iPhone 6 ~and the concern of left handers !!!

There was a time, when there were not many left handers in 1970s save a few like Salim Durrani,  Ajit Wadekar, Eknath Solkar, Surinder Amarnath  – later came many including – Sourav Ganguly, Vinod Kambli, Suresh Raina, Sadagopan Ramesh, Yuvraj Singh, to name a few.

Lefthanders are also called ‘south-paws’.  This term reportedly originated in US – and referred to baseball pitchers.  It is stated that the baseball parks are usually so designed that the batter faces east, so that the afternoon/ evening sun (most baseball matches are played during these hours) does not does not fall on the batter's eyes.  It is also a boxing terminology – a term describing the stance where the boxer has his right hand and right foot forward, leading with right jabs, and following with a left cross right hook. Southpaw is the normal stance for a left-handed boxer. The corresponding designation for a right-handed boxer is orthodox.

By some accounts, only  about 10 percent of the population is left-handed. And it isn't always easy,  as some claim that  Lefties experience discrimination. They are more prone to some negative experiences and behaviours than their right-handed counterparts, including a greater likelihood of learning disabilities and even some mood disorders. But left-handedness also has its benefits -- including an important evolutionary advantage.

A left-handed compliment would refer to a remark that seems acceptable but is something that could be treated as an insult !!

Recently, there was rage about release of - Apple iPhone 6  - in Indian Rupees it would be around Rs.38000/- approx..   iPhone, is a line of smartphones designed and marketed by Apple Inc. They run Apple's iOS mobile operating system.  The user interface is built around the device's multi-touch screen, including a virtual keyboard. The iPhone has Wi-Fi and can connect to cellular networks. An iPhone can shoot video, take photos, play music, send and receive email, browse the web, send texts, GPS navigation, record notes, do mathematical calculations, and receive visual voicemail.  There are nine generations of iPhone models, each accompanied by one of the nine major releases of iOS.

6s Plus users have noticed the dock is on the right in Landscape mode ~this is difficult for left-handed people to use and is leading to complaints.  Meanwhile, other lefties have taken to Twitter to praise the phone.

Ever since the iPhone 4 dropped signal when held in a left hand, Apple has come under fire for not doing more to support its left-handed users. Following on from the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus on Friday, this issue has reared its ugly head again as annoyed lefties have taken to Twitter to complain. Some bemoan the fact the phones don't have a mirroring tool, while others criticise the location of the dock in Landscape mode.

MailOnline reports that following on from the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, left-handed users have been complaining on Twitter about the fact the phones don't have a mirroring tool to suit their needs. Others have criticised the location of the dock when the larger models are orientated in Landscape mode.  The issue was first spotted by Sophie Kleeman at news site Mic. One of her colleagues noticed that when the larger Plus model is turned on its side, and Landscape mode is enabled, the side dock sits next to the home button. This means that a left-handed user holding the phone in their dominant hand has to control this dock with their weaker hand.

There is another debate in media on whether iPhones are waterproof especially because - Apple has not made any specific mention of the handsets being waterproof.

Apple's Accessibility menu has various options to help people use their iPhones if they have limited mobility, for example, or need speech-to-text controls. However, there is no way of enabling a left-handed mode that mirrors the features exactly while making them more accessible from the left-hand of the screen.  But not all left-handed users are complaining about the phones and software.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Oct 2015.