iPhone Improvements — An Open Letter to Steve
Dear Steve,
I’m impressed with your recent introduction of the iPhone. Congratulations on keeping it (almost) secret for so long. Instead of sleeping I’ve watched your keynote the same night and played with all those nice animations on the iPhone pages. My current Sony Ericsson phone now feels like my granny’s landline phone.
You’ve proven once again being a real innovator. Thanks Apple Computer Inc.!
Nevertheless there are some areas where I’d love to see improvements made over the next several months until the iPhone is available (late 2007 in Europe/Germany):
-
Rethink decision of closing down the iPhone: This one is important to people like me who work in IT or consider themselves power-users. Think about how cool it would be for the likes of me having SSH and VNC clients on the phone. I want or even need to carry a few programs and custom widgets around.
A first step will be to add more applications to the iPhone. Also do the next step and open it completely. - Safari on the iPhone: Does the mobile Safari edition support PDFs? If not: add an PDF/eBook reader. It seems like PDFs will be supported. This is very important for documentation and the likes or to kill commuting-time in the morning. Also don’t forget to add RSS capability with image caching (while connected to your home’s WLAN).
- SMS and iChat: Further improve the iPhone by adding an iChat (AIM/ICQ) application to the phone (maybe add video chat and voice while connected via WLAN?) and integrate SMS into iChat (on both sides: Mac and iPhone). Send short messages via the internet when connected to make it cheaper or negotiate a fixed price model for SMS sending with your partnered carrier. Your current implementation turns SMS into chat.
- 3G & pricing: This one is a no-brainer. The iPhone needs UMTS (from the begining) to become a hit in Europe. UMTS is everywhere in the ads and has a lot of potential combined with a decent mobile internet device. Though there needs to be an appealing price model to succeed. (Fixed price model again. Hint!) I won’t pay several Euros to see Rome or even 1 Infinite Loop from above while on the train!
- Add gaming! The built-in accelerometer and high-res screen combined with multi-touch are perfect for new concepts and high quality games. Just think about the possibilities!
-
Landscape mode: Please make the landscape mode work in both directions. I’m left handed and want to stay this way. It’s different ;-)
Landscape mode works in both directions. Now It’s time to include landscape mode in Mail and the other apps. - GPS: Integrate a GPS receiver into the next-gen Nike + iPod sports kit to plot one’s run through Google maps on the iPhone. Then send the zoomable map to your blog.
It took 2 seconds of my time and no money to come up with the last idea. Think about what Apple can still do to improve the iPhone prior to its launch having that many smart brains sitting in 1 Infinite Loop.
Thanks for your time, Steve!
Best regards,
a potentialfuture iPhone customer
(Photo courtesy of Apple)
tags: Apple
, iChat , iPhone , iPod , Nike + iPod , open letter , Steve Jobs , thoughts , UMTS
September 20th, 2007 at 08:02h (CEST)
The iPhone idea is awesome.
Some things are essential for the iPhone to be ‘cool’:
*MMS (PXT etc) (feature on all new phones)
*Bluetooth file send/recieve (very fun to share things)
*Bluetooth audio streaming (good for newer products)
*Larger storage (for iPod migrators)
*Non-recessed headphone jack (for other headphones)
*Multiple colours/shades (its great to have choice)
*Video recording (nifty feature)
The bulk of the changes Apple should make are to the software, the hardware is almost perfect.
September 26th, 2007 at 16:11h (CEST)
Let Apple know you want 3rd party applications on the iPhone by providing feedback (http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html).
Here is what I wrote:
I don’t have an iPhone yet (I live in Germany) but I’d like you to know that I’m really reconsidering buying one. There are lots of really cool 3rd party apps available via installer.app (http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/) I would love to use. Hearing you are planing on closing the iPhone again with every software update was quite a shock. I’m not talking about unlocking an iPhone, I mean running great applications the iPhone is missing in the first place. Web 2.0 mobile Safari “apps” are no alternative.
Devices like the iPhone live because of 3rd party apps. With the lack of 3G in Germany the ability to use your own programs would be a great plus in the eyes of many customers.
I’m sure your getting a lot of feedback like this: please listen! I understand every Apple employee got a free iPhone–wouldn’t you personally love to run your own applications? Please make an iPhone SDK a priority!
November 27th, 2007 at 17:15h (CET)
Please, let Apple know about this basics IPHONE Improvements:
real time sync: you need to click on synch button each time you add a new voice into outlook to be synchronized.
notes synch
email synch -it syncs the email accounts (very cool) and not the email themselves (very loW)
email deletion selecting a group not just one by one
email management: possibility to save/export attachment
headset with a button for answering
SMS multi sending function
SMS management: forward - reply….
Blutooth settings missing
Blutooth services missing but the blutooth-headset
November 27th, 2007 at 17:21h (CET)
Luca,
good suggestions. You can send them to Apple yourself:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
Also note that the headset has a button for answering calls. Emails can be synced by using IMAP as the protocol (though it doesn’t help those with POP3 accounts).
February 8th, 2008 at 16:06h (CET)
don’t know what type of iphone you have, but landscaping mode IS working in both directions on my iphone!
February 8th, 2008 at 19:57h (CET)
Thanks for the reminder Tobi! I just forgot to update my post.
May 2nd, 2008 at 23:52h (CEST)
I have been using iphone for the past 4week and it does have lots of restrictions such ase:
Miltiple line selection to delete a paragraph from email…
spell checker it would be a good function
copy and paste email to browser, from email to another email, to callendar…
Delivery report when sending sms
Be able to record video
Sms which was already sent to a contact would be able to foward it another contact
aditional buttons on the side to skip track so you would not have yo look and lauch ipod to skip tracks
P.s hope to the some if the updates mentioned if not all
Kind reagards
adrian
May 3rd, 2008 at 00:12h (CEST)
You can quickly press the button on your headset twice to skip a track and press it once to pause playback.
It is also possible to double click the home button on the iPhone (even when it’s locked) to display the music controls (depends on your settings though).
May 3rd, 2008 at 08:26h (CEST)
aa ok mate thank you regarding when pressing double click on the home button and the ipod turns up i new about it but pressing twice the head set i did not thank you