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  • 5 things I want to see in iOS 5

    by 
    Michael Grothaus
    Michael Grothaus
    04.04.2011

    With all the rumors that iOS 5 is going to be a major revamp, including features like digital lockers, cloud storage and AI voice control, the next version of Apple's iPhone and iPad operating system is sure to knock our socks off. It may even include things we never knew we always needed. However, here are five of my humble wishes for iOS 5: 1. Notifications: Everyone knows notifications need a major overhaul in the next iOS. They really haven't been tweaked since iOS launched in 2007. While the iPhone is arguably the best smartphone on the market, its notification system is perhaps the worst of all. There are plenty of ways Apple could go with a notification redesign, but I'm hoping at the very least it includes a new lock screen featuring notifications (with the ability to disable them on the lock screen for privacy purposes), then use the very valuable screen real estate, which is currently entirely dedicated to Spotlight searching. There is so much space on that screen, Apple can easily divide it up between a notifications center and Spotlight search. 2. Weather app: This is probably not on anyone's list but mine, but I want to see a feature-added Weather app. I'm not even talking about any advanced stuff; all I really want is to be able to rotate the iPhone into landscape mode while in the Weather app and see an hourly forecast. Like notifications, the Weather app hasn't changed since the first version of iOS, and I don't think asking for an hourly breakdown is beyond Apple's technological skills. It would also be nice for the Weather app to be location aware, with one default weather screen always showing your current location's weather.