What should be the iOS 8

Nearing the announcement of iOS 8 - the operating system, designed to improve the things that gave us the iOS 7, and transfer the pleasure of using Apple's mobile products to a new level. We can not say that iOS 7 has turned out perfect. Many viewed it negatively, and continue to dislike so far. However, there are also quite meaningful addition to the claim only subjective assessments. Many things that were not enough users, and have not found a place in the Group of Seven, and some of the implemented features might work better.

As long as we do not have enough reliable materials to express an opinion about the future of Apple's mobile OSes, so let us remember all that we do not like iOS 7, and dream a little. Imagine that you determine the iOS 8 functionality. What would you add to it? What would you change?

Federico Vitichev, founder of the resource MacStories, offered your list things that are required to be in iOS 8 and we agree with him on every point. We offer you its iOS 8 concept.

In an attempt to classify their expectations for iOS 8, I have identified 3 macrocategories:

• features that Apple did not include in iOS 7
• function, which already could be implemented in iOS 7 and iPhone 5s
• features of OS X Mavericks, that it would be reasonable to introduce in iOS 8

My desires may coincide with the wishes of any ordinary user iOS 7, as well as those who use the iPhone and iPad for create text, photo management, file management automation as well as a large group of tasks called "work in iOS ».

Further development of the user interface in all directions

The new design, introduced in iOS 7, spawned new problems. In an effort to shift the focus from the interface to the content, Apple greatly cut many visual elements of the system, previously served as indicators of the interaction points. In applications such as Reminders, and Voice Memos disappeared clarity: which element of the interface can be tapnut, and on what does not. The iOS 7 has become more difficult to distinguish between active interface elements from informative and decorative, it became difficult to understand whether the tap lead to any area to any action, or is it just a static element.

I hope that in iOS 8 design will come from the "adolescence" and become more mature and polished. Highlight content on the interface is quite commendable and provides developers with a good reason for rethinking their applications, but with the current interface, which causes confusion for the user only harm software products.

At the same time, I sincerely wish that Apple drew attention to the unique opportunities in terms of design, which can be realized only on the large iPad screen. On iOS 7, I can not help feeling that a lot of applications and system components are simply stretched versions, taken from the iPhone. The desire to release a beta version of iOS 7 for the tablet in the period put the time factor higher creativity.

However, Apple has been a whole year, and I hope that we will see a rethinking of the appearance of the operating system on the tablet in iOS 8.

More Touch ID

• Unlock your iPhone 5s and download content from the iTunes finger. It's been six months, and I still admire the technology (and admire her even more after the release of update 7.1 and 7.1.1 with its recently improved speed of operation). But now I need more. I go to authenticate to their favorite applications in the same way. However, Apple likes to emphasize the fact that third-party applications will not be able to gain access to personal data of the user of Touch ID, such restrictions Touch ID API. It would be so great if the application is required to enter the 4-digit input of the PIN-code would work with the fingerprint. However, Phil Schiller declined to comment about such a possibility.

Cheaper and more capacious iCloud

For Apple's level it seems surprising limitations and the high cost of the proposed store. We get 5 GB of space for free, and if necessary to increase the storage size, we have only 3 options:

• 10GB = $ 20 per year
• 20GB = $ 40 per year
• 50GB = $ 100 per year

Just for clarity, look at the Google store price tags. 15GB they offer for free, and then:

• 100GB = $ 12 per year
• 1TB = $ 120 per year

Apple will tell you that iCloud - so much more than just a repository for documents and files, but other functions synchronize content and data are no longer a killer-features done in 2014. Each user expects to see similar functionality in their smartphones and tablets.

5 free gigabytes is enough for email, calendar and contacts synchronization, but when it comes to Backup to multiple devices and storing data from iWork, and third-party applications, then start Problems.

I do not know, it would be more reasonable: an increase in the volume of free storage, cheaper rates, or a combination previous versions, but the fact remains - the current maximum amount of premium services is not enough even for the iPhone 64 GB. About the iPad with 128 GB I just keep quiet. Tariffs and options iCloud were relevant in 2011, but by 2014, cloud services have changed dramatically, and users want more. If Apple want their iCloud has been used more and more it is necessary to make cheaper and voluminous.

Quick response to notifications

One of my favorite features in OS X Mavericks - the ability to respond to incoming messages directly from a notification of the body. Whether it's iMessage or another tweet from Tweebot, a simple click on the Reply without having to go look extremely intuitive and user-friendly application. Apple should add this feature in iOS 8 notification.

Quick response to the notice must translate user module, which would be opened on top of the current application and include an input field and a keyboard. Tweaks like Auki showed that the possibility of implementing such interfyesa very real and very convenient. I would not talk about a fully interactive notifications with embedded action buttons. Notification with a button "Reply" for messages and tweets would be enough.

Simplification of the notification center, expansion interface Today view

It seems to me that now, no one understands the principle Missed tabs work in the center of notifications, and my experience with iOS 7 tells me that most people use the All tab, or Today. I will not be surprised if the Missed tab disappears from the notification center in iOS 8, or be integrated with the tab All.

Today page perfectly fit into my style of interaction with the device, and I hope that Apple will find a way to make it even more useful. Reminder and Calendar - useful sources of information, but try to imagine this same interface with comprehensive data from third-party applications that you require and the statistics of your physical activity. Apple could allow third-party applications to put information in Today, and also add here the event data from email and social applications. At the moment, the user can not select the calendars, the information of which will be displayed in Today. I would like to see all this in iOS 8.

You can change the interface of iPad Today, in accordance with the possibilities, which gives a large screen tablet. I would like to see a fully functional visualization of my day looking at that in the morning, I would have had a clear idea of ​​what I need to do, where to go. It seems to me that the mapping information from third-party applications is critically necessary step for converting Today more quality and useful tool, but do not forget about the more elaborate integration with native applications and functionality itself system.

Improve Siri

From a technical point of view, last year Siri voice assistant has made significant progress in reliability and speed (n Italian localization using Siri), but it seems that this tool is still lagging behind Google Voice Search, and even Microsoft Cortana. Use of Siri, I have no way of knowing correctly recognize my team assistant until then, until the answer came from the server. If there was an error detection (for example, «three» instead of «tree»), then for the next attempt I have to wait for me when Siri will show the text to the wrong request. I do not know what prevents Apple to implement the recognition in real time, but this feature would be met by users with great enthusiasm.

Text Siri

I continue to believe that the text-based interface to allow people to rely on Siri in those moments when the voice input is impossible or difficult (for example, in a noisy crowded places). Microsoft has chosen only sure way to combine in Cortana text input and voice commands. In addition, the startup screen Siri is essentially useless if you do not pronounce the command. Voice assistant Google and Microsoft are different in that their starting menus provide access to the first and most urgent action without the need for anything to enter and talk.

Apple to decide the starting assistant Siri interface or menu Today Is the main screen will be. Practice has shown that there is the possibility of combining easy access to voice input and visual display of key information in a single interface.

Reminders of people in music recognition Siri

One of the features that I have long dreamed, could be called as "a reminder based on the particular person." It would complement the team «where» and «when» filter «who», which tells about the events associated with a particular person or planned at a meeting with him. Cortana already knows how to do it, and a Google product, this function is already being tested.

Built-in music recognition would allow users to access Siri just as they do with Shazam, give the link to identify the song the iTunes Store. According to Bloomberg, Apple is already working with Shazam on the built-in music recognition Siri.

siri API

I dream about it for 3 years and I hope that in 2014 Siri finally make friends with third-party applications, and learn how to send and receive their data without having to open the application itself. Siri API would give users thousands of applications with voice interface, allowing them to be more productive and communicate information without touching the device.

Do not expect Apple's Siri tough native integration with applications and Web services. Most likely, Siri API will give developers some dictionaries that can recognize and understand the voice assistant. Imagine that you can ask Siri to send a message through Stephen WhatsApp (Text Stephen on WhatsApp) or pull spisok Affairs of the Mailbox (Get todos from Mailbox). This would add a headache (who will be responsible for understanding the transfer of unsupported commands languages, the API or application developers?), but I see no other way to make Siri more flexible and powerful.

Links to Reminders

Apple should add active URL in the Reminders notes. It is a strange omission in iOS 7, because Reminders for OS X links clicked perfectly.

I'm not nitpicking, I just used to use Reminders to-do list, and the inability to open the link in Safari Reminders of annoys me constantly.

Modified data in charts

Apple Maps is always inferior to Google Maps in my region. service has improved over the last couple of years, but is still not up to Google. Bugs that I reported a few months ago, and has not been corrected. I know that it's pervasive problem which goes far beyond the Viterbo and Rome.

However, there is hope. Over the past year, Apple acquired several companies involved in mapping services, and is now being tested user warning system for corrections. However, Apple is unlikely to cope alone. The solution may be to attract the user community to improve maps, buy more local companies engaged in the cards, or with companies Partnership to provide through their local data. In Italy, the work so Google Maps and PagineGialle.

Different languages ​​for navigation and iOS

You can set the same language for the system and the other language of Siri, but the navigation works in the language system, not Siri. In my case the iPhone is available in English, but with Siri, I speak Italian, but give me a map navigation prompts in English. Why would a user to send voice commands in one language and get the answers to the other? I hope that this misunderstanding will fix in iOS 8.

Completely redesigned Photo Stream

"Resolution" from Apple, which allows to store fresh photos in the cloud, is one of the most confusing and outdated of all products and services iOS 7. It causes sincere bewilderment. Photo Stream hung with all sorts of restrictions, but it still does not protect the user from losing all of his photos in the event of damage or loss of the device. Now, in 2014, it is very difficult to believe that the photos - one of the reasons why people buy iPhone - tied to outdated system backup, which has nothing to do with the real cloud storage and the needs of people in the post-PC era.

Apple believes that users want to stream from your latest photos on all of your devices. I do not think that this approach is more relevant. I think, Photo Stream looked good demo in 2011, but today users just want to shoot a lot of pictures and save those pictures. They do not need a flow of fresh photos. Only universally accessible repository backups of all photos and iPhoto without difficulties for the Mac.

How do I see the correct Photo Stream? This is a service with a backup of all images, with no restrictions on storage time and quantity. Because Apple still sells the iPhone with 8 and 16 GB of memory, and the average photo size is growing steadily, you must prevent users from worries Clearing space on your device to create a new photo and video. This is a very urgent problem. Every time I go to a concert, a family dinner or spend a weekend with your friends, I do not have enough free space on my iPhone and I have to delete old images to make new ones. It should go into the past.

Photo Stream, you must rename and re-release the product, which is a backup of photos in their original resolution, with sorting and organizing the collection of filters by location, events, people and user album. There should be integration with the app Camera, moreover implementation should relieve the user from worrying about the removal of the photo from your device. Erased the old photos? It does not matter, they are all stored in iCloud and to them at any time to gain access. Camera Roll will serve as a local repository, but the removal of a photo of him does not affect the overall collection, located in the cloud.

In my experience, ordinary people can not understand the Photo Stream, confused in the iPhoto, or in general are not Mac owners. They store the photos on your iOS device and continue to delete old photos to make room for new ones.

Apple could release a new product and call it iCloud Photos, and it would be great in conjunction with the above-mentioned changes in the iCloud rates. Many people take pictures, and Apple is obliged to provide its users a cheap, safe and easy to use solution for the storage of images, without thinking about the risk of loss. Perhaps, Photo Stream and convenient, but it is not a proper solution to the problem faced by users today.

Return Photo's Places view

With the arrival of iOS 7, Apple changed the way photos are displayed on the map with geodata, and to me it seems like a step backwards. On iOS 7, you can not simultaneously see on the map all the photos taken during all the year. You can display the photos only in a particular year, while the old Photos app perfectly cope with it.

It would seem that this is a very minor defect, but it would be a big problem for those who want to visualize all your photos on the map. I remember in the Map View Day One for Mac and Picturelife web application. They are the proof that this function can be implemented beautifully and functionally.

A separate album for screenshots

Once the creation of screenshots of the screen was considered the lot of geeks, but these days people are constantly share with each other screenshots messengers and Instagram pages. That is why it seems to me very strange that Apple still dumps photos and screenshots in one pile. Screenshots should be removed from the main interface view and view of the backup iCloud.

Apple on a note: if the company go a little further in solving the problem with screenshots, then it should pay attention to the implementation of image storage in the Sony PS Vita.

The solution of the situation with attachments

Each of us is faced with such a situation: a decent chunk of memory in the device is busy it is unclear what, but in fact it is investing to send you messages. the problem is solved in 2 ways now:

1. remove the chain messages with attachments
2. manually scroll through the chain, and delete messages with attachments

Both options, to put it mildly, does not seem to be optimal. There are rumors that Apple is considering the possibility of automatic archiving of old conversations, which will clear a space on the device.

Personally, I would like to see a few options for the user:

1. store attachments in the cloud, and load them on the device at the user's request
2. if the user wants to make room, it should be possible to remove the attachment locally, at the while the original copy of the attachments are stored somewhere on the side and are available for preview on device
3. for photos and videos that you send yourself, should not create copies (the original in the Media Library + copy in Annex-messenger)

Adding contacts to a group

Now if you want to add the contact to an existing group on your iOS device, first you need to take the Mac, run on the Contacts and make him their plan. Not very similar to the post-PC era, right?

New features for group chats

Compared with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Messages in poor enough opportunities for group chats. You can not add people to an existing group, you can not turn off certain chains can not back up the talk in and out of groups.

Apple stuck to the basic functionality, conceived long ago in iOS 5. It's time to change it.

Setting read confirmation

Return Receipt messages can be extremely useful, and annoying. As in all iOS applications from Apple, you do not have the possibility to fine-tune the notification mode. Either you turn confirmation for all contacts, or is disabled for all. What if you want your spouse always knew that you have read her message, and annoying colleague did not think you ignore it?

Securing applications in the Control Center

Ease Control Center is undeniable, but often I wish that instead of Clock and Calculator were there I needed applications. Apple could easily add applications to select a manager for fixing.

Improving teamwork in iWork

We have to admit that the opportunities for collaboration offered iWork, do not go to any comparison with Google Drive, especially if we are talking about iWork for iOS. If you want to collaborate on a document in real time, but now it is virtually impossible because of frequent errors iCloud. Google Drive for your iOS sets a high bar for quality and I hope that in iOS 8 iWork will be faster and more stable.

More keyboard shortcuts

Apple added support for peripheral keyboards in iOS 7, but their number and functionality can not be compared with OS X. They are not too thought out and documented the fact. For example, you can not send the text in the Messages with the help of keyboard shortcuts, but you can do this in Mail. In Safari, you can create and manage tabs, but you can not move them. Also I would like to see a combination to switch between applications in multitasking mode in the search results in the Spotlight and autocompletion options in Safari's address bar.

Safari Download Manager

If you want to download the file from the web in iOS, you'll have to rely on the native function Open In, or install a separate application like iCab, or Documents. In Safari, there is an integrated boot manager (the problem has long been solved jailbreak community), because of what to download files from the Internet more often prefer to use a Mac.

Safari Push-Notification

I do not allow the sending of notifications for each application on their device, but I really like the opportunity to stay up to date with news, implemented in Safari on the Mavericks. Initial implementation of the push-notification was not ideal. In particular, Apple had to correct the Safari 7 and turn on the option that hides a request for sending notifications. So you can create a collection of sites that can send you notifications about new publications. It seems to me that such a possibility would have a lot more meaning and use on iPhone and iPad, because they are mobile and portable. I would like to see the push-notification in Safari on iOS 8.

Save to PDF from the browser and Mail

If we talk about the Safari, then its version of OS X has long page allows users to save web sites in the form of PDF files, but on iOS that possibility is still there. Save to PDF could become a new option in the existing Print menu allows you to save PDF files locally, and open them in applications such as iBooks, the Preview and Evernote. This same feature can be implemented everywhere. Her appearance in the Mail will be the first serious step in the workflow without paper. In fact, this option would reduce the number of running me on Mac tasks twice.

The interaction between applications

One of the reasons that people find it impossible to fully operate in iOS, is the lack of communication between applications. I talked about this for 2 years, and after the iOS 7 release, and did not submit a standardized system of data exchange between applications, confidence in Apple keeping up with Google and Microsoft with their Android and Windows Phone is only growing.

Apple needs to develop a full-fledged API for applications to interact, through which benefit from collaborative applications will be able to experience not only the geeks of automation, but also simple users.

The interaction between applications allow to escape from the constraints of the notorious Open In and open the way to work together over these multiple applications, without duplicating data. For example, you could save through Safari page to PDF, send it to Evernote, and then edit it in PDF Expert without creating three file duplicates. Do you want to attach a file to an email? Imagine a tool that can look into the contents of the storage application and allow you to attach a file that is stored in your Dropbox Skitch or container. No copy-paste, no multiple switching between applications and unnecessary copies of data.

Apple needs to believe that the interaction between applications that implement it correctly, they will be able to save time for users and make them more productive. This topic can be discussed for hours, but Apple just start with the basics and gradually expand functionality.

Fix the music application

On iOS 7, Apple has made the app Music less convenient for those who like to listen to music on the album. iTunes Radio has added even more confusion, but still they did not manage playlists improved.

You know like in iOS to add a track to a playlist? This will require 5 tapov and much scrolling. In iOS 8, I would like to see a simple menu of actions with the rapid addition of a track in a playlist without having to go to the list of playlists and manually choosing the right one. If we talk about the albums, I would like to see the old pre-iOS 7 design. Now the Now Playing screen is rather boring and not meaningful, while the Remote interface applications, in turn, is bright, lively and very functional.

Up Next in Annex Music

This is my favorite feature in the desktop iTunes, and I am truly perplexed because of the absence of any implementing prioritization functionality in iOS. In addition to the buttons for controlling the playlists to be added is the same Up Next, with a single interface, and can be posed in the Control Center with the ability to change the prioritization of tracks "on the fly".

Search for iCloud Keychain

I like the simplicity of the iCloud Keychain and how this tool is integrated with Safari. However, I would like to be able to search for items, saved in iCloud Keychain. Now, we can browse the items saved in iCloud Keychain (Settings -> Safari -> Passwords & Autofill -> Saved Passwords), but to look among them for something specific will not work. If Apple does not want to do a complete application for iOS Keychain with logins, credit cards and other things, a simple search bar would be very handy.

Statistics on the application of the charge rate

Users do not have to calculate the battery eaters empirically. The Mavericks have Activity Monitor, which displays the battery consumption for each application and process. Apple could add to iOS 8 battery consumption statistics, similar to the current memory statistics, and mobile traffic. This may be a ranking list with automatic reports, based on an assumed "normal" power consumption for each application. If something goes wrong, the user is notified.

Cross-platform AirDrop

iOS 7 exit marked by an important event for the users - now with the iPhone and iPad, you can exchange a variety of data, including from third-party applications, without access to the Internet. However, there is a problem: AirDrop in iOS is not compatible with AirDrop in OS X. Most likely, the lack of cross-platform due to some technical details than with banal reluctance of Apple to introduce such a function, but I hope that with the arrival of iOS 8 this problem It will be solved.

iOS 8 of your dreams

Look like that's it. We listed all the key features and drawbacks, and the addition of the correction of which in iOS 8 is likely to be made happier users. However, each person uses iOS a little differently, but because the wish list can vary greatly and depend on the profession and lifestyle of a particular person.

We are interested in your opinion. What of the following do you agree? What is not? What can we add? What's on your mind, and so works well and does not require any changes?

I would look like your wish list for iOS 8?