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Apple WWDC 2022 reaction: did Apple just give Google and Samsung a lesson in… customization?!

By Victor Hristov

Published: Jun 06, 2022, 4:28 PM

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Apple Editorials

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

You might not have noticed, but Apple has really changed.

The company has always made beautiful, well-designed products, but when it comes to including features in its products, well… it would gladly remove rather than add! Needless to say, this approach has infuriated quite a few power users and has created a very vocal sentiment of resentment against Apple.

But what we are seeing over these last couple of years shows that a new Apple has emerged and that this new company actually listens to users.

It’s hard to pin-point what was the low point and where this transformation actually started. But all we know is that Apple has started granting the wishes of power users and winning back both professional customers as well as casual users.

Apple turned a blind eye to users' requests for years... until it all changed!

And this latest WWDC only showed us Apple is doubling down on that effort. How do we know? Well, for starters, Apple fixed the biggest practical joke it played on iPad users and finally brought a fully-functional Weather app to iPadOS (and MacOS along the way too)!

Read more: iOS 16 all new features

Probably the number one complaint of Android users considering switching to an iPhone has got to be the lack of customization. And what do you know? The new iOS 16 lockscreen actually now gives you MORE customization options than most currently available Android smartphones! Want to see when’s the sunset today? You can have that on your losckreen! Want to see the weather forecast? That goes on the lockscreen too. Technically you can tinker around with a Galaxy and its Good Lock app, but that is a separate app made for enthusiasts which might scare average users a bit with its complexity.

Notifications too hard to reach at the top? iOS 16 has got you covered: it now delivers notifications at the bottom where you can easily reach them. Remember any Android phone doing that? Not really, unless you go into custom mods and wear your hacking glasses.

And changing lockscreens easily with just a swipe?! Yes, you can do that on iOS 16. Plus having each lock screen tied with its own personal Focus mode? That goes well beyond what's possible on Android currently. And this used to be one of Android's strongest points!

Read more: iPadOS 16 new features!

Another area where Apple showed it listens closely to users was iPad software. Apple tried to convince us for years that an iPad can be a laptop replacement, but let’s face it: the software stopped the otherwise super powerful, M1-toting tablet from really shining. Well, enter iPadOS 16 and Stage Manager, which finally gives you a true multi-window experience (you are limited to only 4 apps at a time, but that’s better than nothing).

And we are only mentioning the bigger features, but there are tons of small fixes that were highly requested and finally Apple has listened and brings them. For example, the Files app on iPad now finally allows you to rename files, easily see file sizes, it gives you a navigation button and so on.

For years, haptic feedback while typing in the keyboard was a cool little feature only on Android. Now, it's available on iPhones!

The new MacBook Air… well, it brings MagSafe back! Guess what? Another super popular feature that users wanted back badly.

What's coming next?

We were definitely quite excited at that point in the event, and the only thing that would have made it sweeter would be if Apple right here and then announced it would transition all iPhones to a USB-C port. Well, let us dream for a while! Of course, that didn’t really happen, but we know it could… next year! Although that is not exactly happening by Apple’s own will, but rather via ways of a European mandate.

This Apple keynote was packed with new features and it was exciting, even only for those few “finally!” moments where Apple showed it cares and delivered long anticipated features. We have already installed the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 betas, and will be using them today. Stay tuned for some real world impressions tomorrow, and let us know how you feel about everything new Apple unveiled! And do you also think the company has changed its ways over the last couple of years?

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.