About Those ‘Push Notifications’

Back in June, Apple showed off its solution to the problem of iPhone apps not being able to run in the background – push notifications. Basically, Apple would relay updates from the Cloud and push them to the phone. The most obvious winners would be apps like AIM. Now, if I close the app, I have no way of knowing if someone tried to contact me via AIM unless I go open the app. The notification system would be able to update my iPhone – even with the app closed – and tell me that someone needed my attention.

Here at the end of January, there’s no push notification system. And Macworld’s Dan Moren is okay with it:

But what Apple didn’t necessarily take into account was the user. Right now, you might get text messages popping up dialog boxes when you’re browsing the Web or checking your e-mail, but imagine that everyapplication on the iPhone had the ability to interrupt you. Sure, you’d probably be able to turn the notifications on and off for individual apps, but all it takes is one irresponsible application, and you’re inundated with dialog boxes and literal bells and whistles.

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Maybe that’s the simple answer: that people—to wit, users—just don’t care. They’ve learned to adapt to the iPhone’s way of doing things, and that way doesn’t include notifications or multitasking…at the moment, anyway. At some point in the future it seems likely that Apple will introduce a new feature that takes care of the issues that notifications would have addressed, and it appears that most users are content to wait until then.

While on one hand, it’s frustrating to see Apple’s idea turn into vaporware, on the other hand, Moren is on to something – all of our iPhones would be going crazy all the time. And all of us would be going crazy when the system (which seemed quite complicated) went down.

Honestly, I think the only two apps I would use it for would be Remember the Milk and Byline.