Steve Jobs on Lack of Custom Wallpapers in iOS 4 for iPhone 3G

[fef714]

Using a 2nd gen iPod touch, iOS 4 has actually made everything worse!

I'm not just talking about this wallpaper thing, but the fact that my iPod crashes all the time. The worst offenders are Mail and surprisingly the Music app(?).

And all sorts of little things, like the keyboard takes a few seconds to open up, or the device feels less responsive, but it's just the little things that make it feel lacking in the polish iPhone OS 3 had. And Apple is not known for lacking polish


The other thing is for the average 2nd gen user, this upgrade doesn't offer really any new features. The only thing the average joe will notice is the dock looks different, and folders. That's really it.



Although I'm sure Apple will release 4.1 and all the problems will go away
... cept this whole 'wallpaper' problem that won't go away.

 

[SansArc]

I'm kinda surprised by some of the expectations here. I was surprised they would even support 2 year old hardware. When they stopped supporting my old iPod Photo it did not render it useless. If you want new snazzy features you got to get the new hardware. There are graphical enhancements I imagine are more intense. Comparing iOS4 to Jailbreak features is a little funny to me. As I imagine they do not implement the features in the same way. Is it really a surprise that they would nix a few features on the basis of them not meeting their expectations? Did we already forget their reasoning for not supporting flash? Got to admire their consistency.

 

[TheAppleDragon]

For once, Mr. Steve...

It seems the YouTube users show differently.

Really, you want us to keep resorting to jailbreaking to use it?

Fine. I hate jailbreaking, personally, but if it means wallpaper... I'll do it.

 

[uberamd]

For once, Mr. Steve...

It seems the YouTube users show differently.

Really, you want us to keep resorting to jailbreaking to use it?

Fine. I hate jailbreaking, personally, but if it means wallpaper... I'll do it.

2 things:

1. The wallpaper implementation by jailbreaking is different than that of iOS 4
2. How important is a frickin wallpaper to you anyway?

 

[Soliber]

It would have been nice to be an option to turn it on or off. Give your users a choice to turn on or off features if they so wish... oh wait, Apple isn't like that... Steve knows better than his users.

Choice to do what exactly? Something performance degrading?
Choice is bs, it needs to work properly, else leave it out, plain and simple. If you want to have the choice to mess up your phone through fidgeting with it, iOS is not something for you.

 

[Astro7x]

Regardless of whether the older devices can handle it or not (I think it sounds ridiculous the thing can run 3D games but can't do some simple animation over a static image, but hey-ho... ) Apple are silly over things like this, when if they gave users the option, and we found we agreed with Apple that it was better without a background image there would be far less anger and stuff. Why not just bury options like these in an advanced menu and let people decide for themselves?

There are a TON of people who use Apple devices that don't understand how they work or how much Ram is needed to do these things. You start putting buggy features in a device, and people don't realize it's because of the ****** wallpaper of their cat. They just think it's a poorly made product and it gives it a bad reputation.

Sure, my jailbroken iPod Touch 2G could do backgrounding, but it drained the battery life! Give people the option and now it's getting a reputation of having horrible battery life even though it's because people forgot to close their high resource hogging 3D game.

If you want the choice jailbreak it, but then don't complain about the sluggish performance.

 

[irun5k]

While I was upgrading to iOS4 i knocked the cable out of my iPhone 3G. I swear I saw standard homescreen with only the Apple Apps, and the raindrops background for a split second.

When the restore finalized I got the same BS black as everybody.

I saw the exact same behavior. Was only for a second or two; I'm surprised I even caught glimpse of it.

 

[InfinitiG]

Sjobs is just making an excuse so that when he does add wallpapers to iOs5 he can say its magical and revolutionary. You guys really think with all Ios4 can do, it cant handle a simple 100k background picture? lol

 

[knome]

I call ********! Been using it all day with my jailbroken phone and it works just fine.

 

[redkamel]

Yep. Steve is right. Sure they could have simplified the animation, but as it stands right now, it DOES perform too poorly for mainstream.

I agree. Theres no reason for the new software to even support the 3G. I sure as hell would only move the barebones features to it. The thing is already going to get taxed as more complicated apps are going to be coming out. Plus, maybe there will be wallpaper support in the future? Who knows? and honestly, who cares? The 3G does exactly what it did when someone bought it.

Steve: Programmers! I know you are busy. We have iphone OS4 about to launch, iphone 4 about to launch, OSX to keep optimizing, ilife to update and keep working on improving ipad functionality and adding all the menus and everything in an easy-to-use way. But I would like some of our topprogrammers to please set aside some time RIGHT NOW so they can work on simplifying the animations for iOS4 so that the 3G users on 2 year old hardware can have wallpapers."

 

[khanriazaoif]

Eh, I have a 3GS but still backgrounds aren't a major selling point for me. My 2G and 3G never had wallpapers.

Think of it this way: your 3G hasn't ever had wallpapers, and when you purchased it you were never told you would get wallpapers. Your device does no less now than it did the day you got it.

exactly, people are ungrateful and its hilarious. before apple came into the phone game how many of your handsets would get updates? NONE, Apple changed the game with the iPhone but also changed it by adding multiple features that were not expected especially the first time around that made a product I bought as is even better. You bought your 3G as is, you get a free update with many new features and yet you complain? yes on a jailbroken phone backgrounding works, and wallpapers etc but the phone is sluggish, shuts down sometimes and mine would get hot for no reason. Apple is proud of there products and if performance is impacted negatively in any way Steve will pull it, its why Apple has become such a dominant force in todays technology market. And to be honest why are 3G owners really complaining? Im sure you can upgrade to iPhone 4 for $200 so go get one and stop complaining. For anyone who will respond they dont have the money or shouldnt have to spend it your right, stick with your phone that atleast got new features and stop complaining.

 

[slicecom]

Steve: Programmers! I know you are busy. We have iphone OS4 about to launch, iphone 4 about to launch, OSX to keep optimizing, ilife to update and keep working on improving ipad functionality and adding all the menus and everything in an easy-to-use way. But I would like some of our topprogrammers to please set aside some time RIGHT NOW so they can work on simplifying the animations for iOS4 so that the 3G users on 2 year old hardware can have wallpapers."

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Theres no reason for the new software to even support the 3G. I sure as hell would only move the barebones features to it. The thing is already going to get taxed as more complicated apps are going to be coming out.

Agree 100%. Most other cell phones are antiques as soon as a new model is released. I'm just happy that Apple releases new OS'es for old phones AT ALL! To expect them to optimize software for a 2 year old phone is unfair and unrealistic.

 

[andiwm2003]

Choice to do what exactly? Something performance degrading?
Choice is bs, it needs to work properly, else leave it out, plain and simple. If you want to have the choice to mess up your phone through fidgeting with it, iOS is not something for you.

+1

already now people feel uncertain about multitasking. it takes several clicks to close out apps now. so often people will not close them and battery life will degrade.

of course if you know your device this is not a problem. but 99% of people do not know their device in detail and they don't want to. they just want to use it.

apple should keep it simple to protect the brand from a bad image. its just a phone after all.

 

[jholzner]

second. my first gen iPhone never had problem with custom icons animating on custom wallpapers, none of which Apple had seen before.

in fact, I'm pretty sure Steve just came up with that reason on the spot. He probably just wants you to buy a new iPhone.

I have a hard time believing that even Apple thinks someone who was planning on sticking with the 3G would then upgrade just to get custom wallpapers. So, I doubt that it why it's not there.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

already now people feel uncertain about multitasking. it takes several clicks to close out apps now. so often people will not close them and battery life will degrade.

That's not how 'multitasking' works in iOS 4. The only apps that continue to use CPU are the ones which are actually performing background tasks, like navigation or playing music. Everything else is either not supported, or is simply held in a frozen state. Normal users won't even bother with this feature, and power users just need to relax a little if they've got a temptation to 'manage open apps'.

 

[csmitty]

Just delete the icon shadow in the springboard.plist. Gets rid of all the slowness when the apps fly in. I've kept the text shadow and it does it just fine.

However with "multi-tasking" you do have to clean it out regularly if you use alot of apps.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Planned Obsolesence.

Phase em out, Jobs. Fill those landfills...

 

[coolfactor]

This is all bull, this is due to the fact apple know most people with an iPhone 3g will be ready for upgrading so its all about the money.

I disagree. My 3G feels as new as the day I got it. Sure, it doesn't support all of the iOS 4 features, which is a shame, and it's a tad slower under this new OS, but I'm still getting all of the value out of it that I did on Day One. No need to upgrade (although I will be to get the better camera).

 

[bignumbers]

Whoo-hoo! Life is good again.

Somewhat non-intuitive process, but I don't care, I've got my black home screen again.

It will ask you if you actually go through the process of changing the wallpaper.

 

[Sean4123]

this screams out apple creating software tiers for hardware limitations... I mean we see this in almost every other form of electronic device markets... A simple software limitation intentioned by the manufacture to create levels of product to force the end user to spend money on upgrading an otherwise perfectly useful device. This kind of grey-business practice is something which is appauling to me, but kind of expected by me from apple at some point...

It just makes me sad that day has finally arrived...

Goodbye 1st generation Ipod Touch, you have been deemed useless by apple.

"Deemed Useless by Apple?" Is there someone at Apple holding a gun to your head and making you update your OS to 4.0? No! Most companies don't even offer upgradable OS's and for free no less. I can't believe the ignorance on this thread. And the fact that this post is about a 1st Generation iPod Touch is even more laughable.

 

[dnmx]

They aren't missing much, I find the screen a lot harder to read andd switched to the darkest wallpaper I could. Can't find an option for a plain black screen anywhere yet.

i did some kind of workaround and sent myself a picture with just black in it and used it for the homescreen.

you could take a picture whilst covering the cam.

 

[macinsider9]

Or you could just put ur apps in folders then the wallpapers and multitasking work fine worked for me significant speed boost..try it. I also monitor memory usage on the system app.

 

[WeegieMac]

Those calling "BS" have NO idea what they're talking about.

That's talking from experience. The 3G cannot run home screen wallpapers because of the amount of gradient shadows used at the top and bottom of each icon as well as behind the text underneath.

When I jailbroke and enabled my (now sold) iPhone 3G to run multi-tasking and home-screen wallpapers, I had to remove these gradients to get the respring animation anywhere near acceptable.

And even then, it's not perfect.

 

[hsotnicam8002]

That iOS4 wallpaper is so bad on my 1.25 year old 3G that I'm going to have to jailbreak again as soon a bit of time has passed to ensure JB stability. With OS 3.1.3 my wallpapers worked just great. (Before anyone asks why did I upgrade, I wanted to ensure that the latest security components were on my phone).

Just to point out that Mr Apple has severely restricted the usefulness of iPhone OS updates on a phone that they sold me just 1.25 years ago and were selling until quite recently. That's just not good enough.

And why is the iPad OS update lagging so far behind, time-wise?

 

[kdarling]

"Deemed Useless by Apple?" Is there someone at Apple holding a gun to your head and making you update your OS to 4.0? No!

If we want to use 4.0 apps, then yeah.

Most companies don't even offer upgradable OS's and for free no less. I can't believe the ignorance on this thread.

Other phones don't need upgrades as much. They already had things like video, SMS, folders and so forth.

When they do get upgrades, they're usually for free. RIM, Android, WinMo... all paid for by the carriers.

Yes, it's rare to have updates for older phones, but we're starting to see that with Apple as well. Older phones have less CPU and memory.

And the fact that this post is about a 1st Generation iPod Touch is even more laughable.

Not sure it's "laughable". A major Apple sales point has been the ability to upgrade. I have an 1st gen iPod touch and paid several times to get the next OS.