Apple is terrible with built-in software, why not buy themselves out of a problem?

[FrozenDarkness]

The apps that do push for Gmail are either from Google directly that they conveniently left support for themselves or from other providers that you have to grant access to your Gmail account so that every email would go through them for push--quite a few people don't want to have their email go through another company though, and those who are OK with it can use third party apps and companies that do that then.

Native email clients work the way Apples does where they don't go trogon their own servers to go through your email (again, as quite a few won't want that) and access your email from the provider directly supporting what the provider provides.

If Apple routed things through their own servers for email I'd likely be more upset about having to have my private email go through more servers and companies just for push notifications. And if I'm not upset by that then I can use a mail client that does that--which isn't a typical and expected or even necessarily desired feature or a normal email client.

i can kind of see why people say apple users hate choice. this seems like a perfect choice dilemma. in either case, i'm not a tech wizard and as i mentioned, i really don't care about why or what happened at all. i expect apple to figure it out because that's what a major billion dollar corporation should do for their customers.

again, you can't use 3rd party apps efficiently because they can't be the default mail app which means you have to leave your apple mail alive if you want to ever send mail through any of their other apps. which conveniently leaves apple pulling your mail twice and eating data. which is okay if you set it to manual, unless you ever need to send mail which will cause the mail app to pull e-mail

and to whoever said calendars haven't evolved. of course they have. i'll give you an example. there's an app called Tempo that automatically pulls yelp and/or contact information if it finds something in your e-mail. so if i'm having dinner with steve at cheesecake factory, it'll have steve's phone number and all of cheesecake factory's information within the appointment itself.

 

[deluxeshredder]

Apple built in mail app: no push notifications for gmail

Google has blocked them.

Apple built in calendar app: Sufficient but better ones allow for integration with more websites like linkedin and yelp which will allow the calendar to prepopulate contacts and/or directions based off of your calendar entries.

The iOS 6's one was excellent, the iOS 7's one is terrible.

Apple built in reminder app: Hard to use, works with siri which is a plus but doesn't have the abilities to easily create a task, create a subtask, create a new list of tasks, and attach a file to the task.

Agree.

I'm merely suggesting a strategy apple is already employing with their maps app which I personally find fairly enjoyable to use. I don't find the built in mail app/calendar/reminder fun to use at all.

Apple Maps are totally useless where I live, and I found the UI to be terrible compared to Google Maps.

love safari, ironically i hate safari for mac because it never seems as fast as chrome so I can't realize the full benefits.

I think Safari is great both on OS X and iOS and I think it it one of the very few decent app designs in iOS 7 (the iOS 6 version was very dated and clunky).

 

[rtomyj]

Well no we just agreed that there are apps that still work with push. Every calendar app for example on iOS works with push notifications. Most 3rd party mail apps as well. Apple is a big company, they should figure it out.

It's not akin to anything. Almost everybody and their mothers has a gmail account. I think I can safely say, in the US, gmail is the most popular e-mail service. It's taking functionality away. Apple should figure out a way like every other app developer has done already, to support that. it's a joke that they have a gmail fast set up option but completely ignore this fact.

Actually I'm moving away from gmail. Their UI online sucks (priority, social, IM, etc), too much on screen. Their support for mail sucks. I get too much spam from people that want me (ehm) bigger and for jewelry. iCloud is perfect. No spam (though I haven't signed up for the same amount of services like hulu/netflix with it), simple UI online, perfect mail support, and all my data is synced perfectly.

 

[barkmonster]

built-in mail app: terrible
built-in calendar app: weak
built-in reminder app: terrible
built-in browser: good

i find it odd that through so many iterations of iOS, these apps have essentially stayed the same in functionality whilst the competition has changed. Apple should just buy some of these companies like any.do or mailbox and integrate it into iOS. it's baffling to me that they can still make the same built-in apps and try to sell it.

the most hilarious thing is that these apps aren't even the easiest to use. the reminder app is terribly inefficient

Built-in mail app: Fine. Don't see the problem.

Built-in calendar: UTTER TRAINWRECK since i0S7.

It's so unituitive, it's shockingly not from Microsoft. I'm sure a deluded fanboy will suggest I'm being picky here but the fact remains that pre-iOS7, viewing what was in your calendar for the day, particularly all day events, was simply a case of looking at it and there they are.

Now, there's the system on dots indicating if events exist or not, yet not displaying them and the pathetic way all-day events are squashed at the top once you flip the phone round to it's other useless view.

built-in reminder app: I agree, that's the second part of their terrible calendar functionality that's garbage.

built-in browser: good. Of course it is, it's Safari!

 

[RokkenRock]

The built-in apps do their job just fine. If people crave for more functionality and different design, they can look for them in the App Store. Apple cannot satisfy everyone with one set of functionality and one design. In other words buying other apps won't help.

 

[charlituna]

well i'm not sure what teh push notification problem is between google and apple but most apps like gmail app, mailbox provide push notification for gmail. it might just be apple? not sure

Google wants folks using their apps not Apple's so they only support such things in their apps and block it from all others. Mailbox gets around it because they create the Push off their servers after they have transferred over all your emails from wherever they were

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i can kind of see why people say apple users hate choice. this seems like a perfect choice dilemma. in either case, i'm not a tech wizard and as i mentioned, i really don't care about why or what happened at all. i expect apple to figure it out because that's what a major billion dollar corporation should do for their customers.

Yes but 'their customers' aren't necessarily like you. or anyone on a site like this. And folks around here often forget that. We are the 2% and Apple doesn't design for us. They design for the 98%.

And that group is often find and dandy, even thrilled, with what Apple has done for them

 

[FrozenDarkness]

The built-in apps do their job just fine. If people crave for more functionality and different design, they can look for them in the App Store. Apple cannot satisfy everyone with one set of functionality and one design. In other words buying other apps won't help.

they truly can't satisfy everybody considering gmail is the largest provider of e-mail in the world.

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Google wants folks using their apps not Apple's so they only support such things in their apps and block it from all others. Mailbox gets around it because they create the Push off their servers after they have transferred over all your emails from wherever they were

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Yes but 'their customers' aren't necessarily like you. or anyone on a site like this. And folks around here often forget that. We are the 2% and Apple doesn't design for us. They design for the 98%.

And that group is often find and dandy, even thrilled, with what Apple has done for them

i don't believe you can speak for the 98%. And a typical Apple fan will acknowledge that Apple tells consumers what they want before they even want it. I remember when Apple was pushing push notifications like there was no tomorrow a couple years ago. This truly, is a major step back no matter how you cut it.

 

[C DM]

they truly can't satisfy everybody considering gmail is the largest provider of e-mail in the world.

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i don't believe you can speak for the 98%. And a typical Apple fan will acknowledge that Apple tells consumers what they want before they even want it. I remember when Apple was pushing push notifications like there was no tomorrow a couple years ago. This truly, is a major step back no matter how you cut it.

Step back, yes, but it's Google's fault not Apple's.

 

[RokkenRock]

they truly can't satisfy everybody considering gmail is the largest provider of e-mail in the world.

I don't really understand what you mean. If Google is giving apple a way to integrate push notification into its native mail app, why should apple take the blame?

I read through your complaint of the apps you talked about, I can only say YMMV. I find all the apps more than enough satisfy my needs and are easy to use, much more than any in the App Store. What is the problem with it? Why should people like me take your criticism of being sheep and taking whatever apple says is excellent? If you are not satisfied with them, find anything you like in the App Store. It's not like apple forces you to use them.

 

[white4s]

all 3 of those work fine for me. I never use mail

 

[maflynn]

built-in mail app: terrible
built-in calendar app: weak
built-in reminder app: terrible
built-in browser: good

built-in mail app: Awesome
built-in calendar app: Great
built-in reminder app: Works for me
built-in browser: good


I guess YMMV but I'm happy with the apps, particularly with the mail app. Its this app that keeps bringing me back from Android. It does everything I need to manage my emails in a manner that I could never easily accomplish on Android.

 

[djtech42]

built-in mail app: great
built-in calendar app: good (great in iOS 7.1)
built-in reminder app: decent
built-in browser: awesome (huge improvements in iOS 7)

Apple's built-in software isn't that bad, and it improved a lot in iOS 7. Reminders could use some work, though.

 

[ZacNicholson]

built-in calendar app: good (great in iOS 7.1)
.

i prefer iOS 6's calendar i think the one in iOS 7 is awful

 

[Afbar1114]

I like the whole iCloud ecosystem. Much easier to use the googles was. Everything works fine for me. I like having three devices and almost everything syncs up. The calendar app works fine for me for what I need. The mail is simple but again works for me. Sometimes simplistic is better.

 

[zeego]

built-in mail app: terrible
built-in calendar app: weak
built-in reminder app: terrible
built-in browser: good

I use them all but the Calendar, Fantastical 2 takes the cake for me.

I don't have any problems with the mail app, especially after getting rid of my gmail account.

To each their own and if you find an app you like better than kudos to you, that's the beauty of the app store and X code being free. People can download or develop something they like if they think they have a better idea.

 

[djtech42]

i prefer iOS 6's calendar i think the one in iOS 7 is awful

It's better in iOS 7.1 because it has the event list at the bottom when you tap on a day.

 

[kolax]

I agree with the OP.

The iOS 6 calendar was better for viewing. I liked being able to scrub along in month view and see my appointments in a window along the bottom.

On my Mac, I can type into Reminders something like 'appointment tues 8pm' and it knows I mean 'appointment' and that I want it to set a reminder alarm for Tuesday at 8pm. Reminders doesn't do that in iOS 7. It's incredibly irritating to have to set a manual reminder alarm.

The Mail app I really like visually, though I'd like to be able to turn off certain mailbox notifications for out of office hours. Many of us use our personal phones for work email, and I'd like to not be notified of things after 5pm.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

they truly can't satisfy everybody considering gmail is the largest provider of e-mail in the world.

I don't really understand what you mean. If Google is giving apple a way to integrate push notification into its native mail app, why should apple take the blame?

I read through your complaint of the apps you talked about, I can only say YMMV. I find all the apps more than enough satisfy my needs and are easy to use, much more than any in the App Store. What is the problem with it? Why should people like me take your criticism of being sheep and taking whatever apple says is excellent? If you are not satisfied with them, find anything you like in the App Store. It's not like apple forces you to use them.

I think you need to take this the other way. Just because it satisfies you means Apple's job is done? Do you speak for everybody else? Should Apple aim to please only a set amount of people? As a customer I understand why you shouldn't care what other customers think but to not understand where other people are coming from, well that's why you feel like I'm calling you a sheep.

Again, push notifications was something Apple championed in iOS5. I know someone above said it's google's fault, well i'm not a google android phone customer am i? The fact of the matter is this problem HAS A SOLUTION. We've all pointed to it above. All it takes is Apple to make a simple choice to implement it or not and offer it as a feature.

Where you're truly wrong is your impression that Apple doesn't force you to use them. They do, They do by the very fact you can't change your default mail app and have all your other apps use it. They force you to use their own apps if you want any compatibility what-so-ever.

 

[C DM]

I think you need to take this the other way. Just because it satisfies you means Apple's job is done? Do you speak for everybody else? Should Apple aim to please only a set amount of people? As a customer I understand why you shouldn't care what other customers think but to not understand where other people are coming from, well that's why you feel like I'm calling you a sheep.

Again, push notifications was something Apple championed in iOS5. I know someone above said it's google's fault, well i'm not a google android phone customer am i? The fact of the matter is this problem HAS A SOLUTION. We've all pointed to it above. All it takes is Apple to make a simple choice to implement it or not and offer it as a feature.

Where you're truly wrong is your impression that Apple doesn't force you to use them. They do, They do by the very fact you can't change your default mail app and have all your other apps use it. They force you to use their own apps if you want any compatibility what-so-ever.

Apple designed their apps to do the basics well, they didn't design them to do everything. If you want everything that's not what they are for. If you think they should be that, I guess that's your opinion, but that's not what they are designed for, so in Apple's eyes (and those of many other users) the apps are what they are supposed to be without the extras that most people don't care about.

As for push, it's been explained in pretty much every way possible, it's not Apple that did anything it's Google that took away the options. To make it work--using the available solutions now, as you mentioned--Apple would have to redirect your Google mail through their servers and do the notifications themselves. Do most people want that done to their mail? No. Do some people not care about it? Sure, and for those there are other mail apps that would do that if they are fine granting those companies access to their mail. It's not some sort of a technical deficiency (at least not on Apple's side, but certainly on Google's side), and not some sort of a bug, even though it might seem like it to those who don't really understand or care about the details--not understanding or caring about them doesn't change how it can or can't be done though.

As far as being able to change default apps, or making some user experience changes/enhancements in some of the apps, as I mentioned before, those are the things that definitely can be improved on.

 

[BaldiMac]

Where you're truly wrong is your impression that Apple doesn't force you to use them. They do, They do by the very fact you can't change your default mail app and have all your other apps use it. They force you to use their own apps if you want any compatibility what-so-ever.

I use Mailbox app as my email app on iOS without any compatibility issues whatsoever.

 

[Altis]

Low standards some people think they're all just fine, some people don't even notice that you can tap 5 or 6 letters when unlocking into an iMessage before it starts responding....

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Music app. You can no longer view all songs by an artist in alphabetical order, or just list the albums.. It's all one mess. Random photos of the artists next to the names, so you can only see 3-4 at once.. Even the pictures are useless because they're tiny, and often artistic, so you can't really tell who it is, lots look the same, and you've likely never seen the pictures before.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

Apple designed their apps to do the basics well, they didn't design them to do everything. If you want everything that's not what they are for. If you think they should be that, I guess that's your opinion, but that's not what they are designed for, so in Apple's eyes (and those of many other users) the apps are what they are supposed to be without the extras that most people don't care about.

As for push, it's been explained in pretty much every way possible, it's not Apple that did anything it's Google that took away the options. To make it work--using the available solutions now, as you mentioned--Apple would have to redirect your Google mail through their servers and do the notifications themselves. Do most people want that done to their mail? No. Do some people not care about it? Sure, and for those there are other mail apps that would do that if they are fine granting those companies access to their mail. It's not some sort of a technical deficiency (at least not on Apple's side, but certainly on Google's side), and not some sort of a bug, even though it might seem like it to those who don't really understand or care about the details--not understanding or caring about them doesn't change how it can or can't be done though.

As far as being able to change default apps, or making some user experience changes/enhancements in some of the apps, as I mentioned before, those are the things that definitely can be improved on.

You just assumed this right? Again, championing push notifications, I just need you to admit it's a step back. BTW, it's not that Google doesn't do any push notifications, they offer it to their business customers. So realistically, Apple also could've signed a contract and had it available to iphone users. but they don't.

it's because they hate google and in turn hurt their consumers.

 

[GGJstudios]

Apple's primary business isn't app development. Their primary business is hardware and operating systems. They bundle a few basic apps to get you started, but they were never intended to meet the needs of all users. That's why the App Store exists: so users can find apps that more directly meet their specific needs. As already stated, the only failure on Apple's part is not allowing 3rd party apps to be selected as defaults, for seamless integration with other functions.

 

[Delorean2006]

i think all the default apps are terrific, in my opinion, but i just don't use the mail app because i only use gmail for school and personal accounts so i use the gmail because of push notifications

 

[C DM]

You just assumed this right? Again, championing push notifications, I just need you to admit it's a step back. BTW, it's not that Google doesn't do any push notifications, they offer it to their business customers. So realistically, Apple also could've signed a contract and had it available to iphone users. but they don't.

it's because they hate google and in turn hurt their consumers.

An assumption that more people would not want to reroute their private mail through another company would appear to be a more rational one than one where more people would opt for that just for push notifications. I mean if more people would opt for that then there would be way way more people using apps like Mailbox which do exactly that. And while there are a lot of people using apps like that, but far it's not even close to being a majority of any kind.

So Apple should pay and provide it for free to their users? I'm sure that's a sound business practice. And what if Google doesn't want to sell it to apple due to competitiveness on their part? If Apple hates Google, then surely Google can hate Apple just as much if not more, right?

I think what you are discounting here is the lack of simplicity of it. It's not as simple as you seem to think it is or should be or might be.