Have you ever used an Android phone? You'll notice they do something similar, but it's kind of like both of our suggestions combined. On Android, each app has its own icon in the status bar. But if there are too many notifications to fit them all, the last one turns into an arrow/icon indicating that there are more icons/notifications than what can fit on the bar. Then when you pull down the status bar to see your notifications, they are all listed there. I don't recall if there is a number though.
I like your idea and I'll suggest it in addition (or in substitution) to the icon enhancement when I report it later.
Thanks for the reply!
Actually yes, I went through 3 high end Android handsets before my iPhone 4. And I had a 3GS before that. lol, you can call me crazy if you want. Lotsa $$$ went towards my device addiction.
Anyways, if I remember right, there was a number on, for example, a Gmail notification icon that had more than one email unread. Or the messaging icon with more than one unread text. Someone correct me though if I'm incorrect. Maybe it was just the Inspire 4G (my most recent Android phone) I didn't like how cluttered it looked up though.
In my dream world, Apple would have tons of customization settings and we could choose exactly how all notifications work. Customization is for Android though I often wish I could merge the two platforms.