is there a shortcut for Bluetooth

No, there is not.

My first experience with an apple product was an Apple lle. I have finally taken the plunge with an iPhone. I was under the impression from the effects of the iOS on Mac OSX that dumbing down for simplicity was what it was all about. Then I tried to arrange for a simple top level control of bluetooth on and off. All my dumb phones since the advent of bluetooth 1 have been able to do this.

After researching to find only a jailbreak would make this possible now, I persisted and tried the root pointing methods that did work until sometime in 2011. Slick at the time but rendered invalid by an Apple cleanup crew. Does Apple want me to jailbreak the OS? Just for the basic functionality of an alias or dead simple script?

I have never gotten over, through all the models of Apple Macintosh I have had, the simple arrogance of the true believers. You up there (above me in every way with all your lovely points), "No, there is not." Maybe that is an iOS type answer.

So having gone iPhone I'll just always go levels down turning bluetooth on and off hoping I don't forget and run the battery down. Oh, and being told that leaving it on will run my battery down faster rubs salt in it, too.

So, truly: No, there is not.

What else would you have me say? I answered the OP's question. I wasn't engaging in a philosophical debate on user interface design. Nor will I.

BT uses very little battery when not actually connected. I have found that leaving it on all the time has a negligible affect on my battery life.

Disabling Bluetooth will save less than ten minutes of battery life per charge. The shortcut is not provided because it is not useful.

iOS 6 will put the bt switch on the first settings page for quicker access, However disabling bt when it's not actively paired and in use saves negligeable battery life. It does energize ignorant whiners and ranters.

You doth protest too much, methinks. And so righteously!

It does energize ignorant whiners and ranters.

The shortcut is not provided because it is not useful.

I wasn't engaging in a philosophical debate on user interface design.

Despite the fact that a question of practical function is inherently not a philosophical question, this is the only place I have ever heard anyone claim that a bluetooth device seeking communion with its bluetooth tribal members didn't use power up. Doubtless you all know much more than me. Perhaps one other often seeked high level switch, wifi connection seeking, doesn't use any power, either?

Consider me properly chastened and put in my place.

A simple question was asked and an an answer given. The thread lay dormant for months until you decided it was necessary to object to my answer. An answer that, I might add, you've never denied is correct. The reality is, there is no way to put a toggle for BT on the home screen. No amount of discussion will change that. Only Apple can change that. If you want them to know how you feel, please use the appropriate link on the Feedback page:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

this is the only place I have ever heard anyone claim that a bluetooth device seeking communion with its bluetooth tribal members didn't use power up. Doubtless you all know much more than me.

Yes we do. Apparently abject ignorance of the technology is not sufficient reason for you to learn more before humiliating yourself. Unless BT on the phone is in discovery mode (while showing the BT settings screen), it runs completely passively unless in the presence of other BT devices seeking to pair. The power consumption is minimal - only a few minutes/charge cycle.

FYI, no one said there is no power use. Negligible is not the same as none. Time for you to sign up for a reading comprehension refresher course?

Perhaps one other often seeked high level switch, wifi connection seeking, doesn't use any power, either?

When not connected to WiFi there isn't much consumption, but a lot more that BT uses. WiFi range and power are a lot higher. Disabling WiFi except when you know for sure there is none available is usually counterproductive since 3G-4G data network connections use a great deal more than WiFi. The time connected to WiFi usually saves a lot more than used by leaving it active to seek connections.

As stated, nobody is claiming that there is no power draw when bluetooth is enabled. Just that is low enough to be irrelevant when bluetooth is not actively in use.

Consider that a bluetooth headseat, whose rechargeable battery has a capacity of less than 100 mAh, can remain paired to a device and in standby mode for more than seven days. When enabled but not actively paired, the bluetooth components in an iPhone would draw a similar amount of power, from a battery with a significantly higher capacity.