First of all current Jelly Bean Android is no where near as simple as iOS. Android has so many subsystems and menus its quite confusing. Android still has ways to go before it can be called as "simple" as iOS
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Do you think iOS 7 will be a "new" direction for iOS? Or just..another iOS
- Thread starter WhackyNinja
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First of all current Jelly Bean Android is no where near as simple as iOS. Android has so many subsystems and menus its quite confusing. Android still has ways to go before it can be called as "simple" as iOS
Great reply, someone willing to have a discussion rather than make sarcastic digs.
It's hard to put a finger on just what iOS needs now. As someone said earlier in the thread, the mobile OS has certainly reached maturity now, meaning it's hard to add something that doesn't come off as a gimmick.
For iOS I'd like to see, as mentioned before, a unified OS. It's just too all over the place, it makes the OS feel unpolished even if it doesn't hinder the performance. Siri needs to be usable, it's become the very definition of a gimmick. When voice recognition software can't recognise the simple sentence, "Set my timer for 20 minutes" and thinks you want to set a table and tries to find restaurants, it's annoying and just detracts from the flawless experience Apple portray Siri to be in their (albeit US centric) commercials. The Google search app has no issues understanding my accent, so the issue lies with Apple's software.
It's only natural when using the one platform for so long (2008) to look elsewhere and wonder what's being done by other developers and manufacturers. I found your comment about brightness interesting, because I never use my iPhone or iPad at full brightness, it's just too bright.
I don't want Apple to add widgets, something those on Android seem a little too obsessed with and almost smug at having. I see that the S3 has a widget to watch a video while on the home screen? It looks awfully clunky and tacked on, another prime example of the gimmicks I mentioned earlier on.
I did in actual fact watch the video you mentioned which showed an S3 lag while scrolling on Geekbench's results screen. Very interesting, as the demo unit I used today showed no lag in scrolling, although that could have been a specific problem with the Geekbench app? Also, the video reviewer mentions he's using a US version of the S3. Does the US version not "only" have a Dual Core chip whilst the international version uses a Quad Core "SnapDragon" chip? Please, someone correct me otherwise if I am wrong. Still, even with a Dual Core chip that level of lag is unacceptable.
All I did was try a phone out that's not an iPhone, report my opinion, and was latched onto by the fanboys. I've been a Mac user since 2000, owned every model of iPod from G1 to the 2nd gen iPod touch (until I got my 3G), and now iPhone and iPad. I'm not suddenly anti-Apple, but just because I prefer one company and their products does not mean I cannot look at the competition.
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It will be incremental but big.
Siri will come out of beta, Maps will get huge improvements, we will finally get third party widgets in the notification center, lot of refinements like maybe a better multitask bar.
I like iOS the way it is for the same reason I hate OSX the way it is.
On a phone or tablet, I want a predictable solid and unchanging experience like I do on my PVR or Dishwasher, that is a phone or tablet is a specific functionality device.
On a computer I want flexible, changeable and powerful functionality that I can do things the way I want, because for me a computer is a generic device.
So rock on iOS - evolution not revolution please.
On a phone or tablet, I want a predictable solid and unchanging experience like I do on my PVR or Dishwasher, that is a phone or tablet is a specific functionality device.
On a computer I want flexible, changeable and powerful functionality that I can do things the way I want, because for me a computer is a generic device.
So rock on iOS - evolution not revolution please.
Yes i believe the international has a quad core processor and makes it the faster model but only slighlty (because the actual arceticture, Exynos, of the chip is different and considerably worse, the international version also has 1GB ram compared to 2 for the US version. Overall, the 4 cores of the international version makes it very slightly faster despite that is is a worse SoC and has less ram).
I am also interested with the direction of Siri as it is still in "beta". I don't have many problems with Siri but my only complaint is it could be faster like the google one is. Howerver the google one is not integrated into the phone which is a big thing for me. Hopefully when it gets out of beta it will be faster and more accurate
Im not a fan of widgets either as they decrease battery life by quite some margin and consume a significant amout of CPU when the device is idle, causing the lag on the homescreen in many non high end android devices that dont have powerful chips. However i wouldnt mind some shortcuts for wifi and some other settings that could be accesisble in the multitask bar. iOS 7 will be very interesting and hopefully the UI is refreshed a bit. If it isn't i will still stay with iOS because i am already invested in the ecosystem and performance comes first for me. I think if they did change the UI and make it worse (for the sake of changing it) there would be a lot of people that would be dissapointed especially those who were not "bored" of iOS because they just got an iphone. We have to remember that the people that say iOS is stale are those how have had an iphone since the 3G or 3GS (like me).
btw what do you mean by a unified OS? I don't know what that means lol.
My guess small changes which a would be annoying because there are a few features that could basically change the whole usage of iOS for the better, for instance widgets alone who sort of redline how people us there iOS devices, that alone would make the experience ever better.
Then iOS features for the ipad such as multiple accounts, side by side apps like windows 8, even small changes like delete all emails , a close all applications option, quick settings in the notification bar like android to turn flight mode on, wifi, Bluetooth etc
These are all these that should have been implemented a few generations ago most likely, all of which would improve the usage and usability of the ipad. iOS is the greatest for apps as well, but it seems apple has restricted the best tools to create the best apps (web kit I heard?).
It just seems silly to me and these are some of the reasons why some people are starting to jump ship and people are getting bored of there I devices.
But I also understand why they seem to be doing it, they are trying to milk it as long as possible because the iPhone is slowly becoming perfection in there eyes, and they will come to the point were they are running out of new ideas.
Will be interesting to see what direction they will choose though, waiting to long could be a double edged sword.
Then iOS features for the ipad such as multiple accounts, side by side apps like windows 8, even small changes like delete all emails , a close all applications option, quick settings in the notification bar like android to turn flight mode on, wifi, Bluetooth etc
These are all these that should have been implemented a few generations ago most likely, all of which would improve the usage and usability of the ipad. iOS is the greatest for apps as well, but it seems apple has restricted the best tools to create the best apps (web kit I heard?).
It just seems silly to me and these are some of the reasons why some people are starting to jump ship and people are getting bored of there I devices.
But I also understand why they seem to be doing it, they are trying to milk it as long as possible because the iPhone is slowly becoming perfection in there eyes, and they will come to the point were they are running out of new ideas.
Will be interesting to see what direction they will choose though, waiting to long could be a double edged sword.
There's no need to clutter up the UI with toggles. Siri can already launch apps today so it's but a small jump to give Siri the ability to turn off/on some settings with the user voice. Keeping the UI clean should be paramount because it is essential given the desire to keep things simple.
Those expecting drastic changes are simply not being realistic. Mobile phone OS aren't about being flashy they're about being efficient. I suspect that the next iteration of iOS will be more "fluid". Maybe their codenames should start being named after liquid or bodies of water. The focus is likely going to be about reducing friction. Sharing functionality will become easier, eventually I see some apps as being able to provide processes within other apps without fully launching. The ideal would be akin to Services with a nice UI and solid paradigm.
Location will continue to be important and putting context upon your location will be the next step. My phone needs to understand the world around me regarding points of interest and more and keep me focused on tasks that can be handled or various other bits of data.
I suspect that security will be a huge point of emphasis for iOS 7 and 8. The move will be toward creating a layer between your personal data and the rest of the world that abstracts and protects you. Rather than be password based it'll biometric along with your Apple ID or some other secondary form of authentication. If done right it'll open up opportunities for commerce, general security and deliver other benefits that go beyond what adding NFC can do.
Don't expect a barn burner release. Tectonic Plates shift ever so slowly until the pressure builds and something amazing happens. Phones are similar ...the shifts happen until a point of inflection and a major change occurs.
Those expecting drastic changes are simply not being realistic. Mobile phone OS aren't about being flashy they're about being efficient. I suspect that the next iteration of iOS will be more "fluid". Maybe their codenames should start being named after liquid or bodies of water. The focus is likely going to be about reducing friction. Sharing functionality will become easier, eventually I see some apps as being able to provide processes within other apps without fully launching. The ideal would be akin to Services with a nice UI and solid paradigm.
Location will continue to be important and putting context upon your location will be the next step. My phone needs to understand the world around me regarding points of interest and more and keep me focused on tasks that can be handled or various other bits of data.
I suspect that security will be a huge point of emphasis for iOS 7 and 8. The move will be toward creating a layer between your personal data and the rest of the world that abstracts and protects you. Rather than be password based it'll biometric along with your Apple ID or some other secondary form of authentication. If done right it'll open up opportunities for commerce, general security and deliver other benefits that go beyond what adding NFC can do.
Don't expect a barn burner release. Tectonic Plates shift ever so slowly until the pressure builds and something amazing happens. Phones are similar ...the shifts happen until a point of inflection and a major change occurs.
Yes i believe the international has a quad core processor and makes it the faster model but only slighlty (because the actual arceticture, Exynos, of the chip is different and considerably worse, the international version also has 1GB ram compared to 2 for the US version. Overall, the 4 cores of the international version makes it very slightly faster despite that is is a worse SoC and has less ram).
I am also interested with the direction of Siri as it is still in "beta". I don't have many problems with Siri but my only complaint is it could be faster like the google one is. Howerver the google one is not integrated into the phone which is a big thing for me. Hopefully when it gets out of beta it will be faster and more accurate
Im not a fan of widgets either as they decrease battery life by quite some margin and consume a significant amout of CPU when the device is idle, causing the lag on the homescreen in many non high end android devices that dont have powerful chips. However i wouldnt mind some shortcuts for wifi and some other settings that could be accesisble in the multitask bar. iOS 7 will be very interesting and hopefully the UI is refreshed a bit. If it isn't i will still stay with iOS because i am already invested in the ecosystem and performance comes first for me. I think if they did change the UI and make it worse (for the sake of changing it) there would be a lot of people that would be dissapointed especially those who were not "bored" of iOS because they just got an iphone. We have to remember that the people that say iOS is stale are those how have had an iphone since the 3G or 3GS (like me).
btw what do you mean by a unified OS? I don't know what that means lol.
Again, thanks for the reply.
By a unified OS I mean the visual style which right now is too varied. The music app used to be grey/silver but is now all black for example. I'd just like to see the same look across the interface, be in the menubar, the colours used, etc. The linen, which was a welcome introduction in iOS 4, now needs to go in my opinion. I know Forstall and Jobs were fans of skeuomorphism but I just don't see what the Linen backgrounds on the likes of Folders and Siri are supposed to represent.
I agree with others that there won't be drastic changes and I don't think there will be, but it just needs a good clear out of the bad habits it's picked up over the years. Ditch the skeuomorphism, unify the colours/style across the full stock OS, improve Siri, add toggles for WiFi/3G and brightness to the Notification Center or lock screen.
The brightness one is huge, for me personally, because the iPad's extra screen estate allowed Apple to put a brightness slider in the multi-tasking tray, and it's so convenient. Surely they could just add another swipe to the right and bring up a brightness slider on the iPhone also? Sure, you have auto brightness, but I turn it off as I find it utterly pointless and never seems to adjust to a level I find suitable.
If we must have widgets, then open up the Notification Center API's to the likes of Twitter and Facebook for example and allow users of those devices to have a quick update widget in the Notification Center. I don't want to see the top half of the home screen utilised by a big, daft widget with two or three rows of icons below it.
I'd also like to see the JB tweak "Zephyr" implemented officially. We can already drag down from the top of the screen to open the NC, so why can we not flick or push up from the bottom to open the multi-tasking tray? Zephyr allows exactly this, one finger push up from the bottom of the screen or flick up with your thumb and the multi-tasking tray opens. No double pressing, no wear and tear on the home button.
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Using Siri to turn on/off settings takes longer than opening the Settings app. By the time you hold in the home button, wait for Siri to acknowledge it's listening, say "Turn off WiFi", then wait for the response from the server you could have opened the Settings app and done it yourself.
A quick toggle on the lock screen or in NC (see NC Settings on Cydia, brilliant tweak and looks exactly how it would if Apple implemented it) would be quicker than opening the Settings app and going to the setting section required. Flick down NC, tap the WiFI icon and it either greys out or goes solid white (off or on).
Simples.
Thanks for the detailed explanation on a unified OS, maybe we will see that now with Ive. That JB thing sounds interesting but im sorta used to the double tap
Btw that image at the bottom implements the shortcuts like apple would haha very apple-esque.And ye the brightness thing on iphone is a no brainer, remove the volume slider!
I think that it will be an update with over 200 new features, which are all amazing and revolutionary.
I don't care what apple does at this point. I've been primarily an iOS user for the last 4 years but I've always liked android and now I've switched to it full time with the nexus 4 and
couldn't be happier. Jellybean is now fluid and smooth and I have yet to witness a stutter. Previous versions of android have always had a tendency to stutter or lag no matter how fast your device is. Jellybean seems to have fixed that. I bought a 32gb 5th gen touch so I will still have a foot in the door for iOS and I'll keep an eye on things but for the next couple years, its android for me.
couldn't be happier. Jellybean is now fluid and smooth and I have yet to witness a stutter. Previous versions of android have always had a tendency to stutter or lag no matter how fast your device is. Jellybean seems to have fixed that. I bought a 32gb 5th gen touch so I will still have a foot in the door for iOS and I'll keep an eye on things but for the next couple years, its android for me.
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Allowing users to opt out of the walled garden and truely own their device would revolutionize iOS
Allowing users to opt out of the walled garden and truely own their device would revolutionize iOS
Please no. You want to add 20 dancing and sparkling widgets to you phone while being allowed to install all kinds of crapware just buy an android. I want my mobile OS to stay functional and to allow me to get things done.
I've never understood why there is a volume slider on the multitasking bar. You can adjust volume with the buttons on the side, so why would you need that there? Why not put the brightness or sounds slider there instead?
And the linen. It doesn't look right anymore. Actually I never really liked it anyway. Why not have a consistent UI across the OS?
I've also taken some screenshots of some of the UI 'bugs'. Take a look below:
Picture 1 + 2 showing different glass colour where the time is.
Picture 3 showing UI styling from iOS 1-5 in the cover flow. More importantly why is that even still there? It was removed in iTunes...
Picture 4 showing a lock at the top of the lockscreen even though that was removed.
Picture 5 showing linen and overly rounded corners.
Edit: can only upload one picture, why?
And the linen. It doesn't look right anymore. Actually I never really liked it anyway. Why not have a consistent UI across the OS?
I've also taken some screenshots of some of the UI 'bugs'. Take a look below:
Picture 1 + 2 showing different glass colour where the time is.
Picture 3 showing UI styling from iOS 1-5 in the cover flow. More importantly why is that even still there? It was removed in iTunes...
Picture 4 showing a lock at the top of the lockscreen even though that was removed.
Picture 5 showing linen and overly rounded corners.
Edit: can only upload one picture, why?
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Although iOS 7 should be a real new update unlike iOS 6 I think we're going to see another iOS 6.
My expectations weren't even that high for iOS 6. Don't understand why Apple won't update the lock screen, home screen, notification center, multitasking.
-still need to double tap to use multitasking
-still need to individually delete all the apps in multitasking
-still can't share videos like photo stream
-weather, clock icons still dont show accurate infio
-FaceTime still cant make group calls
-Notification Center still wont sync with other devices
-New iTunes, App Store, iBookstore redesign sucks
-Most stock apps could use a redesign
My expectations weren't even that high for iOS 6. Don't understand why Apple won't update the lock screen, home screen, notification center, multitasking.
-still need to double tap to use multitasking
-still need to individually delete all the apps in multitasking
-still can't share videos like photo stream
-weather, clock icons still dont show accurate infio
-FaceTime still cant make group calls
-Notification Center still wont sync with other devices
-New iTunes, App Store, iBookstore redesign sucks
-Most stock apps could use a redesign
And this is exactly why i think iOS 7 will be a huge update. Scott forstall is gone and you can bet Ivy is making a heavy influence on the software side now like his heavy influence on the external designs of iphones
So don't use any of that? Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it. You should really get out of the garden more.
I'm hoping so although I love the look of the apples iOS and don't want it to look like androids
I know what you mean by the vividness of the S3 screen... I used to have one then i gave it up for a iPhone 5. The deep blacks on the S3 is really nice i will give it that but the pentile is what killed it for me. My brother has the Note 2 and its non pentile so it is better then the S3 scren..it defitnetly looks pretty nice i will admit but text and everything looks sharper on the i5 display obviously 275 ppi for note 2 and 326 for i5. The colors on both displays (Note 2 and S3) are vivid and bright but its too oversaturated and i actually prefer the i5 retina display much more. I think its because Samsung doesnt calibrate their screens? Not only that but there is defitnetly this latency lag with Android whenever you touch the screen whether it's scrolling or pinch to zoom iOS defitnetly follows your finger better, i feel like when i scrolled with Android i was dragging things. Thats the difference between iOS and Jelly Bean Android. Jelly Bean makes Android more consistent defitnetly, but a bunch of apps and others still dont have that buttery 60 fps feel all the time like it is on iOS. These android apps still stutter and have frame lag ocassionally and this is what the difference is between Android and iOS.
As for Key Lime Pie i dont know what features it will bring but all i know is that Apple defitnetly needs to bring it this year and they can still stay out on top.
I want them to surprise me I'm expecting something like what happened with the Apple TV iOS 4 to iOS 5 update, a user interface refresh. Of course that would ruin consistency as a whole for iPhone, which it is known for (and a reason I have praised iPhone for) but at this point, who cares?
I've been using the Note 2 for a while with a custom ROM (ParanoidAndroid 4.1.2, Phablet mode) and my iPhone 5 is sometimes starting to feel a little dated, I never thought I would say that especially considering how far back Android was just a year ago, but it's the reality for me. Trying out Android sometimes (especially with the stock "vanilla" Android ROMs), I feel like I'm proving wrong the misconceptions I have of Android sometimes, where it felt really slow to browse just even the internet with.
This is coming from someone who loves the 4S, who loves the 5, who loves the 4, I've gone through each and every iPhone there is and when the 4S was out facing the S II, the 4S was definitely the superior of the two on each category. However I couldn't imagine a year later I would be saying an Android phone feels like an overall better phone than the next generation iPhone especially with all we got this year (I really wasn't counting on Apple to increase the screen size, even though it was way overdue)
Of course Android's ecosystem is still not as well built together as Apple's iTunes, it's not even close but nowadays it's only part of the reason I've been willing to stay with my iPhone. If the next generation iPhone and iOS doesn't impress, I will just call it quits and call the 5 my last iPhone, I like the 5, but it feels like iPhone is reaching it's prime, I don't know how much better it gets than the 5 at this point, especially with Apple's design language, I'm not really expecting them to release a 4.8-inch device and I'm sort of hoping they don't. I want them to surprise me some other way and not fall for the usual increase the screen size technique.
I'm expecting something like what happened with the Apple TV iOS 4 to iOS 5 update, a user interface refresh. Of course that would ruin consistency as a whole for iPhone, which it is known for (and a reason I have praised iPhone for) but at this point, who cares? I've been using the Note 2 for a while with a custom ROM (ParanoidAndroid 4.1.2, Phablet mode) and my iPhone 5 is sometimes starting to feel a little dated, I never thought I would say that especially considering how far back Android was just a year ago, but it's the reality for me. Trying out Android sometimes (especially with the stock "vanilla" Android ROMs), I feel like I'm proving wrong the misconceptions I have of Android sometimes, where it felt really slow to browse just even the internet with.
This is coming from someone who loves the 4S, who loves the 5, who loves the 4, I've gone through each and every iPhone there is and when the 4S was out facing the S II, the 4S was definitely the superior of the two on each category. However I couldn't imagine a year later I would be saying an Android phone feels like an overall better phone than the next generation iPhone especially with all we got this year (I really wasn't counting on Apple to increase the screen size, even though it was way overdue)
Of course Android's ecosystem is still not as well built together as Apple's iTunes, it's not even close but nowadays it's only part of the reason I've been willing to stay with my iPhone. If the next generation iPhone and iOS doesn't impress, I will just call it quits and call the 5 my last iPhone, I like the 5, but it feels like iPhone is reaching it's prime, I don't know how much better it gets than the 5 at this point, especially with Apple's design language, I'm not really expecting them to release a 4.8-inch device and I'm sort of hoping they don't. I want them to surprise me some other way and not fall for the usual increase the screen size technique.
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