Have you gotten bored with iOS?

[nuckinfutz]

We also have to get over this whole "an iPhone is a tool, therefore you can't call it boring" argument.

If you want to make that argument, then almost anything can be construed as a tool to excuse it from its shortcomings.

And the fact is, smartphones are becoming indeed more than just your average tool. It is meant to entertain you to some degree (one might even argue to a great degree). Tim Cook himself has said Siri is supposed to be your friend.

But again... I think iOS being boring is the least of its issues. Refer to post #9. In terms of usability, even as a tool, there are tons of shortcomings. In other words, even as a tool, it can -- and should -- do much more.

A majority of the people that are calling it boring seem to become mute when asked exactly what would make it "exciting". Or we get a list of Android features (not that that's wrong).

I really don't want iOS to just grab Android features "part and parcel" in the hopes of change and luckily Apple isn't doing that. There are different ways of delivering features that leverage the features that OS X and iOS are working towards.

 

[rocknblogger]

I've always thought Apple's auto correct works backwards. It suggests a word and if you don't tell it you don't want it, it puts it in. Surely it should suggest it and wait for your approval before replacing? Ie, tap the suggestion to accept it.

I would also prefer that I should decide whether I want to use the suggestion rather than it automatically insert the auto-corrected word.

I for one like the UI but I would like to see some minor tweaks. Maybe some new icons (the photos icon especially can use a nice refresh). Possibly one full sized (full screen) widget with information I may need at-a-glance. Possibly weather, sports scores, Facebook messages(either number of messages or scrollable), Twitter DMs, battery condition. Possibly integration with Evernote for quick new note entry or to launch it. Or possibly quick launch for 5 of your most used apps.

One of my favorite tweaks is AppCenter for notifications. Either incorporate it into the aforementioned widget or the notification center. Please don't get me wrong. I wouldn't want to see twenty different widgets. Just one with your most important data at a glance. Other than that I like iOS just as it is but a few more tweaks and functions would be welcomed.

 

[nickchallis92]

you're all saying you see your iphones as a tool, but if that really was the case, then you'd buy a £50 phone. it would do the same job and be more dependable

 

[cyks]

you're all saying you see your iphones as a tool, but if that really was the case, then you'd buy a £50 phone. it would do the same job and be more dependable

I'd liken my 4S to more of a toolbox, not a tool.

 

[AbyssImpact]

No. iOS is the best.

 

[Lindenhurst]

I've never really understood these "bored" comments

My iPhone is a tool for me, and I use it to accomplish certain things
I don't get bored with a hammer, screwdriver or wrench
I just use them

I agree.I left iPhone for Android and after a few months I am no more or less bored than I was on IOS.
All operating systems are just tools used to run hardware.if there were no choices, no one would get bored. Instead of using the term bored, let's just say it may be time for a change to something different and let's realize that even that something different will get less exciting as we get used to it.

 

[Gatecrasher1875]

IMO you get what you put into it, if you use it to its capacity its a great OS. Its not going to be fun on its own. Make it fun! get the apps, games, social networks, TV and music etc

 

[0m3ga]

you're all saying you see your iphones as a tool, but if that really was the case, then you'd buy a £50 phone. it would do the same job and be more dependable

Why bring logic into this fantasy thread?

 

[Bobby Corwen]

This phenomenon is a downside of how "neat" iOS was when it first was becoming wildly successful.

These people are like junkies looking for another fix.

They misguidedly think going over to Android or Windows will be something new! (widgets!) but in reality nothing will ever be like getting your first iOS device again and the magnificence of that world of power opening before your eyes.

In a way, Apple iOS was too crack for its own good. People want that drug again. A reinvention of the whole paradigm shift. Who knows when that will happen.

For now there is no cure for it.

iOS and the phone is a tool, not a toy.

Although it felt like the funnest toy ever, it's still just a versatile tool for your daily life, not a plaything. It's not a video game that needs to be new and reinventive with every release.

 

[Technarchy]

I am not bored with stability, timely updates, better apps, more apps, responsiveness, lag free UI, better eco-system, better support...

I spend very little time dinking around in raw iOS. It's just a launchpad to other content for me.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Why bring logic into this fantasy thread?

I don't know if that's entirely true. You go to some forums where guys will sit around and argue that Snap-on tools are better than Craftsman or who makes the best table saw or router.

Great thing is we all get to choose what tool works best for our own individual needs.

 

[Moonjumper]

If you reinvent iOS so that it isn't "boring", you will have to learn the OS again. An OS is best when you don't even think about it.

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

I've never really understood these "bored" comments

My iPhone is a tool for me, and I use it to accomplish certain things
I don't get bored with a hammer, screwdriver or wrench
I just use them

Exactly.

I don't get 'bored' with my computer. I simply use it to accomplish things.

Those that expect a phone OS to entertain them need to get out more

 

[DakotaGuy]

iOS is great and I really enjoy it on my iPad, however one reason I have an Android phone is for a little variety. It gives me something totally different to play with and use. I also have an iMac at home and a Windows 7 laptop for work. I don't really mind that either since it sort of mixes things up for me. Some people want everything the same and others like some variety. I like using different products because it just makes things more interesting.

 

[irDigital0l]

Bored like in looking at the screen? It is the same rows of icons for many years now so yea kinda.

But honestly I never get bored with my iPhone.

I have all my news, games, entertainment, school, and productivity things on here. My iPhone is basically a place where I can do anything and everything I want.

I really would like Apple to improve Notification Center though. I'd love more widgets because I dont really use the stock one.

 

[chinesedemo]

I think the problem isn't so much that it's boring but that it's no longer innovative. It would be very nice if messaging apps including the native one would allow you to reply in the foreground without disturbing the background. It would be nice if there was a way to toggle the general information i.e, time, date, current temp and battery percentage while in any third party app. It would be nice if the native forecast app could actually show something other than 73F and sunny (maybe something as simple as today's predicted high temp).

 

[JMG]

We also have to get over this whole "an iPhone is a tool, therefore you can't call it boring" argument.

If you want to make that argument, then almost anything can be construed as a tool to excuse it from its shortcomings.

And the fact is, smartphones are becoming indeed more than just your average tool. It is meant to entertain you to some degree (one might even argue to a great degree). Tim Cook himself has said Siri is supposed to be your friend.

But again... I think iOS being boring is the least of its issues. Refer to post #9. In terms of usability, even as a tool, there are tons of shortcomings. In other words, even as a tool, it can -- and should -- do much more.

As a technological tool in an environment of constant change and innovation it will ALWAYS have shortcomings. That is not to say that we should not be vocal about it, but we should keep that in mind before we start complaining like children about certain things. There is a difference between constructive criticism and kicking and screaming like babies, not that anyone here is doing that.

 

[MacManTexas56]

i've been bored several times and have jumped to Android and could not last more than 2 weeks each time. Will never switch again. iOS features are just so good.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I think the grid is fine and to be truthfully Android phones largely employ a grid as well. It's just populated with larger widgets and other different sized stuff.

I've seen some clever arrangements of icons/folders on phones and I think Apple could enhance it easily with a simple feature.

• Do a long tap on an App or Folder to enable wiggle mode.
  
• Double Tap the App or Folder in wiggle mode and now it's outlined in blue.
  
• This mode allows you to move the App or Folder into 16 grid space slots and it remains there.
  
• Click home button to lock it in.

This would allow some interesting shapes. Apps or Folders could be organized into various shapes like an "X" whatever you want.

You don't have to give people a whole lot but even allowing for a tad bit more creativity is all it takes.

 

[scaredpoet]

you're all saying you see your iphones as a tool, but if that really was the case, then you'd buy a £50 phone. it would do the same job and be more dependable

Actually, no it wouldn't.

I know of no $78 phones (using today's exchange rates) that permit me to SSH into servers, or remotely log into the GUI of a Windows or Mac system. or monitor the vital stats of these systems in real time. Nor do I know of any phones in that price point that permit me to deploy, retire, reboot or resize new virtual servers on the fly as my work needs them.

No $78 phone that I know of syncs automatically with my desktops and laptop to ensure my calendar and contacts are all up to date. None of them use the same apps as my iPad. None of them can read and edit MS Office documents.

No $78 phone I know of acts as a two-factor authentication token for added security when logging into secure work resources, or my e-mail.

Speaking of e-mail, no $78 phone I know of does Exchange Push sync to my work e-mail.

My iPhone is a tool. It does real, work-related things that greatly aid me when doing my job.

Is a cheap $78 phone a tool? Sure, I guess it is. But buying the cheap phone to me is like a mechanic buying a $20 toolkit instead of the $500 toolkit: what s/he can do with those tools is extremely limited, and may hamper their work instead of help them.

As for dependability: my iPhone hasn't ever failed me in a situation where I needed it. On the other hand, I've seen some really flimsy $78 phones out there.

 

[noisycats]

When I first got my iPhone 4s I was really blown away by how well designed it was. I still think it is very well designed, smooth and probably has the best user interface of any smart phone out there now, but it has become kind of bland to me. Maybe this is just the same way you get bored with anything but I hope the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 shake it up again

I do NOT want to be "shaken up" by a device or essential tool that I use and rely on every day. It's not a toy.

It is STILL well designed, still smooth, and for me, still the best UI. That does not make it bland, but all the more powerful.

 

[SCARY GAY DAD]

Bored? That's like asking if I am bored of keeping my life organized.

 

[matttye]

As for the autocorrect: how would you improve on it?

The way the Android Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard does autocorrect is far superior:

You tap the word you want to correct the current word with. When you type a word that isn't in the dictionary, you tap on the word (it appears at the far left of the suggested word list) and it is added to your custom word dictionary, meaning that you can type it again and the keyboard won't attempt to correct you. This means you don't have to "train" your keyboard like you do on iOS, you just tap the word once and then it stops annoying you by trying to correct it. Far more intuitive if you ask me.

 

[adildacoolset]

I don't entirely know how you can get bored with a smartphone OS. All I see them as is a means to use phone functionality (dialler, messaging, email e.t.c) and a launcher for third party applications.

iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 all serve this purpose in different (but functional) ways.

What more could Apple add to iOS to make it less boring OP?

Well, he would probably say widgets and live wallpapers. But the problem is that if apple implement widgets, then people will just say that they copied android and when they don't, there'll be complaints that its boring.

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The way the Android Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard does autocorrect is far superior:

Image

You tap the word you want to correct the current word with. When you type a word that isn't in the dictionary, you tap on the word (it appears at the far left of the suggested word list) and it is added to your custom word dictionary, meaning that you can type it again and the keyboard won't attempt to correct you. This means you don't have to "train" your keyboard like you do on iOS, you just tap the word once and then it stops annoying you by trying to correct it. Far more intuitive if you ask me.

thats a really cool feature. But until android solve the issue with the ridiculous way of system updates, and has a proper appstore that is big with less junk, iOS is still my preference. After all, its a tool. Without the proper apps, the tool is less useful.

 

[Wrathwitch]

Not sure if you are actually in the trades or just maybe a casual homeowner tool user...But there are a huge difference in hammers, screwdrivers and wrenches and how well they work...

I think this is likely the best answer to the statement that the device is just a tool that I will likely find in this thread.

You are bang on. Yes to some people it is a "tool" as such, but I totally agree, there is a VAST difference in tools and how they work and what features they offer.

You can cut steel with Oxy-Acetylene OR Plasma, I can guarentee that you do manage to cut it, but with Plasma you can cut thicker, more precise cuts etc. Iit's just more fun to handle and work with!

For SOME of us this "tool" is not only a thing to plod through requried tasks, but it's a fun means of sharing our life's moments with friends, family and coworkers. Capturing images, moments, navigating to new adventures etc.

HOW we choose to share them is also part of the pleasure and fun of these devices.

Yes iOS is getting stale to me as well to answer the OP's original question. I am looking to switch to Android for a spell to see how I like it. I enjoy variety and exploring different aspects of tech.

There are those that use a device like a Formula 1 on a pro track and there are those that for some reason insist on putting a plow cart on a race horse.

The plow cart type of people can plod happily on with their "tools" the key word being plod. The rest of us can enjoy the ride and use of our Formula 1s (whether you consider iOS Formula 1 or not, it's all subjective) The main part is that you enjoy the ride regardless of which category you fall into.

Life's too short.