Apple held the annual WWDC 2022 developer conference, where it introduced the iOS 16 update. To say that it turned out to be a global language does not turn out. The next version of the operating system for the iPhone is not impressive at all, and there are very few innovations in general and they are just boring. It seems that the best minds from Cupertino are in no hurry to catch up with the competition and have even forgotten about users living outside the US. The impressions are mostly negative and, given some strange Apple development policy, I would like to speak in more detail.
Again, no major changes to the overall design of iOS
Yes, the latest generations of iOS have gradually changed the interface in some places. Cards in settings, cool rounded mini-notifications, convenient Safari with an address bar at the bottom, beautiful widgets and so on. Many elements began to look more harmonious within the ecosystem, more logical and, of course, more pleasant. But what about a truly global redesign? How much longer do you have to wait and why is it deliberately avoided? Apple changed tactics? Against the background of Google, which turned its strategy around with the Material You concept, the lack of at least redrawn desktop icons in iOS 16 is sad and annoying.
Since iOS 7, Apple has only been refining and polishing certain parts of iOS – dark theme, widgets, grouped notifications, visually separated settings. At the same time, for example, the Mail application, the control center, the multitasking menu and the notorious low battery notification that interrupts access to the screen remained the same. It is clearly time to redo them and other things.
- To the point: iOS 7 vs iOS 14. How the system has changed in 7 years
Redesigned lock screen without Always-On Display
The main feature of iOS 16 has become a personalized lock screen. Apple has implemented the features that have been on Android for a long time: dynamic wallpaper change, editing the appearance of the date and clock, and adding various content in the form of weather or user activity. In addition, now it will be possible to place full-fledged interactive widgets that display information in real time on it. Okay, I have no complaints here. A place for widgets was allocated from below, and notifications were also moved there. And now I have only one question – why did the notifications move down? According to Apple, the location will allow you to enjoy your own lock screen style. True, in this case, the focus shifts, and from a visual point of view, the solution is strange. Am I the only one who thinks so?
The most stupid thing is that with a huge emphasis on customization, the lock screen in iOS 16 will not receive support for Always-On Display technology. One of the most long-awaited features among the fans was not paid attention at all! The OLED matrix in the Pro-models of the iPhone is ideally combined with it, and, again, dozens of Android smartphones, including budget ones, quietly offer the function. Apple won’t have another year…or more.
There are practically no really large and strong innovations.
Beyond the lock screen, iOS 16 focuses on family sharing, communication, and email. It seems to sound good, but in fact, Apple could not come up with interesting or unique features. iMessage added a change in the text of the message after sending, it will be easier to set up parental controls and devices for children (which worked well before iOS 16), and Apple Pay users will also be able to divide the cost of purchases into four equal payments through the company’s Pay Later service. The list is incomplete, but the rest is also depressing.
Did you miss the shared tab groups with friends in Safari, the My Sports section in Apple News, or the unified achievement bar from games in Game Center? The answer is obvious. Features are far from the real needs and desires of users. By the way, from the necessary it is worth noting the support for lists of drugs in the “Health”. iOS 16 will natively track them with appointment reminders and scheduling. The need for third-party services will disappear.
- To the point: 5 iOS 16 “innovations” that have been on Android for a long time
Apple seems to have completely forgotten about users from other countries
Apple’s Achilles’ heel is the limited launch of certain features, technologies and services, which may not subsequently go beyond the home market. Recent innovations generally suggest that the company does not have a priority to spread software features to the international level. For other countries, Tap to Pay (turning the iPhone into an NFC payment terminal), Apple Pay Later (deferred payment) and routes taking into account stops in Maps were not announced. The news aggregator Apple News was never launched in Russia and the CIS, 7 years have passed since the announcement.
In conclusion, let me remind you how Apple deceived the Russians by announcing Russian language support for the QuickPath function (typing text using a swipe in the standard iOS keyboard) at the iOS 15 presentation a year ago. It is interesting that the declared languages ​​(Dutch, Swedish and Vietnamese) worked in the end, while Russian completely inexplicably disappeared from the official site. As you can see, now the situation is similar.
iOS 16 looks very specific. Don’t want to update
I will not argue with the fact that iOS 16 has useful features and pleasing little things. The only snag is that there are incredibly few of them, zero emotions. Usually Apple knows how to hook. The real wow factor is trying to provide a custom lock screen with widgets, and in fact it almost succeeds. As usual, if this did not exist in Android, then it would be possible to replay. Ultimately, because of all the minority for the first time, there is no desire to run a beta to try out future changes.
With a high degree of probability, I will not update to iOS 16 sooner when it comes out in a stable version in the fall. At a minimum, I’ll wait for iOS 16.1, because so far the situation is very deplorable.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
