The top 10 things we hate about the iPhone
Look, we love our iPhones as much as the person, but at this late point in the game, there are some things that are just inexcusable. Here’s our top 10 things we hate about the iPhone, and we’ll post up our top 10 things we hate about the Bold later on. Feel free to chime in with your own! Also note that we’re talking about the iPhone in its default state, not a jailbreaked unit. Here’s our list in no particular order:
1. You can’t use custom sounds for email notifications, SMS, etc.
2. Copy and paste. Sorry, but it’s ridiculous at this point.
3. When forwarding an email with an attachment, the iPhone sends it out locally. That means if you have a 1MB attachment, you have to send 1MB worth of data when forwarding. This doesn’t happen on Windows Mobile or the BlackBerry — it’s sent from the server. Not cool.
4. No unified inbox. At this point, there’s no reason you should have to go through the rigmarole of switching through tabs and endless menus to get to another email inbox. Cut this down, give us color-coded emails that correspond with that particular account — something!
5. Video recording. Again, it’s technically possible, but we don’t have it.
6. The touch screen capture button in the Camera application is horrid. Let’s use one of the volume keys or something to take a picture. It’s not a good setup.
7. You can’t forward text messages. Something that is a no-brainer just isn’t here.
8. There isn’t a way to delete individual calls from the recent call list. Not that we need to hide anything from our girlfriends or anything…
9. No file structure that is user-accessible. That means you can’t save any attachment that isn’t a photo, you can’t download files from websites, etc. Additionally, each application can only access its own file structure so you can forget about doing anything sexy.
10. The push-background notification service is still nowhere to be found.
Yup, renewed my phone contract last fall and had to choose between iphone and a 0 dollar BlackBerry pearl. As owner of an ipod touch as well, I knew there were issues. So iphone was right out of the question. Until they hammer down many of these nagging issues, I will be happy with my Pearl. A Palm TX has copy paste for crying out loud! If Apple wants to be a serious player they should take heed of the customers requests. Or we will take our dollars elsewhere. To me right now BB sets the standard, at least as far as reliability goes. The iphone has much potential but for now continues to be “the Great Pretender”!
Well guys there is ONE simple solution for nearly all off your problems!! Do a jailbreak! Sure, you are talking about the Iphone in an unjailbreaked state….but who on earth could want an IPhone without jailbreak??
I would like to see MMS not hack workaround like we have now. How hard is it to put that in. We already can view photos. A flash for the camera and a better camera period. Most decent phone come with a 3 or 4 Megapixel camera now and also be able to record video. How hard is it to do that. Apple you made me get rid of my iPhone and go back to Verizon for this. Thanks a lot.
Please give us an option disable the SMS reminder beeps!!!!
I would put proper MMS support in twice on this list before about half the things that made it on there. Apple’s implementation is an absolute failure of usability and outright shameful.
1. Copy & Paste
2. Powerful search functions including search in multiple files (à la Palm)
I can’t believe you left off the two biggest annoyances for business users!
1. No email search! I get hundreds of emails per day. I need to find that one from Bob. There’s not even a way to sort by name. Terrible!
2. There is no way to create new meeting invitations from the iPhone and send them out via email. Yes, I know you can receive and accept meeting invitations — but you cannot create a new calendar invite and have it sent out via email. This is something Windows Mobile has been able to do for years.
My peeve, well, 2 peeves: 1) Can’t delete individual calls from the log, and 2) It would be nice to set profiles where only the favorite callers would ring and all others would ring silent.
Read into the above what you will!
Bgr?
Android.
@st0ragebear who said: “There’s not even a way to sort [email] by name”
True. Same goes for Blackberry [BIS-only] as well.
Granted it involves “Jailbreaking” but:
No custom notification sounds – ToneFXs (JB) I love when HAL says “all systems functional” on unlock, or “just a moment.. just a moment” when sending e-mail
Copy & paste. – installed via JB.
When forwarding an email with an attachment – I have to admit I have no idea but I THINK my BlackJack did what you say; is this a server side configuration. Plus also the iPhone downloads the WHOLE PDF so one can actually READ it as the sender intended; on a BB the results are laughable
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/opusmark/2678624578/]
BB users – don’t tell me this doesn’t piss you off royally…
No unified inbox – ? There hasn’t been one since Newton OS 2.0
No video recording – don’t tell my son
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kkjDzsmSQk&feature=channel_page]
Camera button – agree it’s poor but install one of the numerous Apps that do this – my favorite is Snapture (via JB) as it has digital zoom.
Can’t forward SMS – I’ll take your word that this is critical; but with Copy/Paste installed you can copy and paste…
Delete individual calls – install an App that does this
File structure isn’t user-accessible – SSH mine is (I meant Secure Shell, not be quiet) (install via JB process)
Download/Save files from websites, etc. – install TextGuru (App Store)
Push services still not here – yes but my Corp Outlook and Gmail still work nonetheless.
Landscape eMail – I prefer BigKeyMail (App Store)
Flash Video – install Flash Video plugin for Safari (JB)
Search e-mail – install MailSearch (JB)
Physical buttons for volume – it has these
Memory expansion – 16 GB is not enough?
User-replaceable battery – why? This makes for more efficient manufacturing and forces recycling of used battery.
Stylus for hand writing recognition – there’s an app HWpen (JB) which does Latin and Chinese as well as the App Store WritePad
and a stylus [http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php]
Standard USB connectivity – what’s more standard than in iPod USB cable? I see them everywhere.
Porn – Truveo player.
Photo editing – I like Picoli and MagicTouch (App Store)
Address book sorting I agree is an issue but install a JB App (several) to search your address book.
To use the 3G (and even Edge) as a modem via USB or WiFi install one of 2 JB solutions, or buy the App NetShare if you are outside the US (or like me you bought it the moment it came out, and install BossTools via JB that “kills” Apple’s App “killswitch”) as NetShare was pulled at the request of AT&T. Also note WiFi tethering is theoretically both faster and longer range than BlueTooth. But the programmers of the App SweetTooth (JB) is working on accessing the whole BlueTooth stack.
Voice Dialing – “this is how it worked for me on a Razr and BlackJack and Treo:
“Call Home” … “Call Home” … “CALL HOME” … phone dials Tom Case; hang up, try again.
Haptic feedback – install one of the 3 Apps (JB) that do this; note the motor that makes the phone vibrate for haptic feedback uses battery power…
FULL background processes – install one of the 2 JB Apps that do this, say if you want to track GPS coordinates while playing a game. Note this will drastically affect battery life and system response – it’s a freakin’ 400 mHz UNIX box the size of an iPod for cripes sake, not an AlienWare desktop system.
My custom lockscreen via WinterBoard (JB) has the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) logo from the TV show “24″ – the best part is I can just flash it to the TSA at the airport in lieu of an ID.
Note the neurosurgeon, jailbreaking is not breaking the iPhone, but unlocking the filesystem for read/write access, a time-honored tradtions amongst hackers.
And the list does not contain my most missed feature. Stereo bluetooth. this is supposed to be a music player with a phone. I can not listen to my music without a connected headphone wired into the system. Thats not very elegant
Most of those wishes are “v3.0 chargem’ $25″ caliber enhancements…
They should do a slew of minor tweaks that bring the iPhone inline with AT LEAST WinMobile…
Ringer switch aware alarms and apps… It takes too long to turn everything down/off in a theatre.
Unified mailbox that can stop the downloading of images. I get too much spam as is.
Group ringtones…
etc…
How about a real bluetooth stack that supports the use of the Apple bluetooth keyboard? Or allows transfer of contact info? Or permits wireless bluetooth headphones for listening to audio?
BTW Nokia phones allow all of this, and more.
Dorothy, take a deep breath, then repeat three times…
“There is copy/paste; there is copy/paste; there is copy/paste”
One thing you guys gotta take into account is that some of the features may be missing because ATT is a money hungry capitalist business. Add this to the fact that your average Iphone user is around 16-23 yrs old, living at home and usually not paying thier own bill and you get wonderful plans like ATT has. 40 cents per message round trip for SMS, exorbitant charges for overages, left out features and the like. I’ll wager that most of the people using the iphone havent even thought about that. like ATT’s messages at the Inaguration: Text dont talk. not only do they claim it saves bandwidth, but they make 40p per message sent. 40px2 mil? Disclaimer: I am a Uverse subscriber and I do happen to own an Iphone, Iphone 3G and an Aircard through ATT. *returns geek member card*
There’s a market in selling the Iphone as it is…people will buy it because “OMG, ITS AN APPLE PHONE!” I’ve seen quite a few of those while checking out the local surface display. Apple could sell rebranded razrs that were broken and still pull a 3-500% profit off them. The one caveat in this is that ATT still has the network. ATT will not let apple have full carte blanche on the phone features. These features still have to pass ATT’s muster. MMS messages? ATT prolly shot it down saying something like “we have other smartphones in higher priceranges that do this, no need to duplicate the functionality elsewhere.” Flash support is probably being blocked at Apple and ATT, since Adobe has the SDK and has announced that it’s working on the flash…Att is likely blocking it due to the amount of bandwidth that users will inevitably use to watch some stupid flash cat video or some stupid video of someone getting hurt stupidly. Bottom line: it may not be apple that’s blocking the missing features..it may be ATT.
Completely agree with points 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10.
4 – I don’t want a unified mailbox, but as has been pointed out, it is way too difficult to switch inboxes.
6 – The touch button doesn’t really bother me.
7/8 – I don’t think I’ve ever done either of these things in the 5 or so years I was on Windows Mobile. I’m sure some people want it, but I don’t think the vast majority of users really care.
9 – Give up on this. Not going to happen.
How about DECENT voice dialing from Bluetooth headset?
OK – a simple one. Why no character count in text messaging ? I really miss this simple facility. It’s easy to spill over into a 2nd text and be charged for two when I only want to send one.
Should be easy in an upmarket product such as an IPhone.
That’s funny:
Your phones are so awesome, you can’t wait to replace with the next version. Good try buddy.
I love my iPhone, but it certainly has it’s fair share of shortcomings. Some things I would like to see Apple include:
1. MMS
2. Copy/Paste – This would be really nice for Email / Texting
3. Birthdays – To explain, when adding a ‘custom’ field in Contacts and adding a persons birthday, it does not automatically link it to the calendar. Why? There’s no point in doubling the work and me going back and putting every one of my contact’s birthday’s in the calendar because it doesnt sync with contacts… ugh.
Ok. No wma support.
shows EVERY little finger print.
No keyboard.
UGLY.
Not alotta camera features.
wtf.
keep in mind that apple makes FASHION ACCESSORIES, not useable electronic devices.
Im 14, and i think i could get a better cellphone by going to claires and buying one of those lipgloss thingers…
1. You’re still using Apple’s headsets? Get some Ultimate Ears or VModas if you’re that set on sound quality. To be fair to Apple, I’ve never met a stock headset on ANY phone that I’ve liked.
2. Uh, why is your phone ringing for more than 40 seconds? You can’t just pick up your phone after 10 seconds?
3. iPods didn’t have speakers. The speaker isn’t supposed to be a primary feature, just something to get you by.
4. Better battery life I can agree with. They’re not giving you a removable battery because that’s not the philosophy.
5. Why can’t you multitask? When I’m listening to music and I get a call, the music fades out. I can then go to my home screen, jot down some notes, whatever, and when I hang up the call, the music fades back in. If you mean background notifications, then say that.
6. Uhhh, ok I guess.
When you’re on a call, if you get text messages you have to close every one of them before hitting the end button. Annoying!!
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Latitude: 34.119858, Longitude: -118.148071