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Double click the home button... Really???

skwoytek said:
Technically you're multitasking without double tapping. You can still go the home-screen-first route and the app still stays in the background. Double tapping home is just an app switcher.
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anjinhamarota said:
So if I'm outside going somewhere and I have shopping bags in one hand, you think it makes sense that I have to put them down in order to do the three finger swipe, pick them up, and go on my way again? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of multitasking?

I'm glad you don't work for Apple...
Click to expand...

See the above comment :) The gestures should be adequate for MOST situations, but if you can't happen to use both hands... then just don't use the app switcher! Plus, I'm not too opposed to allowing the double tap as an option (I'd never use it but options are good), as long as they had an additional solution that still allows you to keep the double tap how you like it.
 
anjinhamarota said:
I have 4.0 and tap, tap + hold is different than just tap, tap. For me the tap, tap + hold goes to phone favorites.
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Ok well then I accept defeat on that point. But it'd still prefer to see an alternate solution. I am moderately relieved that we still have SOME sort of shortcuts key while maintaining the multitasking app-switcher
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
Ok well then I accept defeat on that point. But it'd still prefer to see an alternate solution. I am moderately relieved that we still have SOME sort of shortcuts key while maintaining the multitasking app-switcher
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So let me see if I get this:

- You think we should use a more inconvenient gesture (the three finger swipe) to multitask, something that most people will use all the time and that's supposed to help you be more quick and efficient

- and leave the simple double tap for actions people only need to do once in a while?

How does that make sense?
 
Andrew K. said:
I think Apple needs to suck it up and add a button on the side.
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Agreed.

Two user definable buttons, one on either side of the Home button, would go a long way towards making the iPhone nicer to use... especially as Apple keeps trying to overload their original simple model with more functionality.

It's silly for Jobs to spout nonsense like "allowing a stylus is a design failure" and then turn around and overload his single Home button with multiple taps... and evern worse, make the owner have to decide what single useful feature it should bring up.

When you end up cramming multiple features into bags meant for single items, it's time to redesign.
 
The home key tap-tap for multitasking will only work inside of an app....right? In other words, the home key tap-tap at the home screen will still run the predetermined shortcuts...right??
 
murf'n'surf said:
The home key tap-tap for multitasking will only work inside of an app....right? In other words, the home key tap-tap at the home screen will still run the predetermined shortcuts...right??
Click to expand...

Nope. The tap, tap for multitasking is everywhere. For the shortcuts you now do tap, tap + hold.
 
anjinhamarota said:
So let me see if I get this:

- You think we should use a more inconvenient gesture (the three finger swipe) to multitask, something that most people will use all the time and that's supposed to help you be more quick and efficient

- and leave the simple double tap for actions people only need to do once in a while?

How does that make sense?
Click to expand...

Well you just made two assumptions that (although may be) aren't necessarily correct.

A) that people only use their iphone with one hand

and

B) that the app switcher will become the most used feature

First I will discuss A. I actually use both hands on the iphone quite frequently. Particularly when I am engaging in "hardcore" usage of my iphone. Sure typically for quick use I will only use one hand, but almost always my other hand is free if needed. I feel like majority of the time multitasking would be used would be during more "hardcore" dedicated time to the iphone, opposed to the quick phone call or text. Yes I understand that sometimes it could become quite a hassle to have to use both hands, but I feel that it would be so infrequent (for me personally, so probably others as well) that I would be fine either not using the app-switcher at that moment or take the few seconds to free my hands.

And now B. How do you know that the app-switcher will become the most used feature? I mean you don't really need to look at it. I could foresee people bypassing that option altogether, so long as the apps are running in the background anyway it doesn't matter how u reopen them. Plus some people might actually use the iphone as a phone, or a camera, or even an ipod as their primary function. How do you know which will become the primarily used feature?

Plus if Apple were to add gesturing it seems more logical to use for multitasking (to me). It would feel strange to use swipes to access favorites, or ipod or camera. (perhaps because that's not what we are used to...) Apple wants things to feel natural and to me that's what feels more natural
 
kdarling said:
Agreed.

Two user definable buttons, one on either side of the Home button, would go a long way towards making the iPhone nicer to use... especially as Apple keeps trying to overload their original simple model with more functionality.

It's silly for Jobs to spout nonsense like "allowing a stylus is a design failure" and then turn around and overload his single Home button with multiple taps... and evern worse, make the owner have to decide what single useful feature it should bring up.

When you end up cramming multiple features into bags meant for single items, it's time to redesign.
Click to expand...

completely agree. Well, almost completely. one button should be added for sure. On the right side of the home button. This is the perfect location for the thumb in portrait and the pointer finger in landscape. This could be used for a camera shutter, plus it could be accessed in 3rd party apps so they can have a physical button if they need one.

I don't know if a second button is needed. But if it were to be added I wouldn't put it on the left of the home button, I'd put it opposite the volume buttons. this can easily be used by the thumb as well in portrait. and in landscape it would allow to have to top buttons for your pointer fingers. Especially helpful in games :)
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
Well you just made two assumptions that (although may be) aren't necessarily correct.

A) that people only use their iphone with one hand
Click to expand...

Where did I ever say that?

Mad Mac Maniac said:
B) that the app switcher will become the most used feature
Click to expand...

Again, where did I ever say that?

You're assuming that because you mainly use both hands that everyone else does too. So you're basically suggesting limiting the usage of the iPhone according to your typical usage without knowing how other people use it. Thankfully Apple doesn't think like that.

Here's the thing: multitasking is there so people can be more efficiently doing more things at once quickly. What's the point of it if in a situation where I have to take care of other stuff as I'm using my phone (i.e. multitasking) for example, carry something, holding on the to rail on the subway, holding a kids hand while walking down the street, I can't use multitasking on it?

Multitasking is supposed to make things easier when you need to be quick and efficient, it doesn't make sense to use a gesture that would EVER be a hassle.

And maybe you think a three finger swipe is more natural. For most people a new gesture wouldn't be natural. The double tap the home button makes much more sense because the home button is already used to leave apps and now you double tap it to switch apps. Much more logical.


I'm not saying more buttons wouldn't useful, they most certainly would (specially something like a dedicated camera button). But as for multitasking, double taping the home button makes the most sense.
 
I would argue that multitasking or fast app switching takes precedence over all other options for double-click; essentially replacing many.
 
Personally if I was apple I would have copied the JB gesture of swiping the status bar.

Of course I also though they should just take SB settings all together and make it native so what do I know lol:D
 
Andrew K. said:
I think Apple needs to suck it up and add a button on the side.
Click to expand...

I would love to mockup an Apple endorsed 30pin dock connector secondary (wow what a title) alternative home button.

But it's 3am, and I'm so bloody tired, anyone else wanna pick up the slack on this?
 
ntrigue said:
I would argue that multitasking or fast app switching takes precedence over all other options for double-click; essentially replacing many.
Click to expand...

but you can just leave the apps you would have normally double-clicked for in the multitasking bar, so its not that much different. if anything it might be better because before you could only have 1 of the following from double-click: home, search, phone favorites, camera, or iPod. now you could leave the last 3 in the multitasking dock, so its like having many options for double-click
 
blancoBronco said:
but you can just leave the apps you would have normally double-clicked for in the multitasking bar, so its not that much different. if anything it might be better because before you could only have 1 of the following from double-click: home, search, phone favorites, camera, or iPod. now you could leave the last 3 in the multitasking dock, so its like having many options for double-click
Click to expand...

That brings up an interesting point. What is the order of the apps displayed? The order they are opened? Last used? most resource intensive(aka currently actually doing something)? randomly? an order of precedence based on icon's original location? I can easily see maintaining these apps becoming a bit of a strain. When do they close?

Never? then after a few hours you could start running into issues of sorting through your running apps.

When a task is complete? what if you wanted to leave it open to start the next task

timer based? this could be annoying if you wanted to use this as a "quick select list" as you referenced above.

automatically close after you open a certain number of apps? Well what if pandora was still running? would it just go to the next app?

are all apps automatically run in the background unless you close them from the app switcher?

There are just a lot of unknowns still... at least for me (a non-developer). Steve was clear as mud... Some of these questions can probably be answered on a beta 4.0.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
That brings up an interesting point. What is the order of the apps displayed?
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As far as I can tell, the Apps just keep lining up in the App Switcher, most recent first. The app itself is really not running.


The apps are displayed as last opened. The App Switcher is mainly for multitasking. So the odds are that if you just left WordPress to grab a web link, then you want WordPress to be in the first page. For multitasking purposes you'll most likely just be swapping between a few apps.

All apps "multitask." Actually they're in more of a suspended animation state unless they're using one of the 7 background APIs. The developer creates the behavior after returning from the suspended animation.
 
i just emailed steve about using the ipod controls etc :p i wonder if he'll reply LOL like thats gonna happen
 
The best and most efficient shortcut is:

Home button + sleep button + vibrate switch on, then off + four-finger swipe in the shape of an 'M' for 'Multitasking'

Pretty hard to forget, innit?
 
anjinhamarota said:
So if I'm outside going somewhere and I have shopping bags in one hand, you think it makes sense that I have to put them down in order to do the three finger swipe, pick them up, and go on my way again? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of multitasking?

I'm glad you don't work for Apple...
Click to expand...


Can you not make it for the 15 second walk to your car without multi-tasking or your phone?
 
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