Friday, June 19, 2009

iPhone Software 3.0

After watching the WWDC keynote I noticed a few things. I had no idea that the 1st and 2nd gen iPhone didn't support MMS, nor did I realize how many people actually wanted that feature. It's too bad AT&T is still making people wait a few months for it but what can you do when its the only carrier available in the US?

Did you guys notice how many people booed when Apple didn't include AT&T in the list of carriers that supports tethering? Nobody would have dared done that so loudly with Steve Jobs presenting!

Anyways nice updates as always and I love the Snow Leopard upgrade price of $29. Seems like a no brainer for everybody to upgrade (I'm still using Tiger but that's the subject of a different blog).

I'm on the fence about upgrading my 1st gen Touch to the latest iPhone 3.0 Software Update. Of course its a must have for any generation iPhone and even the 2nd gen iPod touch has some nice features, but I'm stuggling to see what improvments I'll see with my original model.

  • Buy Movies, TV Shows, and Audiobooks via Wi-Fi - Since us touch users have no cellular connectivty, Wi-Fi is our only option, therefore I just might use this feature, however I don't normally purchase any movies, TV shows or audiobooks via iTunes since I don't have a good method of watching them on my TV and I think they are a bit pricey compared to physical media.
  • Stereo Bluetooth - Only works for 2nd gen Touch users like Rob.
  • Peer to Peer Gaming - Nice if was actually next to someone with a compatible game however that would be rare in my case.
  • Cut, Copy, Paste - Count me as one of the few people that didn't think the lack of cut/paste was such a big deal on the previous generation iPhones/touches. Don't get me wrong, it seems nice but not critical unless you type a lot on your device.
  • Landscape Keyboard - Again, nice feature but not critical for me since I don't like typing on my iPod touch. Then again perhaps typing in landscape mode will actually make it easier for me to type using my fat fingers.
  • Spotlight Search - I'm a bit indifferent. I can see this being very useful on the iPhone but not so much on the touch. I might change my mind after actually using it though.
  • Shake to Shuffle - Cool.
  • Parental Controls - Meh.
  • New Languages - Not needed for me.
  • Automatic Wi-Fi Login - Nice!
  • Push Notifications - I guess the usefulness of this depends on how often I'm connected to a wireless hotspot. Again a better feature for the always connected iPhone.
  • iTunes Store Account Creation - Umm, since I have an account created, don't see much benefit.

Apparently other users agree with me that $10 is a bit much for so few features for us 1st gen touch users, however someone did point out that application developers are already making 3.0 only applications and if we want to use them then we have no choice but to upgrade. I'm going to have to mull this over a bit but don't be suprised if I upgrade because thats the kind of sucker I am for tech stuff.

I heard Dave and Krudd might be new 3rd Gen iPhone owners. Have fun with your new iPhones guys and don't forget to blog!

2 Comments:

Blogger Robert said...

I recently finished watching the WWDC keynote. Yeah AT&T really dropped the ball on MMS and tethering. Apple should have roasted them a little more for that. :) I wish Apple didn't edit the keynote podcast when the two 3.0 demos didn't work as planned. I enjoy watching people work under pressure!

Snow Leopard for $29? What a no brain upgrade. Quite amazing. What's up with Tiger Mark? :)

I upgraded my Touch to 3.0 on the first day of release without reading the forum debates as to whether it was a good value for the money. Copy and paste only was worth it for me!

Peer to peer gaming: Texas Hold Em when I visit in December Mark!

I agree with you that the lack of ubiquitous Internet connectivity makes the Touch less than ideal for the 3.0 upgrade but the Touch has always had that limitation.

6:22 AM  
Blogger Marcos said...

LOL, I figured you would post comments after you went back on the grid!

I still haven't upgraded to 3.0, but out of pure lazyness, rather than lack of desire. I guess I'll have to get it before your visit for a Texas Hold Em party. Btw where is your blog about that (complete with 7th Guest reference)? If you don't write one soon I will have to. It's such a fun game!

7:10 PM  

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