I just installed iOS 5 on my iPhone 4 and I have to say, that ever since the original release of iOS, none of the updates feel like a "Major Release" aka Mac OS 9 to OS X... it just feels like iOS 4 with the crappy parts fixed to what they should have been to begin with. I will go over some of the new functionality of the OS and describe my feelings about it...
1.) Notification Center - This has been done fairly well, but it should have been this way from the beginning, however, that being said, I do really like the layout and way it has been implemented. I don't have any issues with it so far.
2.) iMessage - This is a great feature, because it is one of the first or only features that will actually SAVE you money. Most of my friends all have iPhones, so I will be able to revert my unlimited texting plan to the lowest plan since all of my texts will be free. However, I don't believe that it works under edge (only 3G) so that might cause some issues when traveling, so I feel they should just make it work under any cell mode and WiFi. I haven't really begun to test it out but on the surface it seems like a great idea.
3.) Newsstand - All of these stores are getting rather clunky, iTunes, iBooks, App Store, Newsstand, pretty soon we will have to have a folder or entire page dedicated to stores. The one thing I noticed so far in the beta is that the newsstand can't be deleted or even put into a folder. I have a folder on the very last page where I put all the icons that I'll never use (since u can't delete unwanted apple apps) and I can't even put it in there. The store in newsstand isn't activated yet and it just have a note that says you can buy magazines in the appstore.
4.) Reminders - While this is a cool idea, I see no need for it. There are TONS of task apps in the appstore and this will take away their business which also takes away from Apples business, it just makes no sense, and for it to be 1/10 NEW features of iOS 5, feels like wasted time and space. Now if I have no use for a tasks app, im forced to have one on my homescreen since this task app can't be removed.
5.) Twitter - This is another part of iOS that is really well done, the integration is perfect for the most part and I really feel that it was a good step by Apple. The only concern is, things like twitter can be fads, so it might be useless down the road.
6.) Camera - The new camera stuff is pretty cool, but once again, it's just been changed to the way it should have been in the first place, but the new features are solid. However, the camera icon on the lockscreen should have an option to be there at all times and not just when u double click... I feel it would be more usefull to just be there. I feel like I could swipe to unlock and push the camera button just as fast as I can double click to get the camera icon.
7.) PC Free - Solid new setup, I feel with this and iCloud we might really see a new era of cutting the cord.
8.) Game Center - I'm not much of a gamer anymore, I used to be heavy into them, but I don't feel that game center has been implemented very well overall. Even with games I do play, I never use game center, I opened it once and found it very weird and the color scheme is annoying and I just had no purpose for it. Having game center be more built deep into the OS and not something you have to open would be better IMHO. And btw, comparing the number of gamecenter users to the number of xbox live users was completely irrelevant. Comparing the two has absolutely no purpose or meaning. (and no i don't even own an xbox)
Well that's my thoughts for now... Overall it's a good release, but with iOS 6, I want to be WOW'ed!!! but this is a great "everything that we didn't do 100% in the last released, we made great" release. I'm ready for a new interface though
1.) Notification Center - This has been done fairly well, but it should have been this way from the beginning, however, that being said, I do really like the layout and way it has been implemented. I don't have any issues with it so far.
2.) iMessage - This is a great feature, because it is one of the first or only features that will actually SAVE you money. Most of my friends all have iPhones, so I will be able to revert my unlimited texting plan to the lowest plan since all of my texts will be free. However, I don't believe that it works under edge (only 3G) so that might cause some issues when traveling, so I feel they should just make it work under any cell mode and WiFi. I haven't really begun to test it out but on the surface it seems like a great idea.
3.) Newsstand - All of these stores are getting rather clunky, iTunes, iBooks, App Store, Newsstand, pretty soon we will have to have a folder or entire page dedicated to stores. The one thing I noticed so far in the beta is that the newsstand can't be deleted or even put into a folder. I have a folder on the very last page where I put all the icons that I'll never use (since u can't delete unwanted apple apps) and I can't even put it in there. The store in newsstand isn't activated yet and it just have a note that says you can buy magazines in the appstore.
4.) Reminders - While this is a cool idea, I see no need for it. There are TONS of task apps in the appstore and this will take away their business which also takes away from Apples business, it just makes no sense, and for it to be 1/10 NEW features of iOS 5, feels like wasted time and space. Now if I have no use for a tasks app, im forced to have one on my homescreen since this task app can't be removed.
5.) Twitter - This is another part of iOS that is really well done, the integration is perfect for the most part and I really feel that it was a good step by Apple. The only concern is, things like twitter can be fads, so it might be useless down the road.
6.) Camera - The new camera stuff is pretty cool, but once again, it's just been changed to the way it should have been in the first place, but the new features are solid. However, the camera icon on the lockscreen should have an option to be there at all times and not just when u double click... I feel it would be more usefull to just be there. I feel like I could swipe to unlock and push the camera button just as fast as I can double click to get the camera icon.
7.) PC Free - Solid new setup, I feel with this and iCloud we might really see a new era of cutting the cord.
8.) Game Center - I'm not much of a gamer anymore, I used to be heavy into them, but I don't feel that game center has been implemented very well overall. Even with games I do play, I never use game center, I opened it once and found it very weird and the color scheme is annoying and I just had no purpose for it. Having game center be more built deep into the OS and not something you have to open would be better IMHO. And btw, comparing the number of gamecenter users to the number of xbox live users was completely irrelevant. Comparing the two has absolutely no purpose or meaning. (and no i don't even own an xbox)
Well that's my thoughts for now... Overall it's a good release, but with iOS 6, I want to be WOW'ed!!! but this is a great "everything that we didn't do 100% in the last released, we made great" release. I'm ready for a new interface though
