# iPhone OS 4.0 to be announced on Thursday; free for iPhone and iPad owners



## geko29

Apple just announced the announcement  of iPhone OS 4.0. The event will take place this Thursday at 10am pacific (2pm eastern):

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20001742-260.html

Note that the OS will not be RELEASED on Thursday, this is just a preview. However, the EULA contained in the iPad confirms that this particular upgrade will be free for iPad owners:



iPad EULA said:


> Apple will provide you any iPad OS software updates that it may release from time to time, up to and including the next major iPad OS software release following the version of iPad OS software that originally shipped from Apple on your iPad, for free. For example, if your iPad originally shipped with iPad 3.x software, Apple would provide you with any iPad OS software updates it might release up to and including the iPad 4.x software release. Such updates and releases may not necessarily include all of the new software features that Apple releases for newer iPad models.


Likely this is due to the proximity to release, and a one time thing. But nonetheless, iPads will get free upgrades like iPhones do, just this one time. Presumably iPod Touch upgrades will still be paid. All I have to say is there better be multitasking or there will be murders....


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## Betsy the Quilter

I would like some changes in the way the App Store works; although I can put items on my wish list in iTunes, I can't on the App Store...  I would like to be able to rearrange the pages of my apps as a whole instead of moving one app at a time (if there's a way to do this, let me know.  I wish when I could name the pages and I wish I could be asked where I want the app when I download it.  I wish I could sort the apps on a given page.

I wish I could synch the iPad photos to different computers without erasing all the pics I've already got on there. 

Betsy


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## cheerio

that would be nice, sounds like there might be a few things that might need to be fixed


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## VictoriaP

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I would like some changes in the way the App Store works; although I can put items on my wish list in iTunes, I can't on the App Store... I would like to be able to rearrange the pages of my apps as a whole instead of moving one app at a time (if there's a way to do this, let me know. I wish when I could name the pages and I wish I could be asked where I want the app when I download it. I wish I could sort the apps on a given page.
> 
> I wish I could synch the iPad photos to different computers without erasing all the pics I've already got on there.
> 
> Betsy


And I've had most of those wishes since I bought the original iPhone. I'd be amazed if we see any of them in this update! I think the only new "feature" we've gotten since the beginning that made a true difference was finally getting "cut and paste". That took over 18 months for them to provide if I recall correctly; people were demanding it from day one.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Well, a girl can hope!  It is a major update to 4.0  

But all I was asked was for my wish list.  

Betsy


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## luvmy4brats

Maybe we'll be able to change our wallpaper on the iphone homescreen now since it can be done on the ipad.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Y'all can't do that? I already changed mine to one of my own pics.

Betsy


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## luvmy4brats

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Y'all can't do that? I already changed mine to one of my own pics.
> 
> Betsy


Not without jailbreaking it. We can only change wallpaper on the lock screen.


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## Pushka

luvmy4brats said:


> Maybe we'll be able to change our wallpaper on the iphone homescreen now since it can be done on the ipad.


I have always had that feature on the iphone. And unlike the kindle, I havent hacked it. One thing I love is now being able to send MMS which was in the last update or so.


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## luvmy4brats

Pushka said:


> I have always had that feature on the iphone. And unlike the kindle, I havent hacked it. One thing I love is now being able to send MMS which was in the last update or so.


You can change the wallpaper on the homescreen behind all the icons?

Please tell me how you do this because after over a year I certainly haven't figured it out.


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## Rasputina

When I was at the At&t store recently they were talking about 4.0 coming out. I can't wait for the next iphone.


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## Rasputina

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I would like some changes in the way the App Store works; although I can put items on my wish list in iTunes, I can't on the App Store... I would like to be able to rearrange the pages of my apps as a whole instead of moving one app at a time (if there's a way to do this, let me know. I wish when I could name the pages and I wish I could be asked where I want the app when I download it. I wish I could sort the apps on a given page.
> 
> I wish I could synch the iPad photos to different computers without erasing all the pics I've already got on there.
> 
> Betsy


Don't have ipad but you can do this already on iphone while it's docked and syncing. While docked, click on your device in itunes and then click on the devices apps page. You can drag and drop whole pages of apps to arrange them and you can customize where you want each specific app and remove ones all at once and then sync to set it onto the device.

As for multitasking, I really don't care if we ever get it. It has not been a hindrance for me at all. I don't need stuff running the background.


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## Bren S.

4.0 is supposed to have multi-tasking for the iPhone,but we'll see.


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## libros_lego

Multi-tasking would be nice when you're using Pandora.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Rasputina said:


> Don't have ipad but you can do this already on iphone while it's docked and syncing. While docked, click on your device in itunes and then click on the devices apps page. You can drag and drop whole pages of apps to arrange them and you can customize where you want each specific app and remove ones all at once and then sync to set it onto the device.
> 
> As for multitasking, I really don't care if we ever get it. It has not been a hindrance for me at all. I don't need stuff running the background.


Thanks, I'll try that.

And I don't care abut multitasking either. <shrug> I don't reall listen to music all that much, the iPod player, that does run in the background, will be enough for me.

Betsy


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## Rasputina

Jenni said:


> Multi-tasking would be nice when you're using Pandora.


I did find that you can for example read a kindle book or ebook in stanza while listening to itunes. Experimented to check it out once.


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## Betsy the Quilter

On the iPad, the "iPod" app will let you play music while working on other apps!

Betsy


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## Bren S.

It's weird, I find that I can technically multi-task as in having a app run in the background while I am doing something else.

Also I adore how the safari web browser allows for having multiple pages open at a time and being able to click back and forth between them.

Even on my desktops and laptops I've never needed more than that. *shrugs*


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## libros_lego

Yeah, I know you can play ipod music in the background (which is nice), but sometimes I get tired of my own songs  .


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## geko29

Betsy the Quilter said:


> On the iPad, the "iPod" app will let you play music while working on other apps!


This is the case on the iPhone and iPod Touch as well. But some of us don't want to listen to our own collection all the time--we want to listen to Pandora, or Slacker, or XM/Sirius (or something else I forgot to mention). Once you launch one of those apps, you can't do anything else. Hitting the home button ends the music.

The only apps that can run in the background are:
iPod
Phone
Mail
SMS
Safari

And that's just not enough for many people (including me). I want to put on Pandora, then check my mail, browse the web, IM my friends, and shop for apps. But I can't, because the first step towards doing any of those things is killing Pandora. No other smartphone or tablet/notebook has this limitation, and the company that revolutionized the segment is now way behind the curve. 2 years ago everyone gave Apple a pass because the overall execution of the iPhone was so slick, and dreary, dull blackberry and WinMo were the only competitors. Now Android and WebOS are in the market, offering real alternatives (and the rather impressive-looking WinMo 7 is on its way). They HAVE to do multitasking this year, or they'll begin to hemorrhage customers. Personally, I'm on my 2nd iPhone (3rd if you count the one I gave my wife for christmas in '0, and if they don't come correct this spring/summer, I'm done with the platform, probably by way of the Pre. I know quite a few people with the same outlook.


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## Betsy the Quilter

I guess since I don't listen to much music much, it's not a big deal to me....but I can see where it would be to some.

Betsy


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## Rasputina

Different strokes and all that, there are plenty of other offerings.


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## VictoriaP

geko29 said:


> This is the case on the iPhone and iPod Touch as well. But some of us don't want to listen to our own collection all the time--we want to listen to Pandora, or Slacker, or XM/Sirius (or something else I forgot to mention). Once you launch one of those apps, you can't do anything else. Hitting the home button ends the music.
> 
> The only apps that can run in the background are:
> iPod
> Phone
> Mail
> SMS
> Safari
> 
> And that's just not enough for many people (including me). I want to put on Pandora, then check my mail, browse the web, IM my friends, and shop for apps. But I can't, because the first step towards doing any of those things is killing Pandora. No other smartphone or tablet/notebook has this limitation, and the company that revolutionized the segment is now way behind the curve. 2 years ago everyone gave Apple a pass because the overall execution of the iPhone was so slick, and dreary, dull blackberry and WinMo were the only competitors. Now Android and WebOS are in the market, offering real alternatives (and the rather impressive-looking WinMo 7 is on its way). They HAVE to do multitasking this year, or they'll begin to hemorrhage customers. Personally, I'm on my 2nd iPhone (3rd if you count the one I gave my wife for christmas in '0, and if they don't come correct this spring/summer, I'm done with the platform, probably by way of the Pre. I know quite a few people with the same outlook.


This, plus the lack of Flash (too many games played in this household are Flash based) are the two main reasons we didn't buy two iPads this week. We're waiting on the next iteration, or the next one down from that.

When I'm online, I've usually got the browser, iTunes, Adobe Reader (no native PDF support on the iPad either), Word, and AIM open on the laptop. I swap between them too regularly to make that work on the iPad as of right now. As it is, AIM on the iPhone gives me all sorts of issues if it's not the only thing running, and I'd be irritated if that was the only thing I could have open on my iPad. Hubby's the same. We're sitting here watching the game with both laptops going, and I've got nine windows open in Firefox. When I get to about 5 in Safari on the iPhone, I start hitting all kinds of issues. 

Fingers double and triple crossed for multitasking in this update! I really really wanted the iPad, so did my husband, but until they've got that and we can find a GOOD PDF viewer app, we're going to be sitting on the sidelines. Sigh.


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## Betsy the Quilter

VictoriaP said:


> This, plus the lack of Flash (too many games played in this household are Flash based) are the two main reasons we didn't buy two iPads this week. We're waiting on the next iteration, or the next one down from that.


If you play a lot of Flash games, I can see where that would be a problem.



> When I'm online, I've usually got the browser, iTunes, Adobe Reader (no native PDF support on the iPad either), Word, and AIM open on the laptop. I swap between them too regularly to make that work on the iPad as of right now.


I do too. Well, except for iTunes, but you could have iPod open on the iPad as you work on other apps. I just don't listen to music that much, but you can listen to your tunes while working, if that's why you have iTunes open. I find that switching between the apps is so quick, I don't miss having a bunch of stuff open at the same time. But that's me. But today, I regularly switched between the Safari browser, the App Store, Facebook, a game, and a couple of news apps. Just sayin'. It's fast.



> As it is, AIM on the iPhone gives me all sorts of issues if it's not the only thing running, and I'd be irritated if that was the only thing I could have open on my iPad. Hubby's the same.


 I have to say, I don't much like the AIM app. Still thinking about that one.



> We're sitting here watching the game with both laptops going, and I've got nine windows open in Firefox. When I get to about 5 in Safari on the iPhone, I start hitting all kinds of issues.


 I've had at least that many open on my iPad, no problem.



> Fingers double and triple crossed for multitasking in this update! I really really wanted the iPad, so did my husband, but until they've got that and we can find a GOOD PDF viewer app, we're going to be sitting on the sidelines. Sigh.


I got GoodReader, great PDF viewer. I'm very pleased.

All of the above being said, I didn't intend for it to replace my netbook when I got it, but I'm finding it may.  I can see the Flash thing is a real problem, but for the other stuff, you might go down to an Apple Store if there's one near you and check one out to see how it performs.

Betsy


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## VictoriaP

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I got GoodReader, great PDF viewer. I'm very pleased.


Ah--this is one hubby's wondering about more than I am, but still.... Can you highlight/bookmark/annotate? Zoom in? Change margins? Is it reflowable text? Resizeable?

I was really annoyed when I discovered the other day that the Nook handles PDFs better than the K2. LOL A friend and I did a side by side comparison with the same file, and it was infinitely more readable on hers than on mine!


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## Betsy the Quilter

I'll check tomorrow!  There was one app that let you annotate, don't know if GoodReader was it, as that wasn't an important feature for me.

Betsy


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## ayuryogini

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I guess since I don't listen to much music much, it's not a big deal to me....but I can see where it would be to some.
> 
> Betsy


I didn't listen to music much til I got my new Bose Wave and can stream Pandora wirelessly from my computer through my Bose; I suddenly listen to music ALL the time and would love to do this with the iPad. 
Sometimes you just don't know.....


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## Betsy the Quilter

My background tends to be movies & tv shows, I'm not ashamed to admit it   Love my Netflix subscription.  Plus if I want music that much I have a Nano.

Betsy


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## Guest

As far as Flash goes, there will NEVER be Flash on the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. The mobile version of Flash is due out later this year and all the major cell phones (BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Android, etc) have agreed to incorporate it but Apple refused. Steve Jobs said it is a security risk and resource hog. However if HTML 5 continues to grow it won't really matter.


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## Bren S.

I agree,having a lot music on my iPad overall isn't something that is important to me either. 
I have my iPods for that.


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## Rasputina

I agree too, I prefer my ipods for music. The only reason I have 1000 songs on my ipad was that when I first sync'd it I told it to restore from my iphone backup for simplicities sake.


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## Bren S.

Rasputina said:


> I agree too, I prefer my ipods for music. The only reason I have 1000 songs on my ipad was that when I first sync'd it I told it to restore from my iphone backup for simplicities sake.


Yep it's definitely easier that way,and besides you have 64gb so it can hold a ton.


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## Bren S.

I keep waiting for the announcement. lol 
Which is silly because it is just after 8:30am in California.duhhhh  
See what I mean about staying up too late with the iPad ?


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## Rasputina

yep, it's still early here out west, although I'm not in CA, I just share their time zone.


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## Bren S.

I just read that it is supposed to start at 10am west coast time.


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## Rasputina

So half an hour 

Soon........


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## Rasputina

ok so far


iBooks: 250,000 iBooks were downloaded on the first day. And as of today, it’s up to 600,000.

As of today, they’ve sold 450,000 ipads. 300,000 on the first day, 150,00 since then.

Over 1 million iPad apps on the first day, 3.5 million as of today.

There’s been “well over 4 billion apps” downloaded to date. There are 185,000 apps in the app store. 

There are 3,500 iPad apps in the app store.


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## Chad Winters

i'd be curious how many of those ibook downloads were purchases vs freebies


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## luvmy4brats

Yay! Homescreen wallpaper


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## luvmy4brats

Multitasking!


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## Bren S.

I can't find the live video feed?


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## Rasputina

For marketshare, looking at US Mobile Browser usage, the iPhone takes up 64%. Android takes up 19% and BlackBerry is 9%. “Everything else added together is half the iPhone.”

There’ve been over 50 million iPhones sold to date. If you count iPod touches, the number is 85 million.

100 new features

There will be 1500 new APIs. In-app SMS, Calendar, Automated testing, Full map overlays, full access to still and video camera data, carrier information, ICC profiles, Image I/O, half-curl page transition, Quick Look, package-based documents, call event notifications, iPod remote control accessories, Draggable map annotations and a few more. 

But for users, you can gift apps, create playlists, 5x digital zoom, sync IMAP notes, tap to focus video, places in Photos, home screen wallpaper (like iPad), iPod Out (wha?), Web search suggesetions, Bluetooth keyboards (!), file and delete mail search results, cell data only setting, larger fonts for mail, SMS and alerts, Choose image size in mail messages, wake on wireless, and a few more.

multitasking ....“We figured out how to implement multitasking for third party apps and avoid those things. That’s what took us a little longer, but I think we nailed it.”


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## Bren S.

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> i'd be curious how many of those ibook downloads were purchases vs freebies


It would be interesting to see those #'s for sure.
I'd also like to see Kindle's data of purchases vs freebies. Maybe that kind of data is available already?
I admit I get a lot of the Kindle freebies when they interest me


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## luvmy4brats

7 services will be able to perform in the background


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## Rasputina

I'm kinda hoping for an announcement of a new iphone, not just the OS upgrade.


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## luvmy4brats

Pandora can play in the background and you can use pop up ipod controls to control it.


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## Rasputina

Pandora only needs to use the background audio process to run this. And, you can use the iPod controls in the lock screen to control Pandora. 


cool

although, I only listen to my own stuff so I won't use this, but I know a lot of people wanted it.


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## Bren S.

Is there a live streaming video of this? or is it all text?


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## luvmy4brats

Skype is a background app now! No more lost calls due to closing out the app.

Incoming call appears as a text notification


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## Rasputina

A lot of this stuff I really don't care about. I don't need VOIP on my iphone for example.


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## luvmy4brats

Background location

Use turn-by-turn GPS while listening to music. Music gets quiet as the next direction comes in.

Also works with Loopt

Uses cell phone towers


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## luvmy4brats

Next Update: Push notifications

local notifications, use for TV guides; things that need pop up alarms


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## luvmy4brats

Task completion:

If the app i in the middle of uploading something, saving, etc. it can continue


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## Rasputina

ok but I don't want to hear notifications on the multiple devices we have in this house LOL.


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## luvmy4brats

And our last one -- fast app switching. It's what allows applications to save its state and stop running, and then restart instantly where you left it."


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## luvmy4brats

FOLDERS!!! (Hey at least one of my devices is getting folders!)

just drag one app onto another one, instant folder made

It also automatically names the folder based on the categories of these apps, or you rename

tap the folder to bring up pop-up of what's in the folder


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## Rasputina

As a person that likes organization I love the folders!


Jobs is going to make a folder full of games. You make one by dragging one app on top of another, and it automatically makes a folder containing the two apps. It also automatically names the folder based on the category that these apps came from.


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## Bren S.

Sugar said:


> Is there a live streaming video of this? or is it all text?


Guess not.


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## luvmy4brats

You can now have over 2,160 apps on one phone with folders


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## Rasputina

I really don't see the big deal over iphone home screen wallpaper changes, there is very little background real estate between apps to see, if you have the page full. Unlike on ipad.


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## Chad Winters

luvmy4brats said:


> FOLDERS!!! (Hey at least one of my devices is getting folders!)
> 
> just drag one app onto another one, instant folder made
> 
> It also automatically names the folder based on the categories of these apps, or you rename
> 
> tap the folder to bring up pop-up of what's in the folder


Holy Crap!! That would be awesome....I hope the Touch gets this too!

Medical.....Games......Books........ this would be so much easier


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## luvmy4brats

unified inbox, organize by thread, multiple exchange accounts.

open attachments in third party apps


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## Rasputina

I hate the unified email box,  hope you can turn that off as an option.


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## luvmy4brats

iBooks. Same interface as on iPad


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## Rasputina

ibooks!

I knew we would get it on iphone WOOT> With page and bookmark syncing

I have debating which app to buy a book I want and this seals it. I love ibooks actual page numbers and that you can see chapter titles when using the page slide.


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## Rasputina

luvmy4brats said:


> iBooks


no comments about any of this stuff?


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## Rasputina

Sugar I'm reading here, I've given up writing it all in the thread since it's easily available online

http://live.gizmodo.com/


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## luvmy4brats

Games Center

Invite friends, automatic matchmaking, leaderboards, achievements.


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## luvmy4brats

Rasputina said:


> no comments about any of this stuff?


I think we're all pretty familiar with iBooks at this point, Why bother?


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## luvmy4brats

xBox live for the iPhone!


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## Rasputina

Well I'm excited about ibooks on iphone. I knew we would get it, because Apple isn't stupid enough to not market it to the 85 million iphone and ipod touch users. I thought it would take a little longer though. So I'm thrilled.


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## jonfmerz

Sweet!  Love everything this upgrade is promising!


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## Rasputina

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> Holy Crap!! That would be awesome....I hope the Touch gets this too!
> 
> Medical.....Games......Books........ this would be so much easier


It uses the same OS as iphone does, you will just have to pay for the upgrade.


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## Geoffrey

luvmy4brats said:


> xBox live for the iPhone!


Chicka, slow down. Breathe. iPhone will still be there.


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## luvmy4brats

iAd - mobile advertising 

edited to add comment: a built in app for ads? Really?


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## Rasputina

luvmy4brats said:


> I think we're all pretty familiar with iBooks at this point, Why bother?


I meant in general, not ibooks specific, that just happened to be your last post and it was easier to quote than type out your name, I was being lazy


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## luvmy4brats

Geoffrey said:


> Chicka, slow down. Breathe. iPhone will still be there.


LOL!


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## luvmy4brats

Rasputina said:


> I meant in general, not ibooks specific, that just happened to be your last post and it was easier to quote than type out your name, I was being lazy


Then actually, no. Just passing along info to those who may want the info. Figured I'd get it out there, and then comment on it later.


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## Rasputina

Are they seriously trying to sell me on the positives of having to view ads? You're kidding me. 

What they really need is a better organized way to find apps in the itunes store.


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## luvmy4brats

He spent more time talking about the ads than iBooks.


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## Rasputina

yea this is stupid, I don't care how slick you make an ad work it's still an ad. I FF past ads with my tivo and I don't want to see them on my phone or in my apps.


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## luvmy4brats

iPhone 3gs and iPod touch 3rd gen will do everything

iPhone 3g and iPod 2nd gen touch will not get multitasking.

releasing this summer

no mention of iPad multitasking --- Oops ETA: OS4 to iPad this fall


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## Rasputina

End users will get these features this Summer, and will be iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 3rd generation compatible. They will run everything. The iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd generation–will run “many things”, but they will not get multitasking.

Well I don't care about multitasking anyway. I just want ibooks on my iphone. The rest eh. I'm still using my 3g, but was hoping for a new iphone announcement because I don't want the 3gs. My husband has that one and it's not enough of an upgrade for me at this time.


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## Rasputina

So ipad gets the 4.o this fall. 

Jobs said no change on java and flash.


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## luvmy4brats

Multitasking and folders are the big ones for me. That and the ability to change my wallpaper. Silly, but I like to personalize. 

Not all that interested in iBooks, I generally only use my iPhone to read samples, but it will be nice to have access to the iBook store just in case.

I think the only one in my house who has a 3G is my husband and I don't think he's all that interested in multitasking. My oldest daughter will be thrilled to hear about the multitasking because she likes to use Pandora. My mom's been bugging me to use Skype, so she'll be happy to hear "there's an app for that". Since my home internet connection is so poor, that will be good.


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## luvmy4brats

Jobs is being evasive when asked about widgets.

Media: A Question about widgets on the iPad.
Jobs: We just shipped it on Saturday! And we rested on Sunday.
Media: So Widgets are possible?
Jobs: Anything is possible


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## geko29

luvmy4brats said:


> He spent more time talking about the adds than iBooks.


This is a presentation for developers, and developers of free apps like ads, because it means they can both eat and write software. Don't expect to see ads in too many paid apps. This is merely a better way of doing the in-app ads that most of us have already seen.

The "consumer" presentation is on June 22nd (or thereabouts), in concert with the release of the new hardware.


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## Rasputina

I don't know why anyone cares about widgets on that little screen anyway. Plus we already have apps for whatever widgets do. I like them on my mac but I don't need them on my iphone.


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## luvmy4brats

Rasputina said:


> I don't know why anyone cares about widgets on that little screen anyway. Plus we already have apps for whatever widgets do. I like them on my mac but I don't need them on my iphone.


They were discussing the iPad not the iPhone


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## geko29

Rasputina said:


> I don't know why anyone cares about widgets on that little screen anyway. Plus we already have apps for whatever widgets do. I like them on my mac but I don't need them on my iphone.


You can't look at the icon of an app and automatically receive information--you have to open it. Widgets are extremely useful on Android, for things like weather, toggles for wifi/bluetooth/cell/gps/etc. It saves time by not forcing you to launch an application and dig through it's UI.


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## geko29

Here's most of the info from the presentation in one (official) place:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/

I am totally loading this on my phone tomorrow.


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## Someone Nameless

geko29 said:


> Here's most of the info from the presentation in one (official) place:
> 
> http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/
> 
> I am totally loading this on my phone tomorrow.


How? I thought it wouldn't be available until this summer?


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## VictoriaP

Well, my first gen iPhone is officially obsolete.  LOL  I'm glad to see multitasking.  There's nothing else in all of this that sparks my interest though--and even multitasking isn't worth the money to upgrade until this one is officially dead.  (It's not just the cash for the phone, I have the original plan, so monthly rates take a hefty hike when I finally switch to the 3GS.)

Nice to see they've been working on so much stuff though.  

And I didn't realize the iBooks app had page numbers.  That's about the only thing I still miss from DTB to Kindle.  Again, not enough to make the switch from what I have to the iPad though.  Yet.


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## geko29

Kindle Gracie said:


> How? I thought it wouldn't be available until this summer?


It's good to work for a company that writes iPhone apps.  The 4.0 beta release came out today, at the conclusion of the keynote.


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## Eeyore

Rasputina said:


> yea this is stupid, I don't care how slick you make an ad work it's still an ad. I FF past ads with my tivo and I don't want to see them on my phone or in my apps.


I was afraid of this. There was an editorial a few weeks back on the iPadsforum and the fear that the iPad could become one giant TV ad. Here is a cut and paste of it.

"There has been quite a bit of speculation around the web regarding how innovative advertisers can be with the upcoming iPad platform. From rich media like video and audio, to interactive experiences where the user controls the advertisement, ad companies far and wide are planning on taking full advantage of the iPad's functionality to get their client's message out to the masses. In fact, some of the biggest names in business are already spending serious money on iPad specific marketing campaigns in an effort to cash in on the rush of new users in the coming weeks.

It is no secret that the average iPad user is considered the holy grail of demographics when it comes to such metrics by marketing firms. iPad users are by and large made up of people who are willing to lay down their hard-earned disposable income for the latest and greatest in technology and other consumer goods. In layman's terms, iPad users spend money and marketers want those eyeballs looking at their client's products.

Advertising as a means of supporting websites and online organizations is becoming more and more difficult these days. Just recently arstechnica, a well-known and respected Conde Naste web property, made a bold attempt to educate their readers about how the use of ad-blocking software could very well destroy arstechnica all together. As you can imagine from such a tech-savvy audience, the reaction was mixed with a large majority simply not caring about ads and refusing to whitelist arstechnica or any other site to aid in generating ad revenues for the websites they visit.

The deteriorating revenues from advertisements from PC/Mac users are precisely why marketing firms are salivating over the iPad as a platform. The default Safari browser does not support plug-ins such as Ad-Block Plus on Firefox, which essentially removes any and all ad content from web pages. This means that an iPad user does not have the ability to scrape such code from websites ensuring that users see all ads that appear on the pages they view. So now marketers are guaranteed ad views across the iPad platform when it comes to web browsing.

The next area that interests advertising firms and content owners greatly is the ability to create dedicated applications for their content. There have been some very interesting demonstrations by content providers, such as the recently revealed Wired application, that shows us just the beginnings of how an e-magazine can look on the iPad and other tablet devices. By placing advertisements within their dedicated applications, content owners are ensured that users are going to see their ads at all times.

These two examples of how the iPad is going to force users to view more ads than on their desktop and notebook computers is the crux of this editorial, and where the problem begins if marketers get their way. Advertisers now have the ability to push ads to iPad users in ways that the regular computer has almost never allowed. Websites are now able to detect user agents and switch their content to platform specific output. Such an ability is great for content providers, and very useful if used appropriately, but now webmasters have the ability to push more ads onto those that cannot block them in an effort to make up lost ad revenues on the regular computer platform.

Imagine an iPad version of your favorite world news website that had twice as many ads on it that you could do nothing about. Would you move on to another news website? You could, but the danger is that all content providers will catch onto tricks like this soon and before we know it the iPad platform will become the the iAd platform where marketers are shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to ad impressions.

Now to be honest, this piece is all very doom and gloom and is only trying to highlight what could happen, not necessarily what will happen in the future to iPad users. Between web pages designed for the iPad to our favorite e-zines which are working on their own dedicated applications for which the end-user will have no control over, the potential for spam-like ad presentation is incredibly high for the iPad user base.

What we can hope for is that Apple and most web content providers take a unified stand against serving too much ad content per page and within reader-type applications specifically designed for the iPad. We all know AT&T can't handle anymore unnecessary traffic on their 3G network as things are now with just the iPhone. It goes without saying there is at least one big player in AT&T who stands to gain by pushing for a minimalist approach to advertising to iPad users.

The online browsing experience and e-reader apps for magazines on the iPad are a huge reason it will, or will not, be a popular device. Should marketers get their way, both of these means by which we all hope to embrace the iPad could be compromised leaving the experience less than something that everyone, including Apple, hoped for. Time will tell..."

Looks like the iPad may become like old fashion TV without the option to fast forward.

Best Wishes!


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## mistyd107

stupid ? and i apologize but does this mean does the 4.0 OS mean an actual new phone is headed this way just wondering as I'm due an upgrade in may?


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## luvmy4brats

I missed that ther. Will be a 5x zoom for the camera. That will be nice. I use my camera all the time.


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## Rasputina

mistyd107 said:


> stupid ? and i apologize but does this mean does the 4.0 OS mean an actual new phone is headed this way just wondering as I'm due an upgrade in may?


We have gotten a new iPhone every June so far


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## The Hooded Claw

As for the advertising, it concerns me a little.  I hadn't thought about the inability to use plugins in AppleSpace, that is a concern.  My initial thought about the ads announcement was that they probably wouldn't be used much in ads with any significant cost (certainly not more than $1.99), and I viewed them as a way for makers of freeware to be able to afford to buy groceries, yet put a product out there that was more useful and took more resources than a fart sound generator.  I hope this doesn't follow the course Eeyore speculated on.


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## luvmy4brats

Rasputina said:


> We have gotten a new iPhone every June so far


But they generally announced it when they announce the new OS, don't they? It appears that there's nothing in this update that will require new hardware.

ETA: I answered my own question. I was remembering last year incorrectly. I stand corrected. They usually announce the new OS in Apr and a new iPhone in June. With that info, I'd probably wait until June to upgrade then.


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## ayuryogini

A lot of exciting news; 
I can hardly wait for my 3G iPad

I use Pandora and Skype all the time; 

Just as the Kindle got some people reading again, Pandora got me listening to music again.


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## geko29

luvmy4brats said:


> But they generally announced it when they announce the new OS. It appears that there's nothing in this update that will require new hardware.


If by "generally", you mean "never", you've got the right idea.

OS 2.0 announced March 6, 2008; iPhone 3G announced June 9, 2008
OS 3.0 announced March 17, 2009; iPhone 3GS announced June 8, 2009
OS 4.0 announced March 8, 2010; iPhone HD announcement rumored to be June 22, 2010

Apple always separates software and hardware announcements.


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## luvmy4brats

geko29 said:


> If by "generally", you mean "never", you've got the right idea.
> 
> OS 2.0 announced March 6, 2008; iPhone 3G announced June 9, 2008
> OS 3.0 announced March 17, 2009; iPhone 3GS announced June 8, 2009
> OS 4.0 announced March 8, 2010; iPhone HD announcement rumored to be June 22, 2010
> 
> Apple always separates software and hardware announcements.


I corrected my post shortly after I typed it. I remembered incorrectly.


luvmy4brats said:


> But they generally announced it when they announce the new OS, don't they? It appears that there's nothing in this update that will require new hardware.
> 
> ETA: I answered my own question. I was remembering last year incorrectly. I stand corrected. They usually announce the new OS in Apr and a new iPhone in June. With that info, I'd probably wait until June to upgrade then.


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## Bren S.

I am really not at all thrilled about iAds. 
I did some research and it appears it will be more of an option for those who provide "free" apps.
What I mean is there might be the option to buy an app for $2.99 ad free or free w/ ads.(these #'s are only examples)
Which I suppose is a little more acceptable.Although I honestly wish they would keep their ads off my "i" devices.

I do like the multitasking and folders additions. I think they will be quite useful.

I like the iBooks being added to the iPhone/iPod Touch's as it will make it more convenient to move between the devices,syncing locations when reading.

My understanding is this update will be available in the Summer for the iPhone, and as a paid update for iPod Touch's at the same time. 
The iPad update is supposed to be available in the Fall.


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## geko29

Got it loaded, and it's both fast and pretty. But the Pandora app that's in the app store now (which was updated both Monday and Tuesday, IIRC), isn't the background-enabled one, so I can't test the fancy new multitasking. 

They did get rid of the alphanumeric passcode lock, going to numeric-only, which is odd but fine.


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## Bren S.

geko29 said:


> Got it loaded, and it's both fast and pretty. But the Pandora app that's in the app store now (which was updated both Monday and Tuesday, IIRC), isn't the background-enabled one, so I can't test the fancy new multitasking.
> 
> They did get rid of the alphanumeric passcode lock, going to numeric-only, which is odd but fine.


Lucky you getting access to the developers beta


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## Rasputina

geko, can you tell us if the email function of integrated inbox can be turned off? 

I'm not thrilled about the concept of iAds but I need to hear more about it. I actually have an ap that I paid full price (5 dollars) for a year ago that later added ads and is now requiring a subscription to get rid of them. It's Shopper in case anyone is wondering. There has been quite an uproar over this amongst the users. They have since lowered the price of the app to .99 but that doesn't help us that paid full price and are now faced with ads or yet another fee.


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## geko29

Rasputina said:


> geko, can you tell us if the email function of integrated inbox can be turned off?


There's actually no need to turn it off, it's merely an added option--there's nothing to turn on/off, just use it or don't. I have 3 email accounts set up, and I now have 2 groups in my mail app. The first group consists of the integrated inbox, followed by my 3 individual inboxes. The 2nd group is the folder lists for each individual inbox. You no longer have to back out 3 steps from one inbox then drill down 2 steps to get into another inbox.


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## Rasputina

oh cool, thanks for the explanation. The users at my house like keeping the junk email accounts inbox separate from our friends and family one.


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