iOS Bugs

iOS continues its descent. If you're going to say:

• I've never heard of this, therefore it's not a problem
• I don't use this official app that's built into iOS, therefore it's not a problem
• You're using it wrong

Then you can save yourself some time and stop reading further.

iOS 9
You know, in the official iOS Calendar, in month view, there should be a dot under days with events. Should be.
iOS Calendar Dots disappearing
Calendar issue with the new iphone 6 plus

iOS 10
There are lots of ridiculous inconsistencies, both within iOS 10 itself and compared to iOS 9. Like Done/Cancel swapping positions, Up/Down in Mail becoming Left/Right and swapping functions, it's like they're not even following their UI style guide.

iPhone iOS 10 keyboard issues
After typing a punctuation mark or number and pressing space, the keyboard used to return to abc. Except for ', which would revert the keyboard to abc immediately without pressing space, but that inconsistency is as old as iOS. Now, sometimes it randomly doesn't return to abc and remains in the punctuation keyboard, causing you to type gibberish. How did Apple break something they didn't even touch?

Yes let's make something make noise when it didn't before
iOS 10 makes interface scrolling sounds even though interface sounds are turned off in Settings?
Turn off calculator keyboard sound iOS 10

Yes let's force the dark clock on everyone

FBI: Unlock this iPhone. Apple: No.

In February 2016, the FBI asked Apple to do.. something, to unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist. Now what they actually want and their motives and the implications and all that is all very complicated and wrapped under layers of politics, legal ramifications and PR spin so I don't know what the truth is, much like the school clock bomber case. Only know this - Apple's motives aren't so altruistic, they're motivated by PR and profits as well. Or the massive leak of celebrity pictures a few years ago wouldn't have happened. But this is a huge issue, much like net neutrality (oh my, another can of worms).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI%E2%80%93Apple_encryption_dispute

Ok so what does the FBI want?

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation.

This makes no sense to me. YOU CAN'T INSTALL/UPGRADE IOS ON A LOCKED PHONE! If you do, you'll lose the data anyway.
Also, why does the FBI need Apple's help with this specific phone anyway? They've broken into locked phones before - look at the Wikipedia article,

It was revealed as a part of the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures by Edward Snowden that the NSA and the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had access to the user data in iPhones, BlackBerry, and Android phones and could read almost all smartphone information, including SMS, location, emails, and notes.

They eventually got into this one without Apple's help. Heck, just go to any phone repair shop and they can probably do it too. This isn't FBI-level difficulty. So what was the FBI asking for?
Also, ok - maybe they want an insecure iOS, for this and future cases, so they don't have to send 1 person to the mall for a day to unlock an iPhone. Why can't they write it themselves? Why do they need Apple to write it?

Swype On iOS 8

I'll be frank - custom keyboards was the only thing I was looking forward to on iOS 8, and they botched this up. iOS 8 is a disappointment so far. I mean, these are the issues not relating to the custom keyboards:

1. Apple backpedaled and killed Photo Stream and Camera Roll, then they backpedaled again and restored Camera Roll in 8.1
2. Annoying reminders that mobile data is turned off for certain apps
3. App Store - STILL no sorting or filtering
4. For no reason, writing reviews in the App Store has a huge font
5. Only cursory, token support for adjusting text size, even in the built-in apps. http://lowvisionrants.com/2013/12/26/where-ios-7s-dynamic-type-works-and-where-it-fails/
6. SMS - swiping the notification from the Lock Screen or tapping it in Notification Center used to bring you to the Messages app, now this is hit-and-miss
7. Did they really create an unremovable app to show me 19 random tips? Apple products have never had good, thorough manuals. I suspect it's because they expect their products to be "intuitive". Seems very stupid to add features and not tell people about them, but whatever. Looks like too many of their features are going unnoticed, so they created the Tips app. But it's of no use and can't be removed.

Apple has lost their famous attention to detail, they can't get their basics right and they're losing ground.

Anyway, I was glad to have more choices for keyboards, because phones have come a long way, but text input is way waay behind. I thought Swype would be much much better, but there are some caveats:

• You can only use one hand.
• You have to get the word right in one try. You can't break up long words. This is especially a problem if you're having sensitivity issues or accidentally move out of the keyboard area.
• You can't use the iOS shortcuts. You can't use any custom shortcuts whatsoever.
• Punctuation is a pain
• The first version had some really really stupid things, like asking me to add single numbers to my dictionary. I know this is their first time on iOS, but they've been on Android for years now, so I expect more than a beta-level development.

The net result is that Swype's benefit is minimal to nonexistent. Limiting yourself to only one hand already cuts speed by about 50%, and Swype definitely isn't 200% as fast as the iOS keyboard.

Since it looks like they still have no idea how to make a user-friendly keyboard, I'm putting this here for them:

1. Always have an undo option
2. TELL PEOPLE WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO REPLACE WHAT THEY TYPE. It's really obvious that there are 2 distinct situations 1) the keyboard suggests a word, but leaves what you type 2) the keyboard will replace what you type with their suggestion. I don't know why they don't make this clear.
3. BE CONSISTENT - if I type some letters and it suggests a word, if I type more letters of that word, THE SUGGESTION SHOULD NOT CHANGE. If I type other letters then remove them, THE SUGGESTION SHOULD COME BACK.
4. I'm looking at you iOS - if you have a space above the keyboard for suggestions, STICK TO IT. Don't suggest words at the cursor anymore. Don't have suggestions all over the page.

I typed "leave early" and iOS suggested "peace early". This is some rage-inducing programming right here. Seriously? Are they even trying?

Apple Executive Shakeup

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/apple-executive-shakeup-scott-forstall-and-john-browett-out/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/10/29Apple-Announces-Changes-to-Increase-Collaboration-Across-Hardware-Software-Services.html

• Scott Forstall (senior vice president of iOS software) and John Browett (head of Apple retail) are leaving the company
• Forstall's resignation apparently related to Maps problems
• In my post yesterday I talked about skeuomorphism. After writing that, I found that if you searched for that term, there are many articles talking about it in Apple, and how Scott Forstall is a supporter of it, while Jonathan Ive is an opponent. Now Forstall is leaving, will we be seeing less skeuomorphs in Apple software? Personally, I could do with less fake recording equipment in Podcasts and more functionality.

Apple's "a little more to show you" event

At this event on 23 Oct 2012, Apple announced:

• iPad mini - 7.9" screen (it's funny because the iPad's screen is 9.7"), 1024x768 resolution, 163 ppi
• iPad 4th gen - from what I can tell so far, the only differences are better processor and cameras
• 13" Retina MacBook Pro - 2560x1600 resolution (that's higher than their 27" Thunderbolt Display)
• New iMac - no optical drive, thinner

Steve Jobs passed away today

I woke up today and looked to Engadget to see if I'd missed any unexpected news in the night (it's happened before). This is what I found.

Apple website on 6 Oct 2011

http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

It's really sad and unexpected. I guess everybody thought he just wanted a break when he resigned, nobody guessed how sick he was. Then again, thinking about it, he doesn't seem like the type to quit when he could still work. It's even more sad that this happened the day after the iPhone 4S was announced. I wonder if there's any connection?

I'm thankful for everything he has brought to the world, and hope Apple can get on without him.

Steve Jobs resigns as CEO

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/24/steve-jobs-resigns-as-ceo-of-apple/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple.html
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/24/steve-jobss-apple-a-timeline/

I think it's because of his health. Being a CEO is exhausting even for someone in good health, and he hasn't been very well recently. Hope he feels better soon!

Badass iPad/notebook stand

I was looking for a stand for my iPad, since I wanted to use it with a keyboard or watch movies on it, use it on the plane etc. The Apple Store has a few stands, but most can't be adjusted, so you're stuck at one angle. The Smart Cover has the same problem. Some are also very expensive ($70). When I bought my iPad, I actually also bought a dock, but they forgot to add it in. This turned out to be a good thing:

• the dock only works in portrait orientation
• they only had iPad (not iPad 2) docks
• the dock probably won't work with any cases/covers

I found this stand at Badass. They probably just stuck their name on it, which means you can get it on eBay for less.

 Keyboard for size comparison.

Totally adjustable angle, although the back sticks out a lot if you use it this flat.

Extendable legs let you use it with a notebook! I love this feature. It makes it feel like it can replace my notebook cooler, which I just sold. In fact, I'm using it with my notebook now. I may end up using it more for this than my iPad. The build quality is pretty good. As you can see, the hinge and extended legs are made of metal.

iPad 2 launch

I queued for the iPad 2 launch on 25 March 2011, but have been too busy packing and playing with it to post. The iPad 2 was scheduled to launch at 5 pm, and the Apple Store closed at 3 pm to prepare.

This is the queue when I arrived. I'd say the pillar in the distance marked half-way of the queue.

 Enterprising companies sold coffee/gave out free samples. I got a sample of perfume and yogurt.

This is the card they gave out to guarantee stock. I wanted a white one but they didn't have any left.

Curved to straight edges

I noticed that Apple's latest products - MacBook Air, iPhone 4 and iPad 2 all have straight edges, compared to curved for their previous version. Will other products follow? Will they revert to curved in the future? Personally I prefer straight edges.

28 March 2011
My bad, the iPad 2 is the exception, having curved edges while its predecessor had straight. What I meant was they all had flat backs, compared to their previous models.

iPad 2

On 2 March 2011, Apple annouced the iPad 2. Briefly, the new features are:

• dual core A5 processor - up to twice as fast, 9 times the graphics performance
• 33% thinner
• lighter

What I found most interesting was the statistics:

• 200 million iTunes accounts
• $2 billion paid to developers
• 100 million iPhone 4s sold
• 15 million iPads sold in 9 months - more than every tablet PC ever sold
• 65, 000 iPad apps, vs 100 for Honeycomb

New MacBook Pros

I wonder why Apple quietly introduces new MBPs, while iPhones, iPods and iPads get their own events?

Image copyright Apple

According to Apple, the major changes are:

• QUAD core i7 processors (vs dual core previously)
• Thunderbolt interface (to compete with USB 3, eSATA)
• uses AMD graphics instead of Nvidia (they keep switching between the 2) (oh, I didn't notice, AMD has replaced ATI)

To me, the most interesting thing is this Thunderbolt interface, developed by Intel and Apple. It is currently the fastest external interface (10 Gbps), compared to USB 3 (5 Gbps) and eSATA (6 Gbps). They're aiming for it to replace video and component interfaces, so you can plug a harddisk or a monitor into it. It looks exactly like the old mini DisplayPort connector, and Apple says there are adaptors to connect it to VGA, DVI and HDMI, just like the old mini DisplayPort. I wonder if the adaptors are the same as the old ones? If they are, that means this interface is quite backwards-compatible.

The big question is: how popular will this be? So far, Apple is the only computer company supporting this, while most new PCs have USB 3. As big as Apple is, it needs more companies on its side for this interface to gain critical mass, otherwise it'll end up like Firewire, which is probably doomed now. It'll be interesting to see if there is enough demand for 2 standards, or which standard will give way.

This refresh makes my MBP one generation older, but it doesn't feel that old, since the new models look almost exactly the same. The only external difference is the mini DisplayPort logo has been replaced by the Thunderbolt logo. Maybe I'm biased, but I can't help feeling my MBP's generation was special, because it was announced at WWDC and it was the first with an integrated battery and SD card slot.

Apple's Black Friday sales

We don't see much of Thanksgiving here in Australia, but its effects trickle down to us in the form of Black Friday sales. This reminds us Apple is still an American company. I went to the Apple store on that day and picked up this brochure, but didn't buy anything.

I don't think the sales were very big. All iPads were $51 off - that's not even 10%, at best!

OS X's sorting by name

OS X's sorting by name is inconsistent. Numbers should be first - I agree. However, looking at the second character, it puts letters before numbers - "1a" comes before "11". This doesn't make sense. Why does 1 come before a when it's the first character, but after when it's the second?

Back to the Mac

On 20 Oct 2010, Apple held an event called "Back to the Mac". Things announced were:

• New MacBook Air, with solid state memory as default
• iLife '11
• OS X Lion
• FaceTime for Mac

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/live-from-apples-back-to-the-mac-event/

Some interesting statistics from the event:

• Mac made up 33% of Apple's revenue last year - 22b
• 3x 5 years ago, 50m users worldwide
• 13.7m Macs sold in FY 2010
• Macs' share in retail was 20%
• Last quarter Mac grew 2.5x, outgrown market for 18 quarters in a row
• 600k Mac developers, growing at 30k a month
• Retail stores 75m visitors last year, sold 2.8m Macs, 50% new users
• Stores in China have highest traffic

Apple also announced their 4th quarter earnings:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/18/apples-q4-earnings-are-out-records-set-for-revenue-earnings/
More interesting statistics:

• Highest revenue and earnings ever
• 14.1 million iPhones sold, 3.89 million Macs, 9.05 million iPods and 4.19 million iPads
• All-time record for Apple of $20.34 billion in revenue for a net profit of $4.31 billion

 http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/10/18results.html

The Future Of OS X
It seems to me that since Apple is doing so well with mobile devices, they're taking what they're good at and applying it to OS X, making it more like a mobile OS:

• Mac App Store
• App Home Screens (Launchpad)
• Full screen apps

What does this mean for OS X? Hopefully it won't lose the power to run computer programs. Already, I think OS X is more like a mobile OS than Windows is, since it wakes almost instantly from sleep. Engadget also ran an article on how OS X is becoming like a mobile OS:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/07/switched-on-the-ipadification-of-mac-os/