Kevin Rose: How iPhone Copy + Paste will work
Sunday's headline out of the South by Southwest Interactive 2009 conference now underway in Austin, Texas, is Kevin ("Digg") Rose's "confirmation"Â that Apple (AAPL) will finally introduce a copy-and-paste function in iPhone 3.0, the update to the device's basic operating system scheduled to be unveiled at a special event this Tuesday, March 17.
Rose made the announcement during a raucous on-site taping of Diggnation, a weekly podcast he hosts with Alex Albrecht. The moment was captured on video by Derek Steen, an Australian photographer, and first appeared here. A YouTube version is pasted below the fold. (Warning: strong language.)
Copy and paste is one of the iPhone's most-asked-for features. According to Rose, Apple has implemented it as a multi-step process:
- You double tap on a word (or, presumably, an insertion point)
- A kind of magnifying glass appears with quote marks on either side of the selection
- You drag the quote marks forward or back to surround the section you want to work with
- You choose one of three buttons: Copy, Paste or Cut
Rose says he was told by a "friend who has been right before" that, in general, iPhone 3.0 will offer every function that the Palm (PALM) Pre promised but the iPhone didn't yet have.
He was also given some details about what isn't going to be in iPhone 3.0:
- No background apps ("not this release")
- No video ("it's a technical problem")
- No multimedia messaging service (MMS)
[UPDATE: Rose was wrong about MMS. It WILL be included in iPhone 3.0. See here.]
Rose has a mixed record when it comes to iPhone rumors. One month before the device was first released, he said it would have a slide out keyboard, a touch screen and two batteries. It had a touch screen. In June 2008 he said Apple would release a low-end iPhone that costs $200. The 8GB iPhone released on July 11 retailed for $199.
See also:
Below: The SXSW video.
There is MMS so why the F do we keep giving Kevin Rose so much pub for his 50% correct guesses? And they're not even guesses. Someone is spoon feeding him information so it's not like he has this amazing predictive ability. He just has an info advantage, which is wrong half the time.
Very nice. For funny things and news come on http://www.bussinesfun.com
Very nice. For funny things and news come on http://www.bussinesfun.com
@ atlanta
i haven't watched the video (i'm guessing it the one above with the red XPS)…
it's called a hackintosh.
google it.
@ atlanta
i haven't watched the video (i'm guessing it the one above with the red XPS)…
it's called a hackintosh.
google it.
While 'copy&paste' is a pretty significant inclusion to the latest update, the previous posts seem to mock and jeer Apple's 'lateness' in 'excluding basic Palm functionalities'.
I'm not against such comments, by any means.
But I would like to remind all that the Iphone is this: an IPOD that Makes Phone Calls. Everything else it does is pretty much an afterthought.
Palm has and always will be a mobile productivity device. They've done the research and have gone through all the growing pains to be such.
Apple's Iphone is trying to step into that realm, but I don't really expect too much development to be progressed by it's 3rd or even 5th firmware build.
I own both. I use my Iphone as a personal phone and music player. I use my palm to actually get work done.
See the difference?
WHAT! WTF?
No video because " … it's a technical problem …"
Jail break it, add video, no problem. Why would Apple NOT have video out of the box a year back? My cell phones have had video for years, as does my 5 year old Palm.
WHAT! WTF?
No video because " … it's a technical problem …"
Jail break it, add video, no problem. Why would Apple NOT have video out of the box a year back? My cell phones have had video for years, as does my 5 year old Palm.
i love ppl who say that vastly inferior implementations of features were released years ago on other platforms.
think apple "can't" do copy and paste in a mobile platform?
my newton that predates your palm begs to differ.
it's not about doing it, it's about doing it right (you idiots). Quit drooling and go indulge. You can always hack it!
i've used windows mobile since 5, i've owned 2 newtons, and about 4 Palm devices and one handspring. (IT guy) and please people, saying any mobile platform holds a candle to the iphone is laughable.
This is from a guy who ran Luna Suite and got a full browser working on his newton with wireless internet access and sync. The handwriting recognition is still far better than window's mobile. I waited for the day i could sue verizon for how terrible my xv6700 was. (you couldn't pick up the phone if IE had a big page loaded, it would crash) The only thing that worked properly was the cracked tom tom.
it's not worth being first if you suck.
i love ppl who say that vastly inferior implementations of features were released years ago on other platforms.
think apple "can't" do copy and paste in a mobile platform?
my newton that predates your palm begs to differ.
it's not about doing it, it's about doing it right (you idiots). Quit drooling and go indulge. You can always hack it!
i've used windows mobile since 5, i've owned 2 newtons, and about 4 Palm devices and one handspring. (IT guy) and please people, saying any mobile platform holds a candle to the iphone is laughable.
This is from a guy who ran Luna Suite and got a full browser working on his newton with wireless internet access and sync. The handwriting recognition is still far better than window's mobile. I waited for the day i could sue verizon for how terrible my xv6700 was. (you couldn't pick up the phone if IE had a big page loaded, it would crash) The only thing that worked properly was the cracked tom tom.
it's not worth being first if you suck.
Cynik: there are also some Americans telling us Yanks that we need to mimic your country's NHS medical care system, too. Maybe this makes us even.
Was an entire article actually composed to say copy/paste is on the iPhone?
I thought it was going to be a slightly humorous article about how lame the iPhone has become. Honestly, no video, no MMS, JUST getting copy/paste (using a methodology that seems way too labor intensive)… WTF people?
Also, just because you break your OS doesn't mean Windows sucks. 90% (completely made up from personal experience) of complaints about Vista came from people trying to buy a cheap computer and running an OS that needs 21st century hardware. STOP RUNNING A PENTIUM III AND COMPLAINING. Mac only seems to "work better" because they try and make it impossible to buy a computer that won't support the demands of its OS.
Buy some RAM people… or at least a dual core.
Was an entire article actually composed to say copy/paste is on the iPhone?
I thought it was going to be a slightly humorous article about how lame the iPhone has become. Honestly, no video, no MMS, JUST getting copy/paste (using a methodology that seems way too labor intensive)… WTF people?
Also, just because you break your OS doesn't mean Windows sucks. 90% (completely made up from personal experience) of complaints about Vista came from people trying to buy a cheap computer and running an OS that needs 21st century hardware. STOP RUNNING A PENTIUM III AND COMPLAINING. Mac only seems to "work better" because they try and make it impossible to buy a computer that won't support the demands of its OS.
Buy some RAM people… or at least a dual core.
"Billy Burgess: Windows Mobile software/hardware combination sucks! I had a Motorola Q with Windows Mobile and it was by far the worse phone that I have ever owned in my entire life, constant freezes, total locks! (only way to get it moving was to remove the battery), updates didn’t help much, CRAP, this is why people are moving to Apple/Linux."
I have a windows mobile samsung omnia and it works great. Not one freeze up since I got it and it goes 5 days on one battery charge. I think the Q's were complete garbage from the start and mostly was due to very cheap hardware in those phones. If you haven't notices Motorola is where they are now because of their lack of quality products. Its pretty easy to realize. Check out Samsung and HTC, they make good phones that work and well its reflected in their sales. A moto Q is nothing more than a fancy brick that lights up and works every so often if you are lucky.
That is so lame.
Palm has copy and past on the Palm III
And you're still using the Palm III.
Palm Pre isn't even here yet. It's still vaporware.
That is so lame.
Palm has copy and past on the Palm III
And you're still using the Palm III.
Palm Pre isn't even here yet. It's still vaporware.
Billy Burgess: Windows Mobile software/hardware combination sucks! I had a Motorola Q with Windows Mobile and it was by far the worse phone that I have ever owned in my entire life, constant freezes, total locks! (only way to get it moving was to remove the battery), updates didn't help much, CRAP, this is why people are moving to Apple/Linux.
Windows still makes crap.
Billy Burgess: Windows Mobile software/hardware combination sucks! I had a Motorola Q with Windows Mobile and it was by far the worse phone that I have ever owned in my entire life, constant freezes, total locks! (only way to get it moving was to remove the battery), updates didn't help much, CRAP, this is why people are moving to Apple/Linux.
Windows still makes crap.
Too many WoW factor from a copy & paste…
LOL what a shame… I used copy in paste on my Palm III 10 years ago…
That's why I dont look back, Cmon Palm bring the Pré, bring it! 
Too many WoW factor from a copy & paste…
LOL what a shame… I used copy in paste on my Palm III 10 years ago…
That's why I dont look back, Cmon Palm bring the Pré, bring it!
I got my cut and paste on my dos and apple 2e and win 3.0
what about you?
dah?
any program with no cut and paste should go straight rubbish bin.
I got my cut and paste on my dos and apple 2e and win 3.0
what about you?
dah?
any program with no cut and paste should go straight rubbish bin.
Why oh why are you people such Apple Sycophants? Is it possible that you know so little about the Smartphone market that you could have missed the fact that Windows Mobile Smartphones have had this capability for almost a decade! Like so many other articles which seems to have come right off the pages of Apples's own press releases, this one ignores the fact that the iPhone is so far BEHIND the current state of the Art that the only headlines it deserves are: Apple still can't get the iPhone to do the most basic functions of a Smartphone."
ex ped: Or course you're right, Billy. It's just that we've been harping on Apple to add cut and paste to the iPhone for so long we take it for granted that readers know how frustrated we are about the whole situation.
Why oh why are you people such Apple Sycophants? Is it possible that you know so little about the Smartphone market that you could have missed the fact that Windows Mobile Smartphones have had this capability for almost a decade! Like so many other articles which seems to have come right off the pages of Apples's own press releases, this one ignores the fact that the iPhone is so far BEHIND the current state of the Art that the only headlines it deserves are: Apple still can't get the iPhone to do the most basic functions of a Smartphone."
ex ped: Or course you're right, Billy. It's just that we've been harping on Apple to add cut and paste to the iPhone for so long we take it for granted that readers know how frustrated we are about the whole situation.
On a past thread, I posted an entry regarding the woeful performance of Apple UK staff to deliver their business machine, the Xserve. They couldn't get it to me within 5 days.
Well, as an update, I am now informed by Apple UK that our business machine will ship on the 6th of April. So it has taken Apple UK one month to get the Xserve in the post. ONE MONTH!!!!
On the web store, it says "ready to ship in 4 days".
I'm not joking. One month. No apologies are offered by the staff, either. Just a one line email telling us to wait until the 6th of april for the item to ship. This is after we were promised "prompt" delivery within 10 days, and after they took our money.
Seriously, folks, if you are a shareholder of this company, understand that your money is supporting a welfare system in the UK. It is a complete mystery to me why Apple even bother in the Xserve market.
Oh, I just got an email back from Apple dude UK. He tells me that I can ring a number (some other people within Apple) and ask them to hurry up delivery.
I wrote back suggesting that he could also ring this number. That is going to freak him out completely. Poor guy. Someone asking him to do his job.
The emails between myself and Apple are chilling reading for anyone who believes Apple Europe are serious about business.
On a past thread, I posted an entry regarding the woeful performance of Apple UK staff to deliver their business machine, the Xserve. They couldn't get it to me within 5 days.
Well, as an update, I am now informed by Apple UK that our business machine will ship on the 6th of April. So it has taken Apple UK one month to get the Xserve in the post. ONE MONTH!!!!
On the web store, it says "ready to ship in 4 days".
I'm not joking. One month. No apologies are offered by the staff, either. Just a one line email telling us to wait until the 6th of april for the item to ship. This is after we were promised "prompt" delivery within 10 days, and after they took our money.
Seriously, folks, if you are a shareholder of this company, understand that your money is supporting a welfare system in the UK. It is a complete mystery to me why Apple even bother in the Xserve market.
Oh, I just got an email back from Apple dude UK. He tells me that I can ring a number (some other people within Apple) and ask them to hurry up delivery.
I wrote back suggesting that he could also ring this number. That is going to freak him out completely. Poor guy. Someone asking him to do his job.
The emails between myself and Apple are chilling reading for anyone who believes Apple Europe are serious about business.
Kevin Rose is definitely in the know, except when it comes to Apple Rumors. I don't think he's ever been right about an iPhone rumor 
Not making him a bad source or anything, he just doesn't have the best "connection" within apple regarding this stuff.
Kevin Rose is definitely in the know, except when it comes to Apple Rumors. I don't think he's ever been right about an iPhone rumor
Not making him a bad source or anything, he just doesn't have the best "connection" within apple regarding this stuff.
I see this as working for cut and copy, but does this mean you need to select something in order for the paste option to come up? What if you don't want to overwrite anything with the clipboard, but just insert instead? Something's missing here.
ex ped: I'm presuming you could also double-tap on an insertion point.
I see this as working for cut and copy, but does this mean you need to select something in order for the paste option to come up? What if you don't want to overwrite anything with the clipboard, but just insert instead? Something's missing here.
ex ped: I'm presuming you could also double-tap on an insertion point.
Great story up until the last sentence bro. The 8GB* iphone was $199 not MB. Glaringly inaccurate.
ex ped: Arrgh. Thanks for the catch. Fixed.
Great story up until the last sentence bro. The 8GB* iphone was $199 not MB. Glaringly inaccurate.
ex ped: Arrgh. Thanks for the catch. Fixed.
There is MMS so why the F do we keep giving Kevin Rose so much pub for his 50% correct guesses? And they're not even guesses. Someone is spoon feeding him information so it's not like he has this amazing predictive ability. He just has an info advantage, which is wrong half the time.