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iOS 5 to Bring Revamped Notification System and Widgets?

TWSS37 said:
I think you bring up a valid point (even if you didn't mean to :)) You mentioned the use of launcher pro which I believe is an alternative dock/homescreen organizer. Most iOS users I have observed are looking forward to iOS due to "new features", even though there hasn't been a tangible report on what those will be. One thing every user counts on in a major upgrade is a new UI. When you mention you could have stayed on Froyo you're right because ultimately, aside from behind the scenes stuff that the average user wouldn't notice, the majority of all OS upgrades (iOS and Android) include that UI overhaul. So I think the standard Android user is a little more patient in wanting a new OS because they can mimic the tangible result of an OS upgrade (a new UI) anytime they want.
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I'm not sure Android users are all that patient but it is difficult to compare the way iOS and Android update. I have only had one or two very minor OS updates this year but Google maps has updated 7 times. Google could do a lot to streamline the update process (HTC announcing the will stop locking the bootloader is a good step too) but having the apps that matter updatable via the market makes things a lot easier.
 
MattInOz said:
Well personally I hope people complain more about syncing.
Wait no I don't i hope apple improves it.

The question is apple reacting or are they picking their battles really well?
Apple would have to start writing code before the old version has been in people's hands long enough for the noise to start to hit it year after year like that.

Edit:sorry didn't notice but think mms was earlier than you said it was on iPhone 2 at least outside of the u.s.a.
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Apple seems to wait to the very last minute to implement a feature. Just as you are about to switch to Android, they give you just what you need. Of course because they wait so long and spend so much time on the features that it's implemented perfectly.
 
BLACKFRIDAY said:
Android invented widgets?

OR

Were they taken from iPhone OS 1.0?

Any person who has debugged or carefully looked at iPhone OS 1.0 would know that Apple had an idea of putting widgets (made through webkit, like they are on OS X).
This can be easily found by navigating to /Library/Widgets folder in iPhone OS 1.0. The widgets folder was empty though as Apple 'must have' had performance issues. The same performance issues which kill every android phone with such a poor reputation of battery life.

If you think, putting widgets on iOS is catching upto Android, you have been dreaming in some different world.

Widgets is a nice feature for some of the little things and can be quite useful though. I can understand how Android benefits from it as there are very less usable(feature wise) and non-ugly apps on the platform. Widgets might impress you and make you happy.
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Just having an empty folder labeled 'Widgets' doesn't make you the inventor of Widgets. *rolls eyes* That's the dumbest thing I've heard.

Widgets are an older invention, NOT created by Apple or Google. So stop thinking Apple or Google created widgets, and think about smart things for once.
 
stuffradio said:
Just having an empty folder labeled 'Widgets' doesn't make you the inventor of Widgets. *rolls eyes* That's the dumbest thing I've heard.

Widgets are an older invention, NOT created by Apple or Google. So stop thinking Apple or Google created widgets, and think about smart things for once.
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I think he's saying Apple was to first to think of widgets on a phone.
 
LoganT said:
It’s interesting, you’ll notice a pattern over the years of what Apple chooses to do with their updates. Their updates seem to coincide what most people are complaining about over the course of a year, specifically on the Internet.

2007-2008: The iPhone is great but we want Apps! Give us 3rd party Apps!
2008-2009: Third-party Apps come to the iPhone. But we want MMS and Copy/Paste, and a way to get notifications when I’m out of BeeJive IM. If they don’t put that in the next update, I’m switching to [Insert Mobile OS here].
2009-2010: Copy and Paste, as well as MMS have arrived. But all I really want to do is listen to Pandora while I’m doing other things. Please Apple give us Multitasking!
2010-2011: Multitasking arrives. But the notification system sucks! Please fix it in the next update. Also, widgets are awesome! Please Apple, give us widgets.



2011: It looks like Widgets and new notifications are going to come in iOS 5.0

If you want to predict what’s coming in 2012 with iOS 6.0, see what the most complaints about iOS are from 2011-2012.

Yes I know, this is all very obvious.
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Well look at the list. It is not that they are complaining but just moving on to the next biggest complaint.
At first lack of MMS, Notifications, multitasking was a pretty big.
Now that you have that widgets are hiring on the list. Notifications well still suck after nearly 4 years so I would not hold my breath on a real improvement there. The wanna be multitasking system still needs a lot of work done and people still complain about it. I call iOS multitasking a wannabe at best but a far cry from multitasking.

As for notifications being fix and improved I would say welcome to the year 2000 apple. You finally got your notifications up to dumb phone standards.


LoganT said:
I think he's saying Apple was to first to think of widgets on a phone.
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It more he is trying to say apple though of it first but I already pointed out to him that when Steve Jobs first announced iPhone OS 1.0 he called what we call Apps now widgets. iPhone OS 1.0 widgets = apps.
So saying Apple thought of it first is a load of crap and just someone trying to worship at Apple and damn the facts.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
Well look at the list. It is not that they are complaining but just moving on to the next biggest complaint.
At first lack of MMS, Notifications, multitasking was a pretty big.
Now that you have that widgets are hiring on the list. Notifications well still suck after nearly 4 years so I would not hold my breath on a real improvement there. The wanna be multitasking system still needs a lot of work done and people still complain about it. I call iOS multitasking a wannabe at best but a far cry from multitasking.
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Oh, I agree. I don't say "complaining" as a pejorative. I could see them adding more features to multitasking this year.
 
425 said:
You realize that I was suggesting a Twitter widget on the second bullet, right?
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and you do know there is more to widgets than social networks.

Example of the widgets I run on my Atrix.

-Weather/clock widget.
Txt messaging widget (Lets me look threw the most recent txt with out opening up the respective app.)
Power control widget- (turn on/off wifi, GPS, Syncing, Bluetooth, Brightness control) Lot easier than going threw a menu system to get to it.
Pandora control
Music Player control
Search widget -
Data widget - Just keeps a running total of data I have pulled over a month both wifi, Cell. Just because I like to see that info.
News feed - just goes threw and keeps an RSS feeds. Updates every 6 hours.
Moon Phase -For no other reason that it is kind of cool looking
Contacts-Contacts I most commonly call or message. I find it useful.
battery widget - mostly used just to quickly get a break down of where I have been burning my battery life.

and of course
Email widget
Facebook
Twitter

Noticed that most of that list is NOT your social network or email.
They are also spread across 6 Home screens. My 7th home screen is kind of used for a test bed of different widgets for me.

I put the most common used apps on the homescreens. everything else is in the app draw.


Now iOS lives in the app draw on Android ALWAYS being open so it is not set up as nicely for widgets.
 
All apple needs to do to make me consider switching in september would be making it possible to not need iTunes. I have a gaming rig and the only program that crashes and gets unresponsive is iTunes. No way I want my smart phone tied to that crap
 
I completely forgot how ancient the notification system is on the iPhone.

Android has a nice feature where you pull down from top of the screen, and like blinds being lowered you can click on that particular notification. So you can have like 5-6 notifications queued up that you ignore for a while that just pile up in the background.


It's honestly too bad that interface patents are as strict as they are. I think there is a certain level of convergence, where two companies will just happen to come up with a similar idea on how to make an interface. I think Apple is delayed in deploying widgets not because they haven't thought of it, or are too inept to deploy it, but because they have to figure out how to make it different enough from Android such that Apple isn't sued for having it look too similar. The problem is, that ideas converge, you shouldn't be able to put a patent on the concept of a "window" or the concept of a "widget" (or multitouch for that matter, ahem Apple).

The cool ideas of each OS is way too segmented. It totally depends on who patents it first, and we should have more respect for the fact that similar devices for similar functions will probably have some level of convergence in how we interact with them.
 
425 said:
Not if they're forced upon me. Then they affect the battery and RAM.
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I doubt they will be forced upon you.

After all, Apple is all about choice, right?

There will almost assuredly be some kind of toggle between standard notifications are more detailed, "widget-like" notifications.
 
Herm, really don't like dashboards, widgets gadgets ect. Boils down to weather apps and things that run in the background.. Plus droid has a similar swipe feature.
 
Please do

The thing that gets me: riding the subway, open my email, click through eight pop-up notifications telling me iPhone cannot connect to the server. One for each email account. It's just so inefficient.
 
I dislike the widget screens in that video...one screen for 1-2 widgets? wasteful..I'd be swiping all day. I don't even like widgets in general though.

I like how Apple has resisted widgets and information overload. Not only does the interface look cleaner, but its less stressful using my phone because I don't have information overload on every view.

I'll be bummed if they add widgets. I don't even know a single person who uses dashboard on their Mac!
 
redkamel said:
I dislike the widget screens in that video...one screen for 1-2 widgets? wasteful..I'd be swiping all day. I don't even like widgets in general though.

I like how Apple has resisted widgets and information overload. Not only does the interface look cleaner, but its less stressful using my phone because I don't have information overload on every view.

I'll be bummed if they add widgets.
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It seems to me Apple thinks of apps as widgets. I don't see them being added either. Live icons I could see however.
 
Although I think some of this could be cool, I'm just not convinced it's all needed. Better notifications... Ok.... That could be improved. Widgets, and someone was complaining about no "true multitasking".... Widgets I think are only useful on the lock screen. Otherwise, I just don't get why you would want to clutter such a small screen. As for Apples multitasking, the only thing I wish you could do is flip from one app to the other without pulling up the multi-task bar. Otherwise... Really... What else do you need on such a small screen?

I hope Apple does what they seem to always do best... Keep it simple, and clean.

Oh... If I had a wish list... Give us a real file system, especially for the iPad.
 
Oletros said:
What? Why Apple would do something like that?
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I wouldn't put it past Steve "my-size-fits-all" Jobs. I don't think it's likely though, with battery life being one of the main marketing angles of the iPhone.

But a stupid new feature you can't turn completely off?

- Ping still bugs me every time I make a purchase on the iTunes music store. I've never turned the damn thing on.

- Stacks (OS X) prevent me from doing quick file operations on dock folders

- Can't delete Stocks app, YouTube app, Weather app, Compass app, Maps app (that one I actually do use occasionally)

Yeah, that never happens.
 
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