Apple better have something really good up its sleeve for the next round

macUser2007 · Feb 27, 2013

While looking for information on the new HTC One, I came upon this post by Ralf Rottmann, who is one of the founders of GrandCentrix, Germany's largest mobile software development company:

AN IPHONE LOVER'S CONFESSION: I SWITCHED TO THE NEXUS 4. COMPLETELY.

"Putting it into a single line: The latest version of Android outshines the latest version of iOS in almost every single aspect.

I find it to be better in terms of the performance, smoothness of the rendering engine, cross-app and OS level integration, innovation across the board, look & feel customizability and variety of the available apps."

As a user of both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy Nexus (the previous generation Google phone), the above post hit a nerve: I have been feeling similar disappointment, despite my strong inclination to like the iPhone 5 (or the iPad 4, for that matter).

Apple better get it together, and fast.

If iOS 7 is not a WOW! experience, but rather a minor tweak here and there (widgets as the next BIG THING, anyone?), it will become a hard fight for Apple, as Android is finally getting some well designed hardware.

soundr · Feb 27, 2013

I like the path Apple is taking, I have no doubt they will come up with some big improvements in the nest OS update.

ajxoxo · Feb 27, 2013

I agree. Android is the next big thing. Apple is suddenly becoming too popular. Apple is becoming what Microsoft is. The UNCOOL.

Face it. Since Steve Jobs died, Apple stopped innovating.

irDigital0l · Feb 27, 2013

Prepare to be disappointed.

No seriously, if you think that they will vastly improve iOS 7 after the diaster that was iOS 6 and they don't then...

Honestly iOS 6 was horrible. Apple Maps was the biggest feature and it was a total laughing stock. Google Now surpassed Siri. Passbook had limited functionality and was too confusing to use. All the other features were so minor, that Apple spend 10 minutes talking about Facebook integration.

They fired Forstall as a result. The question is whether Ive will have enough to time to implement whatever new design he likes and how big they will be.

At this point you either have to wonder...

A) Is Apple too arrogant to not realize that Android has surpassed iOS and won't want to admit by redesigning iOS.

B) Does Apple not have the ability to make further advances in iOS due to no "Steve Jobs" running around with design. I don' think Cook cares that much of how to implement iOS. They're just different people.

C) Both A & B

davelanger · Feb 27, 2013

macUser2007 said:
While looking for information on the new HTC One, I came upon this post by Ralf Rottmann, who is one of the founders of GrandCentrix, Germany's largest mobile software development company:

AN IPHONE LOVER'S CONFESSION: I SWITCHED TO THE NEXUS 4. COMPLETELY.

As a user of both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy Nexus (the previous generation Google phone), the above post hit a nerve: I have been feeling similar disappointment, despite my strong inclination to like the iPhone 5 (or the iPad 4, for that matter).

Apple better get it together, and fast.

If iOS 7 is not a WOW! experience, but rather a minor tweak here and there (widgets as the next BIG THING, anyone?), it will become a hard fight for Apple, as Android is finally getting some well designed hardware.

so because this one person thinks this, I guess everyone feels that way?
Apple does need a kick in the butt to get better and with android on their heels and them both trading who has more sales each month, its going to cause IOS to get better.

competition is always a good thing

sundog925 · Feb 28, 2013

Things I want the most (but probably won't get) in iOS7.

1. Swipe for the keyboard.
2. Custom text colors and fonts.
3. Contact photos in the list without JB
4. Wifi, BT and brightness buttons for home screen
5. Move apps around freely and place where i want (to show wallpaper for example)
6. More widgets for notification center.
7. New menu layouts and colors. It's seriously time for that depressing grey to go.
8. Animated wallpapers
9. Save tones as ringtones without iTunes.
10. FLASH PLAYER.

Thank you.

ggmissmolly · Feb 28, 2013

"Apple better get it together, and fast."

oooooooh! Scary!! You want something else? Need a hall pass? Use this as permission to leave. You'll regret it, but everyone needs the freedom to screw up on their own.

Ann P · Feb 28, 2013

ggmissmolly said:
"Apple better get it together, and fast."

oooooooh! Scary!! You want something else? Need a hall pass? Use this as permission to leave. You'll regret it, but everyone needs the freedom to screw up on their own.

What are you going on about? A little criticism never hurts. The OS is getting stale....

Feed Me · Feb 28, 2013

ELMNT925 said:
Things I want the most (but probably won't get) in iOS7.

1. Swipe for the keyboard.
2. Custom text colors and fonts.
3. Contact photos in the list without JB
4. Wifi, BT and brightness buttons for home screen
5. Move apps around freely and place where i want (to show wallpaper for example)
6. More widgets for notification center.
7. New menu layouts and colors. It's seriously time for that depressing grey to go.
8. Animated wallpapers
9. Save tones as ringtones without iTunes.
10. FLASH PLAYER.

Thank you.

Dangit, you should've put FLASH PLAYER as your 1st point, so I could've stopped reading there

maxosx · Feb 28, 2013

The best approach is to collapse your expectations. Saving the chance that you'll be disappointed. With huge sales Apple has no incentive to make significant improvements. As they say "it just works" therefore it's mission accomplished

skaertus · Feb 28, 2013

maxosx said:
The best approach is to collapse your expectations. Saving the chance that you'll be disappointed. With huge sales Apple has no incentive to make significant improvements. As they say "it just works" therefore it's mission accomplished

I guess that is pretty much that.

Expect no big improvements for iOS, even though they would be welcome. iOS could be much better, and it could especially unleash the power of the iPad. But Apple will not do that. iOS will remain a limited yet functional operating system. Android will keep getting more and more advanced features, while iOS will become fancier. At least these are my expectations for the next round of updates...

Gutwrench · Feb 28, 2013

macUser2007 said:
If iOS 7 is not a WOW! experience, but rather a minor tweak here and there (widgets as the next BIG THING, anyone?), it will become a hard fight for Apple, as Android is finally getting some well designed hardware.

Wouldn't any of ios7's 'wow' design have been done long, long ago?

If these thoughts about what ios7 needs to be is just dawning on the customers in the market today and Apple failed to predict them more than a year ago, then I'm afraid the die was cast long ago.

Like it or not, ios releases are like looking up at the stars. You're looking at what was set into motion a fair bit of time ago.

CTHarrryH · Feb 28, 2013

Flash player, eh. Since Adobe has announced it is dropping that I don't think you'll see much chance of that.

I'm sure that no matter what is in IOS 7 most people here will be disappointed and promise to leave Apple. As a matter of fact I'm suprised no one has started that thread already.

If IOS 7 had everything everyone one wanted there would be a million threads about too much change, I can't figure out how to do anything anymore and I can't update my original iPhone etc. My battery is dying in 16 hrs and 5 minutes and it used to last 16 hours and 7 minutes.

The system works great for most people. What difference does the shape or color or placement of Icons make. Are you more interested in function or form.

thehustleman · Feb 28, 2013

ajxoxo said:
I agree. Android is the next big thing. Apple is suddenly becoming too popular. Apple is becoming what Microsoft is. The UNCOOL.

Face it. Since Steve Jobs died, Apple stopped innovating.

Let's face it, Apple stopped innovating before jobs died.

AlphaVictor87 · Feb 28, 2013

CTHarrryH said:
I'm sure that no matter what is in IOS 7 most people here will be disappointed and promise to leave Apple. As a matter of fact I'm suprised no one has started that thread already.

The system works great for most people. What difference does the shape or color or placement of Icons make. Are you more interested in function or form.

I think that is is that thread about people wanting to leave.

As for placement of icons and want of widgets and new features. Im pretty sure thats all function, and you want your phone to function the way you want it to.

Most people are sick of having the uniform grid of apps and lack of instant information with iOS.

I have a Nexus 7 and i love that i can unlock it, be able to see any new emails i have, upcoming events on my calendar, the current weather, current score of my sports team, and many more things without even opening an app. Hell now with 4.2 you can even see most of that from the lock screen.

I'm still visiting this website to see if they know anything new about iOS 7 and what kind of "revolutionary/evolutionary/new features" it will have, but most likely (99.9% chance) i will be moving to the Samsung Galaxy S4.

I just can't believe that Apple is still standing behind the tagline of "the world's most advanced mobile operating system" for iOS

bagyidaw · Feb 28, 2013

Apple needs to open up to 3rd party apps and provides better process-communication.
Default app, sharing between app, spotlight search 3rd party app, email attachment, some sort of file manager?

AQUADock · Feb 28, 2013

thehustleman said:
Let's face it, Apple stopped innovating before jobs died.

Huh? So you want apple to come out with a noteworthy product like the ipad in a year, stuff like that take years to make.

macUser2007 · Feb 28, 2013

CTHarrryH said:
...

The system works great for most people. What difference does the shape or color or placement of Icons make. Are you more interested in function or form.

Hm, this is exactly what Android fanboys were arguing 3 years ago, when the UI was kind of primitive and iOS' IU looked elegant and modern.

Heck, WM5 users were making the same argument a few years back, too....

Silvereel · Feb 28, 2013

macUser2007 said:
Hm, this is exactly what Android fanboys were arguing 3 years ago, when the UI was kind of primitive and iOS' IU looked elegant and modern.

Heck, WM5 users were making the same argument a few years back, too....

The grid is still light years more elegant than anything I've seen from Android. It's simple and doesn't overwhelm. Everything I've seen from Android is overwhelming, and 'customization' generally means making it even fuglier, like a Windows XP skin from 2004.

Can Apple improve iOS? Yes. But not by putting settings on the front page, a search bar at the top of every screen and dancing widgets on top of a live aquarium wallpaper.

macUser2007 · Feb 28, 2013

Silvereel said:
The grid is still light years more elegant than anything I've seen from Android. It's simple and doesn't overwhelm. Everything I've seen from Android is overwhelming....

I have no idea what exactly is "everything you've seen from Android."

You can have a grid only, or you can have a combination of a grid and some widgets, or something else. You can change the icons, if you want to, or the names, or have text only screen, or whatever.

For reference, here are screengrabs of the only two screens I have on my Galaxy Nexus, which are, frankly, more user friendly overall than what I have on my iPhone 5. You may or may not like my choice of icons, background, or widgets, but they are all easily changeable (by a long press, generally).

The iPhone 5 is a much nicer piece of hardware, but iOS definitely feels behind Jelly Bean.

Little things that you take for granted in Android (cross-app integration, ability to chose a much better keyboard, and yes, multitasking at times) are stumbling blocks in iOS that are getting harder to overlook.

Jelly Bean is the first Android OS that I felt was better than iOS, but also note that Google is likely to announce Android OS 5 in May 2013, which will presumably push the platform further ahead. The reality is that Apple has been stagnant, while Google has been hard at work and has finally reached its stride with the OS.

If I were Apple, I'd actually worry about Chrome OS as well, because while it is rather useless now, it is getting better and it looks like Google is pushing it pretty hard. And it sure does have the potential to be the first real desktop OS contender in decades, and a formidable one at that, if done right.

Add to this Google's (and Netflix's) open Air-Play challenge and most will see that Apple cannot rest on its laurels and trickle minor updates without any real innovation.

Apple has Ive, who is a design genius, IMO, so I hope he can get us all excited again. But it needs to be soon, to remain relevant.

---

Edited to replace the screengrab showing a Shazam widget, replacing it with the stock Google Search widget. As I learned from Ralf Rottmann's blog post linked above, Google Search can now recognize music and in my brief tests, it did it perfectly (I do feel bad for the Shazam crew, through).

Edited again, to show what my current Android screen looks like. Because I can (on Android, but not on iOS).

AlphaVictor87 · Feb 28, 2013

macUser2007 said:
Apple has Ive, who is a design genius, IMO, so I hope he can get us all excited again. But it needs to be soon, to remain relevant.

I'm 100% on your side with everything your post said.

I just have to comment on this little bit. Ive is a design genius i would agree as well. However we don't know exactly how much pull he will have over functionality which is where Apple is falling behind. So Ive may be able to make iOS look pretty again and fresh, but if thats all it gets is a new paint job but is the same old iOS and no added functionality, then Apple is still in trouble.

cuzo · Feb 28, 2013

irDigital0l said:
Prepare to be disappointed.

No seriously, if you think that they will vastly improve iOS 7 after the diaster that was iOS 6 and they don't then...

Honestly iOS 6 was horrible. Apple Maps was the biggest feature and it was a total laughing stock. Google Now surpassed Siri. Passbook had limited functionality and was too confusing to use. All the other features were so minor, that Apple spend 10 minutes talking about Facebook integration.

They fired Forstall as a result. The question is whether Ive will have enough to time to implement whatever new design he likes and how big they will be.

At this point you either have to wonder...

A) Is Apple too arrogant to not realize that Android has surpassed iOS and won't want to admit by redesigning iOS.

B) Does Apple not have the ability to make further advances in iOS due to no "Steve Jobs" running around with design. I don' think Cook cares that much of how to implement iOS. They're just different people.

C) Both A & B

I think the real issue is what more do you want a smartphone to do for you, the basics are already covered. Phone text and email everything else is somewhat extra and a pleasure to have but not needed. While I do agree iOS is stale and iOS 6 is lame with that twitter and Facebook stuff I will also admit that half the features on these high powered android devices I don't even use.

Remember apple needs to keep it simple, my mother is buying a iPhone at 67.

Also remember the 1440mah battery, what drastic measures can apple do? Can it really handle true multitasking? Widgets?

It's not much iOS can do to upgrade their current devices, I'd imagine a new iPhone with a much bigger screen and battery in September and the current devices either getting a credit towards new devices or a drastic price cut.

But I really like iOS the way it is, the screen is small but the is really doesn't bother me at all.

I still think android is ugly and I are why the s3 since it doesn't really remind me of android but a new skin.

hasanahmad · Feb 28, 2013

Feed Me said:
Dangit, you should've put FLASH PLAYER as your 1st point, so I could've stopped reading there

Flash might not be big in the US but it is huge abroad. A lot of streaming websites outside us still use flash so yes it is why they prefer Android

----------

I dont want Apple to chose what is best for me on the phone , I want the freedom to chose what is best for me on my phone

bozzykid · Feb 28, 2013

hasanahmad said:
Flash might not be big in the US but it is huge abroad. A lot of streaming websites outside us still use flash so yes it is why they prefer Android

Flash is not even supported on the latest version of Android anymore (Jelly Bean). Adobe is even killing it off on mobile. It is not coming to iOS.

macUser2007 · Feb 28, 2013

bozzykid said:
Flash is not even supported on the latest version of Android anymore (Jelly Bean). Adobe is even killing it off on mobile. It is not coming to iOS.

Well, while Adobe did pull support for Flash on Android, the Flash Player app is still floating around and it can be easily obtained -- particularly since Android does allow easy side-loading of apps, unlike iOS.

But, there is a great way to view Flash on the web with either your iOS or Android device, and that's the Puffin Browser.

Puffin is actually my browser of choice on on my iPad and it works like a charm -- I am yet to see a problem with its handling of Flash (at least a problem I have noticed). Highly recommended.

As far as the next version of iOS, I suppose we'll start getting some leaks soon enough. I do want Apple to succeed, because I do believe that without Apple, we'd be stuck in a world of mediocre design, catering to the Walmart shopper. But Apple has to start making an effort, too.

Apple better have something really good up its sleeve for the next round

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