Quote:
Originally Posted by Sliver
That's neat. I haven't read anything on iOS 8 so it looks like I'll have to check it out. I know I could never leave Android for Apple if I still had to open apps like some sort of troglodyte to check basic things like the current weather, forecasts, what song I have playing, to use a calculator, etc. Widgets are absolutely mandatory so if Apple is moving in that direction (I'm hoping that's what you mean by customizable) then they may get me back. If, on the other hand, I'll just be looking at a grid of do-nothing app-opening buttons then I'll just have to ride out my SIII as long as I can until an Android phone comes out that looks cool.
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Seems like you'll be happy and sad. The app icons won't be dynamic, but app developers finally have access to areas of the OS they didn't before. For instance, if you build a sports app, you can make a widget to display on the users drop-down screen (accessible from anywhere). The widgets should in theory make the experience of "Google Now" the same as it is on Android (should that be your thing).
Developers can also use the "share sheets", so if you make a camera app with a ton of filters, you can let the user have your filters show up when they hit "edit" in the native photos app.
My favourite addition is how the apps can integrate with each other. Apps can now use the fingerprint scanner as a password. My favourite password manager (1password) has built a small snippet that any app can use on their login screen, so theoretically I could open my bank account using only my fingerprint instead of the ungodly password I've created for it.
Third party keyboards are also on their way, so Android staples like Swype should be available right away. Hell, you could make a keyboard that does literally nothing other than fix the god awful shift button and you'd move millions of units. Should the apps not want to use the 1Password fingerprint scanner mentioned above, there could even be a 1Password keyboard with a button that only accesses your passwords. I'd pay an arm and a leg for that.