Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)

[kyser_soze]

See also: Recent iOS betas that have multi-finger gestures to replace it. I personally like the home button and reckon there should be another one (Task Switcher)

Agreed.

That's only if Apple wants to get into this market. Might make more sense in China or similar.

Or, sit back, get a huge wedge in with the no-doubt booming (or soon to be booming) Chinese creative industries and early adopter class (which is probably about the same size as the whole UK market ) to set the Apple brand up as being 'better, just because...' and wait until they all start buying smartphones, which will probably be sometime in May or something.

 

[stupid dogbot]

I read something a while back that Jobs was against having the hardware button from the off.

Seeing as that was the bit of my last one that failed, I'd agree. Stupid inclusion anyway, imo. The gestures you get with things like QuickDo are way better.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Feature phones are fast being displaced by smartphones, and I can't think of any reason why Apple would now want to offer a feature-stripped contribution to such a fast-disappearing market.

Why would HP? It looks quite cute the Veer but dunno if I'd want something that small again, much like the much touted iPhone nano really...

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Nah, that's not what I'd expect. Not enough differentiation from the fat model. What does it doesn't it do that the other doesn't/does? How could it be any cheaper?

If this thing exists, I expect it to be completely incompatible with existing apps. Screen the same width as existing (for the keyboard), but shorter - maybe square, or landscape. It will look and feel like an iphone, anyone who uses one will be able to work the other, but it will have everything but the very basics trimmed off it to get the price down.

That's only if Apple wants to get into this market. Might make more sense in China or similar.

This makes perfect sense. I can't see apple releasing a half arsed ibudget phone, but expect a massively cut down model that does simple tasks very well.

 

[Me76]

With the iPhone 5, is it realistically going to be here in the Summer?

I thought I had got a 3 gs from eBay but the other day found out it is actually a 3G.

I am very much trying to remember that I have loved it muchly for the last 5 months but am also looking at 4s very enviously.

If I get a job soon I may well have redundancy money to spend that hasn't gone on bills. But if it is a case of only waiting 5 months for 5 to come out I will wait for 4 to drop in price.

 

[tiki]

Apples cycle of releases points to late June or early July. 95% guaranteed.

 

[Sunray]

If they didn't get that aerial thing at the start, I reckon the 4 could go for 2 years, its really lacking very little hardware wise.

But I can see Apple want rid of that tag so 100% certain a new phone will be out in the summer.

 

[editor]

Here's another daft rumour, no doubt propagated by websites keen to drive up traffic.

http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/14/apple...dels-including-one-with-a-slide-out-keyboard/

 

[Crispy]

Not a chance in hell

 

[Sunray]

Steve jobs would take over from his death bed and cancel that project before someone at Apple even thought it up.

Its interesting that I've got the orientation lock on most of the time. The only time I ever go landscape is for safari, sat nav and the odd game.

Nothing else requires me to go landscape so a landscape keyboard would be super shit and something Blackberry and Palm realised forever ago.

 

[RaverDrew]

Why ?

 

[magneze]

It's not that much of a silly idea. Kids love the Blackberry because of its easy texting via the keyboard. When you look at what these potential future phone customers actually use or aspire to use, it isn't a touchscreen atm.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Nothing else requires me to go landscape so a landscape keyboard would be super shit and something Blackberry and Palm realised forever ago.

I'm the opposite, any time I want to type I naturally turn the phone to landscape, just seems to fit in my hands better and makes for faster "two thumb" typing that way.

 

[electroplated]

Here's another daft rumour, no doubt propagated by websites keen to drive up traffic.

http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/14/apple...dels-including-one-with-a-slide-out-keyboard/

that's a hardware add on that was posted a while back - it's real, but it is a non apple accessory for the iphone 4
http://www.reghardware.com/2010/11/18/boxwave_keyboard_buddy_iphone_4/

 

[Sunray]

See also: Recent iOS betas that have multi-finger gestures to replace it. I personally like the home button and reckon there should be another one (Task Switcher)

Are you mental. I want rid of that button. I see it as outdated and pointless. One more thing to go wrong.

I look forward to the new gestures in 4.3, the task switcher is going to become a bit more user friendly.

 

[Crispy]

The home button is very user friendly. No matter what the screen is doing, what app you're in, pressing that button gets you safe. I think it's fundamental to the iphone's design philosophy.

 

[editor]

I liked the hardware iphone button too, In fact, I prefer the four Android buttons even more (home - menu - back - search) although the Palm webOS gesture area is the best UI implementation I've seen so far.

 

[Crispy]

I really don't like the idea of gestures for core UI functions. They're invisible UI elements, which is pretty much a Bad Thing.

Good article on the topic here: http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/gestural_interfaces_a_step_backwards_in_usability_6.html

I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of iphone users don't know that you swipe left to delete an email.

 

[editor]

I really don't like the idea of gestures for core UI functions. They're invisible UI elements, which is pretty much a Bad Thing.

Good article on the topic here: http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/gestural_interfaces_a_step_backwards_in_usability_6.html

Only inconsistent ones.

The new devices are also fun to use: gestures add a welcome feeling of activity to the otherwise joyless ones of pointing and clicking.

But the lack of consistency, inability to discover operations, coupled with the ease of accidentally triggering actions from which there is no recovery threatens the viability of these systems.*

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

No hardware buttons at all is shit imo.

The problem with all these gestures is that one persons "intuitive" is another's "wtf".

A couple of core buttons (home, menu etc) makes for a much easier to learn UI.

 

[stupid dogbot]

The home button is very user friendly. No matter what the screen is doing, what app you're in, pressing that button gets you safe. I think it's fundamental to the iphone's design philosophy.

Until the little plastic bit breaks, and you're fucked.

 

[Crispy]

Until the little plastic bit breaks, and you're fucked.

A push button is a very very simple machine. It should be possible to engineer one that lasts for ever.
A software back-up would be nice I suppose, but only if it's omnipresent like the hardware one. And definitely not a gesture.

 

[kyser_soze]

There's something reassurnginly physical about having to actually press a button to make something happen.

 

[editor]

Looks like teensy phones are all the rage now, so maybe Apple better get on the bandwagon before it leaves town:

http://news.cnet.com/2300-1035_3-10006675.html

 

[ovaltina]

Agreed.



Or, sit back, get a huge wedge in with the no-doubt booming (or soon to be booming) Chinese creative industries and early adopter class (which is probably about the same size as the whole UK market ) to set the Apple brand up as being 'better, just because...' and wait until they all start buying smartphones, which will probably be sometime in May or something.

Too late - ZTE (a Chinese firm) is already outselling Apple worldwide, and using Android as its OS for new models coming out this year.

 

[stupid dogbot]

A push button is a very very simple machine. It should be possible to engineer one that lasts for ever.

Well, it's a shame they didn't.

You have to replace the entire screen assembly on the current ones, a mere £60 even if you know what you're doing with that sort of thing. Much more if not.

 

[Crispy]

Well, that's bad engineering, not bad UI design

 

[stupid dogbot]

I'm sure that'll make people with broken handsets feel much better.

 

[Crispy]

If I wanted to do that I'd have bought them a box of chocolates

 

[stupid dogbot]

I've lost direction, here. Tbh, I thought we were talking about Apple.

Had I known that YOU were responsible for hardware buttons on iPhones, I'd have persecuted you with much more vigour.