iOS 5 to Bring Revamped Notifications and Widgets?
A revamped notification system and the addition of widgets are expected to be two major new features of iOS 5, according to a recent report on TechCrunch.
If you don’t feel like reading the 551 word long TechCrunch article, here is the only part that actually mentions these two new expected iOS 5 features:
The other big news for iOS5 — and yes, I’ve completely buried the lede here, thanks for reading! — two things: completely revamped notifications and widgets.
This isn’t particularly ground breaking news, since Apple filed for a patent for a redesigned notification system all the way back in 2008, but confirmation from a site like TechCrunch does suggest that Apple is finally going to update the long criticized iOS notification system. Widgets would also be a useful addition to iOS, particularly on the lock screen where there is definitely a feeling of underutilized screen space.
Currently, the only solution to add widgets and modify notifications involve jailbreak apps like Intelliscreen, shown in the screenshot above. Whether or not the new iOS 5 notification and widget system will resemble this or something completely different remains to be seen, but the aforementioned patent from 2008 does share similarities in concept. Here is the redesigned notification system as seen in that patent:
The same report from TC also reiterates that there will not be a release of the “iPhone 4S” in June, despite some recent theories that have been concocted based on press invites to WWDC 2011. Instead, TechCrunch suggests the reason for the press invites are to show off the various impressive new features of iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion.
There is also a brief mention of the Nuance voices in both Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5, although it is unclear to everyone how exactly they will be used in iOS.
[…] is probably going to be addressed in iOS 5 with a revamped notifications and widget system, but until it’s official I am going to complain about the wasted space of iOS lock screens. […]
[…] Improved notifications delivered and maintained via iCloud, access your iPhone notifications from your Mac, and vice versa? […]
[…] but when you look at the patent diagrams, see the inventor list, and consider recent rumors that iOS 5 will likely include widgets, you start to see there’s a potential relationship developing here between iOS and Mac OS […]
New features look good. I would like to see merging of email and sms. It was done well by blackberry over 2 years ago.
Long overdue!
[…] Revamped iOS notification and all new widget system – who needs to use the hacks when Apple offers the real thing? […]
Great find on the patent, I don’t think anyone else noticed that. It would be intriguing if that is the basis for these rumors and a redesign. If so, anytime a new Apple patent is discovered, we can start to assume a 2-4 year delay until the possibility of such patented concepts making it to the consumer?