URLs in iOS feel like a second class citizen.
iPhone is a great productivity device. But when it comes to doing anything with URLs, you have to do an elaborate dance between options and apps.
Take the facebook app for example. You follow a link shared in your facebook stream. What can you do with it, if you don’t want to re-share it in facebook? Only one option: open it in safari. Now, if you want to add this link to google+, instapaper, tumbler, etc. you have to copy the URL, and then open the relevant app -so many taps to do a simple thing!
Some apps, for example Flipboard, give more options, but the whole environment is set up in such a way that if you want to do something outside the give options, it’s still hard. And I always feel like the options I get are only there because they are part of the app developer business strategy -how do I know “share on facebook” won’t be removed in a future version of safari or chrome?
Yes, in most cases, you can find a workaround. But it always comes at the cost of ease and productivity. I often feel that URLs are considered a second class citizen in iOS (compare this to photos for example).
If only safari and chrome on iOS added support for bookmarklets, things would be much easier. (Yes, I know that technically, you can ad a bookmarklet, but going through a 19-step (yes, nineteen!) procedure can’t be a reasonable answer.)
