It's the little details that make iOS so great

[Cod3rror]

If you ask most average non-tech savvy users why they like iOS, they can't tell you exactly, but they just love it, it's magical. In fact most tech savvy users can't explain either.

And it's the little things, there are so many little details in iOS, attention to small details is incredible...

Couple of examples...

- Double tab space bar to get a dot(.) and a space

- Names that you have entered in your Contacts are suggested/corrected when you type them anywhere else... this is particularly good if you have Contacts with complex surnames or names, when you start typing their name in a message or notes or anywhere a correction bubble pops up.

- Camera controls, icons and preview thumbnails rotate as you rotate the phone from portrait to landscape.

- You know that ".com" on the keyboard when you are entering a web address? If you add a dot manually and then tap on the ".com" button, it still only registers one dot instead of "..com"

- If you're on the call and an alarm rings, it starts ringing quietly and through the ear piece to let you know that the alarm is ringing.

- Scroll lock

- Keyboard invisibly widens hit detection for predictable words when you are typing.


So that's what I noticed and there must be so many more little things that overall make for a wonderful experience. And just for the interest I tried these with an Android, Galaxy S II and old double tap space key for a dot works, no magic.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

Consistency of the whole eco-system setup by Apple in order to get our money.

Just exchange you data and programs across your devices.

Works the same way on iPad, iPhone, iPod and soon very similar on iMac.

 

[Cod3rror]

Consistency of the whole eco-system setup by Apple in order to get our money.

Just exchange you data and programs across your devices.

Works the same way on iPad, iPhone, iPod and soon very similar on iMac.

You make it sound bad, other companies also get your money but they don't give as much back for that money.

The Apple is set up though is incredible, very organized.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

You make it sound bad, other companies also get your money but they don't give as much back for that money.

The Apple is set up though is incredible, very organized.

shouldn't sound too bad; I wouldn't spend quite some money with them if I would have the feeling of not getting enough for my money.

And their customer service (with Apple Care) is just outstanding: once I screwed up my MBP when trying to change the disk to SSD; the screw was softer then the screwdriver. told them honestly and they charged me only a few bugs for the new screw and not for the work to remove that old damaged screw. Was really nice. (opps; thats OT since Mac related and not iOS; sorry !)

 

[quizzi]

Also to add to the list of small details; if you double tap the 'capital letter' button it will stay as capital letters when you type, and when you press the volume rocker button when your phone rings it will automatically switch to silent mode.

 

[AnthroMatt]

If you ask most average non-tech savvy users why they like iOS, they can't tell you exactly, but they just love it, it's magical. In fact most tech savvy users can't explain either.

And it's the little things, there are so many little details in iOS, attention to small details is incredible...

Couple of examples...

- Double tab space bar to get a dot(.) and a space

BlackBerry has had this feature since about 2003. Still helpful, but hardly unique to iOS.

and when you press the volume rocker button when your phone rings it will automatically switch to silent mode.

I think nearly every phone I have ever owned has this feature. They probably all had it post-2002 or so, but I don't want to claim what I can't remember to be true.

 

[Cod3rror]

Also to add to the list of small details; if you double tap the 'capital letter' button it will stay as capital letters when you type, and when you press the volume rocker button when your phone rings it will automatically switch to silent mode.

Cool! I didn't know the volume rocker one, I know that pressing the sleep/wake button once when somebody calls will switch to silent mode, and when you press it again it'll cancel the call.

 

[dccorona]

If you ask most average non-tech savvy users why they like iOS, they can't tell you exactly, but they just love it, it's magical. In fact most tech savvy users can't explain either.

And it's the little things, there are so many little details in iOS, attention to small details is incredible...

Couple of examples...

- Double tab space bar to get a dot(.) and a space

- Names that you have entered in your Contacts are suggested/corrected when you type them anywhere else... this is particularly good if you have Contacts with complex surnames or names, when you start typing their name in a message or notes or anywhere a correction bubble pops up.

- Camera controls, icons and preview thumbnails rotate as you rotate the phone from portrait to landscape.

- You know that ".com" on the keyboard when you are entering a web address? If you add a dot manually and then tap on the ".com" button, it still only registers one dot instead of "..com"

- If you're on the call and an alarm rings, it starts ringing quietly and through the ear piece to let you know that the alarm is ringing.

- Scroll lock

- Keyboard invisibly widens hit detection for predictable words when you are typing.


So that's what I noticed and there must be so many more little things that overall make for a wonderful experience. And just for the interest I tried these with an Android, Galaxy S II and old double tap space key for a dot works, no magic.

not to detract from the positive benefits of these features, but for the most part windows phone also has them. They don't have double tap to scroll, an I'm not sure about scroll lock because I don't know what you mean by that

 

[applefanDrew]

I think the "bounce" when you're scrolling is another little thing. Android just stops and it always feels to abrupt.

 

[PNutts]

It's not "the" little things it's "all the" little things. Nothing I've seen has so many conveniences bundled into one package, and they span many products.

Also, the OP did not say the features were first in iOS or unique. Folks should stop picking one nit and saying someone else had it first (especially when the OP points it out). Sure, BB and WP7 are ok for what they're designed to do and of course the mfgs take the best pieces from others and implement or improve. This thread is about the package.

 

[Jagardn]

One of my favorites is how to fix "auto correct" problems.

If you look back at anything you have typed and see a mistake. Just double tap the wrong word, it will give you suggestions and the original word it "corrected" for you.

 

[mattdo93]

I think the "bounce" when you're scrolling is another little thing. Android just stops and it always feels to abrupt.

I was just about to say that. No matter how many new Android devices come out, the iOS scrolling is always buttery smooth.

 

[Shockwave78]

Is there any shortcut or way to get the big number key pad up on demand? I have a lot of sites i log into with numbers and such and the keyboard numbers are so small.

Some apps use bigger built in apple number pad that you will see once in awhile. It would be great if i could get it to show anytime i wanted!

 

[AnthroMatt]

Folks should stop picking one nit and saying someone else had it first (especially when the OP points it out). Sure, BB and WP7 are ok for what they're designed to do and of course the mfgs take the best pieces from others and implement or improve. This thread is about the package.

But when most of the specific examples people provide as to the little things that make iOS special are neither unique or new ideas, it doesn't make iOS "magical" (words of the OP) in my book. It's just my opinion, but borrowing and improving upon the ideas of others is smart, but it is hardly magical.

What makes iOS "magical" to me is that I have never had my iPhone just lock up or freeze or spontaneously shut down and restart. Individual programs? Yes. But the phone itself rendered completely unresponsive? Not yet. And I can't say that about any other phone, be it a dumbphone or a BB or an Android device, that I have ever used. That is magical.

 

[MACis122]

I don't know if the contact thing holds true every time i try to type my friend silvia's name into a text it turns it into silver

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Not to sound sarcastic, but the main reason I think iOS is great is simply cause IT WORKS 99.9% of the time. I've dealt with every platform on older & newer phones, and iOS/iPhone has been the only one I can say this about.

I also love how every app has a native iOS feel.

 

[AnthroMatt]

I don't know if the contact thing holds true every time i try to type my friend silvia's name into a text it turns it into silver

IME it only works with last names.

 

[AppleDApp]

Especially now in time with the forth version of the os there are so many things that we take for granted that aren't available elsewhere. I like that once apple release an update it's accesible to everyone the same day (not the case with android unless you have the nexus s) I also like when you select a word you can stretch your selection. the magnifying glass is nice too.

but the best part is the seamless integration. think about it RIM has had bbm for the longest time. text messaging has been around even longer. Why hasn't RIM combined the BBM app with the messages app. Seems like a no brainer to me. Apple did it.

The big thing is that from the start Apple was ahead of the game in hardware and software. Now some android phones have better hardware (better camera, bigger screen etc.) but the OS is still lacking think about it Honeycomb tablets are new to the market and they are already trying to push out ice cream sandwich.

 

[PNutts]

And I can't say that about any other phone, be it a dumbphone or a BB or an Android device, that I have ever used. That is magical.

Agreed. I used to manage mobile devices where I work and after the novelty wore off I didn't use one. I remember rebooting the HTC 8100/8500 every morning just to make a phone call (AT&T was never able to figure out why they dropped off the network every night). I told folks I would call them bricks but that would be an insult to real bricks. Edit: I should add back then we had about 150 mobile devices in use. Now we're pushing 500.

Then I remember getting the first iPhone and even today when I pick up an iPhone to use it I still can't believe it. Sure other vendors are catching up and others have a few features that would be nice to have, but when you look at the entire package I'm still an iPhone fan.

I won't hijack this thread by asking but think about what you were using in 2005 when the iPhone development began and at the beginning of 2007 when the iPhone was revealed.

 

[AnthroMatt]

Why hasn't RIM combined the BBM app with the messages app. Seems like a no brainer to me. Apple did it.

Not to go too far off topic, but I don't know if that is completely fair to RIM. BB's can have a universal inbox that shows all messages (email, SMS, BBM, FB, Twitter, IM) in a single messages inbox. It's not the same as a single app, but it is all in one place. Some people love that, some hate it (I hated integrating everything into one inbox).

As for combining SMS and BBM into one app, I don't think it makes much sense for those persons operating in a strict BES environment. It's probably easier for a BES admin to control/restrict access to certain features while leaving others enabled when they are not unified in a single app.

 

[Alchematron]

Is there a book or webpage that formally lists all these little things?

My favorite primary thing about the os is that it is smooth like butter!

 

[AppleDApp]

As for combining SMS and BBM into one app, I don't think it makes much sense for those persons operating in a strict BES environment. It's probably easier for a BES admin to control/restrict access to certain features while leaving others enabled when they are not unified in a single app.

From a business perspective it works out well but nowadays I see lots of teens who have no actual need for a blackberry. Those teens and others would benefit from a unified app. As for RIM I don't want to hate to much as I am canadian but in the last 6 months there stock fell like 60% there biggest investor sold his stocks they have 2 CEO's that apparently don't work efficiently. The good thing about RIM are the secured emails which werent a hit in the middle east.

 

[Cod3rror]

I'm not sure about scroll lock because I don't know what you mean by that

Scroll lock is when you scroll horizontally or vertically and you make a few scrolling gestures and then the page or whatever you're scrolling locks into scrolling only vertically say, and when you try to scroll horizontally it does not move, until you let go and give if a second or two.

I think the "bounce" when you're scrolling is another little thing. Android just stops and it always feels to abrupt.

YES! It feels like going 100km/h and running into a wall. They made that glow effect in stock gingerbread, and it's bad too.

Samsung added iOS like bounce but it's inconsistent in some lists and menus there is bounce in others you run into a wall...

Example: Go into the apps drawer, then pull up settings and change view settings to list, then scroll up and down... no bounce.

No matter how many new Android devices come out, the iOS scrolling is always buttery smooth.

Absolutely, not even the latest and greatest dual core Androids scroll as smoothly as even the first iPhone touch.

And not only that but iOS' scrolling physics engine is much superior to Android's or anybody else's too.



Some brilliant minds worked and created iOS.

 

[kdarling]

... when you press the volume rocker button when your phone rings it will automatically switch to silent mode.

I like the way HTC phones work: when you pick them up while ringing, the ringer automatically drops in volume by 80%.

Or if you're not interested in taking the call, you can just turn the phone face down and it silences the ringer.

No need to press any buttons.

--

As for the scroll direction lock and bounce back actions, Apple somehow got a patent on those... or at least in the case of the scrolling, a particular way of doing it.

 

[Alchematron]

Tap the top of the browser bar in Safari to bring you back to the top of the webpage when you have reached the bottom of the page.

I use this feature a lot! I don't think Android has it?

I would also like to see this feature in email.