WAY too many gimmicks

[pdqgp]

1 Find my iphone It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

So what are your plans? Are you going to sell them, donate them or trash them?

Yeah it'll let you know if you left your iphone somewhere, but if someone finds it (which they inevitably will) all they need to do is reset it, remove the sim and bye bye iphone.

So if you lose it and are able to wipe it of any data, that's not of value to you?

What were expecting from this feature?

You've got as much chance of getting it back as if you just locked it and sent a text saying 'please give me my phone back'.
Most people are scum and wouldn't return it.

And the fact that a scum bag wouldn't return your phone is Apple's fault? Again, what are your expectations?

2. Siri.
Pure novelty. Dictating an email or text is horrifically badly implemented, one mistake and you need to restart the entire message from the beginning.

Really? So I am either perfectly spoken or I have the smartest Siri out there as mine rarely messes up my dictation. I also don't have to start over if I mess up. Just correct the word needed and hit send.

I'll ask again, what are your expectations. Coming here with statements and not sharing anything more is a bit self serving and honestly a waste of time.

Only america has it tied to any location services so far, so anywhere else in the world it's quite limited.[/quote]

What release of Siri is this?

The voice recognition is also quite lacklustre, even with clear diction and proper annunciation you'll only get about 90% accuracy at best (with optical conditions, no background noise etc).

Again, my phone and Siri > yours. I think studies would show that if Siri truely listens and gets 90% of what you say, that it's likely doing better than 90% of those you talk with on the phone. They probably only listen to 50% of what you say.

As for intelligence in following a conversation, that is also quite poor, and also really buggy (yes I know it's a 'beta').

You answered your own point, but are also forgetting the countless points of programming likely needed to understand conversations from the 7B people in the world.

Siri, like facetime will be a short lived novelty item that most people don't use very often. I find it hilarious apple don't bring it to their other devices too, if they're actually serious about it.

I'd love to see the actual facts you used when commenting on facetime. I'd also like to understand your understanding of Apple's direction as it relates to Siri. You must have been privy to some pretty serious conversations about it. Do share.

iMessage and notification centre are welcome additions, it's just a shame apple has chosen to go for gimmicks this time around.

Opinions are like A..........

 

[megapopular]

Haha!!

Well the way I see it, unless my phone is secure from a restore, find my iPhone is a pointless app.

Siri is also quite lacklustre.

You don't know much if you think simply restoring your phone would secure the info on it. Read up on wiping information and you'll learn that someone can still get access to your precious info even after your "secure" restore. If you're that worried about it you better keep all your info solely in your brain, then you only have to worry about things like truth serums and torturers in being able to get access to your memories, lol!

 

[sviato]

I think iMessage is the biggest gimmick we got with iOS 5

 

[The Game 161]

Stupid thread really just look how many phones have been saved from find my iPhone

 

[JRoDDz]

1 Find my iphone (or now find my mac).
It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

I use find my iPhone all the time to find my kids iPhones. 9 times out of 10, the kid is approximately 12 inches away from said iPhone.

Maybe they should have renamed it "Find my Kids"?

 

[OptyCT]

Agreed. Siri is the biggest gimmick in the history of Apple.

I seem to remember countless people calling the iPad a "gimmick" too.

 

[andross77]

1 Find my iphone (or now find my mac).
It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

Yeah it'll let you know if you left your iphone somewhere, but if someone finds it (which they inevitably will) all they need to do is reset it, remove the sim and bye bye iphone.
You've got as much chance of getting it back as if you just locked it and sent a text saying 'please give me my phone back'.
Most people are scum and wouldn't return it.

Same goes for find my mac, anyone with even a little technical know how would just reformat it and it's gone.
They need some sort of mechanism that stops you resetting a phone without your itunes password or some other form of authentication.

2. Siri.

Pure novelty.
Dictating an email or text is horrifically badly implemented, one mistake and you need to restart the entire message from the beginning.
Only america has it tied to any location services so far, so anywhere else in the world it's quite limited.
The voice recognition is also quite lacklustre, even with clear diction and proper annunciation you'll only get about 90% accuracy at best (with optical conditions, no background noise etc).
As for intelligence in following a conversation, that is also quite poor, and also really buggy (yes I know it's a 'beta').
And why on earth does it need to connect to the internet to play a song from my library?

Siri, like facetime will be a short lived novelty item that most people don't use very often.
I find it hilarious apple don't bring it to their other devices too, if they're actually serious about it.


iMessage and notification centre are welcome additions, it's just a shame apple has chosen to go for gimmicks this time around.

First off, you said "WAY too many gimmicks" and proceed to list 2 things. Not sure if you missed that lesson in Kindergarten but 2 would NEVER be considered "WAY too many."

Secondly, you assume that because someone is intelligent enough to swipe a phone from a park bench they also know how to go into a phone's settings to look for a specific app (that they must be aware of in the first place) and know how to reset a phone or pop out a sim (which Verizon iphone's don't even have). Most people stupid enough to steal are too stupid to know that they are being tracked. There are plenty of stories of people being able to track their phones with this app and have even gotten the thieves arrested. There are always exceptions of course, but for the most part, phone thieves are idiots.

Thirdly, one mistake on Siri and you do not have to redictate everything. You can correct the one word and you still saved time typing the rest of the paragraph. I have noticed about 98% accuracy or above, not the 90% you quote and yes it's beta and yes it will get better. But apparently you are too impatient/cynical/whiny to wait for that improvement.

Lastly, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, RETURN IT! It's not that hard of a concept! Retailers don't hold guns to people's heads and FORCE them to buy their products! YOU BOUGHT IT! You have decided it's all gimmicky. SO RETURN IT! You are within the return period for sure. And even if you went past it, you could sell it on Craigslist/Ebay for a nice profit.

Damn, some of you people are just WHINY CRYBABY ASSES! I guess that's what internet forums are for though: cry/complain/be pissy instead of being thankful you have a "friggin magic wand in your hand that communicates to satellites thousands of miles above the earth"!!!! But noooooooo, let's focus on the small things and complain about them. That makes EVERYONE feel better!!!

 

[Jordan921]

Both Siri and Find my iPhone or mac are optional. Don't like it don't use it. No one is forcing you to right?

 

[takeshi74]

WAY too many gimmicks

What is or isn't a gimmick is always highly subjective. If you think they're gimmicks then don't use them and move on. Why do you feel the need to tilt at this windmill?

 

[BlindMellon]

2. Siri.

Pure novelty.


Siri, like facetime will be a short lived novelty item that most people don't use very often.
I find it hilarious apple don't bring it to their other devices too, if they're actually serious about it.

+1
Proves, though, that Apple can polish a turd and the faithful will fall all over themselves to get in line for it. Sad, really.

 

[s15119]

Siri is also quite lacklustre.

Compared to what?

 

[kfergiez]

I don't want a phone with all of this darned technology!!!!

Sounds like Andy should just get a dumb phone.... or a rotary phone.

 

[vitzr]

Well the way I see it, unless my phone is secure from a restore, find my iPhone is a pointless app.

Siri is also quite lacklustre.

I don't disagree. Yet if we reframe how the phone is viewed in the context as a consumer entertainment device, the gimmicks work to Apples advantage. It's a new gimmick each year. Assuring Apple the attention they relish. Last year it was Face Time. This year it's Siri. Each of these add amusement for the average consumer even if only temporary.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Well the way I see it, unless my phone is secure from a restore, find my iPhone is a pointless app.

Siri is also quite lacklustre.

I've used it several times, with great success. Never, never has my phone been wiped by somebody to the point where I could not locate it. Is this a possibility? Yeah. But also unlikely if you discover it missing soon enough. Your point is highly invalid - simply because it is pointless, if it is wiped, does not mean it is pointless the rest of the time.

 

[Sandman1969]

Bologna!

Find my Find is VERY useful to find a missing phone. You know you can misplace your phone without someone stealing it? Besides, even if it is stolen, if you know it in time, the ability to remote wipe is huge.

Siri is a Godsend and should have been on the phone in some form or another.
I use it all the time during my commute. To be able to keep my eye on the road while sending texts and having them read to me is wonderful. No it isn't 100% but it is close enough to me and she usually gets what I am saying correct.

It being BETA and is this good, I can't wait until it is "completed".

 

[MrXiro]

Facetime, ichat and imessage needs to be combined into a single app and also opened up to communicate with at least one other service. Be it aim, Skype, googlechat whatever. Being closed like it is makes imessage and facetime so limited in its user base.

 

[xraytech]

1 Find my iphone (or now find my mac).
It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

Yeah it'll let you know if you left your iphone somewhere, but if someone finds it (which they inevitably will) all they need to do is reset it, remove the sim and bye bye iphone.
You've got as much chance of getting it back as if you just locked it and sent a text saying 'please give me my phone back'.
Most people are scum and wouldn't return it.

Same goes for find my mac, anyone with even a little technical know how would just reformat it and it's gone.
They need some sort of mechanism that stops you resetting a phone without your itunes password or some other form of authentication.

2. Siri.

Pure novelty.
Dictating an email or text is horrifically badly implemented, one mistake and you need to restart the entire message from the beginning.
Only america has it tied to any location services so far, so anywhere else in the world it's quite limited.
The voice recognition is also quite lacklustre, even with clear diction and proper annunciation you'll only get about 90% accuracy at best (with optical conditions, no background noise etc).
As for intelligence in following a conversation, that is also quite poor, and also really buggy (yes I know it's a 'beta').
And why on earth does it need to connect to the internet to play a song from my library?

Siri, like facetime will be a short lived novelty item that most people don't use very often.
I find it hilarious apple don't bring it to their other devices too, if they're actually serious about it.


iMessage and notification centre are welcome additions, it's just a shame apple has chosen to go for gimmicks this time around.

Wow!!!

-56 in less than 24hrs

You may be on pace for the Record for most Negs on one post. I think the record was somewhere around -300

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1257905/

Find my iDevice is very useful! If anything it's useful for it's Remote Wipe.

I kinda agree with you on Siri only to the point that users will eventually find a use for it. Also don't forget the utilization of Siri for the Disabled.

 

[EdMan]

Once last winter while cleaning our lot at work I thought my phone had fallen out of my pocket. Turned out I had left it at home and didn't realize it. Find My iPhone definitely had some use. If it's just useful one time, it can make all the difference in the world to some. If you don't like it, turn it off. It's not a new feature to begin with.

While I don't use Siri much, it's nice to have when I choose to. I like my iPhone as well as it's features. If you don't buy something else.

 

[PerplexShyt]

I use siri all the time. if it is a "gimmick" its the first useful gimmick ever.

find my iphone? um its not just for theft purposes. its also for leaving it on a bus, or at a store, or at work, desk, locker, etc. if you can't see the uses for that, then im sorry but you need to think harder

 

[therationalist]

Wow!!!

-56 in less than 24hrs

You may be on pace for the Record for most Negs on one post. I think the record was somewhere around -300

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1257905/

Find my iDevice is very useful! If anything it's useful for it's Remote Wipe.

I kinda agree with you on Siri only to the point that users will eventually find a use for it. Also don't forget the utilization of Siri for the Disabled.

lol..its an internet forum with fake names and avatars. you think people give a *** about "negs" LMAO.. get a life

 

[Noisemaker]

I smell a troll.

 

[andiwm2003]

1 Find my iphone (or now find my mac).
It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

Yeah it'll let you know if you left your iphone somewhere, but if someone finds it (which they inevitably will) all they need to do is reset it, remove the sim and bye bye iphone.
...................................................

Well I could tell you the story about an iPhone that is somewhere on the island of Nantucket and if "find my iPhone" had been activated it could have been found before the rainstorm and flooding. But that is a moot point now so I rather did downrate your post instead.

 

[ShionoyaTamaki]

1 Find my iphone (or now find my mac).
It's been around for a while now, and it's just as pointless now as it ever was.

Yeah it'll let you know if you left your iphone somewhere, but if someone finds it (which they inevitably will) all they need to do is reset it, remove the sim and bye bye iphone.
You've got as much chance of getting it back as if you just locked it and sent a text saying 'please give me my phone back'.
Most people are scum and wouldn't return it.

Same goes for find my mac, anyone with even a little technical know how would just reformat it and it's gone.
They need some sort of mechanism that stops you resetting a phone without your itunes password or some other form of authentication.

2. Siri.

Pure novelty.
Dictating an email or text is horrifically badly implemented, one mistake and you need to restart the entire message from the beginning.
Only america has it tied to any location services so far, so anywhere else in the world it's quite limited.
The voice recognition is also quite lacklustre, even with clear diction and proper annunciation you'll only get about 90% accuracy at best (with optical conditions, no background noise etc).
As for intelligence in following a conversation, that is also quite poor, and also really buggy (yes I know it's a 'beta').
And why on earth does it need to connect to the internet to play a song from my library?

Siri, like facetime will be a short lived novelty item that most people don't use very often.
I find it hilarious apple don't bring it to their other devices too, if they're actually serious about it.


iMessage and notification centre are welcome additions, it's just a shame apple has chosen to go for gimmicks this time around.

 

[klamse25]

 

[sjinsjca]

Gimmicks? Nah.

Find My iPhone has saved my sanity more than once when I thought i'd left my phone somewhere. Nope... Find My iPhone showed it was here in my house. Same thing happened to my wife. Hugely helpful.

As to Siri, I'm surprised you find it to be a gimmick. It's a huge time-saver. "What's the best Mexican restaurant around here?" ...and up comes a list. "What's the weather like in Boston?" ...and up comes a forecast. Each time, entire minutes are saved, and I don't even have to look at the keyboard.

Not gimmicks. Try 'em, you'll like 'em.