Apple's iOS5 - breaking ground or breaking hearts?

Many iOS5 improvements were borrowed from existing apps and services.
From what we’ve seen so far, there’s a lot to like about the latest iGadget software update. Previous iOS upgrades have mainly focused on playing catch up with other smartphone platforms, but I’d say iOS5 is perhaps Apple’s biggest update in terms of assimilating great features previously offered by third parties.

Adding handy third-party features to iOS is one of those areas where Apple is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. Assimilate new features and it’s accused of acting like the Borg, but leave them out and it’s seen as lagging behind competing platforms such as Android. So should third-party developers take it as a compliment or a slap in the face? If they’re smart, they’ll see it as an opportunity to grab new customers by expanding features to stay one step ahead of Apple.

In many cases Apple’s new iOS features only partially replicate the functionality of existing third-party apps and services. Look at the impressive Dropbox and how it compares to iCloud’s new integration with iWork. It’s a mistake to think that one negates the need for the other, because they actually specialise in different tasks.

Dropbox is handy for getting files onto your iPad, especially if you’re dealing with a wide range of formats from a wide range of devices. Dropbox’s Achilles’ Heel on the iPad is that it won’t sync edited files back to the Dropbox service (there are webDAV workarounds but they take some extra messing about and aren’t foolproof). This is where iOS5’s new native iCloud sync features are certainly useful, if iWork is your productivity suite of choice, as it promises to sync edited files between Pages running on iGadgets and Macs.

Apple isn’t likely to replicate Dropbox’s wider format and platform support any time soon because it’s more interested in improving the i-centric ecosystem. Meanwhile there’s a place for both on your iPad.

Another example is Mobile Safari’s new Reading List feature and how it will impact Instapaper. At first glace Reading List is a death sentence for Instapaper, as it also lets you easily mark webpages that you want to reader later on other devices. Once again, Apple has restricted itself to its own ecosystem - with Reading List only syncing marked webpages between Mobile Safari on iOS5 and Safari on MacOS 10.7. This leaves the door open for services such as Instapaper to cater to a much wider range of devices and platforms, plus add extra features to integrate with other third-party services.



In both cases, Apple’s new features could be a blessing for Dropbox and Instapaper as iGadget lovers discover iOS5’s built-in features and then go searching the App store for something with a little more advanced functionality.

The future isn’t so bright for one-trick pony apps and services which can easily be completely assimilated into iOS. If anything, iOS5 is a timely reminder for developers that you need to think big in order to stay one step ahead of Apple.