Well, now that iOS 5 has been announced, the Apple-tech community is going ga-ga over its new improvements. While I like some of the features listed, others are giving me a sense of deja-vu.
Twitter: This little feature supposedly allows you to send a tweet from almost any stock app on the phone without having to first launch a dedicated app. You just enter in log in info in the iOS settings and you're ready to send up to 140-character updates from Safari, Photos, Camera, Youtube and Maps. Oh, and it even integrates your Twitter buddies into your contacts. Well, that's cool and all, except that anyone with a webOS 2.0+ device (Veer, TouchPad, Pre 2, hacked Pres and Pixis) have already been able to do this since the OS was released last year. But on that platform, its called "Just Type" and it allows you to not only tweet from anywhere on the device (by pulling out the hardware/virtual keyboard and, um, just typing) but do just about anything else, like write an e-mail, launch apps, play songs, web search, etc. Plus, the API allows developers to plug into it as well so their apps can utilize the function. And as for Android, well, I've got a widget on my home screen that lets me send tweets and Facebook status updates without opening an app.
Safari: The updates to Apple's mobile version of the webkit browser are cool and all, but I can do a "reader" view from my HTC's Android browser right now.
Calendar: Oh, nice. They added a year view and a week view to the Calendar app. I was doing that with my Palm IIIc after I bought it back in 2002, and it was already four years old. Oh, and iCloud? Yeah, I'll stick with my Google Calendar since it does the same thing.
Game Center: So, after erroneously claiming to be the number one gaming platform, Apple announced their new gaming social hub called Game Center. I won't list the features here, but if you're familiar with Xbox Live on either the home console or Windows Phone 7, then you already know the features of Game Center. That's because it's a copy of Xbox Live, except developed for iPhone games. Oh, and Xbox Live was released in 2002, nine years ago.
Multitasking Gestures: Okay, aside from Apple's consistent misuse of the term multitasking (to quote a famous Spaniard, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."), the new method of switching between recently used apps is really special. You swipe up to bring up the row of recent apps using "four or five fingers" (I guess one finger is too difficult for iOS to figure out). You can then "magically" swipe left or right to see the apps, then tap on one to bring it fullscreen. Alternatively, you pinch in to bring up the home screen. Hmmm, well, again, on webOS you swipe up (albeit with just one finger) to bring up the row of running apps, represented as live "cards" on the screen, you swipe left or right to choose one and tap it to bring it fullscreen. You can also flick an app off the screen to close it or swipe up again to pull up the launcher (webOS's "home screen" equivalent). This came out in 2009 with the launch of the Palm Pre, two years ago.
PC Free: Guess what? Apple's iOS-device customers no longer have to carry syncing cables around, because iOS 5 finally brings wireless cloud syncing and over-the-air updating to iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. Neato. I did wireless synching with my Palm Tungsten T3 back in 2005. webOS was built for cloud-syncing, OTA updating and backups when it was developed back in 2008. My Android phone does it now. Hey, at least my iDevice-toting friends finally get to see how awesome cable-free really is.
Notification Center: This one really makes me laugh. I mean, all the others are at least somewhat excusable because they are, for the most part, Apple-ized enough to not be too much like the copies that they are, but the Notification Center is just a blatant rip-off, and one that falls short of the competition in my opinion. Basically, Apple has done away with popup notifications that cover half the screen and stop whatever you were doing dead in its tracks, and replaced them with discreet little banners that appear at the top of the screen, then hide away into a neat bar that can then be swiped down to reveal a full list of all your notifications. That was a nice little feature when Android utilized it three years ago. And the notification banner? Again, look at webOS. In fact, I secretly think Steve Jobs saw webOS back in 2009 and was like, "Shut the front door! Why didn't I think of that??" over the entire OS. Hey, imitation is the best form of flattery, right? Except here it is a poor imitation. I won't go into too much detail about that. You can read the specifics in this blog, but I will say that, although the banners are an improvement over iOS's current notification popups, they are just still not as unobtrusive or elegant as webOS's notification system. I mean, webOS's notifications don't cover up your screen, don't stop your work, and don't require any type of user interaction whatsoever. No wonder Steve is jealous of it.
I've always thought it was funny how people have always pointed out to me how innovative Apple is. Yet, in reality, when it comes to technology, they really aren't. They are good at taking what's already been done and making it look sparkly for the masses. I'll admit, I was impressed by the thought of the original iPad, until I actually played with one and realized that it's just an overgrown iPod Touch. However, Apple is innovative in the context of creating their consumer image and ecosystem, including the iTunes store, App Store, marketing and brand recognition. That's why when I read the list of "new" features for iOS 5 I was a bit underwhelmed, and even surprised. Apple used to release products that, although not totally original, had enough of an improvement to push them to the leading edge. But now, it looks like they are beginning to become the follower instead of the leader, and it makes me wonder if the rest of the market is finally beginning to pass Apple by.
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