Apple Has Hired MobileNotifier Developer Peter Hajas
Now, there's a hot tweak called MobileNotifier (beta 3 release) via Cydia that makes notifications unobtrusive and allows you to keep using existing apps. An elegant bar appears up top of your homescreen and with one tap you can choose to close or open the notification. Alerts will also appear on your lockscreen. When you double tap the Home button, you'll see a list of your recent alerts via the AlertDashboard.
And associated video:Peter Hajas doesn't come right out and say that he's now working Apple but did post a cryptic update to his blog saying that he will be taking a break from MobileNotifier for a while due to other opportunities.
RedmondPie has since discovered a (now deleted) Tweet posted in early May by Hajas saying that he would be heading off to work in California at a "fruit" company. Meanwhile, we've also independently confirmed that Hajas is now an employee at Apple.
Apple is rumored to be improving iOS's notification system in the next version of iOS to be detailed at WWDC, and a report from mid-February had indicated that Apple was hiring an unnamed outside developer to revamp notifications, although it is unknown if that person was indeed Hajas. Regardless, Apple has certainly already worked heavily on such a system prior to this hire, but it's still interesting nonetheless.
Proof from Apple's internal employee directory app:
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
There has been news of them gobbling up notification gurus for the past year alongside talks of notifications in iOS5. They got Palm's notification UI designer, they got this guy and there's rumors that they were involved with boxcar too. They are serious about getting notifications made over and I'm willing to bet it's for iOS5.
I agree.
I do think that Apple has already worked on a notification system (please god), and Peter Hajas will help "update" it, and nothing else.
Are you telling me Apple couldn't set up a notification system on their own and had to get this developer to do it? What about the designer from WebOS?
The deal-breaker for iOS 5 is a notification system.
Having to tap a notification in order for it to disappear is a subpar solution and not any better than Apple's current notification system. Also read this blog post written by a designer: http://blog.cocoia.com/2011/notify/
Why do people always frame it like this? Apple has never shown one sign that they're anti-jailbreaking or that they think it's useless. They don't sue jailbreakers. They don't shut sites down. They don't even put up much fight with the updates to iOS. They chose to lock things down on the iPhone to streamline the user experience, make it unnecessary for users to do system maintenance or worry about viruses. You can argue the merits of that approach, but regardless, your feelings on that topic one way or the other don't reflect on Apple at all. They've tolerated jailbreaking to a remarkable degree. Why does it surprise anyone that they'd ask one such jailbreaker to join their ranks?
I think it's because Apple has never really embraced the idea of jailbreaking. By hiring a developer of a JB app I think it's exciting because it tells me that they are at least paying attention.
Honestly, I think Apple has benefited a lot from the Jailbreak community. Not only are they exposing security holes, but they are coming up with ideas and proving what would be successful on the iPhone OS. In a sense, it's like a big beta program that Apple does not have to pay for.
They should follow android on this one and have notifications as a pull down menu from the status bar. So when you're playing a game or something there's actually no interruption at all, literally just a little icon to say "hey, there's something to read over here" and then you can choose to view it rather than have it forced onto the screen.
[ Read All Comments ]
Even as Apple is preparing to open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company is moving closer to expanding its international reach even further as it has updated its Swedish...
Following reports yesterday that Apple would open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company has confirmed that date today with emails to customers and a new dedicated store...
The Charlotte Observer reports that a total of 25 iPhones valued at over $16,000 have been reported stolen from Apple's Northlake Mall retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina. While...
German site iFun.de reports [Google translation] that has it has received information from a source "to be taken seriously" claiming that the iPad 3 will debut there on Friday, March 23.
...
AFP reports that Proview Technology has expressed a willingness to work toward a settlement with Apple in the "iPad" trademark dispute in China, even as the company continues to press forward...
