product. The carriers model are self imposed which means the only real difference is NAND Storage and two Colours.
Then comes the most weird part, iPad Mini iPhone!. I love one! I do. It is a even better idea then iPhone+ that i have had for longer then iPhone 5", but i expect i will never get one. Why? Because that is the most UnApple move. And if you could only bet on one, 5"iPhone or iPad Mini Phone. I will bet on 5" iPhone.
The comment about iOS7 Airdrop support is the clincher for me. I realise that Apple is very cloud-centric, but if they really want to win the tablet battle, al they need to do is introduce an OS-wide, simple, Airdrop feature for mac and windows. At app that requires storage of created files could then access the airdrop API and files could be easily transferred to and from their iPad. ActiveDirectory access would also be nice (in enterprise) but secondary to Airdrop.
The biggest problems in my opinion that iOS is facing to become a full professional system are:
- file structure.
There just MUST be a proper way to handle files before you can handle any kind of significant project.
The file system on iOS is 95% of what you have on OS X - the difference is that Apple have consciously decided to hide it on iOS.
Despite iOS being a slowly morphing subset of OS X, Apple clearly decided that there would be:
*) No multiple windows
*) No exposed file system
*) No menu bars
*) No terminal app
*) Others that escape me just now ...
When reading Apple's iOS User Interface Guidelines they heavily emphasise, many times, that developers should not take their OS X app and shoehorn it onto iOS. They illustrate this by referring to Mail, Calendar, Pages and Numbers and the features removed during the transfer to iOS. iOS has a deliberately restricted feature set compared to OS X and despite what geeky technophiles might like Apple to incorporate into iOS it seems that they plan to keep it simple for their target market. They are obviously doing something very right judging by their gargantuan cash pile...
Some good points here but this article wanders off into glorifying Apple's history and bashing others instead of focusing on its subject of what the next version might hold.
The article misses the likely execution of opening up TV app store to third parties, especially for games. Likely a game controller too. The other thing it misses is the likely release of print scanning and where that will lead including Apple's possible entry into the eWallet market.
One simple request outstanding for years is the need for a quick way to access key elements of Settings, especially turning cellular data on and off. I saw this in a video of suggestions for iOS 5 where you would scroll up (the opposite of doing a drop down for notifications) and get a panel for key Settings.
Finally, I think that improved data entry is a killer application. This is where everyone spends most of their time on a phone. I love dictation but so many people still use the keyboard. I don't see why Apple does not allow Swype or have something similar. I know people with iPads and Android phones. They get so used to Swype they try doing it on their iPad by habit. People spend so much time typing for texting, etc. that if Apple let's others have quicker data entry, those heavy typists could leave the platform.
Please don't knock widgets. Knock the implementation not the feature.
And iPhone already has a widget. Anyone who's ever listened to music on an iPhone and wanted to skip a song has used a widget. It's that thing in the lockscreen that allows you faster access to the controls of the music app. Implemented correctly they are a nice addition to any mobile device.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Yet Apple makes the majority of its money off hardware. And as of late is being criticized for inferior software offerings.
But all that hardware, will it continue selling as well if they came with Windows and Android? They make money through hardware sales but those sales occur because of the OS (i.e. software). OS-X and iOS are Apple's primary differentiating feature, or in marketing talk, unique selling proposition.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lerxt
I would sugest if you think everyone in Asia is poor you put down the US propaganda media you are consuming and open your eyes. In Hong Kong, Singapore and the other big cities around Asia Samsung is taking huge market share and these people have lots of disposable income. This to me is a classic case along the line of Nokia's lack of entry into the smartphone arena a few years ago. Apple, with its Many of its executives and their typically unworldly US style world view, they are missing the next revolution taking place NOW. Big screen phones.
I don't think so. Not everybody wants to make a fool out of themselves. There's still a lot of people who have got taste and style.
1. Double tap shift key for permanent caps lock
2. Set up zoom with three fingers in settings so you can zoom up all over the iOS.
Enjoy.
P.S. iOS has lots of hidden features.
Below from TheEdge
I love my girlfriend's iPhone, but have been holding off buying one due to a few substantial limitations (to me). The include:
1. no easy system-wide sharing.
2. a keyboard that does not change to capital letters when hitting shift key (only small shift key lights up) and
3. too small of screen for my old man eyes (ok, this is hardware, not iOS)
is it too much to ask for these few improvements to iOS? I mean really, Android solved each of these complaints years ago.
I really want to switch, but can't get past these.
My wishlist for iOS7 and next gen Apple Hardware.
- Integrated Infrared Transceiver. Would easily become the universal remote of choice to control everything in sight, and even out of sight
- Fingerprint reader for Unlock and integrated multi account capability on iPad. Used as Plain Unlock mechanism on iPhone.
- NFC Capability on iPhone, RFID Reader on iPad
- Siri API for third party apps
- Maps API for third party apps
- AppleTV opened up for third party apps
- Significantly improved imaging and video capabilities and features
- Migrate entire iLife suite to iPad.
- Convert Airport Extreme line to be a Home Gateway solution, running iOS - should support iTunes Server, AirPrint, AirPlay, DSL Modem, Back to My Mac, etc - allow households to get rid of regular macs and just use Airport Extreme as their home solution. Computing Appliance, with support for Mail/Web Server, File/Print Server, iTunes Media Server. Also it should support remote access to data through VPN. Probably branded "myCloud"!
Instead of making a Low Cost version of the iPhone and dealing with cannibalization, etc, Apple should just lower the cost of entire iPhone range. What they lose in terms of margins would likely be made up by larger volumes. Also, this would be the best way to put pressure on Android manufacturers running on very tight margins.
I am hoping iPhone 4S drops to $200, iPhone 5 to $300, and iPhone 5S to $400 unlocked. Sell the 4S, 5 and 5S with 8GB Flash in the low end model. That way most people would anyway upgrade to higher end models and increase Apple's margins. At this sort of price point, Android would be struggling to compete.
This is probably the best time for Apple to pull off the lower pricing - the stock price is anyway languishing at ridiculously low levels, so if Apple announces lower margins with increased revenues, it would be a positive!
Apple should also encourage Foxconn to open up manufacturing bases in India, so that they can benefit from lower taxes and import duties. They should also encourage their suppliers to open manufacturing bases in India. That would also help Apple compete effectively in a large market like India, and at the same time reduce their overall supply issues significantly. India is likely to be the next major market for Apple, and is currently one of the largest markets for Samsung - having a local manufacturing base will go a long way in helping to aggressively tap Indian market. India has a lot of infrastructure and power issues, but for a company with the resources and volumes of Apple, this would be easily manageable. Even in the US, where there is ample power, Apple created its own green power capability - they can use exact same approach at even lower cost in India. Apple can start with iOS devices to begin with, and then gradually expand to Mac devices. The new single foreign brand retail guidelines in India will also allow Apple to launch dedicated Apple Stores in the country. At the same time, India is a large enough market that Apple can consider creating a dedicated iCloud datacenter in India, anticipating a much larger user base in the country in the next 2-3 years.
Apple will get ecosystem benefits and lock in by having a large market share, than if they just sell the device at a premium. With over $100B in the bank, getting a little bit more of upfront profits is pretty meaningless to Apple, but if they capture huge marketshare, that adds much more value.
Hello Edge,
1. No easy system-wide sharing: I am not sure what you mean by this. I can share most of the things (pics, videos) through email, twitter, facebook, icloud, photo stream etc. It also have system wide Facebook and Twitter integration.
2. A keyboard that does not change to capital letters when hitting shift key (only small shift key lights up): It does. One tap on the shift key will Capitalize the next letter. If you double tap the shift key, all following characters will be CAPITALIZED.
3. Too small of screen for my old man eyes (ok, this is hardware, not iOS): Its an Hardware issue. Also the iPhone has the best size in my opinion. However, different people may have different requirements, so a bigger (or even smaller) screen can suit others.
Is it too much to ask for these few improvements to iOS? No
I mean really, Android solved each of these complaints years ago. I don't think these are problems to most people. As I pointed out, two of the three things you mentioned is already available in iPhone and the third is also subject to debate, not an automatic "deficiency".
Even now several developers are trying to make good productive professional iOS apps, but they're all just a supplement to its desktop counterpart. The biggest problems in my opinion that iOS is facing to become a full professional system are:
- [B]file structure[/B].
There just MUST be a proper way to handle files before you can handle any kind of significant project. Imagine developing a game, and all textures and images are put in Photos, and all sound effects in iTunes, and all 3d models in the 3d App, and the files from the musician are shared in drop box... Eh.. Not cool at all.
- [B]Shortcuts[/B]
This might seem insignificant, but there are roughly 50 keys + 4 modifiers always accessible for shortcut actions that you can access blindfolded that will save you time and frustration going through menus, submenus and palettes over and over again. There is no way in the world that a touch interface can match this in terms of both volume, efficiency and accuracy. There has to be a solution for this. Easy old school solution: just connect a keyboard..
- [B]screen size[/B]
Obviously you'll need a big screen to handle both complex interfaces and content.
- [B]proper palm rejection and ergonomics[/B]
The bigger the screen, the more important palm rejection becomes. You'll get tired hovering your hands all day long. The need for resting your hands will become increasingly important. And if this will be your main platform that you'll be working with, your neck will be bent even further down and put more strain on you neck and shoulders. Now whether this will be fingerprint sensing screens or a sort of IR sensing screen that can see your hands over the screen and distinguish fingers from palms I don't know. But it has to be solved.
Sorry.. This is becoming too long..
Amen. If there's a bigger fanboy that Daniel Eran Dilger, I defy anyone to name him. I think confining DED to a single page might go at least part of the way toward restraining his fawning, meandering, and largely pointless paeans to the glory of Apple ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
This is an awfully weak article. In the first place, while purporting to be about the future of iOS (a software platform), it goes on about everything under the sun for one and a half pages without even getting to the starting gate. Then there's just a few paragraphs about the software containing no new ideas, no suggestions, and essentially devoid of any content.
Amen. If there's a bigger fanboy than Daniel Eran Dilger, I defy anyone to name him. Please don't tell me he gets paid for writing this junk. I think confining him to a single page would go at least part of the way toward restraining his fawning, meandering, and largely pointless paeans to the glory of Apple ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTel
iOS needs to take clues from OSX.
The System Preferences app on iOS could definitely take cues from OS X. The iOS one has grown quickly and it's time for a reorganization. The OS X one has gone through all those growing pains already and come up with a logical organization for a more complex system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by palegolas
The big question for me is "will iOS, at some point, take over Mac OS X?" Eventually, yes, I think so.
I think Apple will just develop both to the best of their ability and let the market decide. Even though the "desktop" model is older than the touch model, it is still better for some things. The ability to have a big screen with lots of separate apps running in separate windows is as useful for professionals as it is confusing for beginners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
Quote:
Originally Posted by KDarling
Wonder if we will ever find out what Steve Jobs' revelation was, on how to make TV easier to use.
Yes, we will.
Of course ... the clouds will open, a ray of light will descend from heaven and the word will echo around the world. It will be the second coming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jguther
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lerxt
I would sugest if you think everyone in Asia is poor you put down the US propaganda media you are consuming and open your eyes. In Hong Kong, Singapore and the other big cities around Asia Samsung is taking huge market share and these people have lots of disposable income. This to me is a classic case along the line of Nokia's lack of entry into the smartphone arena a few years ago. Apple, with its Many of its executives and their typically unworldly US style world view, they are missing the next revolution taking place NOW. Big screen phones.
I don't think so. Not everybody wants to make a fool out of themselves. There's still a lot of people who have got taste and style.
Yes, you're absolutely right. There are still people with taste and style. I just bought a watch ... a mechanical automatic, a masterpiece of engineering and design that is utterly functional, reliable, doesn't need the internet, easy to read on land and under water and an exquisite timeless design appearance. Not some junk toy that will end up as land-fill in five years.
Like it or not, the iPhone is a consumer item, a mass market product for the huge consumer market. I think "taste and style" are the last things that motivate the purchasers in general. It's not even exclusive ... everyone has got one. It's the ball-point pen of the age.
The Article should be named as Apple Product Next not iOS Next as it doesn't even touch much on iOS.
Apple will need to solve the what i call the Apple ID Crisis, Where the increasing the use of Multiple ID is creating a hell for support, and any use of it is simply not user friendly. It reminds me of days in Windows Vista when security is on top of all else. Not that i dont want it but Apple need to solve it, being secure and ease of use. ( That is where i hope fingerprint comes into play )
iCloud ? Nuff Said.
Inter App - Communication - Something needs to be done about it rather then not doing anything on it. Copying the idea from Android is no good as i find it too complex, but disallowing users doing is far too limiting, ( I have been asked far too many times from a novice users on this, and i have no answers to them ). I hope Apple comes out with something elegant.
iTunes - Hopefully to finally get rid out it as a tool to communicate bewteen PC/Mac and iPhone
Those are the four biggest area of iOS experience let down. Other conservative improvement are welcome and should be expected, but those four are top priorities in my view and experience.
Now On to Daniel Eran Dilger pieces on Plus Size iPhone. Which is the only one so far i strongly disagree with.
Both iPad and 5" iPhone would provide 50%+ additional areas compared to smaller variants. ( His maths tries to trick otherwise )
http://www.displaywars.com/7,9-inch-4x3-vs-9,7-inch-4x3
I am glad he specially mention US, and not the world ( like most would do ). Because apart from US, there are many region ( especially from Far East ) where Note II is doing better then SIII. And that is despite the Note series at disadvantage because it is always coming out after the latest S series. Also SII aren't selling well outside US compared to SIII or Note II.
And " The majority of Samsung's customers are opting for cheap phones, not big ones." is like, How bias can you get? Which is simply false. And the whole paragraph on "Why are Samsung's phones big?" is like total FUD.
Just before i move on, I am an Apple Fans, but not a blind Fans, as much as i hate Samsung, FUD is FUD.
Then about SKU, talks about how ONE more size would make things complicated. That is like saying Apple should not make, 27" iMac, 13" MBA, 15" Macbook/ Pro. And then he mentions Colours on iPod Touch, isn't that just complicated the SKUs as much?
And no, adding one is not as complicated, At least when he compared to Sammmy which really do have different SKUs with different baseband or SoC even on the same bloody model!. And they have MANY models! Apple in the sense only have a few relatively simple variants of product. The carriers model are self imposed which means the only real difference is NAND Storage and two Colours.
Then comes the most weird part, iPad Mini iPhone!. I love one! I do. It is a even better idea then iPhone+ that i have had for longer then iPhone 5", but i expect i will never get one. Why? Because that is the most UnApple move. And if you could only bet on one, 5"iPhone or iPad Mini Phone. I will bet on 5" iPhone.
I love the way that people constantly refer to Siri as 'she'. In the UK 'she' is a 'he'.
A sex change whilst crossing the Atlantic ...
The file system on iOS is 95% of what you have on OS X - the difference is that Apple have consciously decided to hide it on iOS.
Despite iOS being a slowly morphing subset of OS X, Apple clearly decided that there would be:
*) No multiple windows
*) No exposed file system
*) No menu bars
*) No terminal app
*) Others that escape me just now ...
When reading Apple's iOS User Interface Guidelines they heavily emphasise, many times, that developers should not take their OS X app and shoehorn it onto iOS. They illustrate this by referring to Mail, Calendar, Pages and Numbers and the features removed during the transfer to iOS. iOS has a deliberately restricted feature set compared to OS X and despite what geeky technophiles might like Apple to incorporate into iOS it seems that they plan to keep it simple for their target market. They are obviously doing something very right judging by their gargantuan cash pile...
The article misses the likely execution of opening up TV app store to third parties, especially for games. Likely a game controller too. The other thing it misses is the likely release of print scanning and where that will lead including Apple's possible entry into the eWallet market.
One simple request outstanding for years is the need for a quick way to access key elements of Settings, especially turning cellular data on and off. I saw this in a video of suggestions for iOS 5 where you would scroll up (the opposite of doing a drop down for notifications) and get a panel for key Settings.
Finally, I think that improved data entry is a killer application. This is where everyone spends most of their time on a phone. I love dictation but so many people still use the keyboard. I don't see why Apple does not allow Swype or have something similar. I know people with iPads and Android phones. They get so used to Swype they try doing it on their iPad by habit. People spend so much time typing for texting, etc. that if Apple let's others have quicker data entry, those heavy typists could leave the platform.
And iPhone already has a widget. Anyone who's ever listened to music on an iPhone and wanted to skip a song has used a widget. It's that thing in the lockscreen that allows you faster access to the controls of the music app. Implemented correctly they are a nice addition to any mobile device.