iOS 8 Review 216
An anonymous reader writes: Apple is releasing iOS 8 today, and Ars Technica has posted one of their huge, thorough reviews of the updated operating system. They have this to say about the UI: "iOS 8 tries to fit a whole lot more stuff onto a single screen than iOS 7 did. The operating system was clearly developed in anticipation of iPhones with larger screens." The biggest new feature is Extensions: "Older versions of iOS limited what third-party applications could do to communicate with external services and other third-party applications. ... Extensions remove some (but not all) of those barriers." The biggest examples of extensions are custom keyboards, a feature iOS users have been requesting for years. Downsides to iOS 8 include increased storage and processing requirements, which are bad news for older iPhones, and a host of new bugs associated with the new features.
Nerd fight (Score:5, Insightful)
It would sure be nice if this thread didn't devolve into an Android/Apple pissing contest. Can we at least give it a shot?
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How's that?
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My palm TX sees your blackberry and drops the bar several inches all at once. :)
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Sure.
Let's focus on PalmOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone flamewars
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It would sure be nice if this thread didn't devolve into an Android/Apple pissing contest.
So true, why waste time on that when walled garden vs open is so much more interesting.
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I would have started dumping on Apple but when Google put the "feature" in Kitkat to disallow general write permission to the SD card, effectively making an SD card almost worthless unless you root your Android phone, I had to admit that there is enough guilt to go around.
Oh, wait, what's that you say? Apple phones don't have a provision for an SD card?
Re:Nerd fight (Score:5, Funny)
No, New Here [slashdot.org] quit posting some time ago (sadly).
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I don't think it's quite there yet, to be honest.
No good for older iPhones (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
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Actually, the update is not for iPhone 4.
Also, you can cure a lot of upgrade-related slowdown on the 4 by doing an iTunes backup, factory resetting, and restoring backup. I just did so and cured all my slowdown.
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Which means that you have been abandoned, just like iPhone 3G and iPad 1.
Don't ya just love Apple?
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Which 2010 phone isn't abandoned? Will the first Samsung Galaxy S get Android L?
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However none of those are officially supported. You can get a warranty on a 4s with iOS 8.
Re:No good for older iPhones (Score:4, Informative)
Awww, poor guy, he got 3-4 years of use & upgrades out of his old iDevices. It's soo much better on Android where most devices are sold with outdated firmware & never updated. Not just abandoned but orphaned at birth.
Re:No good for older iPhones (Score:4, Insightful)
Find me an Android from 2010 that can run KitKat.
Find me more than two Android devices that got KitKat on launch day.
Yes, Apple ruthless abandons old devices. But you KNOW it's happening. The iPad 1 was the only "surprise! We discontinued support earlier than you thought!" device, but even then, you knew when iOS 6 was first announced that it was going to happen. And if you get support, you get it on day 1. Today, the iPhone 4S and newer, iPad 2 and newer, and iPod touch 5 all get iOS 8.
Android devices are a complete mixed bag. You may get good support for 2-3 years, you might get screwed with zero updates ever. You might get the update on day 1, you might get it 6 months later.
Android has many ways it is far superior to iOS, but release reliability and long-term device support are *NOT* among them.
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If you have Verizon or like to switch, they're supposedly giving away 6's with a two year contract if you trade in your old iPhone.
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If you have Verizon or like to switch, they're supposedly giving away 6's with a two year contract if you trade in your old iPhone.
The 6s won't be out until September of 2015.
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6 apostrophe s
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''''''
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Ah yes, exactly what happened to the iPhone 3G and the original iPad. It's a form of post-purchase sabotage by Apple to drive people to upgrade their expensive hardware for more expensive hardware.
Re:No good for older iPhones (Score:4, Insightful)
This is exactly the no-win situation I have pointed out here before when people complained about upgrades not being allowed for older hardware.
If Apple does not provide the upgrade for older devices, then they are accused of artificially restricting the upgrade to force sales of newer devices. If Apple does provided the upgrade for older devices, then they are accused of artificially crippling the upgrade to force sales of newer devices.
Since no matter which choice Apple went with they would be accused of artificially forcing sales of newer devices, you cannot used their choice as proof that they are or are not artificially forcing sales of newer devices.
How good would the performance have to be on older devices to stop the accusations that they are artificially crippling it? I submit that there is no limit and that no matter how good it worked Apple would be accused of artificially crippling it.
Be careful upgrading iCloud Drive (Score:3)
http://www.macworld.com/articl... [macworld.com]
Re:Be careful upgrading iCloud Drive (Score:5, Funny)
You could lose everything in your iCloud backups:
4chan and reddit will keep a copy for you.
Re:Be careful upgrading iCloud Drive (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah I upgraded my iPhone and ALL of my pictures were replaced with U2 promo shots.
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Rule 34 Request:
Steve Jobs's corpse and Paul David Hewson
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Re:Be careful upgrading iCloud Drive (Score:4, Insightful)
If you Mac can run 10.9 it can run 10.10. Apple hasn't obsoleted any Mac hardware since the release of Mountain Lion in 2012.
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no wonder apple dropped 16GB machines (Score:2)
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That drive me up the wall. Why have an entry level phone? the manufacturing costs between 16 and 64 is tiny. Why support some many phone types? just make 1 64GB phone.
And I ask the in earnest. What data support the cost of different lines vs/ the cost of all of them being 64GB?
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I ordered the 16GB version because my on-board data needs aren't heavy. I'm near wifi 90% of my life, and so I'm willing to stream or re-download a lot of things on my phone. I've got a 32GB iPad because that needs to store magazines and bigger games and things, but I like my phone to be a bit leaner. Saving $100 for that was totally worth it for me. I wouldn't have objected to a 32GB entry-level, but 16 is fine too.
But some people really love to have EVERYTHING with them. They spend a lot of time travellin
Re:no wonder apple dropped 16GB machines (Score:4, Informative)
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SD Cards are a whole other world of complexity; it's no wonder Android has started to clamp down on how they work somewhat. I worked on an XBox 360 game and I had to deal with the TCR requirements regarding removable storage. They're the worst. If someone removes the device during a save, you have to deal with that. If they remove it right before or right after a save, that's something else too. Basically, if anyone does anything with the removable storage at any time, you have to handle a bunch of exceptio
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Tell that to Google and HTC. The HTC One and Nexus Galaxy, Nexus 4, and Nexus 5 do not have removable storage.
To be honest, I never removed my original SD card. Most of what I needed was online.
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Look, you and I actually agree on this. Some of the steps that I had to go through were insane. We were working with a Kinect, so you had to trigger a save, dive for your XBox and yank out the network cable and the memory card at exactly the right time. At that point, you're TRYING to corrupt the data. But developers aren't just allowed to let bad things happen, even if it seems like it's the user's fault. Weak passwords and bad answers to security questions are ALSO technically the user's fault, but we can
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Your conclusion doesn't necessarily follow from your set up. They may have decided not to implement it because it's a pain in the ass (as I've talked about in my other comments). It probably wasn't worth their time and money in a bunch of different ways, not least of which is that it may not give the user experience that they wanted out of it.
Re:no wonder apple dropped 16GB machines (Score:5, Insightful)
That drive me up the wall. Why have an entry level phone? the manufacturing costs between 16 and 64 is tiny. Why support some many phone types? just make 1 64GB phone.
And I ask the in earnest. What data support the cost of different lines vs/ the cost of all of them being 64GB?
16 GB is there BECAUSE it's a bad choice.
32 GB is NOT there BECAUSE it's a good choice.
People will see the lower price of the 16 GB version and use that price to decide if they want an iPhone 6.
Then when they're getting ready to buy they'll hear / worry that 16 GB isn't enough, so they'll shell out the ridiculous up-charge for the 64 GB model.
The true zealots will buy the 128 GB model despite not needing that much storage.
The cost of maintaining 3 different lines is minimal. The extra income gained by stratifying the models like this is huge.
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Cloud-based everything makes it even more realistic for most users.
Yeah, if they want to routinely pay data overages.
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Actually I'm willing to speculate that the reason why it's 16/64/128 isn't for any insane conspiracy theory reason, but rather that Apple may have just gone overboard on the 8 gig chips in their supplier chain(Keep in mind, iOS devices use flash in pairs; so a 64gb phone is really 2x32; etc). Given that at their size, they need to order their parts well in advance, it's easy to get trapped with an excess of parts.
They figured most people wouldn't notice or care. The 6s probably will go 32/64/128.
Re:no wonder apple dropped 16GB machines (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong. It's a common marketing tactic.
You have one model that you use to advertise the "starting" price. This model has a significant con to it that will concern most users.
You have the main model you intend to sell the most of. This model does not have the con of the cheaper model. This model is what you based your design and price around. The other models are represent minor changes and have prices determined entirely by psychology, not by production cost.
You have a high end model that you sell a few of at ridiculous markups. This model is just slightly better than the main model in a few aspects.
You see this done with Apple devices, cars, video cards, event tickets, etc. It's not a conspiracy unless you're an idiot who doesn't realize this goes on everywhere. It's marketing.
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Yup, you're a retard.
When's your iPhone 6 shipping? Did you opt for the + model because Apple says big screens are good now? Or are you still sticking with the old 'perfect size"?
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Because they can charge a 1000x markup for that extra flash. When a 64GB mcroSD card can be had for 20$, why should 64GB add hundreds to the cost of a phone? (greed)
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Sweet profits. Apple charges ridiculous markups ($200 or more) for $10 to $30 flash chips. Look at these unlocked iphone 6 prices on amazon:
iphone 6, 16GB: $999
iphone 6+, 16GB: $999
iphone 6, 64GB: $999
iphone 6+, 64GB: $1180
iphone 6+, 128GB: $2000
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it's really all about segmentation and choice (or lack thereof).
16GB is not enough, but it's there to give you a nice price point to hook a customer in. Then you can explain to them would you want more space - 4 times as much for just
Still waiting (Score:2)
I'm waiting for the comprehensive review of the Ars Technica review.
No new iPod Touch, no update (Score:2)
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I don't want a cellphone
Without a mobile phone, how would you go about reaching roadside assistance or emergency services? It's hard to find a payphone anymore.
And have to register as a sex offender (Score:2)
I don't want a cellphone.
Without a mobile phone, how would you go about reaching roadside assistance or emergency services?
Any shitty old mobile with no service plan will work to call 911
Normally I'd recommend a dumb phone, but HalAtWork refuses even this.
As for roadside assistance, just take off your pants and stand in traffic! Someone will stop sooner or later.
Like a police officer ready to stay you for indecent exposure. I would not find permanent sex offender status worth not carrying a phone.
Just one question... (Score:2)
Re:Just one question... (Score:4, Interesting)
I have an iPhone 6 on order, and I plan to use it either way, but I couldn't find the answer to this in the article: Can I use a playlist for an alarm, or can alarm apps work correctly in the background? Since the built-in alarm app only plays one song, you had to use another app if you wanted to wake up to a random song off a playlist. iOS 7 and older versions required that app to be in the foreground for it to play the song. Normally not a big deal, but if you answered a text message in the middle of the night or couldn't sleep and did a little websurfing and forgot to switch back to the alarm app, your alarm wouldn't go off. This isn't an issue with Android, and I'm hoping Apple has fixed this serious limitation - either by allowing the alarm app to use a playlist, or by allowing 3rd party apps to play a song without being in the foreground. It's my biggest pet peeve about iOS, especially after having an Android phone without this limit for the last two years. (If you read reviews in the App Store for alarm apps, most or all of them have people complaining about the app having to be in the foreground - they don't realize it's a limit of iOS rather than a limit of the app. So, I know it's not just me that's annoyed by this.)
The alarm only works if it's the foreground app? Holy fucking shit LOL!
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iOS terms of service prevent you from writing a service or daemon except under very specific circumstances. If you do, they'll reject your app from the store. So you have to do a lot of things that should run in the background only when you're in the foreground. Yes, its idiotic- in order to try and avoid a few badly written apps from draining battery power unnecessarily running in the background they've instead prevented entire categories of useful behavior.
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That seems odd. Waze can use the speaker even when it's not the foreground app and the screen has been turned off; it seems like it should be possible for the alarm app to do that too. Unless Waze got special privileges that the alarm app was unable to get for some reason (like, Apple only gives that to GPS apps).
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Ah, that's a pity. Seems like alarms would be a natural category to add to that list; perhaps apple will do so at some point.
I will be getting a call from my boss then (Score:2)
Bluetooth SPP (Score:2)
UI still looks like shit (Score:2)
It's not just me. One of my best friends really hates that the lines no longer show in "Notes" in iOS 7 on her iPad.
http://iosguides.net/wp-conten... [iosguides.net]
I can grudgly accept that Apple wants to move away from skeuomorphism, but when Functionality suffers because of some idiotic dogma about Form someone needs a clue stick:
Give people UI _options_.
Does anyone have the new nVidia Shield Tablet? How is for reading and developing games for?
--
"Apple: Pretending they know what is best for you since 19
Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone who ever used an android phone. Swype, Swiftkey, and others do an amazing job. Apple lacks continuous path typing (Swype-like paths to type) which is in every major Android keyboard these days and used by hundreds of millions of people as a faster alternative to thumb typing. Apple's autocorrect is mediocre, Swiftkey and Swype/Nuance kick its ass. And the keyboard does matter- its the most used app on the phone- you use it in texting, emails, even browsing. If it isn't a good experience people will not use your device. Apple lost millions of users who wouldn't consider switching due to the lack of options on iOS. The question is if they're now to embedded into the Android world to be willing to change. I'm guessing Apple lost them permanently by being 4 or 5 years too late with opening up the keyboards api.
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That's right on the money. All that was stopping millions (and millions!) from going to Apple was a customizable keyboard. And Apple's lost them forever, because of the Android store lock-in.
But seriously, I'd say the keyboard providers will make more money on iOS now than on Android.
Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)
Highly doubt it. I worked at Swype. We had deals at the OEM level and shipped preinstalled. That means we made money on every phone shipped. (Some of those deals fell apart post buyout, because the buyer was hard to deal with). They won't get that deal from Apple. So they may make more money per download, or get more paid downloads. But they won't make more money overall.
Re:Keyboard (Score:4, Insightful)
I think you're overselling it somewhat. I've tried the swype systems, and I always devolve to just tapping. Same with my friends that have access to it. Out of 4 of us, all of us hate swype based systems. That's not data, obviously, it's just an anecdote. But I've yet to see anyone stop using the keyboard, let alone a phone, just because the keyboard isn't what they expect. (The lone exception being people that like hardware keyboards. They will stick with a sub-standard phone just for the better typing experience.)
I would also question whether Apple has ever lost anyone permanently that wasn't lost from the start. I've seen a lot of people in comment threads today consider Apple's phones again because it was *screen size* that was holding them back.
I've actually always really liked the Apple keyboard; I have a lot fewer problems with it than other people, though I couldn't tell you why. I borrowed a Nexus 4 and hated the keyboard (and didn't want to install a new one for the short time that I had it) but my hate of the keyboard wasn't actually a dealbreaker even if I'd had to use it forever. If I'd liked other things about the phone, I would've put up with the keyboard I didn't like, no question.
It's a fair opinion to have, but I really don't see any evidence for the grandiose claims you're making.
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I think the GP is overselling it a bit too, but I've been using the standard Android keyboard for a bit now, which includes swype-like typing, and I'd have a tough time switching back to just tapping. It's substantially faster and generally as accurate as t
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Yes and no. I actually really think the (new) BB phones are pretty neat. I like that with BB10, they really swung for the fences with the interface design. To an extent, it's a crippled ecosystem and that's not really about the OS any more. They missed the boat. (That said, people will stick with very old BB phones because they can't give up the keyboard. By most measures, they're really not good phones any more.)
No, I'm talking about all sorts of other phones--Android ones, honestly. People will put up wit
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*sniff* An anon doesn't like my opinion but has no ability to hold a conversation and discuss anything on their own merits. I'm so sad. :( :( :(
Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)
The crappy keyboard is one of the biggest reasons I hate my iPad. It is almost unusable for me. There is a reason why all the autocorrect humor is screenshots of iOS.
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what is crappy about it?
How does it relate to autocorrect software?
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For me, it's crappy because the autocorrect commonly changes what I intend into something that I don't intend. After several years, I gave up and turned off autocorrect, which is a partial solution- but the keyboard was really built with autocorrect in mind, and is below mediocre with autocorrect disabled.
I can't comment on the Android keyboards.
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For me, it's crappy because the autocorrect commonly changes what I intend into something that I don't intend. After several years, I gave up and turned off autocorrect, which is a partial solution- but the keyboard was really built with autocorrect in mind...
Perhaps you have extra-large thumbs, but how exactly is a keyboard "built" with the assumption that someone will be misspelling a word on a device that supports dozens of languages?
Oddly enough, I can't seem to find a definition for "QWERTY" that doesn't pertain the the very keyboard layout that birthed it's name in any dictionary...
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Fairly average (for a male) hand span, and slim fingers/thumbs. The iPhone keyboard simply isn't built for precise key hits. There are lots of smarts to allow you to type reasonably well regardless, but this assumes that you're typing normal English sentences (and statistically common phrases) and the more you vary from that pattern, the more likely it is to take your typing and produce something garbled or (worse) exactly negate your meaning. I eventually found that retyping any actual mistakes was less fr
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Autocorrect is built into their soft keyboard, n'est-ce pas?
Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Insightful)
Tapping a keyboard three times to type special character. No Swype. Caps always showing, regardless of actual capitalization. All but Unusable with one hand (one handed typing jokes aside). Auto Correct that guesses wrong more often than it should. The interface is not as intuitive as Apple or iOS users claim it is, IMHO.
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I type one handed all the time while walking on my iPhone. Autocorrect guesses correctly more often than not.
The new shift key is 100% garbage, though. You have to wonder which exec at Apple has made that their pet feature. That's the only possible way that such a wholly unintuitive thing still exists. I've yet to meet a single Apple user, no matter how partisan, claim that the iOS 7 shift key makes even the slightest bit of sense.
Re:Keyboard (Score:4, Informative)
"Finding apps is pretty fundamental."
Drag screen down.
Start typing name of app.
Select app from partial search results.
Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)
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I disagree.
I love my Win 8 desktop. Much quicker to get to or do anything.
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My anecdotal data is the opposite of yours. The Surface/Windows 8 onscreen keyboard is absolutely awful compared to the iOS keyboard, even on the iPad.
I hate that the keyboard layout changes when I hit the number/symbol key. Being left handed the number pad being on the right side of the screen is ridiculous and I have to readjust my grip to type numbers. The Shift key also does not reset when returning from the symbol/number mode. So if you need to type XX-xx you need a lot of extra keystrokes and grip rea
Not answered in review (Score:2)
Did they enable nested folders yet? The current single level folders are limiting and create unnecessary clutter.
For instance, it'd be nice to have one games folder, inside which might be a folder for board games, one for shooters, one for tower defense, etc.
One that would be of interest to me would be arranged around photography. One main folder, then one for editors, one for astrophoto conditions and apps, one for auroral conditions and apps, one for IR work, one for special effects, etc., one for a DB of
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Re:Not answered in review (Score:4, Informative)
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Would you care to explain how, or point the way to a howto?
Thanks.
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Did they enable nested folders yet?
Thankfully not. It's bad enough if you lose track of an app in single level folder.
For instance, it'd be nice to have one games folder, inside which might be a folder for board games, one for shooters, one for tower defense, etc.
It'd only be nice if you have a filing fetish. It's not useful. Any minor pleasure it might bring filing fetishists would be vastly outweighed by those ordinary phone users who lose applications.
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You *do* know IOS has a search, right? Makes it kind of difficult to fail to find an app you're actually looking for.
As for the rest, different strokes, etc. I have no objection if you choose not to use such a feature (for that matter, perhaps the OS could contain a switch to turn it off for those who are unable to manage more than a single level of folders.
As for not being useful, you're not qualified to say what's useful to me.
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A) Some of us like that level of organization
B) No one is talking about forcing you to use it
C) If you are loosing application on a iDevice, then you must be pretty dim.
Re:Not answered in review (Score:4, Funny)
C) If you are loosing application on a iDevice, then you must be pretty dim.
Mr. Pot, there's a Mr. Kettle on line three for you.
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Not answered in review (Score:2)
One that would be of interest to me would be arranged around photography. One main folder, then one for editors, one for astrophoto conditions and apps, one for auroral conditions and apps, one for IR work, one for special effects, etc., one for a DB of my lenses and cameras, one with my portfolio, one with links to photography websites, etc.
You do realize that iOS is for your phone, right? Not your macbook pro?
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Yo dawg! I here you like folders.
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Great. I'll upgrade my Cisco router immediately.
And I'll upgrade my Wii homebrew!
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The skype bug was not a skype bug, but one on some qualcomm camera driver that locked up using a lot of CPU, It had nothing to do with Android multitasking APIs