My complaints with the iPhone (and iOS)

[No5tromo]

After ditching my useless Blackberry Bold in 2011 I got a 3G and soon after replaced it with a 3Gs. In early 2013 I upgraded to 4s and a few weeks ago to 6s. Needless to say that this time I was expecting an upgrade that would wow me and, don't get me wrong, the performance is better but 4 generations later I still feel like all I'm getting is better performance, a requirement raised by the OS itself rather than the users' actual needs (I did the huge mistake of upgrading to iOS 8 from iOS 7 and then the even worse mistake of upgrading to iOS 9 which pretty much killed my 4s).

My thoughts after upgrading from 4s to 6s:

I can't get used to the new size, I can't handle it easily with one hand (and my hands are by no means small), how on earth we went from medium sized phones (2G - 5s) to L (6 & 6s) and XL (the plus line) but no alternative? Apple has been vastly inconsistent with this given all the arguments they would use to support the smaller iPhone sizes a few years ago.

Battery life??? Phones keep getting uncomfortably slim and light but battery life remains the same if not worse. How about we compromise some of this "elegance" and get about 50% better battery life instead? I'm tired of worrying in the beginning of a busy day whether my phone will last me through the day. On top of that the the camera that pops out of the phone's body is ridiculous and makes it prone to scratches.

Price - I understand that this is a controversial issue, since you can always opt for a cheaper Android phone but you don't need to be a wizard to realise that Apple is greedy and disconnected with the concept of spreading technology across the word and NOT make it a privilege just for the rich. I, myself, am by no means rich but I have the luxury of investing in a good phone every 3 years or so, other people are not so lucky.

iOS 7,8,9
iOS 6 was by far my favourite upgrade, VIP contacts has been by far one of my favourite features on iPhone. On iOS6 everything ran smoothly and looked professional then iOS 7 happened and everything looks designed by and for kids. This "transparency, clarity, precision" thing is pure ********, instead we get worse performance (have you noticed the frame rate of the 3D touch menu effect on the newly released iPhone 6s plus?? UNACCEPTABLE), too many bugs, colours and gradient patterns that give me a headache and gimmicky effects that no-one cares about.

The worse of them all though is how disappointing the Widgets (Today/Notifications) area is. I was so hyped when I heard about the release of and upgraded Widgets feature a couple of years ago, thinking how cool the Post to Facebook and Tweet widget were. Not only were those widgets gone, the 5 day prediction weather widget was gone too. Widgets has become another gimmick now and is by no means a useful way to interact with your iPhone because I get it, you need to enter them apps, to see all the ads they got for you....

Having said all that, I do like my phone and use it A LOT, in fact I can't imaging my life without a smartphone (not necessarily an iPhone) and iPhones are definitely a good choice, however I think it's been a long time since we saw some real innovation on them and unfortunately some things change for the worse instead of becoming better.

P.S. I forgot an important one: STORAGE. 16GB is a joke given that a lot of this space is taken by the OS, I got the 64GB one but I wonder why on earth they still release the 16GB versions, I wonder how many mins of 4K shooting it takes before you run out space.

 

[bpeeps]

So what do you like?

 

[Eileen89]

Why did you upgrade to the new iPhone if you don't like these things? It's not like any of these things that you mentioned weren't covered by reviews and others online multiple times already..... Also, I disagree that the iPhone hasn't seen any innovation over the past few years. I think some people are just too blind to notice.

 

[eyoungren]

After ditching my useless Blackberry Bold in 2011 I got a 3G and soon after replaced it with a 3Gs. In early 2013 I upgraded to 4s and a few weeks ago to 6s. Needless to say that this time I was expecting an upgrade that would wow me and, don't get me wrong, the performance is better but 4 generations later I still feel like all I'm getting is better performance, a requirement raised by the OS itself rather than the users' actual needs (I did the huge mistake of upgrading to iOS 8 from iOS 7 and then the even worse mistake of upgrading to iOS 9 which pretty much killed my 4s).

My thoughts after upgrading from 4s to 6s:

I can't get used to the new size, I can't handle it easily with one hand (and my hands are by no means small), how on earth we went from medium sized phones (2G - 5s) to L (6 & 6s) and XL (the plus line) but no alternative? Apple has been vastly inconsistent with this given all the arguments they would use to support the smaller iPhone sizes a few years ago.

Battery life??? Phones keep getting uncomfortably slim and light but battery life remains the same if not worse. How about we compromise some of this "elegance" and get about 50% better battery life instead? I'm tired of worrying in the beginning of a busy day whether my phone will last me through the day. On top of that the the camera that pops out of the phone's body is ridiculous and makes it prone to scratches.

Price - I understand that this is a controversial issue, since you can always opt for a cheaper Android phone but you don't need to be a wizard to realise that Apple is greedy and disconnected with the concept of spreading technology across the word and NOT make it a privilege just for the rich. I, myself, am by no means rich but I have the luxury of investing in a good phone every 3 years or so, other people are not so lucky.

iOS 7,8,9
iOS 6 was by far my favourite upgrade, VIP contacts has been by far one of my favourite features on iPhone. On iOS6 everything ran smoothly and looked professional then iOS 7 happened and everything looks designed by and for kids. This "transparency, clarity, precision" thing is pure ********, instead we get worse performance (have you noticed the frame rate of the 3D touch menu effect on the newly released iPhone 6s plus?? UNACCEPTABLE), too many bugs, colours and gradient patterns that give me a headache and gimmicky effects that no-one cares about.

The worse of them all though is how disappointing the Widgets (Today/Notifications) area is. I was so hyped when I heard about the release of and upgraded Widgets feature a couple of years ago, thinking how cool the Post to Facebook and Tweet widget were. Not only were those widgets gone, the 5 day prediction weather widget was gone too. Widgets has become another gimmick now and is by no means a useful way to interact with your iPhone because I get it, you need to enter them apps, to see all the ads they got for you....

Having said all that, I do like my phone and use it A LOT, in fact I can't imaging my life without a smartphone (not necessarily an iPhone) and iPhones are definitely a good choice, however I think it's been a long time since we saw some real innovation on them and unfortunately some things change for the worse instead of becoming better.

I hate iOS 7, 8 and 9 too.

Never understood why Apple allowed NC widgets in iOS 6 but killed them in 7.

 

[cableguy84]

I totally agree about today/notifications, compared to android notifications its a joke

 

[Shark5150]

After ditching my useless Blackberry Bold in 2011 I got a 3G and soon after replaced it with a 3Gs. In early 2013 I upgraded to 4s and a few weeks ago to 6s. Needless to say that this time I was expecting an upgrade that would wow me and, don't get me wrong, the performance is better but 4 generations later I still feel like all I'm getting is better performance, a requirement raised by the OS itself rather than the users' actual needs (I did the huge mistake of upgrading to iOS 8 from iOS 7 and then the even worse mistake of upgrading to iOS 9 which pretty much killed my 4s).

My thoughts after upgrading from 4s to 6s:

I can't get used to the new size, I can't handle it easily with one hand (and my hands are by no means small), how on earth we went from medium sized phones (2G - 5s) to L (6 & 6s) and XL (the plus line) but no alternative? Apple has been vastly inconsistent with this given all the arguments they would use to support the smaller iPhone sizes a few years ago.

Battery life??? Phones keep getting uncomfortably slim and light but battery life remains the same if not worse. How about we compromise some of this "elegance" and get about 50% better battery life instead? I'm tired of worrying in the beginning of a busy day whether my phone will last me through the day. On top of that the the camera that pops out of the phone's body is ridiculous and makes it prone to scratches.

Price - I understand that this is a controversial issue, since you can always opt for a cheaper Android phone but you don't need to be a wizard to realise that Apple is greedy and disconnected with the concept of spreading technology across the word and NOT make it a privilege just for the rich. I, myself, am by no means rich but I have the luxury of investing in a good phone every 3 years or so, other people are not so lucky.

iOS 7,8,9
iOS 6 was by far my favourite upgrade, VIP contacts has been by far one of my favourite features on iPhone. On iOS6 everything ran smoothly and looked professional then iOS 7 happened and everything looks designed by and for kids. This "transparency, clarity, precision" thing is pure ********, instead we get worse performance (have you noticed the frame rate of the 3D touch menu effect on the newly released iPhone 6s plus?? UNACCEPTABLE), too many bugs, colours and gradient patterns that give me a headache and gimmicky effects that no-one cares about.

The worse of them all though is how disappointing the Widgets (Today/Notifications) area is. I was so hyped when I heard about the release of and upgraded Widgets feature a couple of years ago, thinking how cool the Post to Facebook and Tweet widget were. Not only were those widgets gone, the 5 day prediction weather widget was gone too. Widgets has become another gimmick now and is by no means a useful way to interact with your iPhone because I get it, you need to enter them apps, to see all the ads they got for you....

Having said all that, I do like my phone and use it A LOT, in fact I can't imaging my life without a smartphone (not necessarily an iPhone) and iPhones are definitely a good choice, however I think it's been a long time since we saw some real innovation on them and unfortunately some things change for the worse instead of becoming better.

Please say Good Bye to Apple. Obviously not living up to your expectations.

 

[thatanonymoususer]

Things you gained by upgrading:
Touch ID
3D Touch
NFC payments
Larger screen 960x640->1334x760(which I guess you don't like)
Always on Hey Siri
Dual core CPU at 800MHz to Dual core at 1.85GHz
Dual core GPU to 6-core GPU
Wireless n 150Mbps to wireless ac with MIMO 866Mbps
8MP -> 12MP back facing .3MP -> 5MP front camera
LPDDR2 512MB RAM to LPDDR4 2GB ram
Over twice as fast flash
140g->143g (pretty surprising for how big it is)
Live Photos (up to you if you like/don't like)

On the camera: almost all current cameras protrude. The glass is sapphire, so you're much more likely to shatter it than scratch/scuff it unless you keep it in your diamond-carrying pocket. (I'm not judging)

Price and size: if you don't like the size at all, the best iOS alternative by far right now is to just get a 128GB iPod touch for $400 and carry a flip phone. It has the same internals as the iPhone 6, but with the screen of an iPhone 5s. (No Touch ID or NFC)

I think one of the best things about iOS upgrades that I find amazing about your oppinion is Apple's ability to bring the iPhone 4s to the level of polish that you'd even consider the difference to be remotely small. That kind of value over time is what makes iPhones great devices to have.

 

[No5tromo]

Things you gained by upgrading:
Touch ID - I really like Touch ID, it's a very welcome feature
3D Touch - I like 3D Touch, I can see it becoming a thing in the future, but right now it's not a good enough reason to spend 900€ and no it didn't "change everything" like Apple is advertising
NFC payments - Apple didn't discover the wheel with this one, in fact they introduced it way too late
Larger screen 960x640->1334x760(which I guess you don't like) - You guessed right
Always on Hey Siri - I don't use Siri, not available in my language
Dual core CPU at 800MHz to Dual core at 1.85GHz - Great upgrade
Dual core GPU to 6-core GPU - Nice upgrade but I don't care about gaming on my iPhone
Wireless n 150Mbps to wireless ac with MIMO 866Mbps - My router is not even n (it's g I reckon) even so Internet connections here usually perform around 8 Mbps, I'm not saying that it shouldn't have a 801.11ac interface, I'm just saying that it doesn't make much of a difference for the average user.
8MP -> 12MP back facing .3MP -> 5MP front camera - 8MP is more than enough for most users, front camera quality still sucks and in that sense I don't care about the MBs
LPDDR2 512MB RAM to LPDDR4 2GB ram - Great upgrade
Over twice as fast flash - Great upgrade
140g->143g (pretty surprising for how big it is) - Don't care
Live Photos (up to you if you like/don't like) - LOL

On the camera: almost all current cameras protrude. The glass is sapphire, so you're much more likely to shatter it than scratch/scuff it unless you keep it in your diamond-carrying pocket. (I'm not judging) - Don't care, I take good care of my phone

Price and size: if you don't like the size at all, the best iOS alternative by far right now is to just get a 128GB iPod touch for $400 and carry a flip phone. It has the same internals as the iPhone 6, but with the screen of an iPhone 5s. (No Touch ID or NFC) - You've got to be kidding me

I think one of the best things about iOS upgrades that I find amazing about your oppinion is Apple's ability to bring the iPhone 4s to the level of polish that you'd even consider the difference to be remotely small. That kind of value over time is what makes iPhones great devices to have.- Or it just shows that Apple is slacking on its so called innovation

 

[The Game 161]

really?

I'm very happy with my notifications widget.

gives me everything i need, scores, football and NBA news, tech news. I thought i would miss android widgets but i don't as the notifications widget does everything i need

 

[HEK]

 

[No5tromo]

really?

I'm very happy with my notifications widget.

gives me everything i need, scores, football and NBA news, tech news. I thought i would miss android widgets but i don't as the notifications widget does everything i need

You cannot interact with these "widgets" it's just in-your-face information, you'd think that allowing third party widgets would open a new world of easy interaction between you and your phone but it only serves as an alternative way to open apps (with few exceptions). 3D touch is way better in that sense.

 

[yaboyac29]

my only serious complaint with iOS is the intrusive volume display.

the only time i ever press it is when i'm watching a video to adjust the volume, and what does it do? block out the entire video. should be less noticeable (maybe put it all the way at the bottom in a small bar?

 

[C DM]

You cannot interact with these "widgets" it's just in-your-face information, you'd think that allowing third party widgets would open a new world of easy interaction between you and your phone but it only serves as an alternative way to open apps (with few exceptions). 3D touch is way better in that sense.

There is some level of interaction as far as being taken to the app for more details of something. Personally that's enough for me. I can see someone else wanting something else/more, which really applies to many things in life, but that doesn't mean that many others find what's already there to be just fine if not better than that for them.

 

[smoking monkey]

My thoughts after upgrading from 4s to 6s:

Interesting Points. I also owned a 4s and a 5s but was using the 4s for 4 years (the last two in a certain work environment) so I'm still recent on how the 4s handles.

1. Size - If my wife can get used to a 6, you can as well. Just give it a bit more time.

2. Surely the battery is better on the 6s? It has to be. Plenty of sites on how to get the best bang for your battery in settings.

3. Protruding camera... Yeah. I hate that too. Bloody ridiculous. This is my biggest gripe with my 6s+.

4. Price... With you on this as well. I was shocked when I learnt the price of my new 6s+.

5. i0S 6 - the Holy Grail for some... for many. Personally I thought it looked average and wasn't very functional in most situations. In saying that, iOS6 was more stable, but when you barely change the OS in 4 years and the biggest change was folders, that's going to happen.

6. Notifications center - Apart from calendar and weather, I don't use it. Ultimately it's full of info that isn't vital. It's part of the conspiracy to keep you glued to your device, using data, increasing advertising revenue and paying for services you really don't need. I'm not a special snowflake so all the social media stuff doesn't affect me. Twitter/Facebook is a drug and people don't even know they are addicted. Delete them, my friend, and never look back because (and I'm now residing in Pete and Bernie's Philosophical Steakhouse) in the end it just doesn't matter [rant over].

7. Real innovation? I don't know if you'd call it innovation but my phone today is infinitely more functional than it was 4 years ago with the 4s. Personally, my world changed when apple seamlessly introduced iMessage and FT audio calls over cellular. I contact various peoples overseas almost daily and what a massive difference it makes to have these options integrated seamlessly into phone. Continuity and Handoff are also important for me.

8. Storage? Yeah, what a joke. Cheap baastards they are.

 

[lordofthereef]

I can't say I hear about battery life gripes with the 6 series devices too often. Is this just a matter of knowing that Apple could have given you a thicker phone and increased the battery? Or are you actually in dire need of a longer lasting battery?

I'd say that we received some very nice attachment management features since iOS 6 as well as some speech to text features (added languages at the very least). We also have Touch ID now which many have said actually increases unlock speeds for them as well as makes things more secure. Let's not forget Apple Pay (and hopefully future uses for nfc). Those are just a few things I can think of without actually looking at a list.

As far as widgets, I think Apple should've called hem something else. I think people were expecting android style widgets (including myself here) and that's simply not what it was ever supposed to be. Some
Widgets I find useful (like yahoo weather, phenomenal) and some are just pointless wastes of space. We can also quickly get access to flashlight, calculator, etc, which I do appreciate, but would
Love to be able to add my own desired functions.

Your comments on price I basically agree with, but Apple has never been competitive with price. They also have the best customer care in the business, so you're sort of buying that too. The counter argument might be that you don't care about customer care, which is a fair point. It's something that I consider value added, and is actually one reason I don't insure my iPhone's.

Storage is a problem, a lot more so than it has been in the past. Sort of goes hand in hand with price. I'm still expecting a 32 gb base for next year, though I've been saying that for over a year now.

I guess I don't necessarily disagree with your overall feelings about iPhones in general, but I also don't necessarily see what it is you want from these devices. The 6 series was the most disappointing for me, performance wise,
Particularly the plus. The 6s series fixed all of that. I would be shocked if that phone doesn't last 3+ years for most users needs (needs not wants lol).

 

[lordofthereef]

You cannot interact with these "widgets" it's just in-your-face information, you'd think that allowing third party widgets would open a new world of easy interaction between you and your phone but it only serves as an alternative way to open apps (with few exceptions). 3D touch is way better in that sense.

See my comment on Apple widgets. But to expand on that, and respond to what you've said here, you've described an Apple widget exactly, it's meant to give you a quick glance at information, especially from the lock screen. While it may be a way to open apps, another bonus is it makes multitasking faster. I can open, say, calculator, do a quick calculation, tap "back to (insert precious app here)", and I'm back where I was without ever opening multitasker.

Not earth shattering, but a nice little festure. I guess what I'm saying is I don't personally want to interact with my widgets much. I want them to display quick info. Weather and my calendar/schedule are the two key components of my widgets that I'm happy to have available at a moment's notice.

 

[Paddle1]

Some widgets can be interacted with, ex. a Calculator.

 

[thatanonymoususer]

The context for this is that at the time, Apple was AT&T only, and Droid/Android was(and still is) Verizon only.

 

[mickeydean]

I think day-long battery give or take will be the norm for Apple.

For a multitude of reasons but one quickly is this lowers the device inertia so people upgrade more often.

There are diminishing returns with newer models. iPhone 4S and 6S have little apart in terms of actual usability but that is in large part because 4S still receives updates. The apps define a lot of what you can do with your phone and I haven't really changed the apps I use since I got a 3GS, 4S, 5, 6+, and then 6S+.

 

[The Game 161]

You cannot interact with these "widgets" it's just in-your-face information, you'd think that allowing third party widgets would open a new world of easy interaction between you and your phone but it only serves as an alternative way to open apps (with few exceptions). 3D touch is way better in that sense.

You click on the widget for said news and it launches to that story. what more do you need than that?

 

[No5tromo]

You click on the widget for said news and it launches to that story. what more do you need than that?

How about I can quickly post something on Facebook or Twitter (like I used to up to ios6?). Why did they discontinue the 5 day weather prediction widget on iOS 7? The answer is simple they want you to open the apps, they don't want to add something on your phone that would replace your need to open the app frequently, that's how companies make money. Now I could bring up other examples of how you can make widgets even more interactive (eg messaging on the go with your favourite contacts or setting an alarm/reminder on the go) but the point is they don't want to add this functionality on the phones.

 

[convergent]

I think you'd have been happier with a 5s. The biggest feature gain to me is touchid, and the 5s is still pretty snappy with iOS 9. My wife just went from 4s to 5s and is quite happy.

 

[No5tromo]

I think you'd have been happier with a 5s. The biggest feature gain to me is touchid, and the 5s is still pretty snappy with iOS 9. My wife just went from 4s to 5s and is quite happy.

Well it's kinda late now, but my main concern would be what happens 2 iOS upgrades later? 5s would will be dead by then and I plan to keep my 6s for at least 3 years. Not upgrading to the latest iOS would be an option I guess but I'm pretty sure I'll cave in and upgrade anyway cause that X new feature looks amazing.

 

[The Game 161]

How about I can quickly post something on Facebook or Twitter (like I used to up to ios6?). Why did they discontinue the 5 day weather prediction widget on iOS 7? The answer is simple they want you to open the apps, they don't want to add something on your phone that would replace your need to open the app frequently, that's how companies make money. Now I could bring up other examples of how you can make widgets even more interactive (eg messaging on the go with your favourite contacts or setting an alarm/reminder on the go) but the point is they don't want to add this functionality on the phones.

Huh?

All those things you mentioned all have widgets

I have widget that combines

My data,wifi, location services, music, contacts, messages, phone, clock alarm

There are Twitter widgets where you can post a tweet as well

 

[No5tromo]

Huh?

All those things you mentioned all have widgets

I have widget that combines

My data,wifi, location services, music, contacts, messages, phone, clock alarm

There are Twitter widgets where you can post a tweet as well

What's the name of the app that lets you tweet from within the widget? I once downloaded one but it only opened the app to the new tweet screen. If that's the case I can do that with 3D Touch.