Steve Jobs on Future Wireless iPhone Syncing, Replacement of 'Hold' Button With FaceTime

[jmmo20]

"Hold" is a network feature in which your phone releases the call and is free to make another call.

"Mute" is a handset feature and simply disconnects the microphone so the other party doesn't hear you.

The fact that Jobs doesn't know the difference worries me.

 

[darrenbeige]

We need some other person to send an eMail to Jobs asking him to clarify what amount of time he means by "someday". Next year?

 

[jmmo20]

Right, Rootus. Sure, it's technically true that mute and hold are not exactly the same, but they serve essentially the same purpose. In context, it's pretty clear to me that this is what Jobs was saying.

No they don't serve the same purpose.. the fact people use both for the same purpose doesn't mean that's what they were designed for.

Hold was designed to release the current call from your handset so you could dial another telephone number while the first call was kept active at the operators network. Then you could swap from both calls, or join them together in a multiconference call.

 

[acidfast7]

why do people care about a 2-second email response?

in all honesty, i'm surprised that he picked those emails to respond to out of the bajillion he gets every day.

then he gives no concrete answer ... then this place debates about it

lol

 

[jerry333]

Just tried it with iPhone4. If you press and hold the mute button, the button actually changes to display "hold". In OOP this is called "overloading".

 

[Back2Bedlam]



 

[WestonHarvey1]

What's the big hold up on wireless syncing? The Apple TV does a pretty good job of it - I have two in my house syncing to my Mac. The use cases don't seem all that different.

Is there a big technical challenge as to why iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch aren't doing it already?

 

[Soliber]

They probably have a lot more important things on their plate right now than wireless syncing 🙂

 

[gcliv]

What's the big hold up on wireless syncing? The Apple TV does a pretty good job of it - I have two in my house syncing to my Mac. The use cases don't seem all that different.

Is there a big technical challenge as to why iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch aren't doing it already?

Marketing. Can't give every conceivable feature all at the same time. Future buying incentive.

 

[hellomoto4]

From iOS 4 user guide.

 

[MrSmith]

If you don't want to hear the other person, the call needs to be ended. Duh.

 

[mubaili]

Virtual Buttons

why can't Apple just simply add a FaceTime button? I mean those buttons are virtual button not physical buttons. Isn't the virtual buttons the benefits that Steve Jobs talk about all the time?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

"Hold" is a network feature in which your phone releases the call and is free to make another call.

"Mute" is a handset feature and simply disconnects the microphone so the other party doesn't hear you.

The fact that Jobs doesn't know the difference worries me.

Why does that worry you? Has that piece of knowledge held Jobs back in his career proportionate to the degree it has advanced yours?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

why can't Apple just simply add a FaceTime button? I mean those buttons are virtual button not physical buttons. Isn't the virtual buttons the benefits that Steve Jobs talk about all the time?

Avoiding interface clutter. Showcasing a useful feature while hiding a nearly useless one, yet still making that feature available in a clever way.

 

[EzJe]

No they don't serve the same purpose.. the fact people use both for the same purpose doesn't mean that's what they were designed for.

Hold was designed to release the current call from your handset so you could dial another telephone number while the first call was kept active at the operators network. Then you could swap from both calls, or join them together in a multiconference call.

There's the "Add A Call" button for this. I think the point is that "Hold" is mostly obsolete when you have the other buttons.

 

[gstylez]

If you want the "Hold" button turn off FaceTime. When you want FaceTime turn it back on. Why do people want to make things complicated.

 

[CalebF]

Wireless syncing???

*coughs Zune HD coughs*

Oh, there goes Apple again being cutting-edge innovators.

Multitasking? Mid-2010 (actually Fall 2010 for the iPad). Change your wallpaper? Same. An LED flash for the camera on the back? Same.

Boy, I'm glad Apple was there to offer it first! Call me in 2019 when they finally get around to offering a FM radio! lol

C'mon! I love the ease and build of Apple products, but at least ADMIT for all their "first", there's an equal or greater number of:

[Steve, sent from his iPhone 4 (just don't hold it that way!)]: "Some day."

 

[WestonHarvey1]

If you want the "Hold" button turn off FaceTime. When you want FaceTime turn it back on. Why do people want to make things complicated.

You just made it pretty complicated.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Wireless syncing???

*coughs Zune HD coughs*

Oh, there goes Apple again being cutting-edge innovators.

Multitasking? Mid-2010 (actually Fall 2010 for the iPad). Change your wallpaper? Same. An LED flash for the camera on the back? Same.

Boy, I'm glad Apple was there to offer it first! Call me in 2019 when they finally get around to offering a FM radio! lol

C'mon! I love the ease and build of Apple products, but at least ADMIT for all their "first", there's an equal or greater number of:

[Steve, sent from his iPhone 4 (just don't hold it that way!)]: "Some day."

Apple's approach means better implementations. It also means they're not going to be first with things like kickstands.

 

[JediZenMaster]

Boy, I'm glad Apple was there to offer it first! Call me in 2019 when they finally get around to offering a FM radio! lol

Who still listens to radio?? It's a wasteland of commercials and repeated playlists (Yes Clear channel i'm referring to you), But never the less by 2019 most people won't be be listening to radio and therefore it will be useless to implement something that people won't use.

 

[CalebF]

Apple's approach means better implementations. It also means they're not going to be first with things like kickstands.

A kickstand would be neat. A kickstand in an iPad w/ a FaceTime front-facing camera would be even neater.

I do see your point on making better implementations. 🙂

 

[levitynyc]

Lol FM radio. I haven't listened to fm radio in 5 years.

 

[richard.mac]

would love wifi sync, but alas one of the many factors swinging me to jailbreak.

also just chiming in to say that the "available for jailbroken devices" 404s and removing "%22" from the end of the URL opens the link properly.

 

[Xarthan]

I love people who share these responses and block out their own e-mail and leave Steve's visible. If your gonna write Steve, and you get a response, and want to share it with the planet, why don't you share your e-mail address? I would.

so they don't get added to spam lists?

 

[kdarling]

Wow, so page 64 of the iPhone 4 & 3GS User manual, is secret eh...

As far as most people go, yes, the new way of getting to Hold is effectively a secret, and it will remain so to them unless told about it... or they accidentally figure it out.

That's because very few owners ever read the manual. And why should they? The whole point of the iPhone is that it supposedly doesn't need a manual; that there are supposedly no hidden menus or actions.

(Heck, I'd bet that a majority of iPhone owners don't even know there's a manual available. I've certainly had to clue in a lot of people about it.)

Yet without a manual or personal demonstration or online forums, people would never figure out all the iPhone's secret gestures. That's why we get these kinds of questions.

Just check the Apple support forums for the effect on users of accidentally triggering the hidden magnification, for example. I won't even bring up the most common one: that of people accidentally turning on TTY 🙂