Pre-iPhone 3.0
We're about thirteen hours away from seeing the new iPhone 3.0 software, and excitement is running high. Lots of rumours are saying that Copy/Paste is a certainty. I think they're right. What else could iPhone 3.0 bring to current iPhones? Here's what I think:
- A new SpringBoard?
A SpringBoard redesign to better handle multiple applications would be nice; multiple categories of apps, with a shelf at the bottom and arrow buttons to navigate through the categories with animations similar to Time Machine. The usual Dock would be visible with a swipe on the center dot in the status bar, and is grown to accommodate two rows of icons.
- Background Apps?
Possible background apps, up to three; they 'minimize' to the shelf.
Here's a Photoshop mockup of how I'd imagine 3.0 to look (drew this myself):
- Copy/Paste?
Kevin Rose seems to know his stuff; a doubletap on a word would bring up a roundrect loupe with quotation marks that you could drag around a selection and copy/cut. I think it will only work in certain applications, however.
- Developer APIs?
It would be nice to see a Maps API; although if there is one I'd be pretty sure it's not Google Maps and instead Apple's own renderings due to licensing. A Search API would be possible too, as would Core Data and Cocoa Bindings. There is definitely to be a digital compass in the next iPhone, according to whispers, so CoreLocation will sprout magnetometer support.
- SDK?
The iPhone 3.0 SDK will likely require Snow Leopard to run, especially if new language features like blocks and GCD come to 3.0. I'm guessing Apple will release a beta SDK for Leopard tomorrow, but only the beta SDKs will run on Leopard, not the final.
- Codename?
Hearing the word 'Kirkwood' bandied about a bit. Take that as you will…
I'm really looking forward to seeing whether any of my wish list above comes true; I have St. Patrick's Day to worry about instead, but hopefully I'll be able to tune into Engadget's liveblog of the event.
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Hey Steve. It's Troy back from the old forums!
ReplyDeleteI never knew you because an iPhone developer and became so successful with it. I saw your name on MacRumors the other day and it brought back some great memories.
Hope all is going well, and your vision of iPhone OS 3.0 is purely impressive! :)
Troy A. Blevins
Hi Steve; I wonder if you are interested in developing apps for autism on an iphone? I am using photo albums to store pictograms that my daughter uses to communicate specific needs, (by color or another attribute) along with a photo of something she has had before.
ReplyDeleteI would love to talk to you about what is possible. At the moment I loaded a cdrom on to my pc, then copied photos into an album and named it, then sycronised the album.
contact on my blog autismaction
xx