BlackBerry CEO Says Despite a 'Fantastic Job' With iOS Design, Apple Now Lacks Innovation

Queue SMS messages when there is no signal.

There is one feature that iOS seriously lacks, and my old Nokia phones from years ago could do it: when there's no phone signal, and I want to send an SMS text message, don't just tell me it's failed, put it in a queue and send it as soon as you get the signal back. (This is pretty much how email on the iPhone works.)

This is such an oversight in iOS. I can't believe it's still not done.

Ian Howlett said:

There is one feature that iOS seriously lacks, and my old Nokia phones from years ago could do it: when there's no phone signal, and I want to send an SMS text message, don't just tell me it's failed, put it in a queue and send it as soon as you get the signal back. (This is pretty much how email on the iPhone works.)

This is such an oversight in iOS. I can't believe it's still not done.

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Well that is what Android does now as well. So everyone could learn from Nokia's example there.

aaron.lee2006 said:

Surprisingly, I agree.

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I agree, too, and I've owned every single iPhone model.

viperGTS said:

Sorry perfection is boring.

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Perfection? Really? I'm not sure if it's your statement or the number of up-votes you've received that is more surprising...

Prom1 said:

Very astute of you. Apologies.
However it still was not a "niche" market as margins for all manufacturers where MUCH higher until competition ramped up.

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A niche market can be very lucrative. See the Mac.

Also note the main reason for the surge in smartphone sales and market shares for all mobile OS with a majority stake is because of two major things:

More smartphone models are available than feature phones on a global scale.
(less users buying feature phones, and less production of feature phones)
More advertising of network and device features vs feature phones.
(marketing by manufacturers and providers alike)
^ note that these where already beginning before the iPhone was created in 2004 and predicted by mobile industry analysts.
Visual Voicemail
Call blocking
Email on smartphones featuring HTML and inline email along with supported languages outgrowing what feature phones (like S40, SEUI, and others offered).
More than 1 line on SIM card,
HD Voice
faster modem for data consumption and uploads
more channels per tower can be used on HSPA & LTE than on GPRS/EDGE - (feature phones cannot use these channels along with the data speeds)
VOIP over 3G/LTE and on WiFi ... there must be maybe 2 feature phones capable of WiFi and less than 5 promised with adapters that never shipped supporting WiFi)
(previously mentioned WiFi).
et cetera.

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I'm not sure what your point is here. Most of these features were brought on through the current era of smartphones, spearheaded by the iPhone.

Chupa Chupa said:

Don't blame the consumer for Apple's goof. What you write IS true, but its also why Apple had NO business cutting the Google's Map contract short. Apple did so only as a vendetta against the company, and not in the best interest of its product (and by extension, shareholders, or customers. Apple admitted they made a goof, but they should have had better foresight and not released it in the first place until it was more ready for prime time.

And iOS can now use Google Maps, but recall they could not when iOS6 was first released, and months after that too.

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Ok yes the Maps app is flawed but without telling Siri "Take me home" and then putting my phone up on my Prius dash board (turn by turn nav), I'd be looking at my phone dodging traffic on my way home like I was before iOS 6. It's flawed but I LOVE IT. Oh and u can make it less flawed by utilizing the "Report A Problem" option if it gets something wrong. I do it all the time.

lull in innovation

Amen Brother. Apple has sat on its ass since Steve passed.

katewes said:

Apple's downfall will be its pig-headed insistence on dumbing-down the interface to the lowest common denominator in society - the people are so pathetic they can't figure out how to use their smartphone.

The dunce-cap goes to the kindergarten filing system that segments each iCloud area so that the child user can only file their files within the app, because Apple deems us so incapable of having a mixed up file system that we might get confused.

Apple's past genius used to be making complex things simple to do, rather than preventing us from doing complex things, and restricting us to doing simple things. That is not the same as making complex things easy. There is a difference between being elegantly simple vs being dumbed down.

The sad thing is, Jon Ive probably was part of the team that started the dumbing down, so I await with a level of skepticism to see what changes he makes to iOS.

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Dude u just insulted the majority of the population. I've got a degree in psych and I was wary of using the iphone the first time because it looked complicated. It's not, however, but its easy to use interface gets nearly everything done in a much quicker and easier way than any android or other phone (except a Jitterbug lol). I owned a Droid X2 for work and hated it. I used it for calls and messages; sometimes for Internet. It's not that people are stupid. They just don't want to dedicate their precious time to learning a very complicated OS. You make yourself look stupid by not seeing this, IMO.

BB has no leg to speak on. What innovation have they brought out? They're a couple years late to the whole touchscreen phone market and lets not forget the Z10 is already outdated. Basically an S3

Chupa Chupa said:

Apple disagrees with you.

One example from Apple's Web Site [emphasis added]:

Whether you are creating a business presentation, editing a spread sheet or hosting a virtual meeting you’ll discover that these apps transform your everyday business activities into engaging new ways to interact. iPad apps for business simply take the work out of your work.

Direct link: http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/apps/

Not a single mention of content consumption on the entire page. Why? Because it's targeted to business people for work. What do business people need to do... create content, edit content, present content; not play Doodle Jump, watch the Star Wars episodes, and jam out to Arcade Fire.

Everything you suggest is contrary to how Apple, right now, today, positions the iPad to business and education. Why contradict their own marketing? I don't understand.

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Listen, I'm merely stating MY opinion. It's what I see and the perception I have of the iPad. Neither you nor me know exactly what Apple's true intent is. I never said it's NOT capable of working for business; It does so fairly well. personally, I've held gotomeeting's on my ipad, RDP'd into my work PC, created and emailed documents... done many business functions. And businesses can and do create apps for both internal use and external use as well. So yes, it CAN be used as a business "content" device. The link you pointed out to is specifically for that. http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/apps. But if you look at the MAIN section for iPad, and the vast majority of the ads, they are about playing games, taking and editing photos, garage band, matching movie's (pixar's UP), internet, maps, Siri, facetime... Business use is not the main emphasis, and very little on the main page anyway. Again, just my perception.

Personally, I think it WILL become a true business capable machine, but I don't think they are going to truly market that very hard until it's capable of doing so... and doing it well without sacrificing any other experience.

the MAIN features section says:

"You’re actually touching your photos, reading a book, playing the piano. Nothing comes between you and what you love. "

http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

I was just offering my opinion. It wasn't stated as a fact. While customers can ask or demand for things the only real action is with the wallet.

Renzatic said:

Another one of these "Apple doesn't owe you anything" posts. You're right to a point, he doesn't have to buy their stuff, and they don't owe us anything more than a compelling product. But the whole "Apple stands above your petty wants and needs, CHURL" attitude some of you like to project on them is incredibly stupid, because, as a company, they should go out of their way to please their current and potential buyers.

No one ever became successful by turning down a customer.

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Amadeus71 said:

The idea of flicking a little arrow over a screen and controlling that arrow with a device that fits into the palm of my hand (aka 'mouse') is 30 years and hasn't fundamentally changed - innovation was in other areas of the OS.

Windows 8 is a great example of what a break in visual consistency can lead to: lots of frustrated users refusing to upgrade.

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Hasnt fundamentally changed...but are you going to tell me the mouse looks the same as it did 30 years ago?

G51989 said:

Have you ever used a Mac from the 80s? Clearly not. The differences are vast, and the look is not the same. I would know, as I used 80s and early 90s Macs in school all the time.

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My first Mac was a Macintosh SE.

Granted there have been improvements over the decades. It's now a color display. There's no trashcan on the destop. The icons don't have that cartoonish look anymore, etc, etc.

But my point is that the main features of the interface are the same.

I have an dumb old low tech phone and that's what I use day in, day out and it works fine. One day, when I have the need or strike it rich, I'll probably buy an iPhone, because that would be better obviously because of the convenience.

appleii.c said:

These kinds of statements make me laugh. They are either from someone who is a casual user, or never used iOS, or from a competitor trying to bring negativity to Apple to gain market share, and hope the Apple products fail. It's been unsuccessfully tried with the whole "Walled Garden" comments, the "Outdated specs" argument and even recently "Their maps will drive you off a cliff" statements. How exactly should apple "change" their UI? The UI is simply an interface to assist you in getting done what the phone can actually do. And it HAS evolved over the years to make that experience better. They've added Siri, added a pulldown notification center, changed the way notifications appear, better airplay integration, they've added folders, photo albums among other changes. It works very well, there's no need to "revamp" it.

Sure, they can modernize the icons, but personally I use MANY apple products, and there is absolutely nothing missing from the UI that is so huge that would make me want to switch.

BTW, look how well that Windows 8 revamp has worked.

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Worked for me. Love win8. Not sure why people have so many problems. Its like win7 with Metro.

SchneiderMan said:

Hahaha look who's talking. Apple's innovation is so far ahead that it practically set every one of these tech companies for life. How can you call a company that literally started this entire new industry with its innovative products , to lack innovation? A matter of fact.

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Couldn't the same be said for BB at one point?

MattJessop said:

I agree, but this is just the pot calling the kettle blackberry.

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Haha I needed a good laugh this morning! Thank you, sir.

Mac OSX was released (originally) over 13 years ago, and through frequent adaptation is still the most advanced, secure operation system. Innovation doesn't always mean building from the ground up. Innovation means building from the ground up only when necessary, like it was when iOS was created.

ebenroth said:

Mac OSX was released (originally) over 13 years ago, and through frequent adaptation is still the most advanced, secure operation system. Innovation doesn't always mean building from the ground up. Innovation means building from the ground up only when necessary, like it was when iOS was created.

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fair question:

Why is osx often tagged with "most advanced OS" monicker?

I use OSx daily. Windows 7 daily, Windows 8 daily. Linux Daily, AIX somewhat frequently, Android Daily, iOS nearly daily, QNX, Win2008 server, 2003 server... ( i might be forgetting some).

and I do not find anything about OSx to be considerably "more advanced" than many of the other competing operating systems.

this has become a marketting buzzword with very little factual backup. I keep hearing it said over and over again here, but there's nothing behind this statement that is anything more than fluff.

OSx is a fantastic OS, but "most advanced OS"? no

LordVic said:

fair question:

Why is osx often tagged with "most advanced OS" monicker?

I use OSx daily. Windows 7 daily, Windows 8 daily. Linux Daily, AIX somewhat frequently, Android Daily, iOS nearly daily, QNX, Win2008 server, 2003 server... ( i might be forgetting some).

and I do not find anything about OSx to be considerably "more advanced" than many of the other competing operating systems.

this has become a marketting buzzword with very little factual backup. I keep hearing it said over and over again here, but there's nothing behind this statement that is anything more than fluff.

OSx is a fantastic OS, but "most advanced OS"? no

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And certanly not the most conveniant

rdlink said:

You're absolutely wrong. I've used, and supported BBs for almost 14 years. I was the freaking BB administrator at my company, supporting over 800 BBs!

The only thing "innovative" about the BB was the push email. Otherwise, it was a pretty crappy PDA. Period.

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So you've been administrating BBs for almost 14 years and you don't recognise the simple fact that the ability to even be able to administrate phones is an innovation.

viperGTS said:

Sorry perfection is boring.

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iOS is far far far from perfect.

Technarchy said:

Google Now is coming to iOS...

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Yes it is

PS8409 said:

Dude u just insulted the majority of the population. I've got a degree in psych and I was wary of using the iphone the first time because it looked complicated. It's not, however, but its easy to use interface gets nearly everything done in a much quicker and easier way than any android or other phone (except a Jitterbug lol). I owned a Droid X2 for work and hated it. I used it for calls and messages; sometimes for Internet. It's not that people are stupid. They just don't want to dedicate their precious time to learning a very complicated OS. You make yourself look stupid by not seeing this, IMO.

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You made an assessment based on no knowledge good call doc (doc doesn't imply PhD/MD)

Yup smart phone OS's are complicated you touch the thing you want to do..

We live in the 21st century if you think a smart phone OS is bad think of all the options you have on an ATM machine, online banking, Scottrade etc. yet you wasted precious time leaning those in their time. Through all of you 24 hour a day shrink work load you find time to post on Mac Rumors telling us about the time you don't have. I'm not seeing the time crunch

Amazing people work 100+ hours a week and can still learn new things off the job. People work 60 or 70 go to school college and have time play with their kids, but you can be bothered with a different smartphone OS

appleii.c said:

Listen, I'm merely stating MY opinion.

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Right, but your opinion doesn't trump the fact Apple, today, actively and openly markets iOS devices as content creators both with its own content creation apps, in marketing materials, and in ads featuring 3rd party content creation apps. If its going to do this then it needs to update iOS to better fit that purpose. You can't argue "one day..." because Apple is suggesting it now.

Stale?

I find the posts that suggest iOS is becoming "stale" to be amusing. When I look at other smartphone interfaces that have come after iOS, I see two things. First, I see imitation. Second, I see unnecessary complexity.

Before we wish for gimmicks like we've seen recently from Samsung on the S4, I have to ask... is this really what we want from Apple? The one thing common to all iOS devices is that it is easy to use and very intuitive for new users. I can't say the same for other OS's. Sure, some other OS's have become more flash, but in a gimmicky way. Tiles for example don't do anything for me.

Don't get me wrong, there is always room for improvement. For example, I'd like to see iOS support multiple users. However, I don't want iOS to ever become complicated.

Advanced...

LordVic said:

fair question:
Why is osx often tagged with "most advanced OS" monicker?

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I suppose that's a question for the marketing department. It's sort of like a restaurant claiming they have the "best" food, etc. How do you prove otherwise?

That said, I think iOS is more advanced than you give it credit for. Take multitasking for example. At the kernel level, all modern OS's have similar features, etc. However, what Apple has done to allow the illusion of multitasking without taking the battery hit is truly advanced. They have applications that save states, they allow specific services to function in the background but not third party user land applications. For the end user, it's pretty seamless, but such a feat is VERY difficult to actually pull off well. They have the best of both worlds. The easy and less sophisticated way to handle it is to just allow all third party apps to run in the background, then require devices with huge batteries, higher memory requirements, etc. just for normal operations (ala Android, Blackberry, etc.).

Again, that's just one example of iOS being more "advanced" whether you personally like that feature or not.