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iOS 5 to Bring Revamped Notification System and Widgets?

Friday May 27, 2011 11:12 am PDT by Eric Slivka
TechCrunch reports on some of the discussion surrounding Apple's apparent efforts to encourage members of the international press to attend its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) early next month, disagreeing with the assessment that such encouragements suggest that an iPhone launch may indeed occur and instead arguing that iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion alone will be a big deal. To that end, the company is seeking to make sure that media members do not skip the event simply because it seems that the next-generation iPhone will not make its debut there.

In addition, the report shares several tidbits that have been surfacing about iOS 5, most notably brief word that Apple is indeed planning to roll out a "completely revamped" notifications system and "widgets" that would presumably provide quick access to information without the need for launching dedicated apps, much the same as Dashboard widgets in Mac OS X.
The other big news for iOS5 - and yes, I've completely buried the lede here, thanks for reading! - two things: completely revamped notifications and widgets.
The iOS notification system has been one of the more highly criticized aspects of the platform, although optimism regarding a potential revamp rose earlier this year amid claims that Apple had acquired an unnamed development firm specifically to assist with the revamp.

As an example of how widgets might be employed, designer Jan-Michael Cart earlier this month released a concept video demonstrating his vision of widgets on iOS.


One other item of interest included in TechCrunch's report today is the claim that the Nuance technology rumored to be deeply integrated into iOS 5 will surprisingly not make its way into the Voice Control component of the platform, although things could change between now and the final release of iOS 5 later this year.
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Moyank24
26 months ago
If this is true good news about the notification system. Though, I'm not sure what the big deal about widgets is.
Rating: 14 Positives
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miles01110
26 months ago
It'd be nice to have more than a clock on the lock screen.
Rating: 14 Positives
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rdstoll
26 months ago
As an Android user it's funny to see the Apple folks grapple with how to deliver widgets.

I have five scrollable screens on my Android phone. Fully four of them are filled with widgets. No opening apps/settings just to toggle wifi or bluetooth. Or checking the weather. Or my world clock. Or Pandora. Having had the Iphone 3G thru 4 before switching over to Android I never realized how limited IOS. I still have my iPad which I love but again, it is such a joke to get around. Open app. Close app. Open settings. Close settings. Way too cumbersome.
Rating: 13 Positives
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Carlanga
26 months ago
fugly demo from the designer; it can't have a whole page for each widget... for that is faster to just open the app.
Rating: 12 Positives
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twoodcc
26 months ago
yeah the notification system has got to be improved
Rating: 11 Positives
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lilo777
26 months ago

So even if the next iPhone refresh is evolutionary, it sounds like iOS 5 is gonna be revolutionary. And because you spend most of your time on the OS, rather than the actual hardware, this would be a good move by Apple. Man, WWDC can't come soon enough :D


Caching up with Android does not sound like very revolutionary to me :p
Rating: 9 Positives
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Oletros
26 months ago

I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited for widgets!

Just think, we get to sacrifice:
-Battery life and RAM for having widgets running all the time
-Space on my home screens
-Ease of use, now I have to worry about widgets and apps? Hurrah
-Privacy, when someone borrows my phone to play a game or something, they get to see my emails by default!

In order to get:
-the ability to read emails in 10 seconds vs 20 (because most emails are emergency messages)
-the ability to get EVEN MORE INSTANTANEOUS updates on Kim Kardashian's life!

Yep, widgets are so worth it...


Don't use them, easy, no?
Rating: 8 Positives
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chrono1081
26 months ago
Id rather have updatable App icons vs widgets, but thats just me.
Rating: 7 Positives
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TWSS37
26 months ago

You mean from the beginning, like consistent updates?

Oh wait.


Android phones have enjoyed 2 major upgrades in 8 months, with a third on the way shortly. While Android is rolling out Gingerbread, iOS is still speculating about what's going to be included in 5 (and 4 was introduced roughly a year ago), right?
Rating: 7 Positives
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TWSS37
26 months ago
Originally Posted by JarScott
I think they will see widgets as potential app replaces. Just my opinion. :P

And what's the problem?


I find it odd that iOS users have such a difficult time grasping choice. The ability to turn widgets on and off should be your decision - so if you don't like them or want to use them, just don't, right? Is Apple's policy of delivering a product that is so rigid in which the end user has very little choice on how their phone operates so ingrained that the simplicity of not using a feature is not able to be understood?
Rating: 7 Positives

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