iPhone 4: Is there Anything Left to Long For?

iPhone users have always looked forward to when their most desired functionality might finally be integrated into the device. It was like waiting for Christmas morning and fans hung on his every word to cheer and clap while critics did the same to jeer. But when Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 4 this week, a lot of the common requests were addressed.  So what is missing? Is there anything still for users to long for?

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I recall when I watched the 2009 WWDC keynote hoping that the iPhone would be a great tool. At the time I had an iPod Touch and an HTC Touch Windows Mobile phone. So it was good enough and I jumped from Verizon to AT&T just for the new iPhone 3GS. But soon I began to long for a few things.

  1. Longer battery life: When roaming, my phone’s battery drains more quickly than normal. On Bluetooth the battery is sucked dry even sooner.
  2. A higher resolution display for reading:The 3GS has a nice display, but reading does get tiring.
  3. A front facing camera: I am not exactly clamoring for this, but include it because many are and I think it would be cool, especially if Skype integrates the FaceTime standard into their clients.
  4. Wireless sync of songs and other content: The only reason I sync now is to back up my apps and to get podcasts onto my iPhone. This is even more desirable for the iPad.
  5. Multi-tasking: This is the biggest one for me especially on the iPad. I use Bible software to prepare for my sermons. I would love to have a note taking app open in the background to quickly switch to in order to record my findings. Others want Pandora playing or want to finish downloading content in things other than iTunes while running Twitter or some other app.
  6. Universal  inbox for multiple email accounts:  Tapping a bunch of times just to switch between my personal email, my business email and a third one I use for registering for online sites is a pain.

There are just a few that are top of my list. Well, guess what? Most of these are coming  to the next iPhone. Jobs claims it will have much better battery life with a larger battery and more efficient A4 processor. Apple’s battery life claims have been pretty accurate lately. The display is a higher resolution and those who have seen it like it. There is a front facing camera and a form of multi-tasking. And the universal inbox is on the way too.

Is there really anything left to long for? Will users be waiting with great anticipation for some new features next June as Jobs takes the stage for WWDC 2011? I can’t see everyone getting that excited about Multi-tasking. What do you think? Now that we know most of what is coming, what do you really want to see and what is left for Jobs and company to do to improve the iPhone?

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