Looks like Apple wants to put an end to the troublesome iPhone location log as soon as possible. In the upcoming iOS 4.3.3 which is expected anytime now; we'll find the following fixes:
The update will no longer back up the location database to iTunes.
The size of the location database will be reduced.
The location database will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.
Battery life improvements.
iPod bug fixes.
... I knew I should have waited just a little longer before updating my iPhone to 4.3.2, yesterday...
It was one of the most expected features for Apple's iOS 4.3 update: the new and improved Nitro javascript engine that would make Safari faster than ever. And indeed it was. Never before did the iPhone and iPad zoomed across javascript intensive sites as fast as it does now.
What is harder to understand tough, is why such improved performance doesn't happen in every single web page visit. Or better yet, why it only does when we're using the Safari App itself?
Someone decided to put the iPhone javascript performance to the test, and using this page you can see it for yourself run this test inside safari and then compare it to the results you get if you run it fullscreen via homescreen shortcut, or inside any other app that offers a browser view, like one of the many twitter apps.
Whenever you're not running the benchmark in Safari itself, you get much worse performance, more than twice as slow!
I sincerely hope this is just a bug that will soon be fixed by Apple, as I can't really imagine Apple would pull such a move in order to artificially degrade user experience and make WebApps perform worse than they could.
They can't even argue this is due to 3rd party developers not properly implementing their webviews, as the same low performance issue also happens when you use nothing but Apple's tools - such as adding a webpage to your homescreen for a fullscreen "webapp" experience. Yes, it gets slow javascript as well...
C'mon Apple... Are you really trying to pull this kind of stuff to hinder WebApp development?
Let's hope Apple will clarify this situation as soon as possible and explain why this is happening.
Though the update is available for the iPhone and iPod touch, it's the iPad that will have more to gain: Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay and AirPrint. (Some of which were already available for the iPhone/iPod.)
You now get "Find My iPhone" for free, without requiring a MobileMe account (if you have an iPhone 4, iPad, and latest generation iPod Touch). This feature allows you to track down lost/stolen equipment, and you can even remote wipe your devices if it ever comes to that.
As soon as you fire up your iTunes 10.1, you should be able to download this much awaited iOS 4.2 update.
The new iOS 4.1 was promised for next week, and it now gets its first seemingly official launch date on Apple's UK website: September 8th, next Wednesday.
Besides all the expected bug fixes that will hopefully make it as rock solid as it was in its previous iOS4 versions, this iOS 4.1 will also bring:
Looks like I was very lucky. This was my first Apple event (thanks Apple, for taking me to London to attend) and it was filled with lots of new stuff. (Ok, it might not have been as hyped as a new iPhone or iPad launch, but it was filled with lots of different new - and that's great. :)
The event was streamed live by Apple - some say as a test to their new server farm, maybe to try out how streaming millions of rented HD movies and TV series will be. Unfortunately, while it stands behind web standards when battling Flash, their video stream has available only to Apple customers, requiring you had Safari, or an iPhone/iPad.
Apple Stores around the World
Steve Jobs showed up on stage and - after a well deserved public greeting to Wozniak - started talking about their latest Apple Stores around the world - Paris, Shangai and London are now home to some incredible stores that turn Apple into a "different" brand.
Soon Spain will also have one Apple Store... but unfortunately there are no (known) plans of ever getting an official Apple store in Portugal.
iOS Devices
With over 120 million devices (iPhones, iPods, iPads) and 230 thousand new devices being activated every day, the iOS platform is an obvious success. It is almost surreal to think how things were in the pre-iPhone era; where a "touch-only" based device seemed an impossible trick to pull.
Steve even joked about Android daily activation numbers were not only "new" devices, but counted updates as well - but Google has already set that straight.)
iOS 4.1
The first great annoucement: the much awaited iOS 4.1 update is coming next week. I've never been pleased with iOS4.0 regarding "stability", and I was pleased to hear this version comes with lots of bug fixes (proximity sensor, bluetooth, working on iPhone 3G, etc) and also has a few new tricks as well.
HDR Photos (High Dynamic Range)
HD Video upload via WiFi
TV Shows rentals
Game Center
The most noticeable are the HDR photos. While you already had some Apps that did this, starting next week you'll have this as standard in your iPhone 4. Basically, it takes several photos, with different exposures...
... and it merges it all together to create a new photo where you can see details in both extremely lightes and shadowed areas.
As for the game center, it makes the iOS platform even more attractive to game developers - Nintendo said they didn't care about the iPhone as a game machine... they'll soon be regretting having said that.
Epic came on stage to show off an Unreal Engine demo running on the iPhone... and it looks amazing:
Yes, soon after the iOS 4.1, the iOS 4.2 will bring all that to the iPad (and more.)
Printing, AirPlay and everything you already have on the iPhone will be available for the iPad - at last!
Just have to wait a little bit longer...
New iPods
The entire iPod range was updated.
New iPod Shuffle
Small as ever, with easy to use buttons, playlists, genius, and VoiceOver; and costs $49.
New iPod Nano
The one I liked the most: the new iPod Nano.
Smaller than ever, the new Nano ditches the clickwheel and gains a small multitouch screen.
It looks like a Nano iPhone interface, and you can even rotate it with two fingers.
New iPod Touch
You get what you hoped for: A4 CPU, Retina Display, dual cameras, gyroscope, etc.
Only the "look" stays the same - but thinner.
New iTunes 10
iTunes gets to version 10 and now has Ping.
Ping is a Twitter-like/Facebook-ish kind of social network oriented to music and iTunes contents. You can easily share and track what your friend and favorites artists are doing - and vice-versa.
With over 160 million iTunes users out there, Apple expects this to be an instant hit, and I'm sure they're right - although I'm not really an iTunes-fans.
For me, I'd rather see Apple offering a iTunes-in-the-web service, that would allow me to completely forget about installing and syncing my iPhone at home.
New Apple TV
Not so great for us here in Portugal (as we don't have access to these iTunes rental) but great for everyone in a supported country, here's the new Apple TV.
1/4 the size of the old one, the new Apple TV is no longer a "computer" but more like a HD Media Player. It has no local storage and is better suited to stream content from either your local network, YouTube, NetFlix, or - more importantly - the new low cost iTunes rentals.
Forget about buying... renting is the new "buy" - at least as far as Apple is concerned.
Maybe due to its A4 CPU, or mabye for streaming bandwidth reasons, the new Apple TV only outputs 720p (and not Full HD 1080p.)
More Photos
Final Thanks
I want to thank Apple once again for the short but lovely stay I had in London.
(Yep, that was my room view... Apple really knows how to treat us! :)
One of the least expected surprises when you update your iPhone to the new iOS4 is: how can you delete emails in iOS4?
The usual swipe to delete gesture now pops up a "archive" button, and even if you press the trashcan icon when reading an email it actually gets archived and not deleted (can't imagine what those guys at Cupertino were thinking when they implemented it this way!)
Well, thankfully you can revert this gesture back to its more logical action and make swipe delete emails again.
You need to go into Settings->Email, select the affected email account, and simply turn off the archive messages option:
It's not really a secret, but most people might actually find it hard to find an option you have to turn off in order to work right. From now on you can safely delete email messages, knowing they'll be thrown in the trash and not archived next to your more important emails.
