Guide to iPhone 4.0

Guide to iPhone 4.0
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Features of iPhone 4.0

On April 8th, Apple gave a sneak peek at the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0. Last year’s release was considered a “must have” update by many (including myself). The ability to use copy & paste was the feature I had to have. Other features like search, a landscape keyboard, push notifications, and more made it a “no brainer” for many. Does the new iOS 4.0 have the same appeal? Let’s take a look at some the main features, according to Steve Jobs and his keynote. I am not going to describe each one in detail. You can find out more information at Apple’s website.

Multitasking - People have been yelling for multi-tasking and now they have it. Personally, I don’t care about multi-tasking. I think I would use it once in a blue moon with one or two apps. Plus, I can’t use it on my second generation iPod Touch (not going to support it). However, if you must have multi-tasking, you will definitely want the upgrade.

Wallpaper - You can now put wallpaper behind your apps instead of the current black screen, like you can with an iPad. Who cares? This makes sense on the bigger screen of the iPad where there is a lot of space to fill. On an iPhone and iPod Touch it will hardly be seen. I think the black screen is just fine.

Folders - Now here is a feature I really like. I currently have my apps organized by type and I have a page for games and a page for toddler games for my son. I would love to be able to reduce the amount of screens of apps I have by organizing apps into folders.

Game Center - Apps already have Open Feint for many of these features, and I could do without it currently. For many gamers this is probably a welcome addition, and makes the update attractive, or does it? It will be interesting to see how many developers abandon Open Feint and go with Apple’s system.

Mail - There are several updates to mail including the ability to use more than one Exchange account. I have a coworker who will get the update just for that feature alone. Others will like the universal inbox. Mail works fine for me right now, and I only need one Exchange account.

iAd - I have to admit, ads done through iAd look pretty cool. They are like apps within apps. I am sure many developers will take advantage of this. However, I am not a developer and I am not updating so I can get more ads.

What is missing from iPhone 4.0?

Apple says there are over 100 new features to iPhone 4.0. Maybe there is a feature that will be revealed when the next iPhone is revealed making it a must have for many.

As of right now, this is not a must have update for me. Yes, it has a few features I like, but I would not consider it a must have. When it is released I am going to have to think about how bad I really want to organize my apps into folders. Is it worth how much Apple will be charging? That is another question we don’t know the answer to. How much will this cost?

What I would really like to see is the ability to print, especially from the iPad. That would make iPhone 4.0 a must have. Perhaps this is a feature Apple wasn’t ready to announce yet. One can hope. Wouldn’t it be great to natively be able to print from your iPhone, iPod, or iPad?

There are already rumors of a native iChat client/app. That would also be a welcome addition. I still wonder why Apple has not released iChat for the iPhone. Why leave that to a third party?

One final feature I have read in the rumor sites is the ability to delete native apps. I would love this. There are several apps, like YouTube, that just sit on my device and never get used. I would love to have that space back, as little as it may be.

I guess in the end it will depend on your needs and wants and how you use your device. There is also the sure to happen, “ I need this update because there is an app I really want that is compatible with the older OS.” I’m am sure that will be the deciding factor for me.

What do you think? Is iPhone 4.0 a must have update? What is missing that you would like to see?