Third Time’s the Charm; iPhone 3.0 Impresses
All apologies to the non-iPhone owner readers; this post may mean little to you. Like many others, I just installed the 3.0 software update, and I have to say, it pretty much rocks.
The Big Picture
The thing that Apple does—and that they do so well here—is anticipate and accommodate the needs of the end user. Some people have bigger hands and/or lower dexterity and benefit from a more spacious “keyboard.” Some people prefer to have their browser remember passwords. Some people prefer the efficiency of copying & pasting text. In the latest version of the iPhone software, these desires are impeccably met, and without breaking other things in the process (always a danger in the software development world). Everything just works, works well, and works intuitively.
The Details
Voice memo is cool: no more precarious TWD incidents just to get off a “note to self.”
Horizontal Keyboard: personally I’ve gotten pretty fast with typing on the “original” keyboard layout. I think I may even prefer it. But giving an end-user an option is always a good thing.
Copy & Paste: this one has been a long time coming; it improves efficiency if you intend to use the device to do any serious editing. Not that editing is its main purpose, but it is worth noting that I am writing this post on the iPhone (at Boston’s Logan Airport). Moreover, learning how to use the new feature didn’t require a user manual; it is intuitive, because it builds upon metaphors that we already know and use (e.g., click, hold and drag). More and more, I am appreciating user interfaces that situate the instructions and the action items next to or near the element that needs to be acted upon. This is the techy manifestation of the truism that “context is everything.”
Snappier performance: it seems that Apple has removed a few frames from some of its candy-coated animations (such as applications opening and closing) that adds a sense that the device is getting things done.
Select multiple: now it’s possible to select multiple photos for emailing / deleting. I might actually use the feature for emailing; for deleting I still prefer to examine an image in greater detail than a thumbnail provides, before deciding to delete.
MMS: I can’t say that I’m personally interested in being able to send pictures with text messages, but again, to each their own. And I’m sure I’ll find a use for it, once I’ve tried it. Score another one for the end user.
Wish list
Shutter release: it may be a little late for this, but I’d like to see one of the mechanical buttons on the side of the phone be contextually transformed into the shutter release for the camera.
Wifi base station: it would be great if the iPhone could serve as a wifi base station for one’s laptop, for those times when real web work needs to be done, but no free wifi is available. This may actually this may be more of a feature request for Mac laptops; that they be able to tether to one’s cell phone account and communicate over those protocols.
Speech recognition and speech-to-text: we all know what a no-no texting while driving is; imagine being able to open, close and control applications, and compose emails and text messages by speaking them, and having the software make the conversion.
In conclusion
The technology just keeps getting better and more sophisticated. I wonder what the technology landscape will look like ten years from now.
