What Do You Want In iPhone 2.0?

Ian Lamont writes "The predictions about the iPhone being a bust have so far been way off the mark, but that doesn't mean the device is perfect. Besides the dependence on the AT&T Edge network and the lack of an iPhone SDK, there are a boatload of UI, software and hardware issues that should be addressed in the next-generation iPhone. Some complaints include GPS functionality, allowing iPhones to be used as hard drives, adding RSS support, and turning auto-correct into auto-complete. What would you want to see in the next generation of iPhone?"

Comments

I don't want much more

[blantonl]

But this would do it for me:

1. Native iChat functionality
2. Ability to tether the device
3. Some level of copy and paste.
4. Ability to clear all SMS conversations

That's about it.

Re:I don't want much more

[powerpointmonkey]

I'm in the UK, and for me the killer feature would be HSDPA. My 2year old HTC phone has 'propper' 3g, why was the iPhone crippled?

Re:I don't want much more

[bstadil]

It was not deliberately crippled. The current chips uses too much power and would make the battery life unacceptable. Google for more info and Jobs' comments on the subject. 3G with less power is scheduled for 2Q08 if I remember correctly.

Re:I don't want much more

[Zonk (troll)]

What I'd like is:

1) Free of AT&T
2) VOIP, used by default when WiFi is available
3) Designed as an open platform to be modified easily (custom apps, alternative firmware, etc)

Of course, that will never happen.

Re:I don't want much more

[jtroutman]

Everything else should be second

Don't you mean fourth?

Re:I don't want much more

[Anonymous Coward]

and a pony?

Re:I don't want much more

[djh101010]

But this would do it for me:

1. Native iChat functionality
Download "AppTapp installer" from http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/ and install it. Then have it install "MobileChat", or one of the other native apps for chat.

2. Ability to tether the device
Check YouTube, some guy demo'd that during week 2.

3. Some level of copy and paste.
4. Ability to clear all SMS conversations

That's about it.
Not sure I can help with the last two, but check out all of what apptap can do. Make sure you install "summerboard" so you can scroll your main screen once you get too many icons to display on one page. You'll also want to add "community sources" so you can have more stuff to choose from. The list increases a couple times a day.

Re:I don't want much more

[bwoodard]

5) Search through contacts by business or other methods
6) cut/paste
7) Categorize contacts/memos
8) task list
9) Scientific calculator mode
10) Bluetooth GPS profile
11) A2DP Bluetooth profile

Re:I don't want much more

[DDLKermit007]

Yeah, you can have your HDSPA. My Nokia N95 needs to be charged twice daily due to how badly 3G sucks down the battery. Jobs & them are waiting for the less power hungry 3G, and sticking with what works for now.

Re:I don't want much more

[plalonde2]

12) PDF reader 13) mpeg player 14) cut/paste (again) 15) split screen so I can see some data I have to retype because of lack of 6/14

Re:I don't want much more

[Propaganda13]

Really? the iphone doesn't have voice dialing? I haven't had a phone in 10 years that didn't allow voice dialing.

Re:I don't want much more

[Joe Tie.]

Are there any solid plans for getting skype to work on it? Closed or not, I've really come to like their service. Skype's the only thing about the neo I've found lacking in its specs. Given the nokia tablet's skype port, as well as the port to qtopia, a neo with either openmoko or qtopia would seem easy to get on their if the skype devs had any interest.

Re:I don't want much more

[Namarrgon]

That's the excuse Jobs is giving you, yes. Of course, when the iPhone inevitably gets HSDPA, the extra power usage will be glossed over ("We knew consumers wouldn't be satisfied with a mere 7 hrs talk time instead of 8, so we intentionally limited its capabilities.").

Funny how battery life on 3G just isn't that big an issue on other phones. Personally, I'd rather have the choice, and just switch back to GSM if I need the extra life. But that's not really the Apple way, is it?

Re:I don't want much more

[Zeinfeld]

#1) Does it work well as a phone ?
#2) Does it work well as a phone ?
#3) Does it work well as a phone ?

Precisely and the thing that was actually amazing about the iPhone is that it is the first PDA phone that has not been a half baked POS. I have had a Blackberry, an iPaq and a Treo. They all suck. They crash, they drop connections, they are unreliable. The Treo is a vast improvement on the iPaq but its still a POS.

The iPhone on the other hand is competently engineered and actually works. What would it take for me to buy one?

For me to buy one for my personal use it would have to be really, really good. It would have to be good enough for me to carry a second phone around with me for a start. If it had GPS capability and I could use it to auto-navigate in the car that would make me buy it. In fact I would even buy one if there was a GPS adaptor kit available that I could fit in the car and then plug the iPhone in when I am driving the car without a GPS.

For the phone to be acceptable as a work phone it would have to meet two particular requirements. First it has to synch with Exchange email and calendar, either natively or through a third party plug in like Goodmail. Second the email capability must provide for a 'reset' facility in the case that the phone is reported lost or stolen. Without that capability I can't use the phone for work.

Those 'must have' items apart, I would like to be able to use my iPhone as a remote control for arbitrary devices in my home. I would also like to be able to use it as a one time password token.

Another very nice to have feature would be to be able to use the iPhone as a VOIP phone when in range of a suitable WiFi source. I doubt that will be an option until sometime after the AT&T exclusive deal expires though.

My list of nice to have is not actually very long, I don't want my phone to do absolutely everything. I don't even care about having a camera on my phone. But I certainly would like to see the way phones are sold change so that instead of having to buy the phone through my network provider I buy the phone and then decide what network to use it on. I want to see the phone become a commodity communications device.

If that happens then instead of having one phone and many batteries I would be just as happy taking a second phone with me on a trip. If one phone goes flat I switch to the other. I should be able to receive calls from either my home number or my 'mobile' number when I am out of the house and the phone should be able to reconfig itself to my wife's preferences if she needs to use it when I am out.

Instead of buying one phone per person I buy one for every room that currently has a telephone handset.

Re:I don't want much more

[SpectreBlofeld]

You can turn 3G off on 3G-enabled phones, so that isn't an issue.

Re:I don't want much more

[bstadil]

Sure it is an issue. Apple designs their product differently than most companies. That's the reason we have this conversation. If you want a product that just adds features there is a gazillion to chose from. Second. If they had included a power hungry 3G capabilities we would be having a conversation on /. about how crappy the battery life of the iPhone is.

Re:I don't want much more

[shmlco]

Quotes off page one of a Google search for HTC battery life, giving 1,750,000 results...

"The only gripe I have about this device is the poor battery performance. ... I usually need to recharge it in the late afternoon because the battery gets below 10%."

"I'm very disappointed with the battery life on my 8525, especially compared to the 8125. ... I lost 10% on my 35 minute drive to work This included no voice calls but a fair amount of text messaging, internet use, and emails."

"The battery on the htc tytn sucks, ... using wifi on it for 20 minutes drains 30-40 percent of the phone already! the phone's absolutely amazing but the battery life is it's downfall."

"However when I am using the built-in wireless extensively, when I am traveling, or when I am not able to recharge at some point during the day, I have noticed a definite need for a backup power solution."

IOW, battery life under 3G would appear to be a "bit" of an issue...

Re:I don't want much more

[shmlco]

So they should have added the feature so it can be turned off?

Further, I think you should check out AT&T's 3G coverage. Until their network gets a MAJOR set of upgrades, having 3G on the phone isn't going to do you a lot of good.

Re:I don't want much more

[cjb110]

if that were the actual reason, then what about all of the 3G handsets in Europe with equal or better battery life?

its got nowt to do with battery, but rather the market. The US doesn't have a widespread 3G network, therefore it was pointless to add it...your biggest user base doesn't care. Secondly we know that like the ipod there are going to be multiple generations. So iphone v1 has lots of crappy issues, or choices that apple made but weren't sure about. iphone v2 will be the fix.

The only real surprise is that the euro operators believe that the Apple brand will overcome the horrendously high premium the iphone asks.

Re:I don't want much more

[Anonymous Coward]

"I'm very disappointed with the battery life on my 8525, especially compared to the 8125. ... I lost 10% on my 35 minute drive to work This included no voice calls but a fair amount of text messaging, internet use, and emails."

Must've been a pretty safe ride.

Re:I don't want much more

[Reaperducer]

A pony? Why do you want to lock yourself into some DRM-crippled equine variant? If it doesn't have full unicorn options, it's nothing less than Micro$oft in disguise.

Errr, yeah, GPS is just what it needs...

[Anonymous Coward]

GPS functionality? How about moving to this side of Y2K when it comes to cellphone technology first? I don't know, maybe start with MMS?

Well, for one...

[Daimando]

removable flash memory would be a start.

Easy answer

[obender]

In iPhone2 I want OpenMoko.

Re:Easy answer

[goombah99]

I suppose you want, nay, DEMAND, ogg vorbis before you will buy?

Re:Easy answer

[Jeremi]

The fact that people are willing to buy something that officially can't have new software written for it suggests they are not very serious technical people.

How do you like your open-source TV? Is your open-source refrigerator working for you? And your open-source car is doing fine, I trust?

Surely you didn't buy closed-source versions of these products... that would suggest you are not a serious technical person.

The perfect OS

[gardyloo]

Windows Me.

Really?

[jvagner]

We just went through months and months of iPhone discussions. Then we re-hashed half of those details in the way that the iPod Touch is a little disappointing. A lot of progress has been made in terms of getting unofficial 3rd party apps installed to the device. Do we really have to talk about this already?

Here's the thing: Apple, and Steve Jobs, will do exactly what they want and nothing more. We may get iChat support, we may get video at some point, but we're probably not getting an official SSH client. We're probably not getting VOIP, even though Apple has made obvious their disdain for the cell industry.

Once a product is launched, Apple tends to make small, incremental improvements. I don't see the iPhone 2.0 as a huge step up. In his "Steve Takes Europe" tour, the timelines for a 3G iPhone seem to be pointing more towards the end of next year, not sooner.

Be happy with your iPhone now. I won't be getting one, but that's okay. But I *am* done thinking about the iPhone, because for me it really is short of the mark. I'm in love with the interface, the form factor, and the degree to which Apple was able to think very differently than the rest of the industry. But, Apple's self-imposed product limitations are too annoying for me. It's just not going to be the device I really want.

Voice Synthesizer/Modulator

[kwabbles]

I want to be able to change my voice when I call people.

Options must include:

Barry White
Liz Hurley
Megatron
Gary Coleman
Jerry Lewis
R2D2
Bobcat Goldthwait
Herve Villavechaize
Smeagol (post-ring)

I'd switch to AT&T for that.

Battery door, native SDK, unlocked

[MacDork]

And drop the glass or drop the price of glass repair from $250.

Short list.

[mypalmike]

- SW: Todo list.
- SW: WiFi SIP phone application that I can use with any SIP provider.
- SW: Dev kit. (Partly so I can implement/port these if Apple or "official 3rd party developer" doesn't.)
- HW: HSDPA (3G).
- Service: Wireless sync calendar/contacts over WiFi or Edge/3G.

I was one of the naysayers, but I ended up buying one of the $300 4GB models a couple weeks back to try it out. Now, it's "from my cold dead hands." Web browsing and email on the iPhone are simply leaps and bounds better than what I had on my Samsung Blackjack.

BlackBerry Ad

[c_sd_m]

Is anyone else getting ads for the newest blackberries on this page?

Mike Lazaridis' view on the 'essence' of the blackberry is that a core team designed and engineered every aspect of the product. The integrated full-picture approach led to the difficult to duplicate product. This seems very close to Apple's design philosophy. In the blackberries it's led to lots of proposed features tested by employees using prototypes. Which ideas were (or weren't) successful is often surprising. So we can list lots of things we think we'd like but hopefully Apple takes their time properly considering and evaluating new features before launching a new product.

It really only needs two things

[StarKruzr]

which will enable everything else (short of 3G).

1) SDK
2) Uncrippled Bluetooth.

That's funny...

[SuperKendall]

Hardware keyboard

Funny, the lack of a software keyboard or renewed form of Jot was the reason I never purchased a Treo.

After you use a virtual keyboards, and you find that it changes to symbols that make sense for the context you are in... I never ever want to go back to a real keyboard. Even desktop keyboards I find annoying in the rigidity they offer, especially when playing games.

UNIX apps? Already got 'em.

Re:The only reason I haven't purchased one

[empaler]

BTW my brick-of-a-phone (aka. HTC vx), runs anything, has wifi, and a keyboard. But, again, it is a friggin brick with the shitty IE mobile browser. In my opinion, safari is the iPhone's killer app. I have a HTC Wizard (locally known ad QTek 9100) - the killer app for the is the Opera browser. Opera Mini for Java is okay, but Opera Mobile for Windows CE/Mobile is totally FTW.

That being said, it's also a brick, so I use it twice a month.

For $600, again?

[RingDev]

Hell, I'm still waiting for iPhone 1.0 to give me a blow job. For another $600, iPhone two better come with a twin.

-Rick

lame article, fit for Digg only

[Jeremy_Bee]

I was struck by how stupid most of the 15 things listed in the ComputerWorld article were and how the list seemed to be a big confabulation of every complaint we have ever heard about the iPhone. Don't we know enough already to steer clear of any article that starts with "15 things..." or "10 great ways..."? :-)

Several of these "things to fix" are things that only third parties can accomplish, several more require entirely new hardware, and most of the rest are already slated to appear when Leopard comes out. At the very least, the article could differentiate between things requiring new hardware, and things that could be 'fixed" on the original iPhone.

For software related issues, it's hardly worth talking about until Leopard is out as it's pretty clear at this point that the iPhone was originally intended to be released in a post-Leopard world and is not "all that it was meant to be" at the moment. For hardware related stuff, GPS, G3, better camera, and second camera are too obvious to really mention (over and over again).

Ho-hum (yawns)

A Theory

[SuperKendall]

My theory is, they'll release the SDK along with Leopard and try to make Leopard a premiere mobile development platform.

Probably just a fantasy, but it sure would be nice.

Re:be carful

[fyngyrz]

How about the ability to use it in the huge areas of the country that aren't covered by their one pitiful provider? If I bought one now, it'd be about as functional as an iPod, and I already have one of those...

Oh well. Guess they don't want to sell them to me, my SO, and our three offspring.

Re:be carful

[Captain Splendid]

be carful

Well said, sonny!

Now why'd you moderators mod this fine, upstanding young man a "troll"? As can be seen from his subject line, he just wishes all of us to embrace the the principles of carpooling! Frankly, we need more of his kind! None of this mamby-pamby talk about Global Warming, just get out there and make sure your car is full ! This kind of lead-from-the-front can-do attitude is our best bet to lick this yet!

ttapper04, I salute you, Sir!

Exchange, EVDO, user replaceable battery

[zerofoo]

These would be nice to roll out to corporate users, but these requirements are a necessity.

Full exchange support - imap is not enough.

EVDO this implies a verizon version of the iPhone exists. Companies have big cell phone contracts, typically with one cell phone company. Starting a new corporate account with a different service provider for one phone is not an easy sell.

User replaceable battery - one big DUH. When your average CxO decides to talk on his phone all weekend, it is a nice thing for him/her to carry an extra battery.

-ted

Re:What's so hard about carrying 2 devices?

[adisakp]

If you already bought the $500 phone with the $70, it would kinda suck to find out you need another phone if you want to make calls you can hear in a crowded area or slightly noisy area.

Open stuff is good

[Nursie]

The ability to install third party apps, like just about any other smartphone EVER would be good.

Decent (3G) connection would also go a long way, replaceable battery, SIM...

The thing is locked down it's ridiculous. But people stillbuy them...

Re:No Phone

[Inakizombie]

Airplane mode perhaps?

Few things needed to make a Palm PDA killer

[poopie]

As a palm faithful for years and years, it was with great reluctance that I jumped ship to the iPhone. The browser and media player on the iphone are FANTASTIC. I can't say enough good things about them. There are however, a number of problems I've had dealing with my transition from Palm to iPhone.

- Few key *NATIVE* apps that I can't or don't want to replace with a web-based app: Let's face it, EDGE or wireless networking isn't good enough everywhere to completely depend on for frequently used apps. I want a local password manager app. I want a multiprotocol IM client. I want ability to record voice and video clips. I want a global search function. I want a draw/paint/notepad app where I can draw things like I do on cocktail napkins. I want a *REAL* todo app that ties into my calendar. I really miss my car maintenance/gas mileage app.

- mail app. Make email able to open any audio/video attachments with "itunes" multimedia player. Give me per-email account config options for # of messages to download, how many to keep. How about download and keep all messages until free ram less than X? Need ability to search email subject, to:, and email body.

- Integration features: I want my phone to "guess" my location based on cell towers, wifi access points and show a 'you are here' in Google Maps. I want to be able to select text from a webpage, and have the option of emailing the text with a link to source page to anyone in my address book. I want to be able to enter a phone number in the "location" field for a meeting and be able to touch the number on a meeting reminder and have the iphone dial my meeting number.

- Sync: Please oh please, let me sync my calendar with Google Calendar and Google contacts - I'd like to be able to do it wired or wirelessly. Add support in iTunes for syncing with Mozilla Sunbird. Add support for syncing with multiple calendar sources that have different sync locations and rules -- let my sync my work calendar and have events show up in red. Let me sync my personal calendar and have events show up in blue. Let me be able to toggle viewing my wife's personal calendar on and off as I wish and have it show up in a different color. Let me schedule events for multiple calendars. Please also add support for syncing with Palm Desktop. There aren't many good free PIMs on Windows. Outlook blows. Not everyone or every company uses Exchange. I wasted days trying to get 10 years of Palm data into outlook and into my iPhone. In the end, I only got about 80% of it over. That's a tragedy -- Apple should make it trivial for a Palm user to switch to iPhone with all their data.

- Browser: Flash, Flash, Flash... oh and bluetooth printing support

- Remote access: If you don't open up the iPhone, at least give us a multipurpose remote access app. I want to choose from the following options: 1) text-based ssh console, 2) RDP client that support multi-touch screen scaling and screen tilting, 3) VNC client that supports multi-touch screen scaling and positioning

- Hardware enhancements: Bluetooth - give me a tiny, foldable bluetooth keyboard and iphone stand that pairs with the iPhone so I can put it on the desk and type faster. Keyboard folded over should be about same size as iphone. Give us Stereo Bluetooth support and sell a stereo bluetooth headset with a MIC for phone use too (We hate wires). Keep larger flash drive capacities coming. Keyboard slider might make an interesting device - I won't be typing any novels on my current iPhone.

- Provide a *FREE* SDK for 3rd party development. Don't force me to jump ship to a gphone in 1 year. Let me hack my iPhone without worrying about Apple updates needing me to "reformat" my device and resync all my data. Come on, now!

- iTunes - let me grab new podcasts wireless and sync up info when I sync with itunes

Did I mention native, multiprotocol IM client? Oh, well let me mention it again. Let me specify my own XMPP/jabber servers too so I can connect with my corporate IM servers.

Lastly, one app I re

LEAP/PEAP for wifi

[skeftomai]

That would be nice. Many organizations (including my school) use LEAP for network authentication.

Would it be possible for this to be implemented via software updates or a third-party app on the current-gen iPhone?

Some simple UI wishes...

[lelitsch]

(1) Make the horizontal keyboard available for every application, not just Safari.
(2) Copy notes between Mac/PC and the iPhone
(3) Make locations in Google Maps save able
(4) Song controls in CoverFlow
(5) On-off switch for auto-correction. It's really good for English, but try to type a French/German/Italian message. Oh, yeah, international keyboards. Some of us are fluent in more than one language.

Other than that, kick AT&T to offer a non-extortionist international data plan.

Re:be carful

[JebusIsLord]

I mostly just want more memory... my CD collection is at about 30GB right now. Put 32GB of flash in there and we have a deal.

I'm not carrying one of these AND my iPod. I want an all-in-one.

Ideally...

[OGC]

- Hardware Keyboard
- 3G
- Better Camera
- Less smugness

Oh Wait.

IRdA

[SethJohnson]

Perhaps a not-so-expensive feature would be IRdA like the palm has. Then you could run it as a universal TV remote control and also car door unlocker. Oh, if they could partner with the auto companies to have it open your car door and also start your car, well that would be cool. Speaking of cars, if they could stream music from the phone to the car stereo like iTunes can with the Airport Express/Extreme, that would be helpful in getting rid of all these horrible FM transmitter gizmos that always suffer conflicts with existing stations.

Seth

my list

[josepha48]

1) installable applications and a dev sdk; 2) todo list; 3) keyboard should be rotatable like the images; 4) option to turn off the screen rotation, imagine turning the camera on its side and taking a photo, then when you try to review the photo; 5) large, medium and small options for screens so that people have a choice; 6) works on other networks like sprint, verizon and t-mobile ( usa ); 7) higher resolution camera ( 2mp is good, but next year it will be standard ); I can't think of anything else right now..

Let's start...

[Phroggy]

...with a list of some of the features of my current phone, a Motorola v551. It's not a complete piece of crap, but it's certainly not high end or anything. The interface is terrible; Motorola's UI designers are apparently completely incompetent. Slashdotters complain about EDGE, but this phone doesn't even support EDGE; I get 32kbps down and 16kbps up on GPRS. So right there, there's two things the iPhone would do better.

But here's some of the things my crappy old phone can do, that the iPhone can't:

• tethering via BlueTooth
  
• syncing via BlueTooth
  
• voice dialing
  
• MP3 ring tones, alarms, etc.
  
• record videos, and send them to others via MMS or e-mail, or transfer them (or photos, or ring tones) to my computer via BlueTooth
  
• AIM client
  
• Install and play third-party games
  
• Swap batteries when I'm away from a power source for awhile
  

I shouldn't have to give up these features. Tethering (the ability to connect to the Internet from my laptop through the phone) is the dealbreaker; I use that all the time. I can understand the battery issue, and I should be able to work around it by connecting an external battery pack (I've seen these for other phones; I don't know if one is available for the iPhone yet, but it's not exactly complicated).

Beyond that? I'm sure 3G is coming. GPS would be nice, so I don't have to enter my current location when using Google Maps, especially after I've made a wrong turn and I don't really know where I am. Copy and paste would be helpful. And I really desperately want an SSH client.

Barnum's Corollary

[meehawl]

It was not deliberately crippled. The current chips uses too much power and would make the battery life unacceptable. Google for more info and Jobs' comments on the subject.

The Reality Distortion Field is in full effect then I see.

Re:These are a few of my favorite things...

[dave420]

The 3G choice was Apple's, not AT&Ts. They're not on AT&T in Europe, yet there still is no 3G on the iPhone over here...

Smart Groups

[tdonley]

Smart Groups from the MacOS X Address Book should sync with the iPhone. While we're at it, Smart Playlists from iTunes would be nice, as would the Smart Mailboxes from Mail.app.