Would you be satisfied with iOS 7 if it had all this?

[BaldiMac]

Requiring a user to setup a dummy email account solely for the purpose of sending emails from within other apps is clumsy. Having the same email account setup in two apps is clumsy.

What if I want to exclusively use the Gmail app because I prefer composing my emails in it? After all, it's an email app and that's what it's for.

It's as clumsy as every email link I click online opening Outlook by default on my Windows machine.

As I said, I was speaking practically. Conceptually or theoretically, I suppose you can find some reason to complain. But with the setup I described, you don't have to open the Mail app a single time. And you aren't missing out on any features that I'm aware of.

 

[fivedots]

As I said, I was speaking practically. Conceptually or theoretically, I suppose you can find some reason to complain. But with the setup I described, you don't have to open the Mail app a single time. And you aren't missing out on any features that I'm aware of.

I'm glad it works for you but please don't insinuate that I'm looking for a reason to complain. It's a workaround, plain and simple.

-A new user gets an iPhone. Says, "Hey, I use Gmail, I'll get the Gmail app".
-Installs it. Logs in.
-Wants to share a web page or article.
-Clicks the button and gets a screen asking them to setup up their Gmail account, again.
-Then once that's done, they are presented an interface that is different than the Gmail app for composing their message. Weird.
-Then by default, they are getting double notifications for every Gmail message they get. Yay.
-Now they need to a) figure out why, and b) figure out how to turn off the mail notifications.
-In all likelihood they won't turn off the automatic fetching and will be wasting battery life without even knowing it.

That is not simple. 99% of iPhone users are not you or I. Workarounds need to be researched or Googled and are not intuitive. They are not friendly for the average user.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

I'm glad it works for you but please don't insinuate that I'm looking for a reason to complain. It's a workaround, plain and simple.

-A new user gets an iPhone. Says, "Hey, I use Gmail, I'll get the Gmail app".
-Installs it. Logs in.
-Wants to share a web page or article.
-Clicks the button and gets a screen asking them to setup up their Gmail account, again.
-Then once that's done, they are presented an interface that is different than the Gmail app for composing their message. Weird.
-Then by default, they are getting double notifications for every Gmail message they get. Yay.
-Now they need to a) figure out why, and b) figure out how to turn off the mail notifications.
-In all likelihood they won't turn off the automatic fetching and will be wasting battery life without even knowing it.

That is not simple. 99% of iPhone users are not you or I. Workarounds need to be researched or Googled and are not intuitive. They are not friendly for the average user.

Give the average user a bit more credit. They know iOS has a built-in mail client.

 

[BaldiMac]

I'm glad it works for you but please don't insinuate that I'm looking for a reason to complain. It's a workaround, plain and simple.

-A new user gets an iPhone. Says, "Hey, I use Gmail, I'll get the Gmail app".
-Installs it. Logs in.
-Wants to share a web page or article.
-Clicks the button and gets a screen asking them to setup up their Gmail account, again.
-Then once that's done, they are presented an interface that is different than the Gmail app for composing their message. Weird.
-Then by default, they are getting double notifications for every Gmail message they get. Yay.
-Now they need to a) figure out why, and b) figure out how to turn off the mail notifications.
-In all likelihood they won't turn off the automatic fetching and will be wasting battery life without even knowing it.

That is not simple. 99% of iPhone users are not you or I. Workarounds need to be researched or Googled and are not intuitive. They are not friendly for the average user.

One time setup and all is well. Definitely counter-intuitive if you don't know what you are doing. However, a good app can provide instructions. Much like Mailbox does.

 

[KenAFSPC]

I could see Apple allowing different default apps, eventually. Maybe in iOS 8 or 9. Think about the fact that basically every major gripe in iOS has been addressed in the past. Going all the way back to lack of copy/paste, then notification center, multitasking, now the new look & feel, sounds like we'll probably get quick settings, these have all been features people have been begging for. People are starting to really ask for different default apps. It might take longer than we want, but I would not at all be surprised if we could someday set Chrome as our default browser, and Google Maps as our default Map app.

There are several billion reasons why this will never happen. Google pays Apple several billion per year for google searches through Safari. They pay Apple $0 for searches through Chrome.

Location-based data obtained through the Maps application is worth a hefty sum too.

 

[Michael CM1]

I'm not so sure about that. Apple knows that their greatest platform strength at the moment is their app ecosystem. Fantastic mail, calendar, browser, alarm, notes, etc are being made and, if Apple is being honest with themselves, they are often better than Apple's. Apple should leverage the strength of their ecosystem. Especially because, for the most part, Apple doesn't care if you use their apps. Calendar or Fantastical. mail.app or mailbox. Apple doesn't (shouldn't) care! Their goal is to sell you their hardware for $500+ over and over again. They should simply allow 3rd party apps to build their ecosystem by using things like iCloud.

It's not that Apple cares as far as getting your $500. The thing top-level Apple peeps keep mentioning is controlling the quality of the user experience. In other words, Apple wants to make this little gizmo that interacts in various ways -- take photo, send to Facebook, email photo, add new contact while emailing, etc -- and for the most part works without a hitch.

I'm no expert on all the innards of an OS, but if you start allowing different default apps, you are opening up a ton of holes in your quality control. I know first-hand how damn difficult it is to get website features to work consistently across Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. All it takes is the geniuses in Redmond being late to the party supporting HTML5 and inventing their own stupid Flash wannabe to really make life hell.

Honestly I'm fine with the default apps for the most part. I do wish Weather and Stocks could go the hell away or improve, but I just hide them.

 

[cambookpro]

Don't really care for the second list. If the first is done really well, count me in!

I really want a new look, quick settings, and possibly more functionality on the home screen.

 

[The Phazer]

No. In fact I think Apple are in desperate trouble if that's the case, and it would probably be my final straw for me to get out of iOS entire as soon as contracts permit.

 

[ra4oasis]

No. In fact I think Apple are in desperate trouble if that's the case, and it would probably be my final straw for me to get out of iOS entire as soon as contracts permit.

I guess what would you want then? If you're already basically set on leaving, I can't see how iOS would make the huge changes to basically be Android anytime soon.

I stay with iOS for several reasons. One is I am very invested in Apple's products and services, and things work very well together. But more importantly, I like elegance. iOS to me is a very elegant, even if not perfect, operating system. I hear many complaints from my Android wielding friends that I just never have to worry about with iOS. I hear complaints about all the OS skins, the default mail app that apparently isn't very good, malware, battery life issues, I could go on and on.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

It's not that Apple cares as far as getting your $500. The thing top-level Apple peeps keep mentioning is controlling the quality of the user experience. In other words, Apple wants to make this little gizmo that interacts in various ways -- take photo, send to Facebook, email photo, add new contact while emailing, etc -- and for the most part works without a hitch.

I'm no expert on all the innards of an OS, but if you start allowing different default apps, you are opening up a ton of holes in your quality control. I know first-hand how damn difficult it is to get website features to work consistently across Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. All it takes is the geniuses in Redmond being late to the party supporting HTML5 and inventing their own stupid Flash wannabe to really make life hell.

Honestly I'm fine with the default apps for the most part. I do wish Weather and Stocks could go the hell away or improve, but I just hide them.

Well first of all, yes they talk about user experience and "building the best products" because they can't say "We want to sell as many products and making the most money as possible". I know that's kind of a cynical view, and I honestly do think that Apple's motication is to build the best user experience/products... but because that will result in more sales.

Secondly, they can give up default's but still control most of the experience. Apple would have to approve which apps are eligible to replace defaults. Apple can issue certain standards (required API's, functionality, etc) and can be more seletive with the approval process.

Lastly, your browser example wouldn't apply to iOS because all browsers must be based on the safari webkit.

 

[The Phazer]

I guess what would you want then? If you're already basically set on leaving, I can't see how iOS would make the huge changes to basically be Android anytime soon.

The changes to the OS could be turned around with Apple's programming resources in thirty days plus testing. Easily.

I'm already out of using pretty much all of Apple's apps - Apple Maps is unusable, so I've jailbroken to restore Google Maps to the default. Safari is also gone, as is Mail and Weather.

At this point, I'm just using apps that are available on Android anyway, except with Android they can do background tasks and update themselves overnight and access a file system and they work better because they're not locked down by the sandbox. I've already dumped the iPad and moved to a Nexus 7.

I stay with iOS for several reasons. One is I am very invested in Apple's products and services, and things work very well together. But more importantly, I like elegance. iOS to me is a very elegant, even if not perfect, operating system. I hear many complaints from my Android wielding friends that I just never have to worry about with iOS. I hear complaints about all the OS skins, the default mail app that apparently isn't very good, malware, battery life issues, I could go on and on.

It's been a long time since iOS was elegant. It's filled full of clumsily bolted on gestures. We're on iOS7 now and in the event I hope up the mail app I still get *three* seperate pop ups which have to be dimissed invidually telling me I can't connect when I have no signal. That's **** design. I have to constantly root through menus to turn wifi on and off unless I jailbreak. If I want to attach a Word doc to an email I'm writing I'm completely screwed.

I now have to charge the battery on my iPhone 5 more than twice a day. Android's battery life is certainly no worse. I don't care that the Android mail app isn't very good - iOS's mail app isn't very good either, which is why I don't use either of them. And at that point why bother using iOS at all, because it's easier to use non-default apps on Android.

 

[ra4oasis]

The changes to the OS could be turned around with Apple's programming resources in thirty days plus testing. Easily.

I'm already out of using pretty much all of Apple's apps - Apple Maps is unusable...

It's been a long time since iOS was elegant. It's filled full of clumsily bolted on gestures. We're on iOS7 now and in the event I hope up the mail app I still get *three* seperate pop ups which have to be dimissed invidually telling me I can't connect when I have no signal. That's **** design. I have to constantly root through menus to turn wifi on and off unless I jailbreak. If I want to attach a Word doc to an email I'm writing I'm completely screwed.

I now have to charge the battery on my iPhone 5 more than twice a day.

I'll quickly address your points, but honestly I don't think I'll change your mind, so I'm not spending too much time on this.

Apple Maps is not unusable, at least to me. I've actually seen only one mistake and I do use it on a semi-regular basis. It isn't perfect by any means, but "unusable" has not at all been my experience. With that said, Google Maps is still better.

I honestly don't know what you're talking about with three separate pop ups when you don't have a signal. And I work in a basement, with no cell signal, so I don't know what you're referring to their. I do agree attaching documents/files to emails could be better. Apple should improve this process.

And "rooting" through the menus to turn off or on the wifi? I mean quick settings will be nice, but to turn off/on the wifi takes three touches of the screen on my phone. I can't call that "rooting" through the menus.

I have an iPhone 5, and don't have any batter issues, and honestly only the very very heavy users that I've dealt with need to charge it as you do. Maybe you're just that heavy of a user, but being realistic, most are not like that.

With the complaints about iOS that people have, I've heard different ones about Android, so to each their own.

 

[The Phazer]

Apple Maps is not unusable, at least to me. I've actually seen only one mistake and I do use it on a semi-regular basis. It isn't perfect by any means, but "unusable" has not at all been my experience. With that said, Google Maps is still better.

Apple Maps is catastrophically bad in the UK. Absolutely unsuable. 90% of the place data is junk.

There are nationally famous buildings near my house with their name displayed on the front in twenty foot letters that Apple Maps claims do not exist. My local town hall is supposedly a chemist or a kebab shop depending on which zoom level you start at. Some of the busiest shopping districts in the world contain only two shops.

I honestly don't know what you're talking about with three separate pop ups when you don't have a signal.

If you have three accounts set up in mail it will display three seperate "can't connect" popups if it offline, all on top of each other and requiring dismissal before the next appears, while the device locks up.

And "rooting" through the menus to turn off or on the wifi? I mean quick settings will be nice, but to turn off/on the wifi takes three touches of the screen on my phone. I can't call that "rooting" through the menus.

It only takes three touches if you're at the homescreen, otherwise it takes a button tap (probably two) and then three touches. So probably five. Which is four too many for what is probably the most common user task on the device.

I have an iPhone 5, and don't have any batter issues, and honestly only the very very heavy users that I've dealt with need to charge it as you do. Maybe you're just that heavy of a user, but being realistic, most are not like that.

My iPhone 4 lasted all day happily. All I hear from every iPhone user I know is how terrible the iPhone 5 battery is, made all the worse because everyone used to have a charging cable for iPhones, and the Lightning debacle has handed that huge ecosystem advantage directly to Android.

With the complaints about iOS that people have, I've heard different ones about Android, so to each their own.

There is certainly stacks wrong about Android, but at least the Android platform gets rapidly better and isn't afraid to tackle fundamental flaws, which Apple is with iOS.

 

[BaldiMac]

Which is four too many for what is probably the most common user task on the device.

I don't know a single person that regularly turns wifi on and off on Android or iOS devices. And I support a lot of devices.

 

[SpyderBite]

It simply amazes me that people figured out how to use ISP email before Google Gmail came out. Before that it was AOL/Prodigy Mail before ISP mail. Elm/Pine before that.

My point is.. Get your own domain and email and stop depending on these services like Yahoo and Gmail and then maybe worrying about support for them (on any platform) will not be an issue.

 

[Smith288]

This will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever .................happen.

ever

Ever?