iPad's Orientation Lock Switch Becomes Mute Switch With iOS 4.2

[macwheels]

I have read you and everyone else saying apple took this from us. They didn't take anything they just moved it around. Sometimes change has to happen get over it. And ur only arguments for keeping the switch are old people who already learned how to use it god forbid something changes and the people who find it more convenient which it really isn't. If it would have originally been a mute switch as planned with a lock orientation like the iPhone would you be complaining? No. And you know what else. It makes more sense for apple to make everything as much the same across each platform as possible so that all of those old people will know how to use the ios product regardless of which one it is. I bet you've spent more time complaining in this thread than all the time you'll lose with the new orientation lock method!

If you did read what I have written, you either forgot a lot of it or didn't understand, because I (and others here) have mentioned multiple reasons for preferring a hardware switch. Your attitude towards "old people" seems very hostile & sad, also.
Please don't put words into my mouth or state what I would or would not say or do. Thanks.

Macwheels

 

[nmhallworth]

The advantage of a mute switch over using the volume to mute is that you can tell, without having the screen on, whether the device is muted or not, by the position of the switch.

So if you're in a meeting/cinema/dark room/wherever, you can see (or feel) if your device is muted without turning the screen on. This is useful.

You can also mute just by reaching into your bag and flicking the switch. You don't even need to be able to see what you're doing. This is useful.

As has been said repatedly, screen lock is pointless when the screen is off.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

If you did read what I have written, you either forgot a lot of it or didn't understand, because I (and others here) have mentioned multiple reasons for preferring a hardware switch. Your attitude towards "old people" seems very hostile & sad, also.
Please don't put words into my mouth or state what I would or would not say or do. Thanks.

Macwheels

I didn't read? So post 228 of thus thread you claimed handing the device to other medical personal and the old people who have to relearn. I have no hostility towards old people. To think they can't relearn such a simple task it would seem to me you have no faith and think more lowly of them than I do. I think you are just upset that you have no real valid argument in anything you say. You never lost a feature, you aren't going to lose your AppleCare if you jailbreak. If you really find this simple switch that much of a problem do us all a favor and sell your iPad so we don't have to listen to anymore of your blatent lies. Come back when you have some actual facts to back up your arguments.

You guys wanted them to switch the iPhones switch to be hardware ala original iPad. Yeah I'm sure a lot of people would be happier with that solution. If you are flipping your switch that often to lock orientation them perhaps you should just leave it unlocked and let the accelerometer do it's job. Most normal people set the orientation and leave it in that orientation for an extended period of time.

 

[candysyrup]

To me, this is a major downer. I was very excited for the new OS update, particularly for the multitasking feature. I may wait until there is a solution to this problem, because since I've gotten my iPad and used it for months, I have never needed a mute button and constantly use the orientation button, particularly when I use the iPad when I'm lying down. It's understandably a helpful hardware button in the iPhone, which also doubles as a portable mp3 player, but I don't think I'll be carrying around my iPad in the palm of my hand while I walk around anytime soon. Apple should really rethink this move. I like their products, but strange moves like this really turns me off and reinforces their increasingly more 'totalitarian' image.

 

[spacepower7]

Mute switch makes sense since the volume rocker is unavailable when the screen is locked and the iPad is not playing music. I've gotten nailed with multiple mail sounds during meetings which meant I had to get the iPad out of my bag, unlock it, and then mute it. A simple blind reach into my bag and feeling for the switch could have saved me from interrupting the meetings.

 

[Vercingetorix]

All I ask is that they let us choose in preferences. I have never once needed to suddenly mute my iPad, but I have needed to lock the screen about 12,000 times.

 

[macwheels]

I didn't read? So post 228 of thus thread you claimed handing the device to other medical personal and the old people who have to relearn. I have no hostility towards old people. To think they can't relearn such a simple task it would seem to me you have no faith and think more lowly of them than I do. I think you are just upset that you have no real valid argument in anything you say. You never lost a feature, you aren't going to lose your AppleCare if you jailbreak. If you really find this simple switch that much of a problem do us all a favor and sell your iPad so we don't have to listen to anymore of your blatent lies. Come back when you have some actual facts to back up your arguments.

You guys wanted them to switch the iPhones switch to be hardware ala original iPad. Yeah I'm sure a lot of people would be happier with that solution. If you are flipping your switch that often to lock orientation them perhaps you should just leave it unlocked and let the accelerometer do it's job. Most normal people set the orientation and leave it in that orientation for an extended period of time.

xxBURTONxx:

I have been expressing my wishes and opinions -- just like others here; I am not claiming or attempting to make factual arguments. So, I am not "lying" about anything.

Again, please do not state for me what I think. Sorry you are so very angry about all of this. If you have some need to continue making hostile attacks, I will ask MacRumors' moderators to deal with this.

Macwheels

 

[macwheels]

Mute switch makes sense since the volume rocker is unavailable when the screen is locked and the iPad is not playing music. I've gotten nailed with multiple mail sounds during meetings which meant I had to get the iPad out of my bag, unlock it, and then mute it. A simple blind reach into my bag and feeling for the switch could have saved me from interrupting the meetings.

Good point, spacepower -- which I think would be handled by making the function of the switch user-configurable; for those like yourself, who want it to act as a mute button, Apple could make it possible in the iPad's Settings menu/options.

 

[pooryou]

The bolded part is the important part. I use the mute switch on my iphone for a lot more than setting the phone to vibrate (playing games at night, so as not to disturb anyone, turn off the typing sounds when I don't want them, silence the constant notifications I'm recieving from a friend spamming me with messages over msn, while I'm tying to talk to friends/family in real life, etc.).

The mute switch lets me silence my phone whenever I want without losing my volume settings.

Preserving volume setting doesn't seem very valuable to me, but I'm glad it's useful to you.

 

[pooryou]

For orientation, that is something that you will only do at the beginning of a session and you do not have to leave the app to bring up the bar in 4.x. I only hope that the software lock will lock in either portrait or landscape on the iPad.

Ever tried to read a magazine in Zinio (for example)? You constantly have to switch between portrait and landscape depending on whether it is a single page or two page spread. And then you have to keep locking it again unless you are going to hold it absolutely perfectly, which is not practical. Having to click the home button twice, then hit the lock button, then hit home again, will make that process excruciating.

Mute switch makes sense since the volume rocker is unavailable when the screen is locked and the iPad is not playing music. I've gotten nailed with multiple mail sounds during meetings which meant I had to get the iPad out of my bag, unlock it, and then mute it. A simple blind reach into my bag and feeling for the switch could have saved me from interrupting the meetings.

Since it's a software solution anyway, don't you think it would make more sense for them to change it so the volume buttons work when the screen is locked? A lot more elegant if you ask me.

 

[macwheels]

Since it's a software solution anyway, don't you think it would make more sense for them to change it so the volume buttons work when the screen is locked? A lot more elegant if you ask me.

Nice idea -- thanks!

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

xxBURTONxx:

I have been expressing my wishes and opinions -- just like others here; I am not claiming or attempting to make factual arguments. So, I am not "lying" about anything.

Again, please do not state for me what I think. Sorry you are so very angry about all of this. If you have some need to continue making hostile attacks, I will ask MacRumors' moderators to deal with this.

Macwheels

Please, of the 3 posts I've made in this thread, quote my "hostile attack". Maybe you are the one who needs to take a chill pill pal. And FYI you are stating things as facts claiming you lose apple care when you jailbreak, claiming apple took a feature away from you, etc. Perhaps you should reexamine the difference between stating a fact as opposed to an opinion. And you sure do spend a lot of time arguing opinions. Don't you realize you will never win a battle of opinions? All I did was call you out on, yes, you lying. If you want to continue with an intelligent argument you're more than welcome but apparently I'm too hostile for you. Oh yeah still waiting on that quote. Let me know when you find it. LMAO!

 

[macwheels]

Please, of the 3 posts I've made in this thread, quote my "hostile attack". Maybe you are the one who needs to take a chill pill pal. And FYI you are stating things as facts claiming you lose apple care when you jailbreak, claiming apple took a feature away from you, etc. Perhaps you should reexamine the difference between stating a fact as opposed to an opinion. And you sure do spend a lot of time arguing opinions. Don't you realize you will never win a battle of opinions? All I did was call you out on, yes, you lying. If you want to continue with an intelligent argument you're more than welcome but apparently I'm too hostile for you. Oh yeah still waiting on that quote. Let me know when you find it. LMAO!

I am not interested in "winning a battle of opinions," as you claim to think that I do. This is just one example of your mind-reading (or perhaps reading between the lines of my posts). Regardless, I don't care to spend time quoting the things you have said that appear to be attacks, whether you think of them that way or not.

Apple has frequently publicized that jailbreaking voids Apple's warranties, so what I have said about this is obviously not a lie. You are quite right that a jailbroken iOS device can be restored prior to being sent to Apple for service, but I don't wish to spend time doing that.

Macwheels

 

[hugoniot]

I don't believe it.

I don't believe that they would change this. I lock the screen every night when I read in bed!

It wouldn't surprise me if it is just easier to update the system using iPhone options, and then they change it to the lock feature at the tail end.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

I am not interested in "winning a battle of opinions," as you claim to think that I do. This is just one example of your mind-reading (or perhaps reading between the lines of my posts). Regardless, I don't care to spend time quoting the things you have said that appear to be attacks, whether you think of them that way or not.

Apple has frequently publicized that jailbreaking voids Apple's warranties, so what I have said about this is obviously not a lie. You are quite right that a jailbroken iOS device can be restored prior to being sent to Apple for service, but I don't wish to spend time doing that.

Macwheels

The 4 seconds it takes to plug in and click restore? Must be hard to please you then. And you are arguing opinions, the opinion of whether the switch should control the lock orientation or the mute function. If you can't see that I don't know what to tell you. And I really would love for you to point out my attacking you. Please, you ask everyone else to read through a 10 page thread to fond your posts I'm asking you to read 3 and point out where I attacked you. Must not want to do it because you know I'm right again. Attacking someone is not the same as calling them out. Yes I called out your bs posts in this thread. No I did not attack you once, call you a name, etc. And please don't tell me my tone was hostile because tone is not conveyed through text in the first person and I haven't been writing my posts in the 3rd person so you would have no clue as to my tone. Thanks for playing

 

[macwheels]

The 4 seconds it takes to plug in and click restore? Must be hard to please you then. And you are arguing opinions, the opinion of whether the switch should control the lock orientation or the mute function. If you can't see that I don't know what to tell you. And I really would love for you to point out my attacking you. Please, you ask everyone else to read through a 10 page thread to fond your posts I'm asking you to read 3 and point out where I attacked you. Must not want to do it because you know I'm right again. Attacking someone is not the same as calling them out. Yes I called out your bs posts in this thread. No I did not attack you once, call you a name, etc. And please don't tell me my tone was hostile because tone is not conveyed through text in the first person and I haven't been writing my posts in the 3rd person so you would have no clue as to my tone. Thanks for playing

Hi again, xxBURTONxx:

1. Actually no, I did not ask anyone to read an entire 10 pages of this thread just to locate *my* posts.

2. In your message above, you stated "Must not want to do it because you know I'm right..." Another example of your mind-reading -- makes me realize that you are not likely to stop doing this any time soon, so I am not going to attempt to dialogue with you further. Sorry, not playing.

Macwheels

 

[Night Spring]

Mute switch makes sense since the volume rocker is unavailable when the screen is locked and the iPad is not playing music. I've gotten nailed with multiple mail sounds during meetings which meant I had to get the iPad out of my bag, unlock it, and then mute it. A simple blind reach into my bag and feeling for the switch could have saved me from interrupting the meetings.

As I already posted upthread, you can hold down the volume down button with the screen off and it will mute. You don't have to turn on the screen. And you can feel for and press the volume down button without looking at it. Do try it.

I can understand why some will prefer having a mute button over a screen lock button, but let's get the facts straight, please.

 

[macwheels]

As I already posted upthread, you can hold down the volume down button with the screen off and it will mute. You don't have to turn on the screen. And you can feel for and press the volume down button without looking at it. Do try it.

Hi there Night Spring -

I did try, when my iPad was turned off -- when I turned it on again, the volume level was right where it was before, so I don't see how this works.

I don't use push notification for my e-mail, so I have not been experiencing the chiming of my iPad when it is off, as others have, apparently.

MW

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

As I already posted upthread, you can hold down the volume down button with the screen off and it will mute. You don't have to turn on the screen. And you can feel for and press the volume down button without looking at it. Do try it.

I can understand why some will prefer having a mute button over a screen lock button, but let's get the facts straight, please.

These are not the same at all. I have to press my volume button 16 times on my iPhone to go all the way down. Then 16 times to turn it back up. Your mute feature doesn't work in reverse, and like has been said you don't really need to lock the screen when off whereas there are tons of times you would like to turn off the volume when the screen is off.

 

[sniffies]

Not gonna buy iPad because of that.

Estúpido!

 

[Night Spring]

Hi there Night Spring -

I did try, when my iPad was turned off -- when I turned it on again, the volume level was right where it was before, so I don't see how this works.

I don't use push notification for my e-mail, so I have not been experiencing the chiming of my iPad when it is off, as others have, apparently.

MW

Well, haven't tried what you describe. What I did was I started playing music on my iPad, then turned off the screen, then muted the iPad by pressing and holding down the volume button. I then turned the volume back up by pressing and holding the volume up button.

These are not the same at all. I have to press my volume button 16 times on my iPhone to go all the way down. Then 16 times to turn it back up. Your mute feature doesn't work in reverse, and like has been said you don't really need to lock the screen when off whereas there are tons of times you would like to turn off the volume when the screen is off.

Don't know about the iPhone, but on the iPad you can raise volume by pressing and holding the volume button, no need to click multiple times.

As for not needing to lock screen when screen is off -- well, of course. The issue is how much effort it takes to lock the orientation. Just now, I shifted in my seat while typing this, and the iPad screen started spinning like mad. I just flicked the lock switch and kept typing, with almost no break in my typing motion. If I had to press the home button twice, flick the multitask tray to the lock button, press the lock button, then press home button again to close the tray, that's a major break in my typing motion. Same thing if the screen starts spinning while I'm reading. Lock switch I can flip without taking my eyes off where I'm reading, to use muititask tray, I need to take my eyes off what I'm reading and look at the tray.

 

[macwheels]

...If I had to press the home button twice, flick the multitask tray to the lock button, press the lock button, then press home button again to close the tray, that's a major break in my typing motion. Same thing if the screen starts spinning while I'm reading. Lock switch I can flip without taking my eyes off where I'm reading, to use muititask tray, I need to take my eyes off what I'm reading and look at the tray.

Glad to know you feel the same about this, Night Spring. I anticipate the same interruption in the flow of looking at a sequence of photos, if the lock switch becomes a software, rather than hardware, feature.

 

[shashwat]

Not upgrading to 4.2 on my ipad if this thing passes without any option given to users to choose what is a better experience for them...
I love the orientation lock way too much to pass up on it....

 

[Piggie]

I will admit I have not read every post in this thread.

I have a zany idea.

How about in the iPad options there being a list of say 3 or 4 different functions that switch can do.

And let the user decide (based on their needs) what the switch does.

No one setting will be right for everyone.

How about we push for that as an idea?

Give the user a choice.

 

[macwheels]

Not upgrading to 4.2 on my ipad if this thing passes without any option given to users to choose what is a better experience for them...
I love the orientation lock way too much to pass up on it....

Hi shashwat -- if you wish to, here's where you can express your feeling directly to apple:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

(originally mentioned by iPhone software developer and Macrumors forum member "darkpaw," on page 1 of this thread)

Thanks!