lunes, 22 de febrero de 2010

Why iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad OS 4.0 Will Likely Include Folders/Categories

After writing about OS 4.0's likely lack of multitasking in my last article, I wanted to follow with something that I think will be added in OS 4.0. As an avid App Store lover, I have been building my app collection to ridiculous sizes. I am always having trouble managing how much space I have left when the latest and greatest apps come out. In fact, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars weighs in at over 700 MB's on my iPhone right now. Of course, Apple won't be able to fix this problem with a firmware update, I’ll just have to start going to AA (Applications Anonymous). However, a different problem that goes along with my desire to own every outstanding app may be solvable in OS 4.0 and that is the issue of easily filtering out the icons I want to see.

Here is the how and why. First off, there needs to be an easy way of categorizing apps on your phone. At this point an iDevice can store 180 apps on 10 pages. Who wants to memorize where every one of them is. Some of them you may not even know by name so searching may not be an option. Instead, you simply have to look through page after page of icons. This can made much simpler by having folders where you can stick your apps. One for games, tools, news, etc. If you not a jailbreaker, you might not know that this has been around for years for the folks using Cydia or other jailbreaking OS's. I'm pretty sure this functionality will be in the newest OS. It only makes sense since Apple is all about usability and aesthetics. This seems like an easy fix that can help all iPhone/iPod Touch users, regardless of how old their device is.



Whether Apple likes it or not, competitors are lining up and 4.0 needs to be a pretty big step up. Even if we don’t see something like multitasking included in the forthcoming OS, I think we will see a ton of additional functionality when it comes to customization and ease of use. Tomorrow I will write about another addition that will surely be included (fingers crossed). In fact, it has already been reported by some news sites to be in. Just for the record, anyone here jailbreak their phone? Anyone tempted to just to get all of the functionality you are missing out on?

7 comentarios:

  1. Folders would be a much welcome addition to the o/s. I'm sure it's in the works. Good article.

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  2. I already jailbroke back on 3.1, and haven't looked back. I have TONS of added usability. i have upgraded functions hooked into the OS (via mobile substrate) that I would say make my iphone 200% better than the way apple released it. It has been very solid since September, and I haven't had any issues. What are you waiting for?

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  3. I jailbroke my phone in the past and I agree, in so many ways the operating system was better. However, after needing to re-jailbreak every single time a new release came out, I got tired of it. Inevitably, newer apps require a new version of Apple's firmware and needing to reload every single Jailbreak app got annoying real quick.

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  4. I think the iPhone should keep its existing "11 pages of icons"... but each page should also scroll up/down.

    You could have different pages for games, utilities, sounds, travel, etc.

    But instead of 16 icons on each page... you could flick the pages up/down and show another 16... or another 100 icons.

    If you didn't like that feature... you could keep things the way they are: just keep 16 icons on each page.

    Should make everyone happy.

    (It would also be nice if EACH page could have a separate wall-paper picture.)

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  5. Jill,

    I really like your ideas. Flicking the pages up or down would add an entirely new feel to the iPhone/iPod Touch interface. It sounds like jsut the type of thing Apple would do too because it wouldn't take away from the existing interface, just add to it. Thanks for your post!

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  6. yeah, jill's idea is good!

    the scrolling sounds just like what you can do in Categories in a jailbroken iphone. in a game category, u can scroll up and down or left and right whichever you may choose.

    even the dock should be scrollable i feel.. to keep all the "key" apps that u may need to access whichever page you are on. this again is done by the app called "Infinidock" on the jailbroken phone.

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