iPhone App hell. Noooooooo…

I’m going insane

I have created a monster. I can’t leave my iPhone alone. I’m obsessed with how my apps are arranged and how many I’ve got and the order they are in, what colour icons they are, if the planets are aligned as a result, blah blah. It’s getting out of hand and it has to stop.
So…..
I need to put to bed this obsession by confronting it head on and creating the ultimate home screen. A home screen that is functional and gets the most out of the phone+computer+iPod device that is never in my pocket, because I’m too busy messing with the layout.
See…..
There is no issue here except what I’ve created. Why shouldn’t it be anything other then fun? Why stress over it?

…..sigh…..

But I do so here’s what I’m doing. I’m compiling a bunch of home screens all of which are from people I know. Personalities that I know so I understand why the apps are where they are, or at least, try to understand. I want to know what they consider the most important 20 apps. What needs to be on the first page, what needs to be amongst the bottom 4 and what order they like to see them in. I’m heading straight for iPhone home screen oneness and it will be glorious.

NOTE: I know iPhone 4 is out so comparing a 3GS screen is a little dated but fuck it. I’ve not got an iPhone 4 so balls to that!

OK so to start with let’s take the 3GS home screen as it is out of the box and lets see what I deem essential, good and not needed.

OK so the dock (bottom row) first.

Phone – Used daily
Mail – Used daily
Safari – Used daily
iPod – Used almost daily

Now the stock Apple Apps that come as standard….

Messages – Used daily
Calender – Used a lot
Photos – Used daily
Camera – Used daily
You Tube – Hmmm, not used too often
Stocks – What? Opened once to see the interface!
Maps – Used sometimes. Useful App.
Weather – Met Office has a better version that I use often
Voice Memos – Used often
Notes – Used daily
Clock – Used daily
Calculator – Not used too often
Settings – Used daily
iTunes – Used once
App Store – Used a lot
Compass – Never used properly
Contacts – Never. I jump to Contacts through Phone

So we now have some Apps we can remove from the home screen because they simply aren’t being used

You Tube – Hmmm, not used too often
Stocks – What? Opened once to see the interface!
Weather – Met Office has a better version that I use often
Calculator – Not used too often
iTunes – Used once
Compass – Never used properly
Contacts – Never. I jump to Contacts through Phone

Now comes the order….
I reckon Apple know what they are doing so there is no reason to move the stock Apps I’m keeping on the front page… Well except for Messages, which I’ll swap with iPod in the dock. Messages pulls rank with usage alone and I think Safari needs to be swapped with Camera. Again because I take pictures more then browse the net.
So that fills the (always accessible) dock with the most used.
This leaves spaces that need filling.

Weather is being swapped with Met Office due to it allowing for forward planning. Leaving 5 spaces available…….

Rather then list every App I have and rate them as above I am just going to list all the Apps I use daily.

To-Dos – Lists of stuff, well, to do
Project 365 – A photo a day for a year. I like photos so it figures
MobileRSS – To keep up with my feeds. Of which are many!
Wordpress – To manage this site and others!
Dropbox – Useful back up / sharing service

How are we doing now?
So with the spaces left filled with Apps I’ve downloaded that I use daily….
Why couldn’t I have done that when I got the fucking phone?! It’s simple! What a knob. A knob with the perfect home screen!!

“But iPhone’s OS4 allows groups so you should be utilising groups” I hear you say……
Well. Pages 2 and 3 do have groups. Games being one of the notible groups. But not on the home screen. I feel it hinders usability and I think the key thing is to have super quick access to the apps on the home screen.

So here it is. My perfect home screen and with this post, my OCD cured, (or controlled)…..