iOS 7 Concept Features Widgets, New Lock Screen, Mission Control and More

[donnaw]

I'm assuming you have very few live tiles then if you have every possible amount of information you want to glance at on your main screen. You don't scroll at all? That said, I'm pretty positive I can handle a quick swipe.

I have live tiles for weather, email, texts, calendar. Those are the most important to my every day life. I only scroll to see the calendar (it's just below the immediate window) because once I see it I'm usually good for the day. I do scroll down to get to the other tiles that access apps (except phone and contacts shortcuts, they are at the top). But there's no lag with the scrolling. And remember, the screen on my Nokia is bigger than your iPhone so the screen can display more info.

All in all it works great for me. As I said, I do miss some shortcut tiles but then these days I don't turn off wifi or Bluetooth at all. The only one that really makes a difference is airplane mode so I have a shortcut to the option. I do wish for a live tile for a clock. My eyes aren't what they used to be and the tiny clock requires me to put on my reading glasses. Hopefully MS will open up the API to everyone. Right now only HTC has the option. All that exclusivity junk. HTC has some exclusive things and Nokia has others.

I think it will work out in the end. Otherwise I may move back to Android. Or maybe iPhone if Apple delivers. Who knows.

 

[alent1234]

That's what I thought. Not really too hard to use but not 'at a glance' either. And that's the point some people are making. It takes interaction. However, live tiles (or some widgets) will display that info with no interaction at all.

Now some people don't mind having to do something to get the info. That's ok. On an OS that provides the capability you never have to actually utilize it. You can forego widgets or live tiles. But then some happen to like seeing that info literally 'at a glance'.

Those people who are proponents of widgets/live tiles want that functionality on their iOS devices. Done correctly, people in each camp can get their wish.

Personally the reason I won't have an iPhone is because I see it as nothing more than a grid of icons. Not much more than an app launcher. Don't get me wrong, i love my ipad. And Apple has made some strides lately but have much further to go to provide the same functionality as other OSs that I demand on my phone. And I'm not alone here.

Just because you see no use please don't discount the needs of others. Everyone uses their devices differently. If Apple refuses to provide the functionality they will lose customers. If they do provide it everyone wins, those who want it and those who have no need. Time will tell.

you can't fit all the widgets on the same screen so you still have to swipe or open the app
and the high temp is useless this time of year. i need to know the hourly temps as well because in NYC it can be a 20 degree difference

 

[twigman08]

While it brought some interesting ideas their is no doubt that it would need some polishing and some redesigns in some areas.

A double tap for the widget thing is dumb. It'd be almost impossible to do and for the OS to know if you meant one tap to open the app or two too open the widget area. Then if they found a way it'd be slow as they would need to use a delta time between the taps. Users would notice that.

 

[donnaw]

you can't fit all the widgets on the same screen so you still have to swipe or open the app
and the high temp is useless this time of year. i need to know the hourly temps as well because in NYC it can be a 20 degree difference

Well, I fit the live tiles I need but I'm sure some people have more. And my weather tile doesn't give high temp. It gives hourly temp, a 'feels like' temp, chance of precipt, and overcast, clear, etc. and the location of the weather station (which I selected in settings because its really close to me so is accurate). It refreshes every hour. When the tile flips it shows the five day forecast which has high, low, chance of preceipt, and shows a little icon depicting the conditions expected (cloudy, sunny, rain, etc), and the location of the weather station.

The app itself has a bunch of options you can select. I had selected it as my lock screen with all the data there but recently went with the live tile and a different lockscreen. If I go back to it as a lockscreen, I'll dump the live tile.because the lockscreen is pretty cool. It has all the info the live tile has. And the pic changes with the current weather conditions.

 

[johndallas999]

Liked just about everything with the exception of that LAME song in the background.

 

[CountPollen]

Android?

Looks like features Android users have had for many years now.
iOS is falling behind with developments in the rest of the world.
Time for Apple to shift gears...

 

[bboyredcel]

idk if anyone has made this point yet, but double tapping the icon to reveal a widget is a terrible solution to the problem. it would make the entire OS feel sluggish because apple would have to "listen" for the second tap before performing the default single tap action of launching the app. So you'd effectively be delaying (slowing down) app launching to listen for a second tap. boo.

i think we can all agree that some of these features must happen. Its pretty much a no brainer. Whether or not they'll put these no brainer features in remains to be seen but this implementation would send me, the owner of an apple tattoo and stockholder to android.

----------

I personally could see Apple implement widgets in a way similar to dashboard. Separate home screen areas for widgets, so they aren't constantly running until you want them. Maybe they could have Dashboard exist above the current home screen area. Swiping left and right, as it is today, pages between app pages. Swiping up and down switches between "Launchpad" and Dashboard.

i agree with everything else you said, even this sounds neat. we also have a whole page dedicated to "spotlight" which is the least intuitive way to navigate a touchscreen device ever. Why not remove the default action of the search box gaining focus and implement some of these controls/widgets on that screen which is, to many, a complete waste of a page. idk about anyone else, but i only go to the spotlight springboard page by accident.

 

[dec.]

Perhaps I could, but I won't waste my time searching through dozens upon dozens of threads to find one person who flip flopped.

You've tried to make yourself an easy exit. "Widgets are hated" is as hollow as saying "Widgets are loved". You'll find a 50/50 distribution of the view on these here. Tip: Don't do that again in the future, people will take you more serious.

Plenty of users have bashed widgets in past threads. I read this forum everyday

Plenty of users have bashed the stale iOS start screen.

I read this forum everyday.

Yay, we have the same qualifications.

and there is ample evidence of things that were useless suddenly becoming wonderful when Apple incorporates them.

That's an easy one for you - as it's so ample, I'm sure you can link me to it. Thanks for your support.

I merely stated my opinion. Remember the iPad mini? Remember Steve said Apple would never make a smaller iPad? Remember the iPhone 4/4S was the perfect size and Apple wouldn't make a bigger iPhone? The iPhone 5 is now the perfect size, until, again IMHO they make a bigger one, then it will be perfect. My opinions and observations are just as relevant as yours or anyone else's. You may not like them or agree with them, but I have the same right to state them as you do yours.

Yes, Apple did adopt to the evolving market, it's good that they did and do.

and sure, you have the same rights to express your opinions, did I say anything else? I just wonder why someone like you spends time on an apple related site in first place, you obviously seem to prefer products by other companies. so what exactly are you searching for on this site?

 

[AppleScruff1]

You've tried to make yourself an easy exit. "Widgets are hated" is as hollow as saying "Widgets are loved". You'll find a 50/50 distribution of the view on these here. Tip: Don't do that again in the future, people will take you more serious.



Plenty of users have bashed the stale iOS start screen.

I read this forum everyday.

Yay, we have the same qualifications.



That's an easy one for you - as it's so ample, I'm sure you can link me to it. Thanks for your support.




Yes, Apple did adopt to the evolving market, it's good that they did and do.

and sure, you have the same rights to express your opinions, did I say anything else? I just wonder why someone like you spends time on an apple related site in first place, you obviously seem to prefer products by other companies. so what exactly are you searching for on this site?

I made my statements based on what I read here daily on a wide variety of subjects. The pattern holds true. I stand by what I said. There are people who like Apple products but don't worship the company.

 

[cmChimera]

I have live tiles for weather, email, texts, calendar. Those are the most important to my every day life. I only scroll to see the calendar (it's just below the immediate window) because once I see it I'm usually good for the day. I do scroll down to get to the other tiles that access apps (except phone and contacts shortcuts, they are at the top). But there's no lag with the scrolling. And remember, the screen on my Nokia is bigger than your iPhone so the screen can display more info.

So even with your heavy, bigger screened phone you have to scroll to get all your info "at a glance"?

 

[donnaw]

So even with your heavy, bigger screened phone you have to scroll to get all your info "at a glance"?

No, my 'at a glance' is all right there. I scroll to get to other apps. And of course, if I don't want to scroll I can always use the voice control to open anything. But scrolling is very smooth so either one works. On a day-to-day basis I scroll very little. But then I use my phone to organize my life. I don't use it for entertainment or even much social media. Although the Facebook integration is pretty good I don't personally like Facebook much so don't access it daily.

As for bigger and heavier. Yeah, I'm a 'really small phone' girl. My favorite phone before this one was a Veer which is really small and light. I was a bit worried about the size of the 920 to be honest. I carry a very small purse so my phone fitting is a requirement. But I have to admit the size and weight just isn't an issue. The phone is a bit rounded on the edges so it's comfortable to hold and the screen is amazing. With the exception of the tiny clock I can actually read everything without my glasses. And the clock on the lock screen is plenty big so that I use it most of the time. I never even open the lock screen to see the time.

Look, live tiles/widgets may not be for everyone. But there are a whole bunch of people who love and depend on them. And I certainly can't fault anyone who thinks either way. But giving a choice is certainly optimal.

Personally, I will never have a phone without one or the other.

 

[cmChimera]

No, my 'at a glance' is all right there. I scroll to get to other apps. And of course, if I don't want to scroll I can always use the voice control to open anything. But scrolling is very smooth so either one works. On a day-to-day basis I scroll very little. But then I use my phone to organize my life. I don't use it for entertainment or even much social media. Although the Facebook integration is pretty good I don't personally like Facebook much so don't access it daily.

My point was that there was very little actual difference between what you and I are doing. I swipe down to get my recent e-mail, texts, the current weather and calendar events. You look at what available on the screen and scroll down to see more.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Look, live tiles/widgets may not be for everyone. But there are a whole bunch of people who love and depend on them. And I certainly can't fault anyone who thinks either way. But giving a choice is certainly optimal.

Personally, I will never have a phone without one or the other.

Same here. Those concepts may never make it into a version of iOS because they are just done so well in Android. Notifications Center in iOS at one point was better than any other handset, and Apple let that slip through.

Widgets are welcomed, don't kill battery life, and aren't less efficient. I turn on my phone and my agenda is right there. No swiping, no tapping . . . right there. Above it is the weather. Swipe left, the news. Another swipe, Evernote for my meetings.

Galaxy Note II, hasn't been on the charger for two days, I am at 51%

Don't believe the FUD that some want to spread.

 

[donnaw]

My point was that there was very little actual difference between what you and I are doing. I swipe down to get my recent e-mail, texts, the current weather and calendar events. You look at what available on the screen and scroll down to see more.

True. However, I don't know how often you have to scroll but I don't have to very often. It depends on how you use your phone. For me, I use it pretty much for texts, email, calls, my appts and weather. I look at the weather once (and can get it off the lock screen if it set it up that way) and my appts once or twice. After that, the top of the Home screen does pretty much all I need. Maybe I'll use the Family room to check on shared lists, pics, etc. Or I'll read a book while waiting, or check Yelp. But probably not as much as most folks.

I'm betting you actually swipe more than I scroll. Not because my interface is all that much better but because you use your phone differently. And that's MY point, everyone uses their phone differently. Live tiles/widgets serve a purpose and for the people for whom they work they should be available. Every person I know that doesn't have an iPhone uses them a lot (and i know a lot of people, mostly in IT). And nobody I know would give them up just to get an iPhone.

One good friend is a real Apple fan. Has been forever. He actually started out as a Unix DBA 20+ years ago. All he has ever owned is Apple stuff. I never thought I would see the day but after seeing my setup even he's thinking of jumping ship if Apple doesn't provide something in the way of widgets/live tiles.

 

[newagemac]

Same here. Those concepts may never make it into a version of iOS because they are just done so well in Android. Notifications Center in iOS at one point was better than any other handset, and Apple let that slip through.

Widgets are welcomed, don't kill battery life, and aren't less efficient. I turn on my phone and my agenda is right there. No swiping, no tapping . . . right there. Above it is the weather. Swipe left, the news. Another swipe, Evernote for my meetings.

Galaxy Note II, hasn't been on the charger for two days, I am at 51%

Don't believe the FUD that some want to spread.

Any space a widget takes up means less space for your favorite apps. And widgets take up a LOT more space than an app icon. On a phone especially, widgets are pretty bad for the UI for that very reason. I have yet to see any Android device that allows you to get to your favorite apps as fast as the iPhone's grid of icons.

Apple emphasizes the apps on iOS devices because the apps are really that good. In fact, I'm looking for ways to get more apps directly on my home screen, not less. Why the heck would I want to bury awesome apps below another layer or extra clicks rather than directly on the home screen? Unfortunately, that's exactly what "app drawers" and "widgets" do.

 

[Tinmania]

Any space a widget takes up means less space for your favorite apps. And widgets take up a LOT more space than an app icon. On a phone especially, widgets are pretty bad for the UI for that very reason. I have yet to see any Android device that allows you to get to your favorite apps as fast as the iPhone's grid of icons.

Then you haven't really tried. Because, just about all current Android phones can get you to your favorite apps just as fast as iOS. On top of that, apps that are used regularly but not every day, can be easier to get to on Android. Because, apps you never use can be taken off the launcher thus don't clutter it up. With iOS you are stuck with all apps on the launcher/springboard. Every single app. Whether you use it or not.


Michael

 

[newagemac]

Then you haven't really tried. Because, just about all current Android phones can get you to your favorite apps just as fast as iOS. On top of that, apps that are used regularly but not every day, can be easier to get to on Android. Because, apps you never use can be taken off the launcher thus don't clutter it up.


Michael

The ONLY way any Android phone can get to all your favorite apps as fast as iOS's grid of icons is if you set it up so that it mimics iOS's grid of icons. As soon as you add a widget or make it so that you have to access through an app drawer, you have immediately made it slower to access your favorite apps. That's why it's such a dumb UI idea. Why would you want to make it SLOWER to access your favorite apps?

The small grid of icons are simply the fastest way to access the most number of apps. Point blank. That's why the UI is the way it is on iOS. It's simply the most efficient use of space possible.

Please do show me how you can access more apps faster on Android. I'd really love to see this. You can't though so I won't hold my breath.

With iOS you are stuck with all apps on the launcher/springboard. Every single app. Whether you use it or not.

No you're not. On the iPhone 5 for example, you can put your 24 favorite apps on the home screen. I have approximately 200 apps on my iPhone. Where did you get the idea that every single app can be on the home screen? It can't. Only your 24 most used apps go there. If I were to put some space wasting widget there instead like on Android though, it would immediately drop the number of my favorite apps down to 16 or whatever. And that means the other 8 of my most used apps that I used to have on the home screen now takes twice as many clicks/gestures to get to.

Android (especially one that uses widgets) has a poor UI because of this. More Apps take longer to get to than the highly efficient and productive grid of icons on iOS because the widgets knock them off the home screen and into deeper layers that take more clicks to get to. An app in an App Drawer is immediately twice as many clicks as one of the home screen in iOS.

 

[Tinmania]

The ONLY way any Android phone can get to all your favorite apps as fast as iOS's grid of icons is if you set it up so that it mimics iOS's grid of icons. As soon as you add a widget or make it so that you have to access through an app drawer, you have immediately made it slower to access your favorite apps. That's why it's such a dumb UI idea. Why would you want to make it SLOWER to access your favorite apps?

Utter nonsense. If you wanted to have only apps on your home screen that is what you would do. If a widget was more important than having app icons you could do that instead. It's called choice. Sorry you don't have it. Maybe someday you will.

The small grid of icons are simply the fastest way to access the most number of apps. Point blank. That's why the UI is the way it is on iOS. It's simply the most efficient use of space possible.

Please do show me how you can access more apps faster on Android. I'd really love to see this. You can't though so I won't hold my breath.

LOL. Well then you'll be happy to know I can get to more of my favorite apps on my Note 2's homescreen than you can on your iPhone (or my iPhone). Ergo, it's faster. It's also faster to find those apps as icons aren't all so darned similar. On Android you get visual clues about which apps are which by the shape of the icon. On iOS you don't get those clues.

"After awhile they all start looking like rounded blue squares."

No you're not. On the iPhone 5 for example, you can put your 24 favorite apps on the home screen. I have approximately 200 apps on my iPhone. Where did you get the idea that every single app can be on the home screen? It can't. Only your 24 most used apps go there. If I were to put some space wasting widget there instead like on Android though, it would immediately drop the number of my favorite apps down to 16 or whatever. And that means the other 8 of my most used apps that I used to have on the home screen now takes twice as many clicks/gestures to get to.

There you go not understanding "choice" again.

I can put 35 apps on my Note II's homescreen. Or I can choose to have a widget there too, and still have more than the iPhone 5 can have. But that is my choice. Apple doesn't give you that.

Oh, by the way, I do think your logic of "lots of icons on the homescreen is faster" is absurd. That is called clutter and is not efficient. It's worse on iOS because the icons will always gravitate to the upper right and have to be so similar-looking. But keep on using those 7-year-old grids of icons in all there simplistic "glory."




Michael

 

[newagemac]

Utter nonsense. If you wanted to have only apps on your home screen that is what you would do. If a widget was more important than having app icons you could do that instead. It's called choice. Sorry you don't have it. Maybe someday you will.



Michael

You seem to be utterly clueless when it comes to UX and UI. What you call "choice" is basically 1990's era Microsoft Windows. Tons of options and poor UI choices do not make for a superior user experience. I hate to break it to you but I do this professionally and usually when we give the user "choice" is when we failed to come up with a good design. So we say forget it, we'll just make the user have to decide. That's basically what you have. Choice is already the default when you design anything. A 13 year old designing a UI can give choice. The hard part is actually making real design decisions which often involves tradeoffs.

Sorry if you had to purchase a device and then still had to make a ton of design decisions as well. Like I said, I do this professionally. I make $200 an hour making design decisions for my clients. If I'm going to pay $600 for a device, there's no way I'm going to be the one who has to make the design decisions or "choices" as you call them. I get paid to do that. If I'm paying them for their device, then their designers should be doing that.

Sorry if they passed it off onto you and made you have to do it. Maybe one day you will actually get your money's worth rather than working for free.

 

[Tinmania]

You seem to be utterly clueless when it comes to UX and UI. What you call "choice" is basically 1990's era Microsoft Windows. Tons of options and poor UI choices do not make for a superior user experience. I hate to break it to you but I do this professionally and usually when we give the user "choice" is when we failed to come up with a good design. So we say forget it, we'll just make the user have to decide. That's basically what you have. Choice is already the default when you design anything. A 13 year old designing a UI can give choice. The hard part is actually making real design decisions which often involves tradeoffs.

Sorry if you had to purchase a device and then still had to make a ton of design decisions as well. Like I said, I do this professionally. I make $200 an hour making design decisions for my clients. If I'm going to pay $600 for a device, there's no way I'm going to be the one who has to make the design decisions or "choices" as you call them. I get paid to do that. If I'm paying them for their device, then their designers should be doing that.

Sorry if they passed it off onto you and made you have to do it. Maybe one day you will actually get your money's worth rather than working for free.

That is about the lamest defense of iOS's stale design that I have ever seen. Bravo. You must be a really good "designer" (how weird was it to see that posted, folks? "The overshare light just came on in aisle 23.").

I will use my device the way I choose, not Apple. When I pay over $600 for a device it is mine, not theirs. You don't seem to get that. I do not need to be spoon-fed.



Michael

 

[newagemac]

I can put 35 apps on my Note II's homescreen. Or I can choose to have a widget there too, and still have more than the iPhone 5 can have. But that is my choice. Apple doesn't give you that.

So you have the choice of a superior UI with full apps represented by icons so that space is used most efficiently or an inferior UI with for example a clock widget taking up half the space so you can see the time twice on one screen and knock many of your favorite apps off of the home screen.

This is what you call "choice". Meanwhile on iOS there are far more choices of apps, and I often get to choose them long before they come to Android, if ever. More choice of app, content, accessories, etc. on iOS. And that's why I could never go to Android. There just isn't enough choice.

Oh, by the way, I do think your logic of "lots of icons on the homescreen is faster" is absurd. That is called clutter and is not efficient. It's worse on iOS because the icons will always gravitate to the upper right and have to be so similar-looking. But keep on using those 7-year-old grids of icons in all there simplistic "glory."

So you're saying burying your favorite apps in an "App Drawer" is faster than tapping on an icon directly on the home screen? LOL. Keep using your little toy to switch wallpapers and widgets and play around with different colors and pictures to "customize" your device like my toddler does her playroom. Maybe one day you'll grow up and start using real top of the line applications like Freshbooks for invoicing, Diet Coda for coding, Omnifocus for task management, and Keynote for presentations.

But of course those apps don't come on Android, because like I said earlier Android lacks choice.

 

[newagemac]

That is about the lamest defense of iOS's stale design that I have ever seen. Bravo. You must be a really good "designer" (how weird was it to see that posted, folks? "The overshare light just came on in aisle 23.").

I will use my device the way I choose, not Apple. When I pay over $600 for a device it is mine, not theirs. You don't seem to get that. I do not need to be spoon-fed.
Michael

Stale design? Unlike Android, iOS looked good from the very beginning so it hasn't had to change every year to fix the fugliness by almost all accounts Android has always been associated with. Now that they have an almost halfway decent design copied from Metro, the design hasn't changed one bit through multiple updates. So Holo is now stale as you put it. Except it's also still ugly and inconsistent with all the pieces of Gingerbread mixed throughout right alongside with Holo.

And I will use my device the way I choose as well. Except I get to use it in ways you can't because Android is lacking in the high quality apps iOS users enjoy. Too bad Android is limiting you. Maybe you should have gone with something offering you more choice?

 

[Tinmania]

So you have the choice of a superior UI with full apps represented by icons so that space is used most efficiently or an inferior UI with for example a clock widget taking up half the space so you can see the time twice on one screen and knock many of your favorite apps off of the home screen.

This is what you call "choice". Meanwhile on iOS there are far more choices of apps, and I often get to choose them long before they come to Android, if ever. More choice of app, content, accessories, etc. on iOS. And that's why I could never go to Android. There just isn't enough choice.

More nonsense. You should actually use Android before making such strange claims. I can choose to have my device look however I like (even, if I wanted, to look just like iOS). You can't do that. Deal with it. There is no need to act insecure about it. It's an operating system.

So you're saying burying your favorite apps in an "App Drawer" is faster than tapping on an icon directly on the home screen?

I'm convinced you know absolutely nothing about Android. Big surprise that is. Not.



Michael

 

[newagemac]

More nonsense. You should actually use Android before making such strange claims. I can choose to have my device look however I like (even, if I wanted, to look just like iOS). You can't do that. Deal with it. There is no need to act insecure about it. It's an operating system.



I'm convinced you know absolutely nothing about Android. Big surprise that is. Not.



Michael

More clueless defensiveness. Your ego must be pretty hurt with the fact that iOS has more choice than Android ...significantly more apps, content, and accessories I can choose from. And while you play around with coloring your Android like my toddler does in her coloring book, I have choice of iOS applications that I can use for more grownup things that you don't. Deal with it.

 

[Tinmania]

More clueless defensiveness. Your ego must be pretty hurt with the fact that iOS has more choice than Android ...significantly more apps, content, and accessories I can choose from. And while you play around with coloring your Android like my toddler does in her coloring book, I have choice of iOS applications that I can use for more grownup things that you don't. Deal with it.

OK this is beyond even the most rabid iOS fan. I get it. You are just joking. A prank. Ha ha ha.... that was funny. You got me!

Whew, for a minute there I thought you were being serious.




Michael