
iPhone OS 4.0 - ugh
http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2010/04/15/iphone_os_4_0/
======
stcredzero
_I’m not convinced that the task switcher needs to exist. Since apps in the
task switcher aren’t really running, the task switcher isn’t so much a task
switcher as it is a list of recently used apps_

The task switcher lets you switch back and forth between apps one handed using
your thumb. I think that's part of the rationale for it. Also, the Least
Recently Used algorithm will dynamically make a short list of the actually
used apps in a user's collection. Most users probably spend 80% of time in a
small minority of their apps.

~~~
ZeroGravitas
It'll be interesting to see if the older phones get this. As you say it can
function as a recently used list, even if those apps are not running, the user
shouldn't have to care about the distinction.

~~~
bruceboughton
If this is what people want (a LRU stack of apps), wouldn't they'd be better
off making the dock do this, instead of introducing a third app area?

~~~
tvon
I don't think so, the dock works well for "frequently used", which is not the
same as "recently used".

------
sirn
One thing I have not seen mentioned anywhere is that iPhone 4.0 make web apps
more usable than before, since it no longer reload the web app every time you
switch back and forth from the home screen, as long as it's still active in
the task switcher.

~~~
timcederman
When does it reload the web app every time? That's a memory limitation, not a
task switching one. I've noticed Safari tends to keep loading pages and
_rendering_ them in the background.

~~~
sirn
What I meant was web apps that are added to the home screen. Previously it
works just like native apps: web apps will need to store and resume its state
every time it launch or quit. This cause web apps without manifest file to
reload itself every time it launches.

In 4.0, it works just exactly like in Safari: as long as the app don't get
killed from the task switcher, its state are resumed automatically.

------
mbrubeck
Android has an almost-identical "task switcher" (press and hold the Home
button to show a popup of recent apps). I don't think anyone I know uses it
regularly - and I just spent 18 months working in a 30-person Android software
company.

~~~
machinedog
This is my primary way of switching between recent applications. Take it with
a grain of salt, though, as the Android way of dealing with App icons is a
world of a difference from iPhone.

Android uses a separate and almost useless alphabetically-sorted application's
drawer. You are able to put applications on the home screens, but chances are
that you are messing with an application that you don't use very frequently
and thus have not placed it onto a home screen. In addition, on stock Android
(not rooted/jailbroken), you only have 3 home screens.

~~~
theBobMcCormick
Android OS 2.1 increases it to 5 homescreens. In addition, you can put folders
on any of the Android homescreens that work almost identically (from what I
gather from the description in the article) to the way folders work in iPhone
OS4.

I think others have mentioned that you can get 3rd party apps for Android that
increase the number of home screen to at least 7. These do not require rooting
or anything else unusual, just a quick download from the Market.

------
ugh
I know, another article about the iPhone, but I really liked this bit (with
relevance beyond the iPhone OS):

 _«I think it’s fair to say that most people involved in interaction design
tend to agree that hierarchical file systems have largely failed their users.
[…] However, when we say ‹hierarchical file systems don’t work›, most of us
end that sentence with ‹so we need to replace them with something better› in
our heads. Apple, on the other hand, ended the sentence with ‹so we’re not
going to bother with this stuff, let’s just leave this up to each individual
application.›»_

~~~
mechanical_fish
To play devil's advocate for a minute: One possibility is that the most useful
method of organizing data is necessarily different for each application.

There are even applications for which hierarchical organization is entirely
appropriate at the UI level: An obvious example is an outliner. And it's not a
coincidence that our filesystem UIs have little icons of file-cabinet drawers
and file folders: The real world features file cabinets and folders, and
people have traditionally been able to make sense of those, hierarchy and
all... _in a context which naturally fits into a hierarchical scheme_.

It's worth asking whether the cardinal sin of the hierarchical file system
_isn't_ the fact that hierarchical is innately confusing, but that for thirty
years and more programmers have labored to fit non-hierarchical problems into
a hierarchical paradigm, often in totally unnatural ways. Replacing that One
True Paradigm with another One True Paradigm might just prolong the
fundamental mistake.

~~~
LukasMathis
That's a great point. I certainly think applications should have the freedom
to offer their own custom view of the user's data (as you point out, even
hierarchical views, if that makes sense in their context - for example, it
makes sense for MP3 players, where there is a natural hierarchy along the
lines of Band -> Album -> Song), but I also think Apple should show some
leadership here, both on a UI level, as well as on a technical level (for
synchronization, versioning and similar features).

------
tewks
Before using it, I too was skeptical about the task switcher, but it works
really well. It is fast and works about as well (and as quickly in practice)
as alt-tab on a Mac or PC.

The author makes a good point about the difference in icon placements between
the folder icon and the folder itself.

For file management, iPhone OS 3.2+ is already half way there. It syncs
specific files from one's computer to specific apps. What we need is to extend
this and have a system-wide documents database that is akin to the contacts,
calendars, and music database APIs. Version control support in this API would
be cool as well.

~~~
glhaynes
Does OS 4.0 running on an iPhone allow access to syncing specific files via
iTunes like OS 3.2 on iPad does?

------
paul9290
I installed 4.0 a few days ago on my 3G and only notable difference is the
folders. I think to use multi-tasking I need to upgrade my phone to 3gs?
Stinks if that's correct!

~~~
bruceboughton
Stinks?! Really? Apple have done a pretty good job of backporting features
where it makes sense to do so.

~~~
stanleydrew
Still stinks though if he can't get the full update.

~~~
DougBTX
He also can't double his ram with a software update.

~~~
catch23
All you need is RamDoubler!

<http://macreviewzone.com/archive/hardcider/Reviews/RD9.shtml>

------
natch
"Unfortunately, notifications were not addressed in iPhone OS 4.0."

OK, it was kind of passive aggressive of you (the author of the post) to just
state this without any explanation backing it up, but I'll bite. Please do
give us your rant about how local notifications (introduced in OS 4.0) in
addition to the already existing push notifications does not address
notifications.

Or maybe you just missed that part?

~~~
pkulak
I think he just meant that the method of showing notifications to the user
hasn't changed.

~~~
niravs
More specifically, if you receive more than one notification, the former is
pretty much lost. Your app icon is annotated with a number but you have no
idea what happened if you have several icons already annotated.

~~~
natch
Thanks, that's a good point.

------
theBobMcCormick
The new multitasking model, recently used app switcher, and folders are sound
a hell of a lot like the equivalents in Android. (which isn't a complaint by
the way... ) I wonder why they didn't also adopt a notification system similar
to the pull down notification drawer in Android?

------
dangoor
It's worth noting that the task switcher is probably more important for the
iPad. I very much intend to write blog posts and the like on my iPad and being
able to quickly switch between a couple of different applications while doing
so will make the task much more pleasant.

------
fiaz
I would be interested in the author's opinions about the iAd platform.

------
davidedicillo
The task switcher also function as apps killer. Holding your finger on one of
those app will make popup the delete button to completely shut down the apps,
background apis included.

------
almakdad
Apple's approach is closer to a folder metaphor than Lukas's.
<http://goo.gl/NMhl>

~~~
LukasMathis
So you're saying real-world folders switch around the positions of their
contents when you open them? :-)

~~~
almakdad
That would be confusing! Not at all. I'm simply saying your take is a lot like
a popover and think that Apple's implementation though not perfect, is closer
to a folder. Actually, to be exact they should have really called it "Drawers"
because that's how their animated and in a drawer, contents do indeed get
shuffled around!

Although, I've had instances when handling bulky folders and moving them
around, the top most documents would get accidentally rearranged! ;-)

~~~
LukasMathis
I agree, drawers would have been an apt metaphor. Also, drawers get stuck
sometimes, so that would be something interesting Apple could emulate, as well
:-)

------
nfg
Has anyone tried installing OS 4.0 via iTunes on Windows? The fact that
they're distributing it as a dmg made me wary...

~~~
gte910h
It's a developer release, you should be wary.

