When Apple released its iOS 4.2 update, many owners of Apple products applauded its new features. Still, it is lacking in certain areas. This series will reveal features that iOS 4.2 could be improved when Apple introduces its next update in the future.

An improved system for notifications

Notifications are a helpful little feature that allow you to see when something new and possibly important is available. For example, a notification, either as a displayed message or an audible alarm, will present itself to let you know of any new messages, updates, events, or other items that might need your personal attention. Apple did include push notifications when it presented iOS 3 to the public, but they are somewhat lacking in the way they are executed.

Before we get into how they could be improved, it should be noted that the notifications in iOS are not that bad. Still, they could be better, and hopefully this will be addressed in the next iOS update. 

Perhaps the most troubling characteristic of notifications in iOS is that you can only see one at a time on screen.  This causes problems for those who happen to get a lot of notifications throughout the day. If you just looked at your phone and noticed that something new popped up, you could miss it should another notification come through. Since you have to deal with the notifications as they pop up live, the chance of missing out on something important is high. The allowance for multiple notifications, as well as the ability to review ones that have gone off-screen, would be a great addition to the next iOS update.

Better handling of locking the iPad's orientation

One of the new features in iOS 4.2 is the transformation of one of the physical features of the iPad. The feature in question is a switch on the iPad that previously allowed users to lock their tablet's orientation.  The iPad is a tablet packed with versatility that maximizes its potential in both its portrait and landscape modes. As such, many users have a tendency to move their iPad around in a physical manner, which may cause the display's orientation to switch frequently. To avoid constant switching, the iPad's orientation lock switch could be engaged to keep the tablet steady for less irritating use.

When Apple released iOS 4.2, they decided to change the function of the orientation lock switch to instead be used to mute the iPad's volume. Some users may find this to be useful, but the orientation lock capabilities of that switch seemed like a more intelligent match. Perhaps Apple changed the switch's function to make the iPad similar to the iPhone, with its muting option. 

Regardless, in the next iOS update, it would be nice if Apple allowed users to choose how they want to configure the physical switch. If given such an option, users could select if they wanted the switch to be used for muting or to lock orientation. After all, the iPad already had a rather easy way to mute the volume, by simply holding down the Volume Down button for a few seconds.

More ways in which iOS 4.2 could have been improved will be discussed in the second part of this series, so stay tuned.

For more on this topic, visit http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9197719/iOS_4.2_10_features_it_still_needs?taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=1

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