Multitasking and Widgets: Bad idea with limited battery?

[Luuthian]

I've been thinking that, while these are the iPhone's most requested new features, multitasking and widgets may not actually work well on the iPhone for the moment.

That video which was recently released and showed widgets as more of a folder style feature could work, but the Android version of widgets and multitasking would be devastating to the battery.

The iPhone was never designed to run multiple tasks the way Android was. It's a completely different take on things. So many Android phones these days require batteries of over 2000mah to ensure the phone is able to last a day. In some cases even that isn't enough. And while their large screens contribute, they don't contribute so much that they become the only reason for a large battery.

I'm worried if Apple tries to cram too much if this into their new OS that older models will suffer since their batteries are so small. It'll be fine for newer models if they manage to increase the battery size, but everyone with a plain 5 and below will run into problems.

I honestly don't believe widgets and multitasking will come to the phone the way everyone wants them to. Maybe one day, but not now.

 

[cyks]

RAM space is a bigger deterrent than battery life in regards to multitasking.

While widgets would be a nice option, I'd be happy with live icons. I'm tired of it always being 73, sunny, and 10:15.

 

[Luuthian]

RAM space is a bigger deterrent than battery life in regards to multitasking.

Yeah I thought of that, but the 5 has 1GB of RAM. I used a Galaxy Nexus for about a year and that phone was a speed demon with only 1GB RAM so that part should be fine.

 

[Mrbobb]

I'm worried if Apple tries to cram too much if this into their new OS that older models will suffer since their batteries are so small.

U are then in the minority, if u scan daily posts of people here asking more features, and why iPhone doesn't do this etc.

Fortunately there is an easy fix, if ur battery is running down faster than u think, kill those unused icons from the launch menu.

 

[Abazigal]

U are then in the minority, if u scan daily posts of people here asking more features, and why iPhone doesn't do this etc.

Fortunately there is an easy fix, if ur battery is running down faster than u think, kill those unused icons from the launch menu.

The issue here is that people shouldn't have to. Part of the simplicity and allure of iOS is that it automatically manages tasks like freezing unused apps and had excellent energy-savings so consumers can just "use-and-forget".

Besides, to me, Multitasking would be pointless on such a small screen anyways.

 

[chagla]

.....

Besides, to me, Multitasking would be pointless on such a small screen anyways.

ah,, the classic "who uses that/ who needs that/ it's useless" etc attitude.

your assertion is only good if your expectation is low from your phone. some people like to get more out of their phone. for instance, just by LOOKING at my screen i have these info available to me (all without launching a separate "app" for each) -

- my appointments
- phone call logs
- latest sms messages
- 2 line email summary
- weather/traffic

of course i can cram more stuffs but these are things i regularly use. i don't have to have to goto phone app to see my call logs, close it and then go to calendar app...well you get the idea. thanks to widgets.

and btw, you try to make sound like widgets are bad, they aren't. what drains your battery is constant data connection. it could be an app like facebook. on Android you can check what app is eating up battery. just change that app settings... easy?

 

[Luuthian]

And it's that data connection that worries me.

I understand the argument that the screen is tiny, but chagla is right in that iOS severely underutilizes it's notification system. We shouldn't have to always drag down the notification center to see what's going on. Information could be given to us in more intuitive ways, such as how Android actually puts symbols for messages and emails in the notification bar to let you know there's a reason to swipe down.

All those things are well and good. But widgets that require constant connections to a data source could be problematic. I don't doubt Apple's ingenuity when it comes to battery life. The fact that an iPhone 5 can play a movie for ten hours with a 1440mah battery is very impressive. When you start doing things the closely integrated hardware and software weren't meant to do, though, you're going to run into a problem.

 

[err404]

for instance, just by LOOKING at my screen i have these info available to me (all without launching a separate "app" for each) -

- my appointments
- phone call logs
- latest sms messages
- 2 line email summary
- weather/traffic

To be fair every piece of information you listed is also a swip away in Notification Center. Personally I don't think that either Android or iOS have hit the right design for generic information aggregation. In Android, I don't think that a user should be pulled from their app to peak at this data. In iOS, Notification Center isn't dynamic enough. And Widgets mixed with notification feels messy.
The overall mobile UI paradigm needs to be rethought instead of just tacking on new features. For example why do we have a lock screen, is it still needed? And why do we have a home screens that exit your running app (visually)?

 

[acorntoy]

Meh with 30+ tweaks that are pretty draining I find I can get a full day easy off my iphone 5 (jailbroken)

What's really a problem is the screen size. The iPhones screen simply isn't big enough for half the things people want. It's why Android phones have gotten so massive, the operating system really does benefit from the extra real estate. Do I want a bigger iPhone? Not really. But it's easy to see why you'd want a bigger android.

My phone looks nothing like Android, but it does offer a vastly better experience than stock iOS. The problem with Apple right now is that while the OS is perfectly functional, so in Android and to a certain extent windows phone. It's no longer exceptional to be functional, you have to go beyond that.