Why no LED

[redbeard]

What's the point of a LED notification if you can't access your phone? If you can access your phone just check it more if it's that important to you.

I'm talking about having it in front of you on a desk or wherever you may be working or whatever you are doing. You mentioned an led light making you a slave to your phone, well that makes no sense, as not having one is what makes people slaves to their phones. Right now I have to keep grabbing my phone every few minutes and hitting the home button to see if I missed anything, I'm a slave.

So as it stands, people have to keep picking up their phones, and manually checking to see if they missed anything which is horribly unproductive, and is a waste of battery life.

With a notification light it makes things real simple, and it's really odd that a minority just don't get it. You look up at your phone... no light... keep on working... you look up at your phone... and you see the notification light lit up so you actually know you missed something and you aren't checking your phone in vain. Notification problem solved. End of discussion. For the people that don't want to ever see the iPhone change for the better, they can choose to turn the feature off, so why on Earth would anybody be against it?? I heard the same exact arguments about the front facing camera last year, some didn't want it, they said it would make the phone look tacky, they said Apple would never add one as it was "un-Apple-like", and other unreasonable complaints. Yet now nobody even thinks about it, it's now part of the iPhone and all iOS devices.

Personally I find it annoying, specially when I have my phone in my room at night, one it's dark and the flashing light is annoying, two I don't want to be a slave to my phone.

The iPhone doesn't have a flashing light, and if it did you could turn it off, and uh, are you sleeping with your phone on the pillow next to you or something? My phone could be playing Quake while I'm asleep and I wouldn't have a clue.
I guess a few of you don't care about not knowing if you get an important call or text message, but for many people it's pretty important. And not having this feature is like not having turn signals on a car because a few people think it makes their cars look like a circus or ruins the aesthetics of their car.. You're a slave to your iPhone since you have to check it a thousand times a day since there's no visual clue that you have a notification of some sorts.

If it's that important to you they still sell Blackberry's, get them before they are gone.

Seriously? I hope Apple doesn't share your philosophy, they just might find themselves in BB's shoes in a few years. I shouldn't have to buy another phone because the iPhone doesn't have a simple, cheap feature that dumbphones had over 5 years ago.

if you don't want a notification light you don't have to use it, many people want it, so why should they keep a feature off the phone to please a small minority? Especially when these things are optional??? I guess you won't be upgrading to iOS 5 when it comes out in the Fall since it has the ability to use the camera flash as a notification light??? It's already in iOS, so what people want is a dedicated one in the iPhone 5 that sits on the front of the phone where we can see it, and a low power led as the camera flash is too bright, faces the wrong way, and can't be good for battery life.

So it's a win-win situation, the people who don't want it can keep if off, and those of us who do can turn it on, everybody's happy, this is bad how?

 

[redbeard]

Unless Apple made it look like the front-facing camera, but on the other side of the ear speaker... the one thing that bothers me about the iphone is the front camera takes away the symmetry, bigtime. This could definitely help that imho.

They could make it invisible like the proximity sensor, hell my cable box has led lights that you can only see when they are on! I know Apple has a patent on screen tech where only part of the screen has to light up for notifications to save battery life.

Found it! Apple files for dual-backlight iPhone notification patent

That would be awesome.

 

[redbeard]

It's a matter of aesthetics. And remember Apple/Jobs is ALL about aesthetics... their products are generally beautifully designed. Even if it's non-functional (i.e., "disabled"), it will show as a "hole" in the bezel... and be a blight on another-wise beautiful device. (That assumes that it is "hidden" [really, there's no such thing] under the bezel.)

I don't need it. I don't want it. And I am not arguing for the sake of arguing... it would ruin the appearance of the phone and provide no additional benefit (to me).

Yea, that proximity sensor just ruins the look of the iPhone..

You don't need it, millions do, Apple exists for us all, not just you, you can keep it turned off!

Is the iPhone 4 "ruined" now because iOS 5 can turn on the led flash for notifications?

 

[anon(4698833)]

Apple could easily develop an LED system much like they have with the new macbook pro's, where the battery indicator LED's are located on the input side of the frame and are almost invisible except when turned on to check the battery level...in the case of the iPhone, that tiny little hole (even if it were as big as the macbooks) would make almost ZERO cosmetic difference on the phone, i doubt most people would even realize it was there until it was pointed out to them...i know several people who've looked at my MBP and asked where the battery gauge was (since it used to be obvious on the bottom of the machines)...then when they see it, they are shocked at how subtle but easily readable it is.

You telling me one of those tiny little holes located somewhere on the phone itself would ruin the aesthetics? LOL! Hell, they could put tiny little LED's like that in the speaker or somewhere that already exists on the front fascia and still be good to go without "ruining" the cosmetic appeal.

 

[dsmith3427]

All kinds of LED love in this thread today...I love it. Just hope Apple can make it happen for us few disabled customers that want ugly phones with a light that makes us slaves to it!

 

[Fausty82]

Yea, that proximity sensor just ruins the look of the iPhone..

You don't need it, millions do, Apple exists for us all, not just you, you can keep it turned off!

Is the iPhone 4 "ruined" now because iOS 5 can turn on the led flash for notifications?

Keeping it turned off doesn't do anything to address the other issues that I raised - the "hole" behind the bezel that cannot be hidden...

And you're sure "millions" of iPhone users want a visible LED? I don't think so.

And no, the iPhone4 is not ruined now because iOS5 uses the camera flash that is on the back of the device... where I don't see it. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the back of my phone.

 

[sting7k]

I'm pretty surprised Steve allowed the hardware battery meter on there.

I'm not against an LED light on the front. The last phone I had with one was a Motorola Krzr and I never have missed it really. It was nice but not something to nit pick over.

Apple - iPhone - Feedback

Tell Steve about it people.

 

[dsmith3427]

Keeping it turned off doesn't do anything to address the other issues that I raised - the "hole" behind the bezel that cannot be hidden...

And you're sure "millions" of iPhone users want a visible LED? I don't think so.

And no, the iPhone4 is not ruined now because iOS5 uses the camera flash that is on the back of the device... where I don't see it. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the back of my phone.

So one of those pinholes hidden behind glass that you wouldn't even see unless it was on would ruin the look of the phone for you??

And of course no one can be sure of the numbers who want it, but I would bet if there was a worldwide poll asking if an LED light is a feature they would want on their IPhone if it wasn't visible, could be disabled, and didn't cost them anything extra? I would venture a guess that more would want it than not want it.

 

[Fausty82]

So one of those pinholes hidden behind glass that you wouldn't even see unless it was on would ruin the look of the phone for you??

And of course no one can be sure of the numbers who want it, but I would bet if there was a worldwide poll asking if an LED light is a feature they would want on their IPhone if it wasn't visible, could be disabled, and didn't cost them anything extra? I would venture a guess that more would want it than not want it.

I can see the proximity sensor behind the bezel. I can see the front-facing camera behind the bezel. Why would I not be able to see the LED behind the bezel?

And if you ask the poll question that way, you may be right because he who frames the question wins. But you have NO control over IF it's implemented, and HOW it's done IF it is implemented.

But again, if I can see the other items "behind" the bezel, why would this be any different?

I get the feeling that I am peeing into the wind here... so I've stated my position and I am done here. We'll just have to wait to see what Jobs and his iPhone(next) designers do... until we know what they are doing, it's all moot anyway.

 

[AStranger]

And of course no one can be sure of the numbers who want it, but I would bet if there was a worldwide poll asking if an LED light is a feature they would want on their IPhone if it wasn't visible, could be disabled, and didn't cost them anything extra? I would venture a guess that more would want it than not want it.

Well, all we are doing is venturing guesses. I think if you asked people about if they would want any feature that wasn't visible and could be disabled then they would be ok with it.

Whenever they want to add a feature there is an opportunity cost and costs going forward. When they add something to the hardware then they would essentially be expected to have that in all future models and they have to maintain that feature in software.

I wouldn't want them to put the LED there for the frankly selfish view that I'd rather them spend that effort on implementing something that I'd use.

Apple is a company that is very loyal to their designs and their visions of it - though they are like any other corporation and they are forced to listen to those that they want to buy their products. I don't think a LED is a big priority for them because they are already winning customers from RIM without it and it looks like while those customers might like a LED, but they aren't generally going back to BB because of it.

 

[dsmith3427]

I can see the proximity sensor behind the bezel. I can see the front-facing camera behind the bezel. Why would I not be able to see the LED behind the bezel?

And if you ask the poll question that way, you may be right because he who frames the question wins. But you have NO control over IF it's implemented, and HOW it's done IF it is implemented.

But again, if I can see the other items "behind" the bezel, why would this be any different?

I get the feeling that I am peeing into the wind here... so I've stated my position and I am done here. We'll just have to wait to see what Jobs and his iPhone(next) designers do... until we know what they are doing, it's all moot anyway.

I'm going to have to call BS that you can see the proxity sensor unless you have a white phone. And I bet if even framed the question as simple as "would you want an LED indicator light on your IPhone", more people would say yes and not no.

 

[dsmith3427]

Well, all we are doing is venturing guesses. I think if you asked people about if they would want any feature that wasn't visible and could be disabled then they would be ok with it.

Whenever they want to add a feature there is an opportunity cost and costs going forward. When they add something to the hardware then they would essentially be expected to have that in all future models and they have to maintain that feature in software.

I wouldn't want them to put the LED there for the frankly selfish view that I'd rather them spend that effort on implementing something that I'd use.

Apple is a company that is very loyal to their designs and their visions of it - though they are like any other corporation and they are forced to listen to those that they want to buy their products. I don't think a LED is a big priority for them because they are already winning customers from RIM without it and it looks like while those customers might like a LED, but they aren't generally going back to BB because of it.

I think with the switch in IOS5 making the flash become available for notifications Apple is acknowledging they believe consumers do want the feature and there is a benefit. Unfortunately Apple can't change the hardware now, but I believe in the future we are going to see a light for us who want to use it. Man, if people are so opposed to a light on this forum, thank goodness I wasn't around last year with all the hoopla over a forward facing camera.

 

[AStranger]

Man, if people are so opposed to a light on this forum, thank goodness I wasn't around last year with all the hoopla over a forward facing camera.

I've never completely understood why people get so emotionally invested in features of an electronic device.

 

[dsmith3427]

Not sure...but to not want progress for the sake of progress...hmm.

 

[Hup55]

I find coming off of a RIM device that I do miss the LED light indicator. Its just handy not having to grab the device and check it all the time. Having said that I am getting used to listening for notifications on my iphone.

 

[porksoda]

I find coming off of a RIM device that I do miss the LED light indicator. Its just handy not having to grab the device and check it all the time. Having said that I am getting used to listening for notifications on my iphone.

I agree with you as a previous bb user.... but one thing for me is i get hundreds of emails alerts a day so using ip4 and not having led is better for me atleast.. why you ask? because in a way i am not slave to my device where if the light is flashing i HAD to pick it up.. whereas with ip4 i hear the audio if its email i will grab it if its something else thats not pressing i will decide to grab the phone when i want to.

After using ip4 (most ppl will disagree with me here) i do like the fact that lock screen has no info.. with bb it was always an urgency to get stuff off my lock screen and there was always this pressure.

With ip4 i get my calendar reminders and i check them and follow through but there is no extra pressure of having all what i have to do in my face all the time.

I hate to say it but i prefer the more "not in your face" way of ip4 in terms of notifications and lock info... i.e none.

I will say i do not use ip4 in vanilla format... i have it jb and i use Notified (non pro version) to have a list of notifications and use status bar icons for mail/mms/im/cal etc.

Personally i think without jb IP for me is very inadequate.

 

[dsmith3427]

I guess I just don't understand how someone feels pressured by a phone. You can always mute it, ignore it, or turn it off for that matter. Devices now are more than phones. They are our ways to text and email as well. If a manufacturer can make a device a more effective communicator, why not? If you don't want to read your email, don't. If you don't want to listen to a voicemail, don't. I just want a more effective way for the device to convey that info. Currently, the IPhone fails pretty bad at that. Don't get me wrong, everything else about the device is very very good, it's just the notifications are horrible.

 

[porksoda]

@dsmith3427: JB it and install a few apps that take care of notifications.

 

[dsmith3427]

Thanks. I do have it JB but unfortunately that won't add an light. Hopefully this fall.

 

[Arelunde]

The BB isn't the only smartphone with a notification light. I bet the iPh is the only one WITHOUT a notification light. Before I got my own iPh, I used to wonder why certain people were very slow to respond (especially) to texts. Often, there was no response at all. Then I realized those people had iPhones. Easy to miss new texts or emails if they accumulate. I'm all for a notification LED that can be customized or turned off.