Another thing changing in iOS 6 is that the built-in YouTube app is going away. Today, Google released an official YouTube app in the App Store to replace it. I’ve only spent a few moments with it, but already it seems better than the built-in app.
Just like Apple is eschewing Google’s Maps in favor of their own Maps, the change of guard around YouTube feels right for Google. You need to own your experience.
With iOS 6 likely due out in the next couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to talk about podcasts. If you, like me, are a podcast listener, things are changing in iOS 6.
Traditionally, I’ve used podcasts the Apple way: subscribe via iTunes and sync episodes over USB or Wi-Fi to my iPhone, and then listen to them from the Podcasts tab of Apple’s Music app. It is certainly a process full of friction. It keeps your iPhone tied to your Mac, still, even though iOS 5 made significant inroads to making iOS independent from iTunes.
I take several long-weekend trips every year, and this past year I gave serious consideration to just leaving the Mac at home. A couple times I did, and regretted that I wasn’t able to reload on podcasts. So the past couple trips, my Mac has made the trip with me for that very reason.
In iOS 6, podcasts are being removed from the Music app. Apple’s new way is for users to use the already available Podcasts app. I’ve tried to use it a couple times to preemptively get on board before the big switch. But honestly? Don’t use this app as it stands today.
Apple’s Podcasts app is slow, buggy, and lacks the typical polish and refinement we’ve all come to expect. This app does not feel like something Apple made. It doesn’t even use iCloud to sync the subscription list between your iPhone and iPad, instead making you go through the subscription process twice.
So here’s what you should do. Buy Downcast. It is every bit the caliber you would expect Apple to make, but Apple didn’t make it.
Here’s a rundown of what makes Downcast awesome:
Unplayed and Played or Empty. Edit button, mark a bunch of them, then toss them in the download queue. I could go on, there’s much more. The bottom line is this is the sort of full-featured podcast client you want.
I highly recommend that you switch to Downcast before iOS 6 comes out (rumor has it September 19). Downcast is a universal app and runs a whopping $1.99 on the App Store.
Also, I noticed Downcast’s Twitter feed mention they are working on a Mac app.
It is very possible that Apple will open up pre-orders for the iPhone 5 next week after its media event. I’ve mentioned it before, but both times I have purchased an iPhone, AT&T was the sole US carrier. But that isn’t the case now. Now Sprint and Verizon are options, too.
I’m taking the opportunity to not only move up to the iPhone 5, but to switch to Verizon. And I have a feeling I’m not the only person in this situation, so here’s a little guide from yours truly on how to pre-order an iPhone 5 and switch to Verizon while keeping your number.
Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Back Up Now and run a current backup). Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. This will start the setup guide over. Now connect to Wi-Fi during setup and log in with your iCloud ID and restore from your iCloud backup. Everything should be awesome now.This process should have the least amount of friction in switching both phones and carriers. Godspeed.
Just a quick note to share some news. Today I joined AgileBits, makers of the amazing 1Password, as part of their customer support team. techēse isn’t going anywhere, but I felt it necessary to disclaim where my paycheck now comes from since I have written about 1Password a number of times, and will continue to do so when appropriate.
I have also made a disclaimer note in the Colophon for future reference.
Apple just sent out invites to the press for an event next Wednesday, September 12th.
I guess they really will call the sixth iPhone the iPhone 5. Surprises me.
Time.com has a list of the ten worst cities in the US for mobile phone reception. My city of residence, Lincoln, NE, weighs in at number 4. Swell.
I have had my iPhone 4 for 2 years, 2 months, and 10 days. For the vast majority of that time, I have used the iPhone 4 without a case. Occasionally I will use the Bumper case Apple sent for free from that whole Antennagate fiasco.
I thought with the next iPhone being just over the horizon (if you believe the rumors about release dates, which I do), it would interesting to look at how the iPhone 4 has held up over two years.
The iPhone itself has held up really well. The front glass is still pristine. The stainless steel band around the sides has a slight patina, but is free from scuffs or scratches. The back glass, which isn't Gorilla Glass like on the front, looks remarkable at first blush, but upon close inspection does have two small hairline scratches. But you have to look pretty closely in the right light to see them.
The buttons and switches all work as they should.
I should note that I have had this actual device the entire time. It has never been serviced or replaced by AppleCare.
And, since I mentioned Antennagate earlier, I should also mention that since I use the iPhone 4 without a case nearly all the time, the antenna has not been an issue. Yes, it does drop signal if I press my hand against where the antennae bands meet, but that rarely happens in actual use. I imagine it may happen more if I were a lefty.
The iPhone 4 originally shipped with iOS 4 and currently runs iOS 5. It will be getting iOS 6 in a few weeks (assuming, naturally, that iOS 6 ships concurrently with the next iPhone). What can I say besides that the software has progressively gotten better?
The iPhone 4 runs iOS 5 like a champ. It feels every bit as fast — and in some cases faster — as the day I unboxed it.
My previous (and first) iPhone was the iPhone 3G. The one thing I distinctly remember when it was two years along is that it was slow. Often, the keyboard would lag when typing, which was highly frustrating. And apps took forever to launch.
The iPhone 4 still feels snappy. Now, maybe an iPhone 4S feels faster, but I've rarely used one. My only mark of reference is the memory of the iPhone 3G feeling progressively slower, and the iPhone 4 feeling overall constant.
One area where the iPhone 4 feels like it has gotten progressively faster over time is taking pictures. When the iPhone 4 launched, iOS 4 was very slow at launching the camera app. It got a little better with iOS 4.1, but taking an HDR photo would often crash the camera. iOS 4.2 seemed to smooth everything over. And iOS 5 made the camera launch noticeably faster and has been much more stable with HDR photos. And let's not forget that iOS 5 and 5.1 have improved access to the camera by respectively adding and improving access from the lock screen. And taking pictures has become easier by using the Volume + button as a shutter release.
On the software front, the iPhone 4 has only become better, not worse.
The iPhone 4 officially supports iOS 6. I have not run any of the betas nor have I knowingly seen an iPhone 4 running iOS 6. My hope is that the iPhone will continue to perform admirably with iOS 6, just as it has with iOS 5. In fact, I expect it to, since the iPhone 3GS will run iOS 6, as well, and the iPhone 4 is an order of magnitude more powerful than the iPhone 3GS.
However, that said, I do expect the software to take a slight step backward in iOS 6, and it doesn't affect only the iPhone 4. For instance, Maps will presumably get a performance boost by switching to Apple's vector-based maps, versus Google's bitmapped tiles. However, this is at the expense of transit directions and Street View. I also expect Apple's Maps to have more inaccuracies at the start, but that should improve over time.
Also, Podcasts are being ripped out of the Music app and spun off to Apple's new Podcasts app in the App Store. I've tried switching preemptively to the new Podcasts app a couple times now. I have found it incredibly frustrating, and it is a battery hog even with the screen locked. I am considering alternatives like Downcast or Instacast.
The overall experience, I suspect, will be pretty awesome in iOS 6. Those two items are just a couple obvious (though I hope temporary) regressions.
Shortly before the launch of the iPhone 4, I was absolutely ready for new iPhone hardware. AT&T was still the exclusive carrier in the US, so I didn't even have to think about carriers.
That isn't the case this time around, in either respect. I am very happy with the iPhone 4. However, I am very unhappy with AT&T. They have terrible presence in the midwest, and increasingly seem outright hostile to their users.
I've been out of contract with AT&T for two months and ten days. I plan to switch to Verizon in the next few weeks. And, since I will have to buy a new phone to switch, I may as well get the next iPhone.
Like I said, I am very happy with the iPhone 4. I'd be happy to continue to use it if I could stomach staying on AT&T's mediocre network. But I am also looking forward to the next iPhone because it will allow me to finally use Siri. I also look forward to the camera improvements. Heck, even if it uses the same camera as the 4S, it will be better than the iPhone 4. But, in all seriousness, I bet Apple includes a better camera than the iPhone 4S.
And then there is the rumored 4-inch screen. The extra half inch is made up in the screen supposedly getting taller, and not wider. I've pretty much been against the idea of a larger screen — and hence, a larger phone — but if the extra half inch affords me an extra row of apps/folders on each home screen page, I should be able to consolidate back down to just two pages, which will make me very happy.
I have loved using the iPhone 4. It has been my most used device ever. It has served me very well. It has been a large part of my family as it is the iPhone my son has come to know as the iPhone. And man, is he really good at using an iPhone. I have sent countless messages to friends and family, shared many moments on FaceTime, had great conversations, and have taken the majority of photos of my family over the past two years — all on this iPhone 4.
As memorable as the iPhone 4 is, the opportunities to simultaneously move to a better carrier in my area and get the next iPhone will bring my time with the iPhone 4 to an end.
I expect the next iPhone to be even more remarkable in two year's time.
This is the first feature update to my favorite text editor on iOS (and the Mac) — Byword. I reviewed Byword for iOS when it debuted in March. While the initial release was really great, it had two shortcomings:
These are the two areas of focus in Byword for iOS 1.1.
Byword now includes a dark theme like its big brother. In addition to that, the keyboard extension has received a little polish in appearance.
The biggest feature is the ability to switch between Local, iCloud, and Dropbox storage in the file browser. It really feels like a best of both worlds approach. You have the deeper file system of Dropbox, while also being able to dip your toe into iCloud. Another nice feature of the new file browser is the ability to create folders on the fly.
If you are serious about your writing, I have no reservation in recommending Byword as the best iOS text editor. It’s a universal app for iPhone and iPad and you can pick it for $2.99 in the App Store.
The nerds (myself included) have been getting pretty antsy about Twitter’s increasing restrictions on third-party apps. We love our third-party apps like Twitterrific and Tweetbot (and I am sure my Android friends have their favorites, too).
Why?
Because, frankly, third-party Twitter apps have offered the best in class experience to date. Let’s loosely recap how Twitter’s experience has changed over the years.
I don’t think I would feel so morose about Twitter’s actions to stifle third-party apps if Twitter itself offered the best in class experience. If Twitter’s experience was far and away better than what third-parties have come up with, there would hardly be an argument to make.
Twitter doesn’t even leverage its own streaming technology in its mobile apps. Tweetbot does and it’s awesome. And what about things like Tweetmarker? Twitterrific and Tweetbot use this to keep timelines in sync at the user’s “last read” position. With Tweetmarker, I can easily launch a client on Mac, iPhone, or iPad and pick up where I left off.
What if Twitter made best in class apps on all their platforms, using their streaming feature when appropriate, and rolled a Tweetmarker-like feature across all their apps and the web? Well, for starters, it would make the service just that much better. Secondly, it would make the deprecation of third-party apps hurt less.
The fact is Twitter doesn’t seem to care about having the best experience, they care now about being the only experience.
And if your experience is the only experience, I suppose the majority of users won’t know that it could be so much better.
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, passed away at age 82 today.
Thanks you, Mr. Armstrong, for your work in forwarding space travel; for uniting not only a nation, but a planet; and for giving the creative and fascinating minds of children something to dream about.