So today Apple gave us all the details on the iPhone (and iPad) OS 4.0. This may come as a shock to you, but guess who was disappointed. Before I start ranting, let's talk about the things I like:
Multitasking. Finally. Not a big deal, the UI (User Interface) they used looks nice and makes sense. You double-tap the home button and a little dock pops up from the bottom with the stuff you have open. Because of this, Pandora can also be controlled from the Unlock screen, something I love and hope other OSs use in the future.
Gaming. Despite how I disagree with how Apple thinks they've bested the PSP and DS, they did this well. Essentially it'll allow for online gaming between friends and strangers alike, achievements, leader boards, etc. The only thing I worry about is that I didn't hear them specifically say it'd work over 3G. WiFi-only would make it useless.
Unified Inbox. All your various email addresses in one inbox, but can be separated. This is something BlackBerry has been doing for some time, but both iPhones and Androids should have started with.
That said, I had to hold back from yawning the entire presentation. Multitasking is great, which is why we've been doing it for years. And the Dock on the bottom is a good UI for it, which is why Windows picked up the Taskbar like 15 years ago. And bringing up the Dock is just like holding the Home button on Android, holding the menu button on a BlackBerry, and pressing the gesture area on a Palm. Welcome to the Multitasking party, Apple, but 3 years isn't fashionably late. It's just late.
Now let's talk about the new iAds. The concept of iAds makes sense. First, it further separates them from Google. Second, the ads are very attractive and interactive (the Toy Story 3 demo had the trailer, wallpapers, games, etc.). I agree with good old Steve when he said that nobody clicks on ads anyway, so it's logical to make them more fun. Problem is, as Apple sales themselves demonstrate, the world and it's people are far from logical. Ultimately, it's not that we don't click on ads because they aren't fun. We don't click on ads because we don't care. If I wanted to learn more about Toy Story 3 (and believe me, I do), I wouldn't want to hear about it when I open up my sports app. I open an app for the app, not some other crap. It'll also be interesting to see if Apple restricts the iAds as much as they do their AppStore.
Following the presentation, there was a Q&A, and the first question was about how AT&T was going to handle all the extra data, since they can barely handle all the iPhones doing one thing at a time as is. Jobs' answer was essentially "What extra data?". He shrugged off the question, saying that it really wasn't extra data. Well last I checked, the first thing Pandora did after opening for the first time was give me a warning that basically said "Hope you have an unlimited data plan!". So if I'm jamming out to The Glee Cast Radio (Comes back Tuesday btw!) and reading articles on my favorite blog (Hint hint), how am I using the same amount of data? I assume Stevie would just say "Magic".
And finally, the biggest flub of the day. I've got bad news for you iPhone 3G and 2nd generation iPod Touch owners. To lighten the news, imagine the next sentence as the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. "NO MULTITASK FOR YOU!" (Cue transition ditty). What's the deal with that? Older units may or may not receive some of the changes, though which ones (other than multitasking) weren't clarified. So that gaming goodness you got excited for just now, scale it back a little, you might not have it. Now I understand that software moves on and hardware can get left behind, but those iPhone 3G contracts are coming up. Any smart consumer will look and see that iPhones really will be obselete in a year, whereas Androids, BlackBerries, and presumably Palms will be good to go for software upgrades. I may be giving people in that circumstance too much credit though.
That's what I've got for now. There are a few little things I didn't touch on, so feel free to fire away your questions/thoughts in the comments below. Oh, and don't worry, we didn't forget the iPad came out (though we did hope it was an elaborate April Fools joke). Saturday the BluePrints Team is taking a field trip to our local Apple Store for a hands on. And we may screw with the "Geniuses" there. It'll be magical and revolutionary for sure.
I love the irony of the Apple ads on this page! lol
ReplyDeleteYou're retarded.
ReplyDeleteJust a few things, but first off I haven't seen anything on the keynote, so excuse me if I'm missing anything:
ReplyDelete1. I don't get your criticism on the iAds, especially the last 2 sentences. I can only speak for Android, but their ads in apps suck too even though I understand the developers gotta make their money some way. Isn't Apple just making advertising easier for developers? And who cares if they restrict the ads, if anything it might even turn out for the best, although ads will always suck, restricted or not.
2. Calling out Apple for not bringing all features of 4.0 to older iPhones is like calling out ALL DEVELOPERS for not supporting older hardware. Big deal it's not coming to the iPhone 3G, that's ancient technology by today's standards, and it's not like the exact same thing isn't already being experienced by Android and Windows Mobile users.
3. On multitasking: I like my Android, but I don't think I couldn't love an iPhone because you have to admit, multitasking was the biggest thing lacking with the iPhone, and it's not like any mobile OS handles that feature to perfection. If the iPhone truly handles multitasking with minimal performance and battery loss then it could probably be better than anything being offered by anyone else. 3 years may just be late, but better late than never.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI find your rhetoric truly fascinating. In fact, your ability to reply to comments with such intelligence and well-planned arguments truly astounds me. I hope that one day all of society can posses the necessary skills that you so obviously have mastered. You alone have made my day scintillate with your brilliant retorts and stunning commentary.
@Jorge:
I must disagree on your views on multi-tasking. In the technological world, 3 years isn't "better late than never", it's "Oh dear God, why did it take us this long?" Yes, mobile platforms are still being developed. Yes, their concern with performance and battery loss is understandable. No, no phone handles this feature flawlessly. But if the technology has been around this long, then Apple should have figured out awhile ago.
This ties in directly to Travis's concern with the upcoming software not being backwards compatible for the already existing hardware. The simple fact is that Android and Blackberry are still ready for software updates, while many of the iPhones are not. With many contracts soon up for renewal, it makes very little sense why anyone would prefer to remain with Apple instead of switching to a different mobile device.
@Ned:
ReplyDeleteAgain, better late than never. If the iPhone still didn't have multitasking then you would be criticizing them for still not having it, but now you're criticizing them for getting it late? Unless someone else has already implemented a multitasking feature of the calibur that Apple says they have, then can you really say they should have "figured it out a while ago"?
The problem with the "already existing hardware" is that it's too outdated to fully and efficiently handle all the features of this new OS. And it's not like the older generations aren't getting any features from the new OS, they will be lacking some, but they are still ready for software updates. I can't speak for Blackberry, but at least for Android, while I'll have 2.1 firmware, I won't be receiving all the features because my hardware is just too outdated. The exact same situation is being experienced by Android users already, so you can't single out the iPhone for that. And the reasons consumers would remain with Apple are the same reasons consumers remain with HTC which has even worse fragmentation than Apple.