iPhone OS 4.0

[Arwin]

I'm thinking this actually deserves its own thread, rather than scattered comments in among others the iPad threads, so here goes.

Here's Apple's overview for developers:
http://developer.apple.com/technologies/iphone/whats-new.html

There's a good video showing most of the new features in action here:
http://gizmodo.com/5512966/iphone-os-4-hands+on-video?skyline=true&s=i

And a good overview of the multitasking here:
http://gizmodo.com/5512656/how-multitasking-works-in-the-new-iphone-os-40?

It's planned for iPhones and iPods around June, and a few months later for the iPad.

 

[Mike11]

It's planned for iPhones and iPods around June, and a few months later for the iPad.

IMHO 4.0 end of june or early july for iPhone and iPod touch and then 4.1 for all iPhone OS devices in September (with the new iPod touch release).

Has anyone heard anything about support for higher resolutions (for the iPhone) in the SDK? A different aspect ratio is definitely out (like 800x480) because Apple would have had to prepare developers for that. But a higher resolution, especially something like 960x640 could still be possible since all apps would run fine and just be hardware upscaled initially (like on the iPad, but not looking that bad of course because of the smaller screen). Plus some premiere 3rd party apps for launch.

 

[rpg.314]

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/apple-takes-aim-at-adobe-or-android.ars

HTML5 FTW, eh...? I am sure they wouldn't open up the accelerometer to JS anytime soon.

Also, how do you write native iPhone apps usig JS?

 

[silent_guy]

Also, how do you write native iPhone apps usig JS?

It says: "JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine".

I'm not sure if native apps are currently allowed to feed JavaScript into a WebKit instance, though. But if that's allowed, then a typical case would to provide the JS file as part of the resource bundle and point an NsUrl to it. The main part of the app would still be ObjC and friends.

 

[wco81]

What about the restrictions?

No abstracted layer to make ports easier.

Or will developers conform because they can make more money at the App. Store?

 

[Arwin]

So it's out, and people are starting to upgrade left and right. I've been running it for a few weeks, running the GM release through the developer programme, and I'm generally happy with the changes:
- folders helped me reduce 8 pages to 1 page stuffed with folders
- joint email inbox came just in time
- lock the screen auto-rotate! I need this so often ...
- double click to bring up recent applications (I don't have anything that multi-tasks yet, so I don't know what that looks like) and with the ipod play/pause controls to the left, which also has a shortcut to the lock auto-rotate.
- there's a custom background, though i dont' really care about that

For the multi-tasking applications it's still hard to judge, as currently very few applications support any of that yet - I look forward to a version of Skype that stays active or an internet-radio application that can run in the background to try this out, and/or applications that can do their own local notifications (rather than going through the Apple server for this)

 

[wco81]

Pandora was just updated to allow streaming in background.

 

[Rys]

This might be the wrong thread for it, but does anyone know of alternative email clients for the iPhone that can do client-side email filtering? My email setup relies heavily on filtering to put mail in the right folders so I can prioritise and organise it all, because the volume of mail I get every day is huge.

The standard iPhone and iPad client has no way to do that, so it's effectively useless to me unless I'm checking for an email that I know is about to arrive.

I could setup server-side filtering, but client-side is such a rudimentary feature it seems crazy that it's not there, years on from launch.

 

[wco81]

I use server-side filtering. Guess the idea is you process less data on the device if it's filtered on the server.

Especially if you use one of the lower-tier data plans being offered now.

But it would probably be better to have the option.


Quick search in iTunes finds IbisMail which says it supports creation folders and sorting rules. Not terribly rated high and it says it's not yet compatible with iOS4. There are a bunch of others but maybe best to check iPhone app. review sites.

 

[Rys]

I finally bit the bullet and implemented server-side filters. Took all of 15 mins to configure my MDA, and then a similar amount of time to learn Sieve and convert all my existing filters.

 

[Zeross]

I'm using server side filtering on my Gmail account (via labels and the archive function) but it seems that the Mail client of the iPhone is only checking the inbox for new mails and it doesn't inform me when a mail was put directly in a folder. With Thunderbird I use "Check this folder for new messages" but I didn't find something similar on the iPhone. Does anyone know a proper way to do that ? This is really annoying...

 

[Captain Chickenpants]

In your mail settings on the phone you should be able to set mail folders to push. I think that will do what you are after.

CC

 

[Zeross]

In your mail settings on the phone you should be able to set mail folders to push. I think that will do what you are after.

CC

Yes it works : thank you !
The only trick is to configure the mail account as an Exchange account and not as a Gmail one

 

[NRP]

Anyone know if the 4.0 OS offers any advantages for 3G models? I mainly care about performance enhancements. The 3G is so friggin slow!

 

[wco81]

Heard that 3G is slower with iOS4, which shouldn't be surprising as newer software requires more RAM and resources to run better.

Features you'd be getting would be folders, maybe Gamecenter stuff, maybe better Exchange support.

 

[Simon F]

The 3G is so friggin slow!

3G or 3GS? (and are you referring to graphics or just general processing?)

 

[roninja]

Time you upgraded to iPhone 4 mate.

 

[NRP]

3G or 3GS? (and are you referring to graphics or just general processing?)

3G, and both graphics and general processing feel frustratingly slow.

 

[Rys]

iOS4 on a 3G really is slow to the point of being unusable in my experience, although I can't say the 3D got any slower personally since I never did back-to-back testing. Non 3D apps stutter and long-pause way worse than before.

 

[Arwin]

iOS4 on a 3G really is slow to the point of being unusable in my experience, although I can't say the 3D got any slower personally since I never did back-to-back testing. Non 3D apps stutter and long-pause way worse than before.

Strange. My colleague has a 3G and I just looked at it because of this thread. It works pretty much as it did before. The screen doesn't update with the same number of steps as the 3GS does (less fluent), and there's a little more lag when you press on something, but overall it seems fine?