Hypothetical: What if Apple made 2 versions of iOS with one for advanced users?

[sparkyms]

That makes no sense. People only want more right now because Apple hasn't given everything they're already used to. Once Apple brings things up to parity with other smartphones, nobody could ask for more.

I think it does make sense. Then again I would because I wrote it. What I'm trying to say is, everyone always wants their device to do more, and while there's nothing wrong with that I'm not sure that splitting an OS is going to make that work. Some real morons get on with making android work just fine, despite the bells and whistles most people don't even go there so if apple were to add all this stuff, just make it in the main OS. Which leads me to:

1) You pretty much obliterate most of the reasons somebody would buy an Android phone over an iPhone. It would definitely bring in a big chunk of Android users because a lot of them just want a phone that does what their old Symbian or Blackberry phone or WinMo smartphone did in the pre-iPhone days and the closest thing to that is Android. Once you get all those features from those old pre-iPhone smartphones into the iPhone, Android will pretty much see a sharp drop, and RIM Blackberry users will finally leave RIM dead in the ground too.

2) The added cost of a pro version's development would be tiny compared to the returns they'd get from new users. Do you really think that they're spending that much money on iOS development considering how disappointing iOS6 beta has been? This would be the shot in the arm Apple needs to come out on top and destroy the competition.

I think the trouble (yours and customisers) is that apple appeals to 'what most people do' not a lot of point in wasting time developing things that only a relative handful of the consumer base will use. Like I said before, most customers will either go for a phone that's a) cheaper or b) looks nicer to them. Not everyone is like the image people portray an android user to be (some kind of Linux freak that needs to have control over most aspects of the phone). From both Eco systems most users just want their phone to make calls, browse the net and probably at a lush get their email, along with the dumb phone things they've been getting forever like a camera. Sad for people that want their phone to turn Bluetooth off on their lock screen but there's the long and short of it.

Business users want a phone that will get their email on time and be able to send, calendars synced with their exchange servers and contacts imported from their GALs both iOS and android can connect via VPN so that's basically business covered right there.

So no I really don't think that even hundreds of thousands of people would switch to android if apple implemented all your suggestions, android does most of them (well the few phones that have been updated to ICS)

Newsflash: apple, or google for that matter just need to keep developing an OS and releasing hardware (or partner hardware in Googles case) to kill RIM, they're just too late.

I think you guys are smart enough to see that iOS6 pro wouldn't be feasible on 4 year old hardware. Besides, people moan every time an old phone loses support. Who cares?

Do you know what, yes I am smart enough, but there'll be some dopes out there that aren't and think that they should be able to have whatever feature they want on their phone... Funny, that.

 

[Zcott]

This doesn't fit in with Apple's 'one size fits all' approach to OSes. So, nul points from me.

 

[Hyper-X]

I see no reason to create multiple versions of iOS to cater to a wide variety of users. For my personal taste iOS is excessively simple and limiting. This is the primary reason why I always look forward to jailbreaking my iOS device. It would be nice if the option to open up typical iOS limitations were inherent to iOS by default. Like how Android is able to change a setting to allow 3rd party app integration, I would like to be able to access jailbroken features without the need to rely on jailbreaks.

That way people who choose to use iOS as it stands now can continue to do so and those seeking to do more can also access the full potential of iOS.

 

[Beta Particle]

As far as I am concerned, all that iOS “needs” is a Gatekeeper option that lets advanced users install apps that aren’t from the App Store without jailbreaking, and possibly some API for notification centre “apps”.

Things like widgets on the home screen, animated wallpapers, live tiles/icons are all useless distractions that waste battery life in my opinion. I always laugh when I see someone’s Android phone and half the screen is taken up with a widget that shows the time (which is already in the menu bar) and only the current weather without a forecast. I'm sure widgets exist which show that, but if I want to see a forecast, I'll load up my weather app, rather than have it wasting battery life updating in the background, and taking up space which could be used for having other quick-access apps.

I also make a point of disabling notifications for most apps, unless they actually serve a useful purpose, and have badges disabled on everything but Mail, Messages and OmniFocus. (Unfortunately, they can’t be turned off for the App Store) Even then, I would prefer not to have them on for mail, but there are some emails I can’t afford to miss. (Fortunately, I can now use the VIP settings to customise this.)

I don’t see the appeal of live tiles at all, it's just more distractions. My iOS devices are tools, and the OS is the interface to get to them, not toys I’ll just wake up every few minutes to see if there’s a new distraction for me. If I want that, I’ll specifically load up a twitter client, rather than have that stuff be there when I just turned on my device to read an email, or send a quick message to someone.

And I have no desire to fool around with system-level functionality like the keyboard or theming the OS.

 

[dejo]

No. Does it do things like drop the use of the filesystem or something?

iOS never had access to the filesystem, so it can't be considered dropped.

 

[Abazigal]

The OP's premise assumes that the millions of android users chose android phones solely because of all those benefits he stated. While android phones reportedly have snagged a fairly huge chunk of the smartphone market, I have doubts as to whether releasing "OSX for iphone" will solve this issue or not.

From my observations, there are many reasons why people shop for other branded phones. I don't believe that all these millions snag a galaxy note or S3 simply for the ability to access a file system directly, and can rootkit it to install their own custom rom or whatever. It could be for other reasons such as price (not everyone is rich enough to plonk down so much cash for a phone), screen size (they prefer larger screen real estate), simply don't want an apple phone (maybe because too many people around them are using one?), they just don't know any better or a myriad of other reasons.

For example, for my colleagues using android phones,
1) One went with a galaxy S1 because it was free after telco subsidy.
2) Another took a S1 as she mistook it for an iphone
3) A few went with notes / S3 as they were smitten with the large screen.
4) One is using tab 7 given free from a promotion (she has an ipad at home).
5) Only 1-2 actually bothered setting widgets.
6) One admitted she went with a samsung phone as she did not want to be seen as a sheep (in my workplace, ~70% of us use some version of iphone).
7) They are not what I call "power-users", so stuff like ability to run flash is a non-issue, as are other more complex capabilities of android.

I think I can conclude that the impact would be fairly minimal. Such a move would do nothing save to appease the very small fraction of "power iphone users" who want more options for their phones, while doing little to win over android users. By your logic, if iOS is now like android, then what incentive is there for me to migrate from android over to ios?

 

[DrMotownMac]

I dual boot Windows and Linux. Mostly a Linux user.

As you can see in the piechart, 1.66% of users of Wikimedia are Linux users. Why? Because 98.4% of users are not interested in ridiculously complicated features so that they can dig through the bowels of the operating system to accomplish some task that most people would consider useless.

Steve Jobs was not a computer engineer or programmer. But if he had one talent, it was a knack for understanding what the general public WANTED. While you may want this hybrid advanced iOS, I think most people would be put off by it, and from a marketing standpoint, it would lead to an association between iPhones and hardcore computer scientists...not an association which would be in the best interest of Apple's bottom line.

I agree with one of the above posters about jailbreaking. If you want cool advanced features, jailbreak your phone and download or build them. If you just want a cool phone, stick with what Apple makes. They seem to be doing pretty well.

 

[DrMotownMac]

One more thought. Apple's entire philosophy, since the Apple II, and certainly since the original Macintosh, is about simplicity. One mouse button. One button on iOS. Only USB ports on iMac. No optical drive on MacBook Airs. Etc. Your idea of breaking up the iOS like this and making a version for power users is the exact opposite of simplicity. Everything you read about Steve Jobs makes it obvious he believed in the KISS design principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

And yes. I know Steve Jobs isn't God and his word is not the end all, be all. However, Apple was his company which he founded, and all of it's tremendous success is pretty much attributed to Steve and his principles. So, now that he's dead, Apple should just undo everything he stood for? Um, no. That would be ridiculously stupid and suicidal.

 

[Calidude]

One more thought. Apple's entire philosophy, since the Apple II, and certainly since the original Macintosh, is about simplicity. One mouse button. One button on iOS. Only USB ports on iMac. No optical drive on MacBook Airs. Etc. Your idea of breaking up the iOS like this and making a version for power users is the exact opposite of simplicity. Everything you read about Steve Jobs makes it obvious he believed in the KISS design principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

And yes. I know Steve Jobs isn't God and his word is not the end all, be all. However, Apple was his company which he founded, and all of it's tremendous success is pretty much attributed to Steve and his principles. So, now that he's dead, Apple should just undo everything he stood for? Um, no. That would be ridiculously stupid and suicidal.

There's a danger when it comes to KISS. You ignore what people want on their phone. There's nothing complex about choosing your own browser or your own audio player.

 

[DrMotownMac]

There's a danger when it comes to KISS. You ignore what people want on their phone. There's nothing complex about choosing your own browser or your own audio player.

I agree. That's why Apple should simply allow you to choose your own browser and choose your own audio player. Do they need an "iOS Advanced" which is activated through a series of steps and disclaimers after connecting to iTunes? No. Two very different things. Choosing your own browser or audio player are iOS enhancements. Building an alternative more advanced OS for power users is a complexity. Sorry, man.

But you should consider working on developing a new LINUX-based phone! You might capture that 1.66% of the phone market who is hoping for the high powered cell phone of the future! Apple, Google and Microsoft will continue to fight over the remaining 98.34% of people who just want a simple, easy-to-use smart phone. For those who want a supercomputer in their pocket, you've got them covered.

And by the way, Henry Ford once said, "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." That's why people like him and Steve Jobs never asked that question. They told people what they needed, and most people seemed to agree with them. For those who didn't, there's Linux.

 

[Zcott]

Apple controls the experience with its own browser and audio player. There's no risk of someone like my mother calling up Apple and saying "my music player isn't working" because she's installed ABC Music Player from the App Store. By having stock apps, Apple can fix it.

 

[roadbloc]

It's not going to happen. Anyone who wants more out of iOS will simply Jailbreak.

 

[Calidude]

I agree. That's why Apple should simply allow you to choose your own browser and choose your own audio player. Do they need an "iOS Advanced" which is activated through a series of steps and disclaimers after connecting to iTunes? No. Two very different things. Choosing your own browser or audio player are iOS enhancements. Building an alternative more advanced OS for power users is a complexity. Sorry, man.

I agree that my thread went about this the wrong way, but I'm simply trying to show that people do in fact want more than just what Apple is willing to give them. I should have added a poll option that said "I'm an iOS user and I just want one OS version that has every smartphone feature the current iOS is missing"

But you should consider working on developing a new LINUX-based phone! You might capture that 1.66% of the phone market who is hoping for the high powered cell phone of the future! Apple, Google and Microsoft will continue to fight over the remaining 98.34% of people who just want a simple, easy-to-use smart phone. For those who want a supercomputer in their pocket, you've got them covered.

Android has already captured much more than that. Half of the market, actually.

 

[Carlanga]

Your idea is really convoluted; just say that when you first start an iPhone as NEW the phone will ask if you want root access. No different versions of iOS needed.

 

[joesegh]

It would be too expensive to support and confuse people. Simple as that.

 

[Julien]

I'm all for it as long as we can get stickers telling which version of iOS the iDevice has and a list of all features in the version (plus legal disclaimers) printed on the box.

Here is a better way for Apple to do things.

 

[WordMasterRice]

As far as I am concerned, all that iOS “needs” is a Gatekeeper option that lets advanced users install apps that aren’t from the App Store without jailbreaking.

This is really the long and short of it. Apple just needs to call up the Dev Team the day they release a new iOS and tell them, here is the jailbreak. They release it the same day.

I would be much much more comfortable knowing that iOS could always be jailbroken. I always have to wait a while after new hardware is released to see if it is jail breakable to see if I should buy it or get an Android device. The day they can't jailbreak it is the day I'm done with iOS forever.

 

[Sedrick]

My answer to this poll (and I honestly believe this) is that Apple has gotten fat and lazy and isn't going to expend any more energy than it has to to remain fat and happy.

My suggestion, in another thread somewhere, was for Apple to offer (at nominal cost) a Plus pack. It would have, basically, all the jailbreak features everyone has come to expect (themes, widgets, etc).

Of course, this would require effort from Apple that they do not need to expend to remain fat.

 

[faroZ06]

I think an "advanced user" option in the Settings app would suffice. Apple should make some effort to prevent advanced users from having to jailbreak because some of those people are pirates. Man I hate iOS pirates; if it weren't for them, Apple wouldn't make it so hard to jailbreak.

 

[blackhand1001]

Just add an unknown sources toggle in the options like android does that allows you to sideload apps not from the app store. There should be an option in the poll that says you approve but your not gonna switch to iOS.

 

[faroZ06]

Android has already captured much more than that. Half of the market, actually.

There are slightly more Android phones than iPhones according to the latest research, and there are very few Android tablets, and a lot of those Android phones are not in use. There are probably more iOS devices in use right now.

 

[Zcott]

My answer to this poll (and I honestly believe this) is that Apple has gotten fat and lazy and isn't going to expend any more energy than it has to to remain fat and happy.

My suggestion, in another thread somewhere, was for Apple to offer (at nominal cost) a Plus pack. It would have, basically, all the jailbreak features everyone has come to expect (themes, widgets, etc).

Of course, this would require effort from Apple that they do not need to expend to remain fat.

This goes back to the first reply. Do you want to see iOS Home Starter, iOS Professional, iOS Ultimate? I don't.

 

[Small White Car]

I don't know how anybody could object to this

And that's the main issue here. Your problem is that you're the type of guy who thinks perfection is possible. That adding one new thing does't ever compromise another thing. But it's not possible.

When your engineer asks "do you want the laptop to have a large screen or be more portable?" you'd say "let's do both."

It doesn't work like that. Every single thing you add detracts in some other way. But as your quote here illustrates, you can't even imagine what the downsides to your plan are. If you were to tell me the pros and cons then say "I don't care about the cons, though," that would be one thing. That's a valid opinion. But that's not it. You're admitting that you don't even have a 'cons' list.

This says it all:

I should have added a poll option that said "I'm an iOS user and I just want one OS version that has every smartphone feature the current iOS is missing"

This is impossible. A complete and utter pipe dream. No different than that 17" laptop that fits in your pocket. So the voting here really doesn't matter. It's nice that people may want something like that, but it doesn't mean it will ever come to be.

 

[Squid7085]

The only reason Microsoft does this is because they are a software company by trade. Have a "Starter" version that they charge $x for, and an Ultimate version they charge $xx for, and everything in between. Apple makes the Hardware and the Software, they don't make hardly any money on the software directly, it's all on the hardware. So any iOS "Pro" version, aka, the best, would just be on all hardware. If you want all those "pro" features you mentioned, jailbreak or switch to android.

 

[mrsir2009]

I think an "advanced user" option in the Settings app would suffice. Apple should make some effort to prevent advanced users from having to jailbreak because some of those people are pirates. Man I hate iOS pirates; if it weren't for them, Apple wouldn't make it so hard to jailbreak.

But it isn't hard to jailbreak... In fact, how could it be any more simple and easy than the latest absinthe jailbreak?