My Personal iPhone OS 3.0 Wish List
March 13th, 2009
Apple is holding a special event on March 17 to preview the next version of the iPhone OS.
This is personally exciting, because with the announcement of other smart phones – most notably the Palm Pre – Apple has to stay ahead of the curve to give people more reason to buy / stick with the iPhone. They didn’t rest on their laurels with the iPod or OS X and surely, they won’t with the iPhone, either.
But although I generally enjoy my iPhone, I have a short list of gripes, which I aired some of them before, and several still exist at this point in time. So here’s my wish list of what I’d like to see in iPhone OS 3.0:
- Background processes for apps: There are several audio apps that have limited utility because you can’t do anything else while listening to their audio. This essentially limits one to using the iPod app if you want to enjoy tuneage while using another app.
- Better app organization: With six pages of apps, it’s become a chore to move any from one page to another, and any silly app deletion results in a silly game of rearrange the icons. It would be nice to manage icon arrangement in iTunes, or have a category sort – something needs to be done.
- MMS: My wife sends photographs she’s taken on her non-smart phone and I can’t see them easily. I’ve also had enough people scared away from buying an iPhone because of the lack of MMS. It’d be nice if everyone used email or flickr but there are just so many non-smart phones out there that have this functionality.
- Keyboard: I still have problems typing quickly on the iPhone. I don’t know what Apple can do here, but there must be some crazy AI or word prediction they can introduce to the continually manually challenged. A longer keyboard when the iPhone is turned 90 degrees would help.
- Reception: Maybe it’s still AT&T’s fault, but I’d love to at least know everything possible is being done with software.
- iPhone Tethering: Based on the often pokey 3G reception I keep getting, I don’t know how pleasant it would be to use the iPhone as a modem for a MacBook – but slow internet is better than none. So I’d like this to happen, even if I’d rarely use it.
- Copy and paste.
- Push notification.
- A cat / human translator. Kidding.
There are some highly speculative rumors floating around regarding Flash, iPhones with four cores, a tablet, a netbook, and video, but I don’t want to set my expectations too high – so my list focuses on the basics.
Any of you out there have anything to add?
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The biggest thing I want on my iPhone is smarter WiFi handling.
In an ideal world, WiFi networks would all be set up to be either 100% free (with no login web page required) or locked down with a password. The locked down ones are easily detected by the iPhone and ignored by the auto connection feature unless you know the password, so they are not a problem. The completely free log-in-less ones are fine, as well. The problem comes when you have a network that appears to be free but needs some manual web form action to log in and get it working. Log into that network once in your favorite coffee shop, or wherever, and your iPhone will automatically connect to that network every time you are in range of it. Why is that a problem? Well, let's say you're in line and you just want to check the weather really quickly. You launch the weather app, and—nothing. The app can't update its info, because while you are technically connected to the network, you aren't online yet. You need to quit out of the weather app, launch Safari, go through the login page or whatever it takes, and then go back to weather. Even worse, after you do that, if you switch off your phone's screen when you are done, you'll need to log in AGAIN if you want to check your stocks or email.
Meanwhile, where you are standing is a perfectly good signal area for 3G, but because the iPhone ASSUMES that WiFi is faster, it spins its wheels endlessly until you log in.
This happens to me in far too many of the places I frequent. It even happens at my desk at work, which just so happens to be within range of a Starbucks. Even with a great login app like Easy Wi-Fi, I still need that extra step of launching this app EVERY TIME I turn on my phone at work, or else I get no data. Extraordinarily frustrating. I could shut off my WiFi whenever I get to work, but I shouldn't have to do that.
The problem gets even worse when you realize that the iPhone remembers network NAMES, not their locations, so any two networks with the same name will appear to be the same network to the iPhone. Thus, a login-free network you use in one location will cause your phone to try and connect to a login-required network with the same name in another location. Maddening.
What the iPhone needs is a way to intelligently switch back to the AT&T network once it realizes that data is being requested but not received via WiFi.
That's my number 1 request. Other than that:
Copy and Paste — I almost never need it, but just to shut everyone else up about it
Push notifications
A way to email vCards from your Address Book, or trade vCards with other iPhone users via bluetooth, like Palm's old beaming capability.
Properly formatted phone numbers and html links in the notes app should be hyperlinks, just as they are in mail. That way, I can jot down a number during a phone call on the notepad, and then dial it later by tapping.
Notes should sync with OS X Mail Notes or a standalone app of some sort.
Folders on the home screen, as opposed to just apps. Would make organizing much easier. Jump to any page of apps in one tap.
Voice Dialing.
Easier way to switch between mailboxes in Mail—integrated inBox would be nice, as long as it's a choice to switch on or off.
A one-or-two-tap way to switch in and out of Airplane mode from any home screen, without having to put Settings on the Dock. Just put a button in the title bar, or something.
Calendar Week View.
More widgets/apps: The app store is amazing, but I'd like to see Apple build and bundle some more of its own apps, particularly a movie widget like the one on the Dashboard, or an iWork document reader.
And while this isn't just Apple's problem, I'd like to point out that coverage/signal strength has actually gotten WORSE over the past year here in San Francisco. AT&T desperately needs to fix these gaping holes in its service. They're everywhere. Even DOWNTOWN in the City, for crying out loud, there are several spots where I can't make phone calls or get data.
Interesting list. location aware wifi – something combined with the GPS
that you could have different priority settings (never use WiFi) depending
on where you are? Or even just different settings period.
Agreed with the notes. I had forgotten how just the other day I was trying
to figure out the best way to get a text file from my Mac to the iPhone. I
ended up emailing it to myself, which is kind of kludgy. And then, I
couldn't copy and paste it into notes which is where I wanted it. If there's
some way to get an email to notes, I'd like to hear it.
The reception is a continuing gripe of mine, too, but I wonder at this
point, how much of it is software vs. AT&T's deal? Still it would be good to
get some confirmation from Apple that they are doing everything they can
software wise so we can direct all annoyance at AT&T
I recently purchased an I phone…ill be honest, it is extremely hard to get a grip of the text messaging..especially if you want to drive and text at the same time (not a good mix). Now i have the blackberry curve, its simple, easy and to the point. A freind of mine says he can convert iphone touch..into a working phone, do you know if this is possible?>
Hmm I'm actually making an app that will increase the type speed of the iphone… that might help you with that problem hehe.