We love our iPhones, but we'd love them even more if Apple changed a few key things - not in the hardware, but in the software.
The iPhone OS has some idiosyncrasies that make us mad, some omissions that make us angry and in Notes, a typeface that makes us feel physically ill.
We've come up with 10 ways that Apple could make iPhone OS 4.0 damn near perfect. Have we missed any? Tell us in the comments.
1. An off switch for orientation
Sometimes you want to read email in bed, or look at a photo that's the "wrong" way round. Doing that on the iPhone is insanely annoying, because its orientation sensor spots that you're tilting the device and promptly rotates the screen. It'd be nice to disable that on a per-app basis - and if we can't have that, then at the very least we'd like a global off switch.
2. Proper multitasking
Yes, it kills battery life. So what? It's our phone. Let us decide whether we want to sacrifice a bit of battery life for always-on apps.
3. A delete button on Stocks
We don't use it. We don't want it. We shouldn't need to create a special Apps Page of Doom to hide it. We understand why you can't delete Mail, Phone or Safari, but forcing us to keep Stocks and Weather is just control freakery.
4. A proper home screen with widgets on it
This is something even Windows Mobile does better than the iPhone: its home screen shows your unread email count and other key data without making you unlock your phone. Yes, home screens can be cluttered, but only if they're badly designed in the first place. If HTC can manage it we're sure Apple can, too.
5. A proper font for Notes
Okay, it's not quite Comic Sans - it's Marker Felt - but the Notes font is jarring on an otherwise classy device. It's like an Apple Store selling three pairs of socks for a pound.
6. Somewhere to stick - and sync - our stuff
Sticking a Documents folder in the iPhone and enabling us to sync with a desktop folder (and attach the files to new messages in Mail) would be a real boon. Right now we're using a combination of third-party apps and emailing documents to ourselves.
7. Filters in Mail
Mail's lack of filtering and junk filtering can be a real pain. It's possible to work around it by sticking your mail through Google Mail and then accessing that, but we'd rather not rely on third parties. Can we have filters in our phone, please?
8. Touchable wireless icons
Why can't we turn Wi-Fi on and off, or Airplane Mode on and off, by hitting the network icons at the top?
9. Tweetie 2's refresh mechanism
We'll never tire of Tweetie 2's superb "pull down and let go" mechanism for refreshing the screen. This should be in everything. Everything!
10. An equaliser in the iPod app
This has been annoying us for years: why can't we create our own equaliser curves in the iPod app? It's an example of Apple simplicity being just a little too simple: none of the presets are quite right, so we're stuck with sound that isn't quite what we want. It's a glaring omission Apple could and should have solved ages ago. By all means ignore our other suggestions, Apple, but please fix this one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liked this? Then check out Unemployment? There's an app for that
Sign up for TechRadar's free Weird Week in Tech newsletter
Get the oddest tech stories of the week, plus the most popular news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up at http://www.techradar.com/register
Your comments (14) Click to add a new comment
thermal.spindle
February 21st
14. My wish list for OS 4 was a little longer with 15 wishes, but multi-tasking and shared storage both appeared on my list as well.
The option to remove the stocks icon is something I can't believe I missed off as I do find it superfluous to my own requirements (taking up a valuable space on my device).
If you want to see the differences check out my post at http://flagit.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/my-wish-list-for-apple-iphone-os-4-0/
Alert a moderator
mhart
January 27th
13. Rotation lock can be achieved with SBSettings, though you have to Jailbreak to install this.
My list...
1. Stop trying to lock down jailbroken phones. Its my phone, I paid for it, and I want to be the one that chooses which apps to run. For example, its worth jailbreaking to install just the superb iBlacklist app. (I use my phone for work, but between midnight and 7 AM it will only ring if its my other half, one of my closest friends or my elderly mother. Brilliant!
2. A character counter when typing a text message. Easy fix!
3. For iPhone 4 hardware, a tell-tale blinking LED to let you know if you have a new text message or email waiting to be read, with the option to disable it.
Alert a moderator
stu531
January 27th
12. Definitely agree about the orientation-lock. I often read the news if I'm on my iPhone while falling asleep - you can't use it on its side!
Also a search-within-web-page on Safari would be neat.
Alert a moderator
fishyie
January 24th
11. click* not lick
Alert a moderator
fishyie
January 24th
10. A switch for orientation should be like the one on 'Mobile rss - free google reader' where if you turn the phone to landscape it gives you a little lock icon which if you click locks it in that orientation, if you want to unlock it you simply put it portrait again like in this pic
http://www.me.com/wo/WebObjects/Webmail2.woa/wr?wodata=-1257498324.76.%3C43511AF8-0272-4F01-8048-640DDF38CB65%40me.com%3E-1
and lick the unlock sign - GENIUS!
Alert a moderator
johnhind
January 22nd
9. 1. The ability to delete Podcasts and Videos from the phone without having to use iTunes.
2. Screen rotation should always work - home pages are the priority, but Apple should enforce this for app store too. This is basic HMI theory - response to user actions should be predictable and consistent. In practical terms, it would allow landscape-mode stands and the larger virtual keyboard for all data entry.
Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think
You need to Log in or register to post comments