Why iOS Sucks

Let's start the series off with the top dog: iOS. Apple is the undisputed champion of the computing world, be it mobile or traditional. It doesn't matter that Android and Windows have bigger market shares in their respective computing domains. Apple has profit margins that other companies can only dream of.

But nonetheless, iOS sucks. It really sucks This post deals with iOS 6 (EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that there are some aspects of iOS that are slightly different on iPads. This article deals with iOS as it's presented on iPhones).

The chief complaint with iOS seems to be regarding its closed-source nature. Personally, this doesn't bother me. Open-source is great, but not always feasible. The closed app ecosystem does bother me. With no side-loading (installing software independent of the system's app store) abilities, I'm limited to what the App Store offers in my region. Found a way to use Pandora in Canada? Too bad, because you can't download the client app (there is a workaround for this particular app, but not all). I'm talking about free apps here, not about pirating premium apps.

Do you like customizing your phone? If the answer's yes, then iOS really sucks. Your home screen is also your app list. The icons are all static, except for the Calendar app. Why does the Weather app always show the same damn temperature and a sunshine icon? Today it's -17 degrees Celsius and fairly overcast but the icon shows 23 and sunny, as it always does. I can pull down the notification centre to see a snapshot of the current conditions or I could ask Siri for the weather conditions, but both of those options require further action. Tapping the icon or pulling down the notification centre, what's the difference? You cannot remove any installed app from your various home screens. The best you can do is bury it in a folder. Want a different colour scheme for your menus? You're out of luck. The bottom line here is: you're limited to static icons, no widgets, and no colour changes (turning on accessibility options doesn't count - sure, it'll change the colours but it'll do so for all content including pictures and video).

Would you like to change your DNS settings for you mobile data? Can't do that, but I must point out that no competing system offers this ability out of the box.

Siri can be a great help, but only in certain situations and only if it understands you. Why can it open an app but not close it? Why can it give me driving directions with Apple Maps, but not with Google Maps and Navigon? Why does it sometimes take too long to process a simple request. Siri is a great feature in theory, but little more than a parlour trick in practice.

Do you multitask (use more than one app at a time)? Multitasking is partially supported in iOS, and this is something I don't really have a problem with as it improves the overall performance of the system. Closing apps is a pain. I need to double-press the Home button, long-press an app icon, then pixel-hunt the little "X" icon in the corner of the icon for the app that I wish to close. This is not fluid. It is a pain. Again, why can't Siri close the app?

Transferring content to/from your iOS device sucks. Want documents, music, or video on your device? iTunes is your only option. Simply plugging in your device to a computer will only give you access to your own photos and recording video. Have something you want to share with your friend sitting next to you? You both better have an internet connection. iOS is the only current mobile platform that does not support Bluetooth file transfer. Feature phones did this a decade ago. Too much content on your device? That's too bad for you. You cannot upgrade the internal memory of iOS devices. While a lack of a card slot isn't necessarily a software issue, it is more than worth mentioning considering the fact that no iPhone offers expandable memory.

Want the latest version of the iOS? If your phone is too old, you can forget about it (though you can't really expect the latest software to be made available for 3+ year old hardware). The updates that you do get are not always for the best. The newest iOS tends to decrease performance on aging devices. It's a great little trick to entice you to buy the latest hardware. It's important to wait and see what early-adopters are saying about the latest update because once you update, there's no going back.

I'm sure that there are other reasons why iOS sucks, but I believe that I've covered the main ones. There are ways around some issues mentioned but they require superuser privileges (jailbreaking), which voids warranty. Yes, it's reversible but not recommended for novice users. There are many virtues of the system, but that's not the point of this article. But, despite its faults, I can't advise against using it. I'm currently using an iPhone 5 and am currently happy enough with it.