iPhone’s Missing Copy & Paste ☀
Marco takes umbrage at my previous quote clip from echovar:
This is a stupid implication. The iPhone doesn’t have copy-and-paste because it has no universal notion of text selection or context menus in standard text input fields, and designing such features in a graceful, accessible, and non-confusing way on a device with (essentially) no buttons is challenging.
According to Apple VP Greg Joswiak, the cut and paste feature was cut because other features had a higher priority:
When asked about cut-and-paste support, something that many iPhone users—ourselves included—have clamored for, Joz said that the feature simply didn’t make—if you’ll pardon the expression—the cut on Apple’s priority list for the latest software release. There’s nothing against cut-and-paste, Joz claimed, it’s just that other features were determined to be more in demand.
Whatever the reason, the missing “cut and paste” is a shameful omission. It’s my biggest gripe with the iPhone (other than the closed box development process, which is fodder for another, more lengthy treatment forthcoming in a future post), the only blemishes on this remarkable gadget.
