By Seb Janacek, 18 December 2008 10:00
COMMENT
Even iPhone lovers dream of how the iconic mobile phone could be even better. Here is Seb Janacek's feature wishlist.
It's an enduring irony that given how feature-rich the iPhone is, it's often defined by what it lacks rather than what it possesses. It's the second best Apple product I've ever owned (the 24-inch iMac is the first) and definitely the most ground-breaking personal technology I've used.
While I love the iPhone, gadgets could always be better. So I've put together a purely personal wishlist of stuff I'd love for the iPhone - though I'm not expecting most of these from Apple anytime soon.
Some feature holes could easily be plugged by software from Apple or one of the many third parties writing apps for the iPhone but I'm looking for out-of-the-box functionality.
Here's what I'd like to see on what is already a great product - from the least to most desired features.
10. Flash support
Apple got slapped on the wrist for its marketing assertion that the iPhone can access 'all the web' when certain content types are not accessible. Flash and Java are key examples.
As it currently stands, Apple can control the applications that can be developed for the iPhone with the SDK and the App Store. Add Flash support and suddenly developers could produce apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch that bypass the App Store's quality control and vetting process - and Apple would lose out on revenue.
There are vast tracts of the web that are designed in Flash. Yes, some of it is hideous and doesn't comply with web standards but a lot of it is brilliantly done and loads of fun.
9. Landscape typing mode
The iPhone's virtual keyboard polarises users. You either hate it or love it. I belong to the latter camp and would never be prepared to give up the screen real estate for physical keys or compromise the form factor for a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.
Some applications allow you to use the wider landscape-mode keyboard but not all. A standard turn-iPhone-to-landscape keyboard feature across key applications would be a productivity boon, particularly for longer emails and for word processing as enabled by my Wish Number 8 (see below).
8. Mobile iWork
iWork, the Apple office suite, is basic by Microsoft Office standards but elegant and more than adequate for most users. A cut-down version for the iPhone and iPod Touch would be incredibly useful. Even just the word processing app Pages would transform how I work on the go.
Steve Jobs recently said the company wasn't planning a move into the netbook market arena anytime soon - partly, he claimed, because the iPhone occupied that space. With an iPhone-optimised office suite I'd almost be tempted to believe him. And of course it would all sync beautifully through the cloud.
7. Improved syncing between iPhone and Macs
There's a great free app called MobileFiles that allows you to sync files between the iPhone and MobileMe's cloud storage service. It's hard to imagine this not being native to the iPhone in the near future. However, it would be great to be able to sync more items, including to do's, notes created using the Notes application and iWork files.
6. Tethering
Being able to use the iPhone as a 3G Bluetooth mobile would be incredibly useful for times when long emails have to be written or sent with files attached. This is related to the Bluetooth feature (see Wish Number 3) but it's as much an issue for mobile carriers as it is for Apple.
Mobile operators are afraid of being viewed merely as fat pipe providers, which is ironic as that's exactly what they've become. Stop trying to be content providers, says I - but that's a different article.
Comments
There are 12 comments. Join the discussion
1. Tim Hill
True Cut & Paste function between apps?
Picture Messaging?
2. Fred
The one iPhone feature I would really like for Christmas is the ability to DOWNLOAD programs from BBC iPlayer (over Wifi). Please Apple listen to those who spend a fortune on your products AND GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.
Another great Christmas present would be from O2. The publication of plans showing additional 3G coverage rollout followed by rapid implementation. I find coverage in the Bath area to be crabby although the coverage map indicates otherwise.
3. Jacques S.
Please be aware, that if you're a heavy cellphone user that the following options will be lacking from your iPhone (as I recently discovered):
+ no possibility to create different profiles (one for meetings, other for outside, other for plane, other for completely silent)
+ no way to count # characters in a text message (which might lead to sending more than 1 message at the time, since limit is 160 characters per message)
+ not possible to forward a received message
+ not possible to copy/paste text from any application to other application. (isn't nice when someone sends you some useful information which you wish to keep somewhere else)
+ unlike Nokia phones there's no way to receive a "delivery receipt" for any text message sent
+ Notes are not synched to your computer/mac, unless you mail them to yourself (??)
+ MMS messages (Multimedia Message, often including photos) is not possible
+ Switching applications on iPhone will usually loose all the screens you had open when you move to the other application. (f.i: copying phone number from contact to text message... you have to reopen the contact everytime)
+ build-in Maps application might behave strange, situating you in one location and 5 seconds later a mile further away (is it true GPS? or does it use the cellular network to calculate location)
+ typing text while you're walking: impossible...
+ no way to record video
4. anonymous
The death of the iPhone?
5. Roy Corneloues
I agree with Jacques S. my wife and daughter have iPhnes and constantly complain about all the things mentioned in his comment.
Especially the lack of MMS and not being able to forward text messages...
Oh, and one other thing, the lack of a reset button. When an iPhone hangs (which is quite often from what I've seen), the only way to reset the phone is to call O2 who do it remotely.
Bizarre!!!
6. JM
Is anyone else experiencing a Bluetooth issue with the iPhone 3G? My wife is on her 2nd iPhone because of this problem and we keep constantly up-to-date with Apple updates but her iPhone freezes when she uses her car as a headset and calls, or receives a call, from a landline, specifically our home! It's fine working with mobile numbers and the issue exists across multiple car brands, so not tied to one car.
7. anonymous
I so agree with what is said , but the simple work around to synching notes is an called Evernote and reminders is by Rember the Milk since I have these on there my iphone is actually usefull. if only safari didnt keep hanging and deleteting photos when you synch with Itunes.
Im on site all the time and my Iphone is my contact with the outside world please let us have a more business like experience how else do we get a smile if we cant forward to joke texts or pictures.
8. John Dixon
Roy - you can reset a hung iPhone by holding down the power and home buttons together for 10 seconds or so, until you see the Apple logo.
Agree with most of the things here - data over Bluetooth, a stack that allows copying and pasting, MMS for picture messaging, video, a full range of SMS functions (forwarding, delivery receipts), Flash.
I'll add one thing of my own - being able to choose a virtual phone keypad instead of a virtual qwerty keyboard, and using T9 predictive text. I'm so used to it with other phones, and the larger virtual buttons would make writing SMS messages on the go much easier.
I'm a huge Mac fan, and I love my iPhone, but it is flawed. I can't help but feel that it's not much more than an iPod Touch with a rather inadequate mobile phone, that can't even do many of the things I took for granted with my first Motorola housebrick, bolted on.
9. Len
A2DP Bluetooth support please, stereo bluetooth headset support would be good.
10. Richeyyy
Missed THE biggest thing mobile business users need with this product. The facility to "push" all folders via exchange to the iphone not just the inbox. Yes flash is a pain but nowhere as big as this
11. anonymous
Yes, agree with most things especially lack of Flash - very frustrating as you know they could easily allow it, and cut & paste. Don't like the 'opt-out' style spell checker either. Also its difficult to use the touch screen to change songs while driving. Lack of Notes syncing too.
Still like it though, but it could easily be so much better, if Apple could get over their hang-ups.
12. John Maher
Your article was very useful for one who is contemplating buying an iPhone - I am an iMac user whose history with Apple goes back to the Apple II. What's that Daddy?!
However my iMac is now six years old and still working adequately. It has up-to-date OS 10.5.6 and 1.5GB memory, let alone a lot of software. It is very difficult to find out whether the iPhone will connect to my old iMac since the Apple blurb says that a USB 2 is needed - I'm back with 1.1. Unsurmountable - not completely since I have a MobileMe account.
Another problem is iPhoto and MobileMe.
My version does not allow direct connection to the Cloud and all that lovely 20GB space, so getting it available for the iPhone is possible but a bit painful.
So should I buy an iPhone?