CompTIA Online Training

iOS 5: What We Wanted vs. What We Got

June 16, 2011 by admin

Only two of our nine iOS 5 wishes were granted. To be fair, we got our number one wish (wireless syncing)—and a whole lot more. Here are the details.

With WWDC in the rear-view mirror, we’re taking a look back at our iOS 5 wish list to see what Steve Jobs granted. The results will surprise: While iOS 5 will grant only two of our nine wishes (so far), there are plenty more features that we hadn’t even dreamed up.

Best comptia A+ Training, Comptia A+ Certification at Certkingdom.com

First, let’s run down the original wish list. Beyond the two big ones—wireless syncing and revamped notifications—the prospects for outstanding wishes are classified as either “unfulfilled” or “hazy.” Our list of unfulfilled wishes suggests that there’s still hope, however: the feature may arrive with the forthcoming iPhone or may instead nest in the larger list of “more than 200 new features” that will ship with iOS. “Hazy” wishes indicate uncertainty, either because they butt up against Apple tradition or seem too significant to have not been addressed in the keynote.
Apple iPhone

Next, on page two, we run down ten wishes we didn’t even think to make—but Apple nevertheless granted in iOS 5. Did we leave anything else behind at the Moscone Center? Comment with your favorite new features.

THE WISH LIST

#1 Wireless Syncing: Wish Granted

The Wish
Apple may tout the iPad and iPad 2 as “post-PC” devices, but the first action that must be performed before someone purchases the tablet is to connect it to a computer to sync account information, music, photos, video, and other files. In fact, you can’t even view the home screen without first connecting with iTunes. That’s not at all “post-PC,” and the entire affair gives the iPad the air of a PC sidekick rather than that of a true stand-alone device. Apple could eliminate this problem and perception by moving iTunes to the cloud; something that seems quite possible if it builds upon La La technology (the company it purchased in 2009). This would allow users to log onto their iPads to wirelessly stream and sync content from any location—much like Amazon’s recently-released Cloud Player. You’d never have to worry about USB cables again—at least until it’s time to charge the iPad.

The Reality
iOS 5 will no longer prompt you to tether your iPhone, iPod, or iPad to get started. Instead, you’ll be greeted by a “Welcome” screen, from which you can set up and activate your device without a computer. With iCloud, pretty much all of your data is up in the air, so to speak—especially if you spring for iTunes Match. Most importantly, Apple has reinvented software updates. Gone are the days of tethering for an incremental .x update, in fact now Apple will release the “delta” update, meaning that you’ll only need to download what’s changed from one release to the next. Notification Center 300

#2 A Revamped Notification System: Wish Granted

The Wish
The Motorola Xoom’s stock Honeycomb OS has its flaws, but the way that it handles notifications is excellent. For example, when a new e-mail arrives, Honeycomb pings you no matter where you are within the operating system; iOS 4.3 requires you to got to the home screen to see if the Mail app has an unread message icon. In addition, iOS only displays the latest notification message—there’s no way to view older ones. Apple, take a look at what’s Google done and work out a way to let users receive notifications from anywhere within the OS, and to let them read previous alerts.

The Reality
If you like the way Android manages notification, you’ll love iOS 5. The forthcoming release includes Notification Center, which aggregates all notifications in one eminently swipeable display that resides, unobtrusively, at the top of the screen. You’ll even be able to access all notifications from the lock screen: Swiping any notification opens the relevant app and notification.

#3 4G Connectivity: Wish Unfulfilled

The Wish
When the iPad debuted it was on the cutting edge of smartphone technology with its innovative touchscreen interface and, eventually, its apps store. But other handset manufacturers have managed to one up Apple in one important area: wireless connectivity. Phones such as the HTC Thunderbolt boast speedy 4G connections, which lets users download files faster or stream hiccup-free video.

The Reality
Apple hasn’t said. Chances are this depends upon what the forthcoming iPhone has under the hood.

#4 Adding An App Basket: Wish Unfulfilled

The Wish
The App Store has proven wildly successful for Apple, so it boggles the mind that the company only allows users to make one purchase at time. I discover a handful of cool and interesting apps on nearly a daily basis as I explore the best iPad apps—I would love to be able to queue up a string of apps in a basket, and then move on to do other things as they download to my iPad.

The Reality
Apple didn’t devote time in the keynote to this point; however, of the 200+ new features to come, this could be one.

#5 Ability to Roll Back to Earlier Versions of iOS: The Crystal Ball is Hazy

The Wish
iOS 5 is sure to pack a number of intriguing features which will entice you to upgrade to the new operating system. But as we’ve demonstrated, upgrading (depending on the device) can stymie the overall system performance. Unfortunately, rolling back to a previous build can create its own frustrations. Apple needs to include a way for users to quickly and easily roll back iOS to help users of older devices whose handsets may not be up handling to the newest version.

The Reality
Considering that Apple has a two year (or less) memory, it’s highly unlikely that Apple will enable users to roll back to previous versions of iOS. For example, even Mac OS X Lion, designed for Mac faithful, requires the Mac App Store, and the Mac App Store requires Snow Leopard.

#6 Automatic App Updates: Unfulfilled

The Wish
Between my iPhone and iPad, I have numerous apps I use on a daily basis. This means that I also receive a fair number of alerts stating that software updates are available. Certainly, launching the App Store and tapping the Update icon isn’t very time consuming, but I would appreciate it if Apple and the respective app developers allowed updates to automatically downloaded on their own—in the background—without my intervention. iOS should send a notification before and after the download was completed.

The Reality
iOS 5 snips the cord, so it’s reasonable to expect automatic updates down the road. We already know that you’ll be able to update iOS wirelessly. That said, there wasn’t any mention of automatic updates in the keynote. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t buried in one of the bonus features or queued up for an incremental update.

#7 NFC Support: Unfulfilled

The Wish
Google made headlines last week when it unveiled Google Wallet, a NFC (near-field communication) powered wireless service that lets you make purchases with your smartphone. iOS should adopt NFC as a way to quickly make purchase my tapping your phone—or with some forward thinking—allow your phone to act as a smart car key, or a smart business card.

The Reality
As with 4G, NSF support probably hinges on the forthcoming iPhone hardware; however, Apple certainly didn’t take time to say one way or another during the keynote.

#8 Deleting or Hiding Default Apps: Unfulfilled

The Wish
Apple includes a number of apps on every iOS device—Contacts, Notes, Calendar, Maps, YouTube—but Cupertino doesn’t give you any method to remove those apps should you not want to use them. For example, Bento for iPad is my preferred tool for managing contact information—why does the default (and far less feature-rich) Contacts icon have to remain on my iPad’s homescreen? As someone who is quite anal in app organization (I like the homescreen streamlined and efficient), this inability to delete—or at least hide—those pre-loaded icons is a wee bit maddening.

The Reality
While it’s highly unlikely that Apple would let uses delete when of their “revolutionary” iApps, hiding them is certainly a possibility, considering the technology company does allow customers to customize their docks and stow default apps in folders. This could be one of the 200+ other features, but it’s too soon to say. Twitter Integration 400

#9 Turn-by-Turn Navigation: The Crystal Ball is Hazy

The Wish
Currently, unless you download MapQuest or jailbreak your iOS device, there’s no way to get turn-by-turn GPS navigation on your handheld. Apple should have this functionality baked right into the operating system. Considering that Apple tracks your movements, this seems the next logical step.

The Reality
While we know that iOS 5 still relies upon Google Maps—it uses them to attach locations to the system-wide Twitter integration—Apple hasn’t tipped its hat on turn-by-turn. That said, it’s doubtful that so desired a feature wouldn’t have landed a top-spot in the keynote.

Comments |0|