Well it's been an interesting time for Apple of late.
Apple's stock has tanked due to what investors see as "flat growth". In other words while Apple still makes a load of money and had record revenues, their margins shrunk to make it a flat quarter in terms of profit. This has made investors run to the hills as they think Apple has peaked.
Phil Schiller talks down Android and the Samsung GS4 - and gets things a little incorrect.
Samsung launch the GS4
Apple launch a new "Why iPhone?" campaign which is very similar to their "Why Mac?" campaign
The CEO of RIM has some interesting words to say:
And, well, pretty much every news outlet or blog starting to compare Apple to its competitors and for the first time Apple isn't coming out spotless. Android has certainly caught up to iOS and manufacturers are producing some incredible designs (HTC One).
I don't think Apple have a "problem" exactly. The iPhone is still very desirable, making them a load of money and nobody can argue it isn't good. It just seems like at the moment they've dug their ground and reckon their product is the most awesomest thing out there by a mile. Without actually taking into account what Android/WP/Blackberry are doing and more importantly which products people are buying. Those large-screened Android devices are against most Apple design ethics yet are being sold in massive numbers. Even the Note line.
Anyway the point of this thread is to discuss iOS 7. Simply because the iPhone 5S is pretty much a known entity (spec bump, better camera, maybe NFC) the only way Apple is going to bring back the excitement is with iOS 7. At least with the Apple/tech fans (myself included) many will be dismayed if it's just a couple-of-features-here-a-couple-of-tweaks-there kind of update.
Personally I think they're going to have to do something quite radical with it. Certainly not what they limited iOS 6 to. Now that Jony Ive is head of design-everything and Craig Federighi is heading up iOS development I sure hope it makes for something special.
What would make me happy:
Make The OS More "Alive"
The way data is encased in each individual app is seeming very dated now. I'm not exactly talking widgets everywhere, but it would be nice if Apple figured out their own take on me being able to view say the next few days weather, next five calendar appointments and current to-do list in the same view. Open to developers obviously.
Sort Out Those Notifications
Badges, Lock Screen, Banners, Notification Centre, Alerts. Arrgggghhhh. They're all over the place. It's a bit odd that Apple keep talking about simplicity yet over on Android all notifications go neatly into the bar.
Stop Over-Justifying Messages
It really does waste a lot of room!
Offline Maps/Navigation
Despite Apple improving Maps the damage has already been done and offline maps (like how Nokia does it) is pretty much the only way to sway me back from Google. Just a simple selection to download an entire country's street map and keep it updated is all that's needed.
Get Rid Of All That Silly Skeuomorphism
Jony Ive probably took care of that before Christmas...
Data/WiFi/Brightness Toggles Easily Accessed
Brightness is the most important. Nothing more annoying that wanting to watch some video and having to come out, go into settings, change the brightness up, watch the video and then remember to turn it down again.
Photo Stream Upload Over Data
At least give me the option! Unlimited data needs using.
Automatic App Updates
Seems a bit silly asking me these days.
A Better Keyboard
Due to the open nature of Android's keyboard implementation (letting anyone at it) this was probably always going to happen. SwiftKey utterly creams the iOS keyboard in every possible way. I'd suggest a purchase or an "inspired" update in this area.
I think the "Alive" system, new Jony Ive inspired design and full offline navigation would be enough headline for me to see Apple as back in the game.
So what do you guys think? Is iOS as good as it can be and Apple should concentrate elsewhere? Jumped ship to Android already? Want other things out of iOS or Apple in general?
Discuss
Apple's stock has tanked due to what investors see as "flat growth". In other words while Apple still makes a load of money and had record revenues, their margins shrunk to make it a flat quarter in terms of profit. This has made investors run to the hills as they think Apple has peaked.
Phil Schiller talks down Android and the Samsung GS4 - and gets things a little incorrect.
Samsung launch the GS4
Apple launch a new "Why iPhone?" campaign which is very similar to their "Why Mac?" campaign
The CEO of RIM has some interesting words to say:
And, well, pretty much every news outlet or blog starting to compare Apple to its competitors and for the first time Apple isn't coming out spotless. Android has certainly caught up to iOS and manufacturers are producing some incredible designs (HTC One).
I don't think Apple have a "problem" exactly. The iPhone is still very desirable, making them a load of money and nobody can argue it isn't good. It just seems like at the moment they've dug their ground and reckon their product is the most awesomest thing out there by a mile. Without actually taking into account what Android/WP/Blackberry are doing and more importantly which products people are buying. Those large-screened Android devices are against most Apple design ethics yet are being sold in massive numbers. Even the Note line.
Anyway the point of this thread is to discuss iOS 7. Simply because the iPhone 5S is pretty much a known entity (spec bump, better camera, maybe NFC) the only way Apple is going to bring back the excitement is with iOS 7. At least with the Apple/tech fans (myself included) many will be dismayed if it's just a couple-of-features-here-a-couple-of-tweaks-there kind of update.
Personally I think they're going to have to do something quite radical with it. Certainly not what they limited iOS 6 to. Now that Jony Ive is head of design-everything and Craig Federighi is heading up iOS development I sure hope it makes for something special.
What would make me happy:
Make The OS More "Alive"
The way data is encased in each individual app is seeming very dated now. I'm not exactly talking widgets everywhere, but it would be nice if Apple figured out their own take on me being able to view say the next few days weather, next five calendar appointments and current to-do list in the same view. Open to developers obviously.
Sort Out Those Notifications
Badges, Lock Screen, Banners, Notification Centre, Alerts. Arrgggghhhh. They're all over the place. It's a bit odd that Apple keep talking about simplicity yet over on Android all notifications go neatly into the bar.
Stop Over-Justifying Messages
It really does waste a lot of room!
Offline Maps/Navigation
Despite Apple improving Maps the damage has already been done and offline maps (like how Nokia does it) is pretty much the only way to sway me back from Google. Just a simple selection to download an entire country's street map and keep it updated is all that's needed.
Get Rid Of All That Silly Skeuomorphism
Jony Ive probably took care of that before Christmas...
Data/WiFi/Brightness Toggles Easily Accessed
Brightness is the most important. Nothing more annoying that wanting to watch some video and having to come out, go into settings, change the brightness up, watch the video and then remember to turn it down again.
Photo Stream Upload Over Data
At least give me the option! Unlimited data needs using.
Automatic App Updates
Seems a bit silly asking me these days.
A Better Keyboard
Due to the open nature of Android's keyboard implementation (letting anyone at it) this was probably always going to happen. SwiftKey utterly creams the iOS keyboard in every possible way. I'd suggest a purchase or an "inspired" update in this area.
I think the "Alive" system, new Jony Ive inspired design and full offline navigation would be enough headline for me to see Apple as back in the game.
So what do you guys think? Is iOS as good as it can be and Apple should concentrate elsewhere? Jumped ship to Android already? Want other things out of iOS or Apple in general?
Discuss
