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07/14/2008, 5:15pm, EDT

Monday, July 14th

Apple defends lack of copy-paste, driving on iPhone

Apple has explanations for the lack of certain features on the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 firmware, says Apple product head Greg Joswiak. Cited in a new report, Joswiak says that the absence of cut and paste functions, for instance, was omitted only because it was considered a low priority in Apple's ongoing feature wishlist. Other features were simply judged more important for the 3G launch.

On the absence of real-time driving navigation, Joswiak denies accounts by David Pogue that the 3G's GPS antenna is too small. Instead, says Joswiak, there are some "complicated issues" preventing the software, though these may be overcome. "It will evolve. I think our developers will amaze us," he adds.

The iPhone 2.0 software is also currently missing an office suite, unlike Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform, which has a condensed and altered version of the desktop Office suite. On this Joswiak says he is unaware of rumored technical problems, though he admits there could be trouble with each app having its own file space. "There's no cross-application file structure," Joswiak acknowledges.


Filed under: iPhone, software, developer, Apple
Other story tags: iPhone 3G, Windows Mobile, iPhone 2.0

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TomTom just may come

1
07/14, 5:35pm, EDT

The statement "It will evolve. I think our developers will amaze us," leaves the door wide open for TomTom to bring full GPS navigation to the iPhone. Only time will tell.

Please!!

5
07/14, 6:02pm, EDT

This thing's been out for a year now and I can't even transport myself around the world at a whim AND there's no invisibility feature, how lame.

Mac Elite
Joined Oct 1999
User is offline

Copy & Paste !?!? WTF !!!

1
07/14, 6:06pm, EDT

OK I get this Email from FedEX with 3 Critical Health Packages being tracked for my Surgical Team. The EMail on my iPhone G3 has all 3 Tracking Numbers in the EMail body, but WAIT they came through as text and Not Links! So I have to find a slip of Paper and Pen, then write down all the alpha numbers.

Then I have to type in all the cryptic numbers into the FedEX Tracking Page on the iPhone G3's Fantastic little keyboard - NOT!!! To get all this looked at.

---------- OR ----------

Just Copy and Paste the 3 Lines of Tracking Numbers from the iPhone Email right into the FedEX Tracking Page. POOF! that works like a dream, and I did it all with one hand.

LOW Priority? Well Someone needs to get rid of that list and put this on the top of it in Spot NUMBER 1.

Palm, Blackberry, Samsung, all can do this, BUT NOT the iPhone? Go Figure.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Jan 2005
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Thats awesome

3
07/14, 6:10pm, EDT


One of the most basic functions was a low priority (copy and paste).

That is just priceless.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Apr 2008
User is offline

kill off pboard

4
07/14, 6:17pm, EDT

Someone needs to get hold of this guy's desktop computer, move or rename /usr/sbin/pboard and then kill the running pboard process. That will remove the ability to copy and paste in OS X. Let's see how productive he becomes! It's quite remarkable how much you rely on it without thinking about it.

Personally, I just want the ability to search within my own music library on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Surely it can't be that difficult can it?

Grizzled Veteran
Joined Oct 2000
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Laughable

8
07/14, 6:27pm, EDT

The exec used some lame excuse ("low priority") to explain away why copy and paste does not exist on the iPhone or iPod touch. That's laughable. These are two basic and rather necessary functions, especially if one is to copy text from one program to the other--say from Mail to Safari, or from Mail to Notepad, or Notepad to Calendar, etc. etc.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Feb 2008
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rethink that list

4
07/14, 6:39pm, EDT

The two most serious omissions for me are the lack of copy-and-paste and voice-activated dialing (which is mandated by law in several states). These need to be at the very top of Apple's iPhone to-do list.

Probably true

6
07/14, 6:43pm, EDT

" it was considered a low priority in Apple's ongoing feature wishlist."

Their list maybe, but from the user's perspective. This is really the ONLY request that consistently comes up from people who use the phone. I mean my Palm could do this YEARS ago. Enough heel dragging already.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Sep 2000
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copy paste

2
07/14, 6:45pm, EDT

My N800 can do that. Oh and I feel the person on that FED-EX thing. N800 handles that.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Oct 2000
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as great as...

2
07/14, 7:22pm, EDT

super monkey ball and the other 3D games are, this does seem to be a glaring omission. With this basically running Mac OS X... wouldn't they practically have to take it out on purpose? It has the ram, the interface could easily support it. Why would they NOT do it? Can anyone think of a reason NOT to implement this? I have to think it is done on purpose.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Jun 2006
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