Since the release of the first iPhone, the general software format has remained relatively unchanged from model to model. A few months ago however, this trend changed and some new options became available for App organization for iPhone users. Back before this update, people with multiple apps (such as myself) had problems involving their apps being spread over numerous pages. This of course resulted in wasted time (and battery life) scrolling through the pages to find the right one.
When I installed the update, I immediately noticed a difference in the performance of my iPhone (like similar updates in the past). It ran smoother, faster and not as many glitches. It was after messing around that I accidently discovered the added option of being able to condense your apps into boxes or folders on a single screen. I thought to myself, “I am no longer going to have to browse through five pages of apps to find just the one I was looking for!” Alright, so this is what I thought until I got to the actual process of moving things around. I started by moving Apps from one page to the next which is easy enough but then I realized how poorly organized everything was. First, the categories offered when combining certain apps weren’t the best, resulting in me naming all 12 of the boxes. Secondly, once a category was set up, I was hoping certain apps could automatically be added, this feature however was nowhere in sight meaning a lot of time spent matching the apps to the right boxes. Finally, my third and biggest problem was the limited space in each box! There are certain categories I had to make two of which I guess is alright but I wasn’t that thrilled about at the time.
Despite my ranting and raving about how much the process of organizing my apps into the boxes with the new software sucked, I have a confession to make. I LOVE IT! It did take a little getting used to at first, but now that I know where all of my apps are according to the well named categories, the ease of use jumped exponentially. I went from spending anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds trying to find the app I was looking for down to anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds. Even though some of you may find this to be microscopic in terms of the time spent setting it up, think about the battery life you save from not running your iPhone as much as well as the added time to your day you will come away with not spent with your head down searching tirelessly for that one app you know you had.
All in all, Apple did this one right. I am very happy with the updates and the additional organization that has come to the iPhone and I feel has made its potential for what it can do even greater.
Michael Blumreich is a contributor for the aptly named computer review site, LaptopReviews.com. He’s currently a university student and lover of all things tech.