Friday, September 16, 2016

Apple has done it again because I love iOS 10 and I'm totally buying the iPhone 7.

Apple has done it again because it knows its fanbase really really well--a group of infantilized, computer-illiterate, selfie-snapping, emojingoist, heart-fingered, consumer zombies. It turned its messages app into something that's really fun to use with iOS 10. I wasn't expecting any of the features that I found, and when I discovered what they could do, I started sending invisible selfies, confetti, hand written notes, and gifs to friends and family. Figuring them out is messy, chaotic, and challenging. But I still love it.

I think I need to thank the sticker-loving millennials out there who obviously drove this product update like the crack of an overseers whip from their offices in the Cupertino-based tech giant. Sure, a lot of these features are absurdly frivolous. However, they (strangely) seem to add a lot to the very banal experience of texting. However, just be careful because I could see it being super easy to accidentally send your in-laws kissing lips. And my criticisms don't necessarily stop there.

First, the multi-functionality of the new send button also has the potential to throw off a lot of people. Now, it's just a small circle with an arrow in it (easy to miss) and you have to hold it down for at least a second before it gives you other options.

Second, the message app features a little circle with everyone's photo in it. I don't think there are any actual people in my phone who have photos on their contact cards (I'm not a millennial so I don't snap selfies all the time, and I don't have many friends who are millennials...but there is this one guy...later on that). So, long story short, I get to look at a stupid circle with the person's initials in it for no reason. It makes me think that the expectation might be to walk up to them and say, "Hey, let me take your photo so I can add it to your contact card on my phone."

Overall though, all of these new features have way more entertainment potential, and they easily outweigh the bad stuff.

So have you tried out iOS 10 on the iPhone yet?




13 comments:

  1. Yes, I just recently got an Iphone and was just getting used to it when this upgrade came along. I haven't had much time to play with it, so I'm still figuring it out...but I'm not much into all the stickers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, I haven't tried it. I don't own a cell phone and I'm glad I'm not addicted to new technology appearing every year. Of course this re3nders me an old fart out of the mainstream.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I still have my Jitterbug like cell phone a.k.a. look a like of burner cells of cheap drug dealers. Plan to upgrade but I've had a few unexpected expenses that take priority over getting a phone that actually lets me take the internet with me. These features sound nice though. I can see why you like them so much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No, my budget and the iPhone are not on the same page.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gaaaaaah.... I'm an Android person... don't hate me... My hubby is ALL about the iPhone though... he'll upgrade soon I'm sure!

    ReplyDelete
  6. "invisible selfie", ie a photograph. Geez they really have you brainwashed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But it's one that you have to rub your thumb over to reveal what's behind the fog. That's kind of cool. Like a scratch and win ticket.

      Delete
    2. Ooooh! That sounds like a good use of hundreds of dollars.

      Delete
    3. It's free. I haven't bought a new phone. I just updated the software on my phone that's two years old.

      Delete
    4. BTW, shouldn't that "invisible" selfie really be called an obscured selfie or shrouded selfie? I mean invisible would imply transparency not covering something up.

      Delete
  7. That's what I do. I ask to take pics for my phone. But I have so few contacts, anyway...

    I take it you didn't have any glitches with the install. My phone was near to useless for a few days. Suddenly, I wasn't able to connect to get things like Pandora, one of my email accounts, and my weather apps to name a few. Some things would connect, and others just froze. Ugly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My husband and daughter just updated. My daughter is complaining that her music looks different. After reading this post, I'll update!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'll add that I like the scribbling a picture function now, like the Apple watch has.

    ReplyDelete