Hey, Let’s Start Planning iOS 6
A few dozen ways to make an excellent mobile operating system even better.By Harry McCracken | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 9:17 pm
In a strange way, there’s something exciting about the fact that mobile operating systems such as iOS and Android are relatively immature, and still lacking some features that people really want. If nothing else, it certainly allows their makers to release upgrades that are a big deal, since there’s no lack of worthwhile stuff to add. (With Windows and OS X, there are far fewer obvious holes; a cynic, in fact, might contend that those OSes would benefit from having fewer features.)
I’m enjoying iOS 5 on both both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2. But as I use it, I’m also reflecting on the missing features I still crave. (One example: More serious font support, such as the ability to add my own typefaces.) And over on Twitter, I asked my pals for their iOS 6 wish lists, and got lots of nifty nominations–most of which sounded like things that Apple might plausibly add, and only a few of which were (coughcoughFlash) painfully obvious.
After the jump, a few dozen of them–thanks to all who participated in this brainstorming exercise.
@harrymccracken automatic language detection – sick of switching keyboard for that and Siri looks like a one language at a time app
— Ziad Wakim (@motdiem) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I'd like to see an AirDrop style feature between iOS and Lion.
— Chris Brandrick (@chrisbrandrick) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Facial recognition security for iOS- looks at your face, auto-unlocks phone. They HAVE this tech through buy of Polar Rose!
— Jonathan Hirshon (@horizonpr1) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken A better way to deal with apps. Perhaps something like the way Android does it.
— Simon Boulle (@simonboulle) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Siri integration for 3rd party apps.
— arun (@ArunSirrpi) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken it might not require ios 6, but can we get "snooze" for calendar reminders? 🙂
— Michael Hoffman (@mhoffman2001) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Flash support
— James Izatt (@izattja) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I'd like an iOS 6 option to turn off vibration if the proximity sensor decides the phone is close to my head.
— sparse_array (@sparse_array) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken a shopping cart method for the app store. I download an app, I go back to the store, download an app, back to the store, etc
— Miguel Cardinal (@mdcardinal) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken better multitasking, live updating icons (like weather and clock), widgets in notification center & nested folders.
— tobiaslundin (@tobiaslundin) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken When at home, phone picks up home wireless, shut off bluetooth, and when I leave home, turn it back on #iOS6wishlist
— Dan (@dcrane2) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Let the user select up to 4 apps to remain on in the background, and let others scroll past as they get used. #iOS6wishlist
— Dan (@dcrane2) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Last requests, Handwriting recognition and editable dictionary #iOS6wishlist
— Dan (@dcrane2) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken printing support through any printer connected to a PC or Mac running iCloud.
— Tim Joiner (@joinertek) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Something that stops apps from overwriting my background music.
— Ed Zitron (@edzitron) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken wish the phone would automatically pre-order food for me that will then be delivered to my desk at noon.
— Elizabeth Israel (@sealizis) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken True wireless syncing. At the moment I have to be connected to a power source or it won't let me. I would prefer the option.
— Joel in Real Life (@CoreyTamas) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Feature Request for iOS6 is configurable music app. Spotify or Rdio or something in place of iPod.
— Cole Brand (@jcolebrand) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Top Feature, stop locking software for new hardware that old hardware can run. like Siri!
— Chris Carroll (@christocarroll) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Stop auto-correcting my curse words. I'm over that shut.
— Lisa Derus (@lisaderus) October 13, 2011
http://twitter.com/#!/cato_mcfly/status/124689302935445504
http://twitter.com/#!/YouGotSean/status/124653413513441280
@harrymccracken better multitasking, live updating icons (like weather and clock), widgets in notification center & nested folders.
— tobiaslundin (@tobiaslundin) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Being able to subscribe to podcasts would be nice. As for goodness' sake: Custom message alert tones.
— Alan Hogan (@AlanHogan) October 13, 2011
http://twitter.com/#!/keithregister10/status/124576912113811456
@harrymccracken Turn-by-turn GPS navigation. Siri makes iOS a killer OS for a carputer.
— Steve Ko (@stko) October 13, 2011
http://twitter.com/#!/BillyInSan/status/124574597940117507
@harrymccracken Location-aware passcode locks so I don't have to enter it in at home.
— Mark Crump (@crumpy) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken configurable spellchecking dictionaries!
— Greg Jackson (@jgackson) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken wifi-3G-Bluetooth on/off, easy to access switch
— Francisco J. Ramírez (@FcoRamirezA) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken What I want in iOS 6: Handwriting recognition as good as Newton 2100. Barring that, Graffiti support in an alt-keyboard.
— Stephen Fleming (@StephenFleming) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken quick access on/ofd menu for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi that doesn't take 4 or 5 presses to get to.
— jonathan Cost (@MacTipsDaily) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken An API for Spotlight so it’ll search contents of 3rd-party apps, like Spotlight on Mac and (I think) Just Type on WebOS.
— Yoni Mazuz (@yonatron) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken maybe upgrades that don't need internet access too much.
— nothing is ever lost (@BirdofQuotes) October 13, 2011
http://twitter.com/#!/Vance14/status/124572729021173760
@harrymccracken IOS6: Streaming your iPhone to a large cheap IPad screen
— Nat Jones (@flanisawesome) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken a better way to switch between running apps. Delete pics from photostream, share a link to an app with friends(easily)
— Matt (@hellimedic) October 13, 2011
@ivospigel @harrymccracken more geoawareness( FMF like service-system wide-mashed with siri) , flexibile widget system (3rd party)
— Luka Sučić (@Beler) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken For IOS6 i would absolutely love multiuser login for my family.
— toreiishavsbyen (@toreiishavsbyen) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Widgets! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WIDGETS!
— Christian Buchanan (@iloveflynn) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken that it runs on a Desktop computer #iOS6
— Ga #30F (@loograt) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken A way to display useful info on the homescreens (updateable icons or small widgets)
— Bouke (@JustCallMeBen) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I wish I had the ability to double-tap on notifications to open them. It's a small change, but would be really useful.
— Tyler Harbaugh (@T_Harbaugh) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken The ability to delete (or at least hide) Apple apps I don't use.
— Miche Doherty (@miche) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I want to create photo albums in my device & move photos between them! Family pics archi pics,concert pics etc
— Chris Pelesky (@MCHRISP1) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Reply to an email and add an attachment. Sure, they're trying to remove file pickers, but sometimes you just need one.
— James Baker (@GrumpusNation) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I think iOS 5 has all the features I want, I want iOS 6 to spruce up the UI, it is starting to look a bit worn
— Rory Blanks (@redking315) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I want #ContinuousClient (events) integrated into the OS+API and for Siri to be #ContinuousClient aware so that…
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken when I change devices (iPhone, iPad) or move within my home (Apple TV) Siri follows me.
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken #ContinuousClient events fed into Siri coming from OS apps or 3rd party apps would give Siri a whole new level of awareness
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken #ContinousClient aware Siri example: In my car driving home w/ iPhone "What movies are available?", Siri responds…
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I respond choosing movie, Siri tells my Apple TV to queue it. I walk into my home, Siri talks through my TV not my phone
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken I respond choosing movie, Siri tells my Apple TV to queue it. I walk into my home, Siri talks through my TV not my phone
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Hard to describe in 140 char chunks but it's all possible 🙂
— Kelly Sommers (@kellabyte) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken improved keyboard autocorrection and word selection feature (closer to Android's)
— Joo (@jambajooce) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Stop auto-correcting my curse words. I'm over that shut.
— Lisa Derus (@lisaderus) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Top Feature, stop locking software for new hardware that old hardware can run. like Siri!
— Chris Carroll (@christocarroll) October 13, 2011
@harrymccracken Top request for IOS 6 is for #apple to partner with a bigger CDN for release day!
— Chris Schofield (@schofieldchris) October 13, 2011
That was fun. I’ll bet some of these ideas show up in iOS 6, or iOS 7 at least. (Back in 2009, I listed 25 features I wanted to see in the OS then known as iPhone OS–two years later, most of them are available…but there are a few I’d still love to see in iOS 6.)
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21 Comments For This Post
October 15th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Wow! The predictions were really cool. But I feel that Apple has always provided more than what we expect, atleast until Steve was in Office. What do you say?
October 15th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
> I would like iOS 6 to give an option to install non app store apps… It could happen, right?
You can already do that. App Store is optional and did not even arrive until the second iPhone. Previously to that and at all times since then, you have been able to install apps from any server in the world. But because the 1-click payments are not there, developers prefer to make App Store apps.
> Top Feature, stop locking software for new hardware that old hardware can run. like Siri!
Siri is a beta with a cloud component. The most obvious Occam's Razor reason why it runs only on 4S is that if it ran on iPhone 4 they would have to support 100 million users overnight, instead of ramping up as 4S ramps up.
October 15th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
After five minutes, I stopped loading this page. Did you really need a Twitter call for every tweet you wanted to quote? Whatever happened to text lists? This would have been much faster to load as one of those multi-page slideshows (which I wouldn't have clicked through of course, because I hate wasting my time like that).
October 16th, 2011 at 11:34 am
I'd like to see a file structure.
October 16th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Navigation by Siri is the obvious feature that I didn’t notice until someone brink it up here. Very interesting list.
October 17th, 2011 at 9:42 am
iOS 6 wishlist: Siri on all devices. (I agree they're trying it out with 4S too keep user base lower) Better App management through iTunes (it's horrible!) Split keyboard for iPhone… I mean come on, why not?
October 17th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
One of the reasons we value Steve Jobs is that he didn't listen to what people wanted. Some of the comments above are constructive ideas, but many are the equivalent of a screen door on a submarine. Normally, I shun arrogance. But arrogance is often a quality of a genius. I'm glad Steve Jobs would never listen to anything I said.
Instead of whining for a feature that would make no sense when really examined, I will only add a note of optimism: Siri will learn. Over time, if Siri is truly based on Artificial Intelligence, it will learn, become more exact in its responses and provide a greater quality of information. I have a hunch too, that over time, developers will take advantage of the published APIs related to Siri, and as they do, we will see a wave of amazing new apps that harness Siri, and Siri itself will be able to tap many more valuable sources and types of information for the answers to the questions we have.
I have come to realize that Siri is NOT a search engine, but an ANSWER engine. It will be the catalyst for competition from Google, Microsoft and others to come, a competition in which we users will be the winner. (Oh yeah, and it will make Stephan Wolfram happy, because finally, Wolfram Alpha will be embraced on a scale unimaginable only a week ago.)
AI is no longer the stuff of science fiction. It's in the palm of your hand.
October 24th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
NEW UI. iPhone looks to basic, and cheap. Come on apple. Your letting me down.
October 29th, 2011 at 10:29 am
Flash Player
November 8th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Just talking about feature requests and posting them public on the web does not always make the company read them, and you can submit feature requests to Apple: http://www.apple/com/feedback/
November 8th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
I didn't mean http://www.apple/com/feedback/, I meant http://www.apple.com/feedback/
January 13th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Why am I getting a few thumbs-down for feature requests to be at http://www.apple.com/feedback/? Are people scared of submitting directly to Apple Inc.?
November 14th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Installous 6 😉
I'm a Hacker MUHAHAHA
November 17th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
they need to make a SDK (software devolpment kit), off your i device. submit. boom you made a top paid app:)
November 24th, 2011 at 4:40 am
You actually can already sync without being connected to a power source! When your iPod is plugged in, you check "Sync with this iPad/iPod/iPhone over Wi-Fi.
November 29th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
The ability to call people’s phones through a iPod touch!
January 6th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
“Top Feature, stop locking software for new hardware that old hardware can run. like Siri!”
“that it runs on a Desktop computer #iOS6”
Then how would Apple Computer get profit for selling iPads and/or iPhone 4S’?
January 16th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
I think it would be usefull to be able to hide pics videos and apps. also to have a few of the features android has like the new address book that can intigrate into twitter and maybe add facebook. also to have multiple accounts or a guest mode. having a switch apps thing where you can press a little X to close the app or choose to switch to another by just tapping on it. we also want to be able to go beyond the basic editing features for photos and to be able to delete, add, and move pictures. they could also have the multitask menu have a way to change the brightness, turn off wireless and bluetooth, and have a volume mixer to be able to lower the volume of an app, so you can listen to your music in peace.
January 21st, 2012 at 10:56 am
i would like it to be a little less boring all it is is a bunch of squares on a solid background with no real multitasking.
January 25th, 2012 at 2:30 am
they need to make a SDK (software devolpment kit), off your i device. submit. boom you made a top paid app:)
You actually can already sync without being connected to a power source! When your iPod is plugged in, you check "Sync with this iPad/iPod/iPhone over Wi-Fi.
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:01 am
NEW UI. iPhone looks to basic, and cheap. Come on apple. Your letting me down.