iOS5 announced, everything old is new again [the competition]

By Jerry Hildenbrand
last updated

If you were on the Internet today, you couldn't help but be inundated by the iOS 5 announcement at WWDC.  Rene from our sister site TiPb was there on the floor, and they have done a great job covering it all -- and there was a lot to cover.  But all the new announcements leave Android (as well as other smartphone OS) fans feeling a bit of deja vu, as we've already seen most of it. Hit the break and have a look.

Notifications have been revamped in iOS, and now you have a drop down you can use to see them.  Just like Android since day one.  It had to come, ask anyone who has used an iDevice and they will tell you -- Apple's way was horrible.  Toast notification pop-ups that interrupt what you're trying to do just don't cut it in 2009...err 2011, and Apple finally did the right thing and listened to it's users.

Lock Screen info (don't say widgets!) is now available.  Hard to tell if we should credit HTC or CyanogenMod with this one.  Either way, you now can actually do more than unlock your iThing from the lock screen.  You can even launch the camera using the volume up key -- unless music is playing I imagine. 

Twitter integration now goes deep into iOS.  You can even send a picture to Twitter, right from the gallery! Magical, I say.  Or not magical, and called intents, and something that has also been around for quite a while.  They're handy, and it should have been offered ages ago -- and they were in other platforms like Android.

iBBM..err iMessage.  Hello Apple, I'm gonna let you finish, but RIM has the best platform specific chat app of all time.  Straight out of last decade, this one.  iMessage offers push messaging with typing indication and delivery receipts.  Probably even notifications in the status bar, which really is a great thing.  So great, that third party apps have been doing it for about a year, and BlackBerry has done it since the dawn of time.  Wait for the patents and trademarks I'll bet.

At least Apple is now cutting back on the use of the USB data cable.  New in this release is wifi sync to iTunes, OTA updates, and iCloud will sync your calendar, contacts, and mail right to your devices.  For free.  Just like Gmail.  iTunes in the cloud brings music downloads to 10 devices at no extra charge, something never before seen in the music industry.  Except for Amazon and Google, of course.  Too bad they didn't "borrow" streaming.  And we can't forget iTunes Match, which gives you official copies of music you've already bought -- for $25 a year.  Sort of like Rdio, Spotify, Rhapsody, Zune player, and so on. 

Before you cue the bloodlust -- we're just poking fun at Apple before we get tired of hearing magical, revolutionary buzzwords that change everything.  We're glad to see Apple offer things the users want, even if it did come at the expense of more than a few iOS developers' livelyhoods.  I'm actually pretty excited about the cord cutting wireless sync, even if carriers won't be.  It's just hard to resist some good natured fun at the expense of Steve and company, especially when credit for any of these revolutionary ideas wasn't given to those who have done them first.  We don't hate you for using an iPhone, and now you can be a little more productive with it come this fall thanks to great developers and their ideas.

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Jerry Hildenbrand
Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

120 Comments
  • Ridiculous to say the least.... I hope Google sues the hell out of them for that "notification center" they got going. Android continues it's ride to the top and this was only a break for a laugh, and on to the top we go again!
  • "I hope Google sues the hell out of them for that "notification center" they got going." I hope they don't. Software IP suits have gotten way out of control. I say unless a company steals your source code (assuming it's not open to begin with) you shouldn't be able to sue for look and feel and other esoteric aspects of software design.
  • Well, I'm pretty sure Google wont sue... But I was just saying out of principle, give Apple a taste of their own medicine. It's near aggravating to see Apple take so much credit for an idea that is obviously not original. I know you can only organize notifications in so many ways before you get to the "best way" to do it; but still. Dont flaunt this as some wild new feature that they will most likely claim as their original idea.
  • It's revolutionary! Genius!!!! Just like all of Apple's "ideas" :P
  • iSTEAL because iCAN and iDONTCARE if you like it or not, because iSELL a crapload of whatever iPUMP out to my loyal iSHEEP. iDAREYOU to sue me because iOWN this industry and call on the iMEDIA to slam any efforts to stop me.
    iAM the great and all powerful iJOBS!
  • Meh. iREALLY like my Evo AND my iPad 2. Truth be told, when iOS 5 comes out...iWANT.
  • well if Google has approved design patents detailing the notification bar, then they have every right to sue. Apple sues for everything. Same goes for HTC, they should sue for the direct app load screen. since Apple's already suing google/htc, maybe they think it's a good time to infringe on their patents, then work those into their final settlements.
  • I never said they didn't have the right to sue. I said that I hope they don't. They should take the higher ground. Let Apple and Microsoft be the cowards. If everyone sues everyone else nobody wins as lawsuits and fear of same are a source of friction to innovation.
  • "I know you can only organize notifications in so many ways before you get to the "best way" to do it; but still." In saying that, there are only so many ways to unlock a touch screen device. That has never stopped apple from suing because of a swiping gesture to unlock the screen... I think google will stay out of it but HTC might sue and I'm sure samsung can find some reason to sue too. Lawyers must really enjoy these kinds of conferences. Must have dollar signs instead of pupils in their eyes after seeing those announcements from Jobs & co.
  • The Apple vs HTC lawsuit (the one that includes swipe-to-unlock) has been dormant for over a year now, but if Apple ever wants to re-awaken it I'm sure this will be in the counter-suit.
  • Yeah, I guess Apple should sue Google for everything they stole from the iphone with the first G1. I mean really, they did steal about everything that was in that phone and made it better but still all those ideas were stolen from Apple in the first place.
  • Please elaborate what Google used in Android that was stolen from Apple and didn't already exist on other devices by other manufacturers. I'm awaiting your list with baited breath. Apple sued Microsoft over Windows in the 80s and lost. The ruling was that certain things are the natural evolution of computing technologies, things such as windows and trashcans. They are on similar shaky ground as they attempt to stave off any competition in the touchscreen phone market. In short, they are cowards.
  • I don't need to list anything for someone who can do their own research. I have owned PDA phones since the early 2000s. Anywhere from Windows Mobile, BlackBerry to now Android and iOS phones. It is pretty obvious what Android took. I will name a few. Multitouch, App Store, How the icons work and laid out, etc. Again, if it wasn't for the iphone, Android would NOT EXIST. PS, Microsoft stole information from Apple. Have you ever watched Silicon Valley movie? You might want too. Gives you a idea what happened back then in a 2 hour time.
  • your a friggin moron apple has based everything they've done on someone elses ideas the first iphail lg's idea apps blackberry long before iphail so stfu u dumbass apple sux and if they didnt sue all the time for stupid crap they'd be outta biz. besides samsung builds your precious iphail so with out them u wouldnt have your dumbphone
  • Sure kid....learn proper grammar before posting on this site again.
  • Ha! Here's a sample of your bad grammar: "Have you ever watched Silicon Valley movie? You might want too. Gives you a idea what happened back then in a 2 hour time." By the way, where do you think Apple stole the idea for the Mac GUI and mouse? It's in the movie you cite.
  • pretty sad i know my grammar just fine but as a trucker ppl's stupid boils my blood and him providing a movie that proves apple steals is just funny he's a dipsh*t
  • You again prove that you are a idiot and have no clue what you are talking about. Go back to school since it's obvious you dropped out.
  • Wow you sound intelligent. I'm guessing 12, MAYBE 13-years-old? IT'S A PHONE! Why do you really care?
  • Just for the record, your boy Stevie has been ripping off ideas since the 70's. Apple GUI came from IBM, buddy. Think about it!
  • Actually it came from the Xerox Parc project, not IBM. They all have borrowed from each other, and Android did take heavy from iOS. They have all also innovated, Apple more than most. If some of you hate Apple, so be it, but don't try to say they don't innovate. Innovation is not invention. Google innovates with the best of them, but don't forget they bought Android!
  • Well, then I guess Apple will have to sue Google for the complete OS (except notifications :P) Don't pretent it's not true, look for the Android project in 2006 and then look at what it is now! after 2007 Google completely changed android, and lots of ideas came from Apple. Apple is just avenging them... As an iOS and Android user I am glad apple copied the notifications (they are REALLY GOOD on android) but google isn't guiltless in this story...
  • Now now, not having to upload the majority of your music is a pretty key point for iTunes Match. I only use Amazon cloud for music I've bought there and even though I've gotten the invite, I rarely use Google Music since I can't buy anything and uploading 100GB of music is just not that appealing. (And would be cost-prohibitive on Amazon.) I'm also testing Rhapsody out but I didn't think you can upload your own music can you? So that's a whole bunch of live and/or bootleg recordings that won't be up there. Otherwise, I just switched to Android back in Feb, doesn't look like iOS 5 is enough to get me back. We'll have to see what the iPhone 5 brings though.
  • "Now now, not having to upload the majority of your music is a pretty key point for iTunes Match." Despite the unpleasantness of uploading 7500 songs, once I'm done.. I'm done. Here's a fact: I will have every song I own uploaded before a single regular user will ever use iCloud. Then what? Also, I find it hard to believe Match will have everything I have. There'll probably be a bunch of uploading anyway.
  • Still, matching a sample would make way more sense than uploading for the overwhelmingly vast majority of users. And it saves a ton of bandwidth. Sample the song, build a hash, hit a database, get a hit, and make a data base entry saying you have that song on your machine. You get to upload the remainder of songs in your esoteric collection, and If I happened to have that same obscure album, well, then, thank you for your efforts and our bandwidth, mine will be bound in the hash-database in the sky. Can it be tricked? Sure, and Apple may get sued because of it.
    Does it make sense? Sure it does.
  • How does that apply to bit rates? I rip all my music at 256kbps MP3. Are you saying that I'd have to settle for a 128kbps rip somebody else already uploaded?
  • The only draw back to Google Music (and Amazon for that matter) is the initial upload. After the initial upload, no one will have the need to upload 20,000 songs at once and then the upload process is super fast. My initial upload process took like 2 days, but now I can download a song from iTunes, Amazon, ...anywhere... and within 5 minutes it's on my computer and Google Music Beta. If Google can find away to speed up the upload process we can all be well on our way to iPod/iTunes freedom. The only draw back left would be the built in iPod connector in my car...
  • ibuzzwords!!!!!!!!!
  • Another year of Apple playing catch up, I see. This one just takes the cake, though.
  • It's completely new...Apple will charge money for it.
  • Wouldn't be surprised if Apple tried to sue Google for this.
  • Yawn
  • I now see that in the App Store they silently pushed an update that allows you to see all of your downloaded apps within the update section. Again, like the Android Market.
  • I was really hoping for Steve to announce the new iSheep feature.
  • Yep 2011 year of the copy cats. Just the Copy Cat goes by the name of Apple.
  • Great article Jerry! So true, I was watching engadget today and was thinking all of that myself.
  • why would google sue over notifications. wouldn't apple sue over pinch to zoom and kill android.
  • They already tried that with HTC
  • http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2010/03/02/apple-sues-htc-over-mu... Oh, Apple tried that already. Obviously failed miserably. ^
  • im pretty sure the multi-touch screen manufacturers knew the capabilities and purposes of their own products before apple ever did.
  • didn't bill gates did something similar like this to apple and created Microsoft?(that was a rhetorical question i know he did) but remember apple users are stuck in the dark and to them this is new cutting edge technology they don't even know what a widget is for gods sake ^_^its kind of like when a poor person from a 3rd world country gets a new video game console an n64 for example to them that top of the line technology lol
  • Actually to correct you bill gates and steve jobs were working on the first "pc" and steve jobs took all of the source and made apple and released the mac, then for the next 3 years microsoft was having to play catchup because steve jobs stabbed him in the balls... er.. back. That is the sole beginning to there rivalry
  • You are incorrect. Perhaps you are mixing up Apple and IBM. Microsoft was developing OS/2 in collaboration with IBM in the late 80s. This was in no way the "first PC", not even close. It was IBM's attempt to get into lucrative OS market that Microsoft had created with MS-DOS. Unknown to IBM, MS was also developing Windows NT. OS/2 faltered and NT took over the network market. You could say that Microsoft was Zuckerberg and IBM was the Winklevoss twins.
  • Wrong. It's the other way around. Again someone that needs to watch that movie Silicon Valley or do some research. Bill gates stole the idea from Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs came out with the first PC and left Microsoft out of it after he heard they stole some ideas. Just to sum it up.
  • I love this post hahah:D
  • I Cant wait for iCloud to crap out like MobileMe did post launch so we can see what apple gives as compensation, i enjoyed my 8 months of free mobile me :) ........ Btw i own a Atrix and a IPad2(I Have No allegiance to either Platform )
  • I'm calling prior art on pinch to zoom..... As it was used in the 2002 film Minority Report.... Tom Cruise resized several windows in the data sifting visual.
  • Most of the "innovative" technologies in the computer/cellphone industries are stolen from Science Fiction.
  • I look forward to seeing some Android execs tweets about this. Hopefully this can help out Samsung in their lawsuit. This was some blatant copying by Apple, they need to suffer for this.
  • I was thinking the same. They suing Samsung from borrowing their "ideas" while this update is pretty much borrowing from everyone else. IMO, Samsung is like the one of those manufacture that take the best idea from all their competitor and implement it into their product. I guess now Apple are doing the same but just in an OS level.
  • Way to catch up Apple. I am surprised they didn't announce this on Myspace first and really be ahead of the game.
  • This is the funniest article I've read all day. Thank you AC for bringing a smile to my face. Android FTW!!!!
  • AndroidCentral forgot to put the "/s" at the end of their article, because it applies to the whole thing. GREATNESS.
  • The lock info was more a copy of the jailbreaking app LockInfo.
  • Thumbs up on the Kanye West parody. There is a whole site dedicate to that... http://imaletyoufinish.com/
  • Nothing new or innovative. Copy Copy. This nonsense insures I won't be joining the iSheep. I'm a musician, and don't download or buy a bunch of everyone else's music. If I want to hear something, I look for a video on Youtube and watch it, otherwise, iCloud has nothing I need.
  • iAndroid
  • Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the point? Weren't they basically just trying to add features from other smart phones/mfgs/OS etc that some people see as "deal breakers" bbm excuse, beyond dead now revamped notifications, etc. all basically things that are keeping people that buy/use other products away from an iOS product. While it might not be innovative, I think apple is at the stage where they don't have to innovate with every new release, they simply have to tweak.
  • Spot on. I hate to say it, but this will keep a lot of iOS users from switching and draw a ton of potential Android users into the iecosystem.
  • at this point it's all about increasing market share. like it or not. In a highly competitive industry like this, that's all that really happens. One Co. does something innovative, other mimic it.
  • Nice article, Jerry. Good for the iOS folks that can now enjoy some of the great features we have on Android.
  • haha very funny people... All this envy... we all know that if it weren't for iPhone there wouldn't be an Android! lol Apple invited the touch interface, accelerometer etc and they were the ones to perfect it.. Come on! iOS 5 just broadens the gap once again. he heh. Don't get me wrong, I have an Android, shoot, I even have apps out on the android market. Android has come a long way, but still has a ways to catch up. I don't really like that Apple added the status bar... (does seem a little androidish) I mean what does it matter if you click a square button (aka icon) or a long rectangle button at the top of your screen? (aka status bar) they both do the something. Open a window to show details of pending messages. Duh!
  • Thats not true, Android was developed as early as 2005
  • i don't think that the year it was developed is as important to when it became widely used. The iPhone itself was released in 2007 I think, which means iOS was developed years before the iPhone was released.
  • And? So what?
  • exactly, it doesn't matter.
  • IP law doesn't hinge on who brings a product to market first. If that were the case, the patent squatters that sued RIM wouldn't have had a case as they never developed their IP.
  • That means jack as the first phone was the G1 and that was not exactly the best first phone either. Android copied the iphone and got the ideas. If it wasn't for Apple to get away from these stupid Windows Mobile 5 phones, we wouldn't have all these Android phones, Iphones, Windows 7, Web OS. So stop being such a Android fanboy seriously. I have owned both and like both. I went to Android and went back actually to the iphone because I rather have a phone that works without rebooting it and draining the battery so fast as I need it to last me all day at work. But I would own either.
  • Obviously, the iPhone is the OS of choice for people without basic writing skills. I'm still waiting for a list of innovations in the iPhone that didn't already exist in other products.
  • It would be nice if you did not attack but instead made points. Let's try Multi-touch, first full touch interface phone, app store, integrated location services, web-kit browser (which is used by Android, etc), quite innovative media features (iPod integration), face proximity sensor, etc. Crap own up to the fact that no other device existed like it with the amount of functions. Innovation is not invention. Few things are truly invented in this world. You can Apple, but calling them not innovative makes you look jaded, in denial, and ignorant. I don't like a lot of their practices, and I own an Android phone. I still respect what they have done. Most of these posts are crazy wrong and quite funny without making a real point.
  • Google needs to acquire RIM
  • Google needs to aquire Sprint.
  • What's a sprint?
  • Sprint and Google need to acquire RIM and then acquire Verizon.
  • The amount of childish shit-talking in this thread is getting embarrassing. This is why I can't read the comment threads at TIPB anymore. Don't be like that.
  • Amen!
  • Really thought they would introduce a new interface. It's not quite enough to make me even think about leaving android. It doesn't even look like they tried with the notifications. Almost like they flipped a coin android or webos
  • I hate to say it but Apple really closed the gap on this one. I have a Nexus One. I would've never considered an iOS device before, but after this update, maybe. The notifications were one of the most annoying things on iOS. They've fixed that. Widgets in the bar works well too. Lockscreen notification is good. Why didn't Google do that for all Android phones? iMessage is just a gimmick. It'll do better than FaceTime. Might do some damage to RIM. But it won't replace cross-platform messaging tools like whatsapp. The real story though was iCloud. With that, Apple is catching up Android intents. However, I have to say that Apple hits it out of the park with the iTunes Cloud and with cloud sync (and local processing) for documents. iOS still lacks deep voice integration, turn-by-turn navigation (though you can pay and get past this obstacle), a browser with text that reflows. They still don't have Flash. They don't have hardware features like USB ports. Here's the thing: they stole a lot of stuff. But no one device has all these features today. Google really, really has to ste up up now. 1) Pretty up the OS. One thing about iOS is the attention to detail. Just look at the new widgets. They already look better than Android. And eye appeal is buy appeal. 2) Make Google Talk a true cross-platform solution. Put out an independent iOS app. Not in browser crap. Add delivery and read receipts. Make it good enough that iMessage will be still-born. Heck, buy out whatsapp and add the ability to message phone numbers. 3) Fix productivity apps. it's ridiculous that there aren't apps for Google Docs. At least for Honeycomb. And why not enable things like versioning which is amazing for document control. 4) Take the cloud to the next level. I'd like to see Google buy dropbox. 5) CONTENT. WTF Google. Behind on Google TV. Behind on Google Music. Etc. This is a major annoyance. I don't care if Google has to buy Netflix, they have to fix this. Google's got to fix this stuff to get ahead. Apple's main advantage here, is that for all the stuff they copied, none of it is all available on a single platform. Where's lockscreen notifications on stock Android? How about power control widgets in the notification blind? The best features of Android aren't available on all phones yet. And this helps Apple. I hope Google steps it up.
  • "Google's got to fix this stuff to get ahead." They already are ahead. "Where's lockscreen notifications on stock Android?" There are apps for that. I use Widget Locker. Apple wouldn't allow an app in their market that steps on their toes like that. It's their way or the highway. "How about power control widgets in the notification blind?" I have them on CM7. Carrier-specific mods have it as well. My guess is that it will make it into the next major version of Android.
  • my crappy Intercept shipped with power controls in the notification blind on 2.1 stock... it disappeared in 2.2 (only thing I missed) but I still have a stock power control *widget* placed on my second homescreen. I would suggest Widgetsoid or Power Control Plus for anyone looking for those types of toggles.
  • the difference for me(and I'm a BB user contemplating whether to go android or iphone) is the varying degrees of build quality for phones that run android OS. In my past experience LG has been crap, Motorola has been spotty at best, Samsung has been OK(not great, but that's fine), never had HTC. For something you're going to have to hang on to for 2 years it's a big deal. RIM has never made a handset that I've owned that has physically crapped out too early on me. there are fewer variables with an iphone, especially now that a lot of the features people have been clinging to(for me, bbm for a while, which in hindsight is stupid). Is it copying, I don't know. But is it a big deal in terms of trying to gobble up more market share for apple, yes.
  • My first smart phone was a Storm 1, went through 4 then VZW gave me a Tour and went through 2 of those. Everything from the phone hardware crapping out one way or another to completely insufficient software updates and support and complete sluggish performance. Came to the Motorola DX and couldn't be happier. When I'm eligible for my next upgrade in December it will definitely be another Android device. Maybe by then the quad core phones will be rolling out!!!! :)
  • the storm 1 was a gigantic POS from what I hear. I've never owned one. Just the "traditional" style. my gf has a bold, it's solid. My Curve 3g is solid. My old curve lasted forever.
  • I had a Curve before I switched to Android. The curve was a great phone, but not a great smartphone. It was virtually indestructible, had great call quality and speakerphone. However, the apps sucked and beyond email I couldn't really do much with it. Browsing was especially painful. I also had to pull the battery at least once a day as it would lock up (a common problem with Blackberries). Android is just better at being a smartphone. If I was a guy who spent a lot of time talking on the phone and dropped my phone a lot and didn't care about apps or speed etc. then Blackberry would be the way to go.
  • That's why I bought the curve(both of them) initially. I didn't really care about the web browser as much or apps. E-mail was important for work, but now that my needs/wants have changed web browsing, camera quality and apps are important to me. In fact, I barely make phone calls on my blackberry anymore. most communication is IM/Texting.
  • Pretty sure next step will be widgets..
  • and did you see the "split keyboard?" Great!! Absolutely revolutionary for easier typing!! Never seen anything like it!! (cough cough... SwiftKey)
  • Actually, it was more so Apple ripping off Thumb Keyboard.
  • I am an Apple user, iPhone and MacBook, but I also like Android stuff too. Instead of each side dogging each other, just appreciate that there is competition because it works out best for the end user.
  • Jobs is trying to sue the competition away. Add to that the smugness that often comes with iDevice ownership and you might be able to understand why we are a little bitter.
  • Look in the mirror. Seems to me Android users are the ones being that way and not Apple users.
  • So its ok for the Icult to sue everyone under the sun but its not ok for someone to sue apple? Maybe if someone stood up to apple and showed them how ridiculous it is to sue EVERYONE and act like they own the pa-tend on EVERYTHING the lawsuits may slow up a bit.
  • Guys , why you have to bash on Apple's IOS like this ?
    IOS is just an OS & its evolving
    No OS is perfect , yes even Android
    Adding features (even if its already existing on other platforms) is the key to keep OS refreshed , thats how they stay in the game
    So what if they took some features outta Android ? hm
    Isn't Android a mix of WinMo , Web OS & IOS ? by the way : Stock Android DOESN'T have "LockScreen info" & "Twitter integration" outta the box , you have to go to 3rd party apps to get them (Widget Locker & Whatever app you want for Twitting)
    Beside , the only Android phone that does have lockscreen shortcuts is the Sensation (I didn't say EVO 3D because its not out yet) & That feature is part of HTC Sense 3.0 , NOT GingerBread ! iMessage : looks allot better than the stock SMS app in Android (Im sure most of you is using a 3rd party Messaging app anyway , Handcent or ChompSMS any one ?) Flash : Android is NOT the first OS that had Flash , WinMo & Symbian had it long time before Android OS came out , but you don't hear the fan boys screaming Rip-Off Plaese guys this whole "Android Vs Apple" is getting ridicules Before ya'll think IM an apple fan boy , Im Android user & never ever owned an iPhone in my life (but i have a 1st Gen. iPod Touch) & probably never will , Im just saying the facts
  • Concern troll. You get the Rodney King award for the day.
  • Scott, you are either a moron, 12 or both. Grow up and make a real point. If you had any wit, it might at least be entertaining.
  • Ummm no. I use stock Android (Nexus ONe). Never rooted. I don't use Handcent or Chompsms. I see no need for that stuff. Just to make my messages a bubble? No thanks. But iMessage is not about prettying up the messaging app. It's a competitor to BBM. Flash. Nobody is screaming rip-off because nobody is ripping off anything. Being able to install Adobe Flash is just that: being able to install a piece of software. That's hardly a novel concept. It's just that Apple does not allow this piece of software on its devices, to the detriment of the user experience on its devices. But deep integration (like the Twitter integration) is a different matter. That is a new idea. And while stock Android doesn't have lockscreen notifications, it most certainly has Twitter integration. It also has Facebook integration, whatsapp integration and integration with any communications app possible. I can send out photos on whatsapp or email or GMail or Bump or via Bluetooth. The Share button also lets me send the photo to Google Goggles, Dropbox or Catch. All that just by touching the Share button. You claim to be an Android user and don't know something as basic as that? I smell a rat.
  • Yeah, I guess Apple should sue Google for everything they stole from the iphone with the first G1. I mean really, they did steal about everything that was in that phone and made it better but still all those ideas were stolen from Apple in the first place.
  • Uh. No they didn't, and this is the second time you posted this.
  • Denial of the fanboy I see. You need to go research the history before posting anymore.
  • Actually, you do. Beyond multitouch, Apple didn't invent anything with the iPhone.
  • Again you are blinded and others here are telling you what they invented but you are immature and don't have the facts right.
  • I think most Android people get funny with stuff like these announcements is because, basically, Apple add funky buzzwords to an existing technology, announce it to the world wearing black turtlenecks, and pass it off as some kind of innovation. The only technology I've seen on an iPhone (including the original 2G) that I hadn't seen on a Windows phone prior (I had an O2 XDA II well before the iPhone ever existed) and actually impressed me was multi-touch. Everything else on iProducts is just pretty window dressing and great marketing. They sell a feeling, not a product
  • I didn't see one truly original feature throughout the whole WWDC keynote, kinda sad that I sat thru This Is My Next's live blog of it... I actually expected Apple to bust out at 'least one or two truly innovative features within iOS 5... Possibly in the way they'd tie music services to teh cloud. Sure they've mostly iterated and copied what other platforms are doing lately, but they did kickstart the whole smartphone craze; by doing things a lot more elegantly than anyone had done 'em before, even if not entirely in new ways. The whole iMessage thing is kinda funny... If you think about it, it's kind of a step backwards (since you can't communicate w/non-iPhone users), but they're probably trying to lock in users by possibly getting this to be even half as successful as BBM is. Seems plausible, not a bad strategy, even if kind of dumb from a technical pov (this from the same company that at one point thought MMS was redundant due to e-mail). As usual, some of the numbers comparisons were kinda disingenuous... Such as trying to claim superior market share by lumping all iOS devices together; rather than looking at phones vs phones, where they're falling behind, tablets vs tablets, where they still have a commanding lead, etc. The most ridiculous one was the pricing comparison between their $24/year service for basically replicating your ripped library (which you already own!) while comparing it to Amazon's pricing, ignoring the fact that you can get 20GB on Amazon for like a buck if you buy an album right now, or the fact that any purchases made on Amazon are backed up for free w/o buying storage. They copied way too many features from other platforms almost in the same exact way that they're currently implemented... There's nothing inherently wrong with that if they're features that iOS needed (and most were), but Apple's supposed to be a company that finds a more elegant (or at 'least slick-looking) way of doing things, they're just playing catchup right now. That old video interview of Jobs is the first thing that came to mind when I was done watching their presentation (quote's originally from Pablo Picasso btw). I think it's funny MS got sued and penalized into oblivion for including a browser with their OS, yet mobile OS are trying to bundle everything under the sun... Let's hope competition between Google/Apple doesn't die down, or we're gonna end up w/one bloated winner unlike anything Windows ever grew into.
  • iMessage is a threat. People don't realize it yet. Ever seen a group of teens and pre-teens? Many will sport a Blackberry just for BBM. And they carry an iPod Touch. But now you run the threat that they'll be carrying an iPhone instead of that iPod Touch or simply using the iTouch as a messaging device. This will make iMessage the de facto standard over time. That could make it very hard in the long run to convert these folks to other operating systems, including Android. This is a vulnerability, more so, since Android until recently (Galaxy S Player) didn't have anything like the iPod Touch.
  • Apple already told the world they are copying Android this year
    http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/04/22/copycats.jpg
  • Nothing Apple EVER did is original. The entire Mac operating system was originally a Xerox tool that Steve "thief" Jobs stole and slowly built into what it is today. Xerox had the first Graphic User Interface on a computer introduced in 1981 when Jobs and Gates were just young thieves out to bank on someone else's idea. So this is not a surprise to me. And the masses who don't bother to read or research are gonna think he's a genius. I am sad that people like that get rewarded.
  • Jobs didn't steal it. He bought it. The guy that sold it to him had no clue what he had in front of him that he designed. That is that guys own fault. But he did get paid for it. So EOD on that. It wasn't stolen.
  • Nothing Apple EVER did is original. The entire Mac operating system was originally a Xerox tool that Steve "thief" Jobs stole and slowly built into what it is today. Xerox had the first Graphic User Interface on a computer introduced in 1981 when Jobs and Gates were just young thieves out to bank on someone else's idea. So this is not a surprise to me. And the masses who don't bother to read or research are gonna think he's a genius. I am sad that people like that get rewarded.
  • Xerox was the cradle for a lot of ideas that went on to huge commercial success. Ethernet was also invented there. Xerox had their Apollos networked in a LAN long before it became commonplace. The guy who created it went on to found 3Com and the rest is history.
  • "The press has often stated that ethernet was invented on May 22, 1973, when Robert Metcalfe wrote a memo to his bosses stating the possibilities of ethernet's potential, but Metcalfe claims ethernet was actually invented very gradually over a period of several years. In 1976, Robert Metcalfe and David Boggs (Metcalfe's assistant) published a paper titled, "Ethernet: Distributed Packet-Switching For Local Computer Networks." Robert Metcalfe left Xerox in 1979 to promote the use of personal computers and local area networks (LANs). He successfully convinced Digital Equipment, Intel, and Xerox Corporations to work together to promote ethernet as a standard. Now an international computer industry standard, ethernet is the most widely installed LAN protocol." Xerox didn't invent it. Again you are wrong as usual.
  • So they just took their favorite aspects of other phones (Android & Blackberry) and incorporate them into their update? How lame is that? I know a die-hard Apple fan who's gonna come to me and show me all the "new" things teh phone will do. Epic fail on Apple's part.
  • Yep, they also copied Thumb Keyboard.... lol
  • The thing that bothers everyone is that Apple sues everybody for anything. (you have a screen on your phone, we own the rights to that).
    Now it's obvious that the whole ios5 upgrade is taken from android and blackberry.
    I want a lawsuit filed against Apple. See how all there fan boys jump up and down saying that apple thought of it first.
  • Been there, done that. Can't sue and win for natural evolution of products.
  • They already are saying that Apple had these ideas first (for years apparently) and that they were just perfecting it before release.
    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386520,00.asp
  • For all the stuff they copied, there's features I'd love to see Android incorporate: 1) Lockscreen notifications. Standardized for all Android phones. Shouldn't have to get an app for this. 2) Rich text email. Drag and drop addresses. swipe to inbox. etc. 3) Delivery and read notifications for GTalk. 4) Tasks lists. How about an official app integrated into Calendar with location awareness? 5) Dedicated camera button. Screw using volume controls...that should be for zooming in and out. 6) Universal dictionary. 7) More bling. Android could really do with some prettying up. But thankfully Mathias Duarte has already made some amazing strides on this front. 8) CONTENT. I said it before. I'll say it again. And if you aren't in the US it's even worse. Next door in Canada, we don't even have Google Books yet. Forget Music Beta and Movies. This is what's going to hurt Google. Apple gets content deals and rolls out access throughout the world right away. We could keep criticizing Apple for their hypocrisy or we could do exactly what they do: take the best from all operatings systems and incorporate it into Android. Edit: Just got Google Books on my N1 today. Still...no paid e-books. And none of the other Google goodness like Music and Movies.
  • You guys are all being daft. You're forgetting that these conferences Apple holds are for APPLE USERS. To the Apple ecosystem, these features ARE new. Apple users don't give two shits who got notifications first or whatever, they just care about how these new features are going to enhance THEIR experience. Apple also never claimed they created these ideas, so stop spreading bullshit. Additionally, the video posted with this article has nothing to do with the content. People keep taking that video out of context without knowing what the intent of the quote was and it just makes them look like ignorant twats.
  • It's like a cult leader bringing running water to his cult compound. To his followers this is like manna from heaven. They have no idea that running water was perfected by the Romans.
  • Apple never claimed to invent anything? Say what now? Is that why they're suing everyone and their dog?
  • What a horrible way to get your point across.