My iPhone 2010 and OS 3.x/4.0 Wishlist

Now that the WWDC keynote has come and gone and all of the announcements have been sifted through, it’s time to discuss the iPhone 3GS. Most of the rumors turned out to be inaccurate. The 3GS doesn’t contain a front-facing camera or iChat app, nor did it drop the chrome bezel gain a light-up Apple logo, or a rubberized back (but it does have a new “oil and print resistant” glossy back, whatever that means). Likewise, the rumored FM radio support is nowhere to be found. However, the iPhone 3GS is not all disappointments. It’s 2x faster than the 3G, due to a memory and presummable CPU/graphics upgrade, but we’ll have to wait to see this new-found power taken advantage of by apps and the OS (bring on the multitasking!) beyond increased general snappiness. The 3GS does indeed have an upgraded 3mp camera with video recording, a compass, improved battery life, and answering one of my biggest requests, finally voice control (although I don’t understand why it’s not supported on older models). Additionally, the 3GS has faster 3G (which won’t be supported in the US until AT&T gets around to upgrading their network by “2011.” Finally, the price is right, at $199 for 16GB or $299 for 32GB with a two-year contract (unless you’re getting screwed by AT&T, which I’ll save for a later post). So, it’s time to cross off the features from my wishlist that came true and will be available on either the iPhone 3GS or iPhone OS 3.0, and which features will have to wait for the next hardware or software revision. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I can wait a whole year or longer for some of these features (like smart notifications & push Gmail), so I hope Apple has some of them planned for a 3.1 or 3.5 update in the shorter term.

So, without further ado, let me present my iPhone 2009 and OS 3.0 wishlist iPhone 2010 and OS 3.x/4.0 Wishlist (Note: My absolute, must-have features are in red and I will continue to update this post as new feature requests come to mind, and features get added to the iPhone):

iPhone Hardware:

• Faster processor and more internal RAM – Feature included in iPhone 3GS!
• Front facing camera (for video chat)
• OLED display
• Lacks chrome bezel; slimmer (like iPod Touch)
• Higher resolution rear camera (with video functionality) - Feature included in iPhone 3GS!
• 720p HD Video – iPhone 3Gs hardware is capable of this, just needs a software update!
• FM radio
• Wireless iTunes syncing (w/o MobileMe) and charging
• Louder speakerphone – unknown whether included in iPhone 3GS?

iPhone OS 3.0:

• Application multitasking w/ Exposé app. switching (true multitasking, not just push notifications)
• Smart Notifications: No more obtrusive pop-ups! Use smooth slide-up notifications that appear on bottom of screen like Palm WebOS. Notifications for Mail, SMS, iChat, Calendar, iPod, etc. Developer API. iPod music control via slide-up notification bar as well.
• Voice Calling/Control - feature included in iPhone 3GS!
• Easier way to turn on/off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, & Airplane mode (perhaps through menu bar dropdown menu toggles); usable from any app
• Mail: IMAP-Idle for Push Gmail; multiple Exchange accounts; unified inbox (for multiple accounts); ability to select a different “from” address for sent mail; custom SMTP servers; attachments (multiple photos & documents)
• iChat: Multi-service IM; video and audio chat; background support
• Search: Searches Mail message contents; Internet searches (Google, Twitter, etc.); Developer plug-ins for installed apps
• iPod: Create & Edit Playlists on iPhone; Easier update to all “subscribed” podcasts (w/o having to open iTunes app); Internet Radio
• Calendar: To-Do lists w/ desktop sync; Built-in Google Calendar sync; Ability for apps to read/write cal data (ex. Movie app scheduling a show time in calendar)
• Safari: Flash support; increased browser cache (to speed up reloads when re-launching app); additional search providers
• Springboard: Increase installed app limit; folders; improved icon organization (perhaps through iTunes); custom wallpaper
• Maps: GPS supported turn-by-turn directions (through 3rd-party apps like TomTom); social friend-finding
• Document Editing/viewer (with local storage & Office file support)
• Camera/Pictures: Improved autofocus; digital zoom; video recording; Tagging/Rating; uploading to Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, YouTube, etc.; Better way to manage Camera Roll photos on device (multiple delete at once, folders)
• Social/Web 2.0 Integration: Built-in support for Web 2.0 services like Google address book/calendar, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr throughout the OS; allowing internet searches; automatic push synchronization of address book/calendar; status updates; picture posting, seeing friends in map via GPS, etc. (like Palm WebOS’s Synergy feature, but better!)
• Spell checker with linked dictionary/thesaurus app (like OS X has, useable in any app.)
• Combine iTunes & Apps store app into one “iTunes app” for all purchases
• Built-in RSS app. with full Google Reader integration/sync.
• Notes syncing – included in OS 3.0!
• Copy/Paste – included in OS 3.0!
• Voice Notes – included in OS 3.0! (as a separate app, not integrated into Notes)
• Internet Tethering - supported in OS 3.0, but not by AT&T (and probably too expensive when finally supported “later”)!
• More gestures to do neat things and make use of the iPhone’s multi-touch