The Official iPhone Discussion thread

[Moose]

I used the turn by turn directions last week an it worked great. It even updated real time without the annoying "recalculating" or insistence to follow the predetermined route when I turned around to grab the tickets we forgot at home.

[SoCalCoasters]

Apple may now be getting turn by turn navigation, but they still don't have a car.

 

Edit: Yeesh, it was just a joke,

Edited October 16, 2012 by SoCalCoasters

[Jew]

^What's that supposed to mean? I doubt Apple is concerned Google has a self-driving car. Pretty sure they are happy dominating the cell phone/tablet market on their own while still having total control of the hardware and software (and the revenue that comes with it).

[A.J.]

Google doesn't have a car either. They have a fleet of Toyotas (and Subarus, but those aren't autonomous) with computers instead of passengers.

 

I think the reason for Siri's hardware requirement is that it's so tightly-integrated into the operating system. It seems to be a common theme that they don't want features of iOS to perform slower on some devices and faster on others. At least to me, they either include the feature full-on or don't include it at all depending on the device.

[SLUSHIE]

Google does in fact have a fleet of self driving cars. Self-driving cars are now legal in Nevada, California, and Florida. This tech is pretty far along, and it's almost inevitable that self driving vehicles will come to market within 10 years.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car

 

Also lets not for get this gem

 

Not a NASCAR fan, but NASCAR did a April fools joke telling everyone that they would be moving to driver less cars.

 

F1 car have technically could have been driver less since the early 2000's. A crazy ammount of data is recored from an F1 car every single lap and that data could easily be used in a driverless car. They record steering angle, RPM ,gear changes, the bumps in the road, everything. The organization has banned every technology that has taken any control away from the driver though. They have banned ABS, Traction-control, Computer controlled variable transmissions, active suspension, ect. They have some tricky systems that get around it sorta. One that comes it mind is that there is a light and audible beeps in their helmet that tells the driver the exact moment they should shift. So while the computer is telling them what to do the driver still has to be the one that actually does it. This is a pretty awesome video that shows all the crazy tech F1 has invented.

(thats from 2003 so it's kinda old).

 

This is a huge market and many industries would benefit from it, mostly the transportation and shipping industry. It's probably the next big change we will see in our lives.

 

Also more on topic, the iPad Mini or whatever it;s going to be called is going to be announced at an event next week. http://gizmodo.com/5952134/the-ipad-mini-is-coming-october-23rd

[A.J.]

Yes, but the self-driving cars are still Toyotas and Lexuses with a bunch of equipment strapped to 'em.

 

Finally picked up an iPhone 4S yesterday. I'm not OMG in love with it, but it's a seriously well-rounded device that isn't absolutely massive. I really like the tight integration of iCloud, as I use the Notes and Reminders apps on my Mac a lot.

[ernierocker]

Finally, got my new iPhone 5! I had the 4 before and the difference in speed is amazing! I loaded a photo to Facebook and it literally took less than 15 seconds to select the photo, load it, type out a comment and then have it show up in my news feed! Very impressed with the quality of the photos over the 4 as well.

[jray21]

Amy ordered her iPhone 5 from Best Buy during the pre-order. We did this because we have $40 in gift cards, and they take trade-ins. My iphone 4 is barely working, so it would be tough to sell but Best Buy will take it as long as it starts up. Well, they promised it would arrive by last week but with all the supplier issues it didn't make it. I was pretty annoyed and about to cancel the pre-order but they called and apologized and gave us an additional $50 gift card. I'll take $50 for an extra week or two without it!

 

Apple maps, for the most part, is a ton better than the old maps by including turn by turn directions, and just the way it works. I did have two small incidents with routing while in Florida, I even took screenshots to prove I wasn't a complete idiot, only a partial idiot. I also had to report a missing freeway in Reno. A new section of freeway opened up connecting Reno to Carson, yes the capital of Nevada and the largest city in Northern Nevada didn't have a 'real' freeway connecting them. Granted it only opened up 2 months ago, so it's somewhat understandable. We'll see how soon it gets updated!

[A.J.]

Make sure you use the Report a Problem button (you can find it by flipping the "page" up at the bottom right corner). Crowdsourcing is probably the quickest way that they're going to fix the problems in the data.

 

Another thing, everyone complains that Apple maps sucks because of Apple. Yet, on the app itself, when you flip the "page" up, it says that map data is provided by TomTom. If that's the case, is Apple really at fault here?

[TPDave]

^ Well yes. They are the ones that put out the product, they didn't seem to appreciate how inferior the data is.

 

That said, after using it for a few weeks I think the maps app got a pretty tough beating (I know people always jump onto the bandwagon when Apple "screws up" but this one seemed really over the top).

 

I think the turn by turn nav is REALLY good! Little things like working on the lock screen and banners at the top of other apps greatly improved the experience and make multi-tasking with the device easier. The way maps zoom in and out is beautiful, road names adjust and fade depending on how far in/out you zoom. They basicaly thought of a few good features that would make the google app fantastic and then forgot to put the mapping backend in.

 

It's a shame, but I can't imagine it'll take much more than 6-9 months to sort the data.

[Sir Clinksalot]

iPad mini announced today.

 

Meanwhile at the Apple Store:

[Meteornotes]

Used the turn-by-turn on the phone on Saturday, and it worked perfectly. Another nice addition to the phone.

 

dt

[Jew]

^^Honestly, the "iSheep" comment really doesn't work for the iPad mini. The iPad mini is clearly meant to be a mass market tablet to take on the kindle, nook, and nexus 7. The tech is old news for the "iSheep."

 

The "iSheep" will jump on the new iPad and iMac though!

Edited October 23, 2012 by Jew

[Sir Clinksalot]

I dunno, they were talking about the Mini on Howard Stern this morning and his resident iSheep was all excited for the iPad Mini but when asked "why" he couldn't answer the question, but he was still going to get one.

 

I think a lot of people are going to be in the same boat.

 

I'm considering one, but honestly when you really start looking at the other Tablets this looks like the most "reactionary" move Apple has made. Will be interesting to see what happens next with with Googles anticipated price cuts on their tablets.

[SLUSHIE]

I think at the price the mini just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I think the main reason the 7" tablets from amazon and whatever became popular was because of how cheap they were. With the iPad mini being quite a bit more expensive than those, I think people that want a 'cheap' tablet will still opt for those other ones. Anyone that buys an iPad mini is wholly concerned with screen size, because in my mind buying the mini over the iPad 2 isn't really a question about cost, since it's only another $70ish bucks to just get the bigger one.

 

I actually also believe that the profit margin on the iPad 2 is larger than the mini since the specs are pretty much the same except for the screen, but the screen on the mini is actually more dense since they have the same resolution and the cameras on the mini are better.

 

Microsoft's tablet comes out on the 26th, and then Google has a thing on the 29th where they are rumored to update the Nexus and change prices around. Holloday season of the tablet for realz.

Edited October 24, 2012 by SLUSHIE

[Jew]

^Why doesn't it make sense? The 7" inch/low cost tablet market was the one segment Apple didn't have a footprint in and now it does. The mini is definitely going to put a dent into sales of the Kindle/Nook/Nexus.

 

Sure there is more value in buying other tablets if you really do your research, but Apple is the "it" brand. Kids aren't going to be asking their parents for a kindle or nexus for the holidays--they're going to be asking for an iPad. And now it is cheaper to say you have an iPad (even if it is a mini).

[Wes]

I'm not in the market for an iPad (have the first gen and barely use it) but I would prefer the mini to the standard for what I would use a tablet for. I'll wait it out until whenever the mini gets a retina display, though.

[ginzo]

[SLUSHIE]

So this is pretty crazy, Apple is selling refurbished iPad 3's for less than was an iPad 2 costs.

 

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

 

That's better specs all around with a retina screen for $20 less.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^^ "Even the Magazine is twice as expensive" ...

[jray21]

I could see the iPad mini being used in a lot of businesses. Restaurants and stores would benefit from a smaller size, versus having to carry a big one around. I could also see it used in industrial applications. There are a lot of apps already that are business specific, and a smaller device would be perfect for some of them.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Scott Forstall, the man behind IOS6, forced out of Apple.

 

The exit of Apple iOS software chief Scott Forstall was apparently anything but quiet. Forstall was forced out after he refused to sign a letter apologizing for problems with Apple Maps, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

The New York Times confirmed the firing, along with the unrelated ouster of Apple's new retail chief, John Browett.

 

The Journal reported that some within Apple considered Forstall a divisive figure who "never fit into the culture at Apple," and who had long rankled other company execs but enjoyed the confidence of Steve Jobs. As WSJ reporter Jessica Lessin wrote:

 

Mr. Forstall's departure came after mounting tension with members of Apple's executive ranks. For years, senior executives had complained that he wasn't cooperative and showed off his close relationship with Mr. Jobs.

 

In fact, Forstall recently sent an email to some of the folks on Apple's iOS software team saying that the group "wasn't working on enough big ideas in mobile software," according to the WSJ. That's effectively saying that Forstall thought the company was struggling to compete, so it's no surprise that tensions were mounting.

 

Apple has said that Forstall will be replaced by Craig Federighi in 2013. Federighi will oversee both the iOS and OS X groups under one umbrella.

 

 

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57542297-37/apples-scott-forstall-ousted-over-maps-apology-wsj/

[A.J.]

Bad news for Forstall (or is it?). Apparently one of the reasons he's being "let go" is because he wouldn't sign the apology for Maps. I for one think Apple Maps is a fantastically-made app (I love the vector graphics) hunkered down by extremely poor data, but the extremely poor data situation should have been rectified before the app replaced Google Maps.

 

Having iOS and OS X under one umbrella is very interesting. Maybe this means that there will be much tighter integration between the two in the future.

[ernierocker]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/03/apples-lightning-to-microusb-adapter-in-us/

 

Just in case you thought the Lightning to micro-USB connector was Europe-only (to stave off that pesky European Commission), Apple has decided to sell it stateside as well. The tiny choking hazard recently made its way to the company's online store in the US for $19 each (over in Europe, it's £15 / €19), and brick-and-mortar locations will probably get them too -- if they're not in stock already. We're not sure if there's a huge demand for this, but if you're a recent iPod, iPhone, or iPad (Mini or 4th gen) owner with a plethora of existing micro-USB cables, an adapter like this could help lighten your nest of wires.

 

For only 19 bucks I will probably buy one. Probably be a lot cheaper than trying to buy another power cord right now, plus like everyone else I have a crap ton of those USB cables laying around.

[Wes]

$19 is what they're charging for the standard lightning cable anyway. Rather get that than a little nub I'd lose in 15 minutes.