Apple rolled out a new version of its iOS software today for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad -- version 4.3.
It includes some minor updates, such as wi-fi hotspot mode and AirPlay features for Apple TV.
Within the next month or two, we expect Apple to take the lid off the next major version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5.
What's going to be included?
In addition to our own expectations and wish lists, we have polled more than a dozen iOS developers for the features, large and small, that they would like Apple to add to the platform. (We first published this list last week, but are re-posting it today, in context of the iOS 4.3 launch.)
They range from broadly fixing Apple's weaknesses in cloud syncing and "social" to specific requests like better access to the iPhone's camera data.
iOS and iTunes, meet the cloud
It's a little absurd that it's 2011 and the only way to get iTunes music onto our iPhone from our computer is through a USB cable. And that the fastest way to get a photo on our computer is to email it to ourselves.
Apple figured out early on that music should be sold and distributed over the Internet, but it has done a poor job letting users sync music they already own through the Internet. (Or even over wi-fi in your own house.)
We propose a wide-ranging set of "cloud" features, ranging from iTunes streaming and syncing, to just-works-out-of-the-box file syncing, to a better, more accessible MobileMe service.
We'd personally love to see a subscription iTunes music service, but given how unpopular rival services from Rhapsody and Thumbplay have been, it's possible Apple doesn't want to bother with that.
We'll let Apple figure out the details, but the bottom line is that Google is going head-first with "cloud" stuff and Apple is following. It would be nice to see some leadership from Apple here. (It would also be great if Apple could figure out a way for couples and families to share an iPad and iTunes account, so they don't have to individually "own" books, apps, etc.)
The only caveat is that this may, for some features, require a major new version of Mac OS X or iTunes, so it might not happen until a future iOS release, if ever.
Better alerts and notifications
Apple's real-time "push notifications" service is a handy way to skirt the expense of text messages. But as anyone who gets more than a couple of notifications per day knows, they aren't handled very well in the system. You can only see the most recent notification per app, and there's no "inbox" of notifications. If you miss one, you miss one.
This needs to be re-thought, so there's a way to know 1) how many notifications you've received and 2) what they are. Google does a better job than Apple at this, and we expect Apple will improve its product.
Here's VC Fred Wilson describing why they're important.
A better camera app that takes cues from Instagram
One thing you still can't do with Apple's built-in photo app is take a picture and automatically share it with your Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr contacts. Meanwhile, apps like Instagram have taken off by allowing you to customize your photos with cool filters and share them instantly across multiple social networks.
We don't expect Apple to necessarily copy Instagram feature-for-feature, but there are definitely some ideas worth stealing. And some ideas from the Mac's iPhoto app to consider adding, like facial recognition.
In part, it depends how serious Apple is about running its own social photo network. This may come in the form of the built-in camera app, as an attachment to Ping, as another mobile social network, or perhaps as part of an app like the Mac's built-in PhotoBooth.
Either way, Apple is well aware of Instagram's popularity and usefulness: Apple marketing boss Phil Schiller -- a good photographer! -- has been an avid user.
View more at Business Insider
Here's What Apple Should Put In The Next Big iOS Software Update (AAPL)
No comments:
Post a Comment