And for my next Apple purchase....the Airport Extreme!

I've had a Dlink wireless router for about four years now. During the past few months I've had all kinds of intermittent problems with my wifi connections and broadband speeds to Comcast. I knew the router was the culprit, but didn't really want to spend the money. After my level of frustration crossed my desired to not spend money I decided to purchase a new wireless router. I looked at lots of vendors and checked out reviews from various web sites and ultimately went with the Airport Extreme. I agree the the Airport Extreme is not the most configurable router. You won't find Quality of Service and most advanced wireless features, but I don't need them so why does it matter? The Airport Extreme drew me, in part, because of its really nice and basic design. I also liked the configuration tool that Apple has. Technical reviewers are always critical of Apple for not having a web interface, but seriously, it's not a big deal. The performance and reliability has been great so far so no complaints. I could have been just as happy with another Dlink router, but the Airport Extreme just felt like the right decision when considering everything.

No iPhone 4s Envy Here

I'll be the first to tell you that I have gadget envy any time a new type of device is released that's "cool". Apple products typically fall in that category and I fully expected to feel envy towards those who would have the latest and greatest Apple phone creation. However, after using the iPhone 4s I have to say I'm not so envious. Compared to my iPhone 4 it's not that big of a leap forward. Sure the camera improvements and speed are better, but not enough to make me feel like I'm missing out. I suppose you might argue that Siri alone would be my reason for envy. When I first heard about Siri I was really excited about the technology, however my experience with Siri hasn't been so great. I still feel like Siri is missing the ability to perform certain requests. Now I know that Siri is Beta and I do have very reasonable expectations, but the fact that Siri is what it is in its current state makes me feel less envious towards those who have it. For now I'll enjoy my iPhone 4. If I am able to get my hands on a 4s I certainly won't say no, but there's no envy on my part for now.

Retired Mac Mini Replaced by MacBook Air

Over the past few years I have been on two iterations of the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini is a great product. In my situation the price was right and it fit right in with my current monitor. Sure it wasn't as fast as others in the Mac lineup, but it did it's job.

Over time the Mac Mini began to feel slow. I was also frustrated with my Mac Mini after I found it couldn't run Lion well. Those two things alone were not enough to compel me to purchase a new computer. However, a loud and malfunctioning DVD player pushed me towards a new purchase decision.

While I liked the iMacs I wanted my next computer to be a laptop. I already had an external larger monitor I was happy with so the iMacs large screens weren't really a draw. The portability of a laptop was appealing. Lucky for me that the new MacBook Air was announced one month prior to my decision. I knew the old model and wasn't impressed with the specs. The old model was my three year old Mac Mini in a thin case. However, the new models were much faster with an i5 processor. So I pulled the trigger and purchased my new MacBook Air and have been loving it ever since. Very pleased with the performance and the decision. There are lots of sites to find reviews on the Air, but I can tell you I'm really happy with it.

Uninstalled Lion Due to Poor Performance

It's hard these days to get excited about a computer operating system. Between Windows 7 and Mac OS they're both highly functional with lots of features. That being said, when new OS upgrades come out I still enjoy having the latest one so I can take advantage of the new features. When Lion was announced a few months ago I wasn't particularly wowed. Sure there are lots of great features, but nothing that critical. With the upgrade priced at $30 its hard to say no to when you enjoy new technology!

After a couple hour download and install of Lion from the AppStore I was ready to go. I logged in, started using the new Mail and checked out some of the other new features. Initially everything went well, but after using Lion for a few days I couldn't get over how much it slowed down my computer. The video transitions were terrible and video playback often stuttered. After about a week, I decided it was bad enough where I wanted Snow Leopard back! So I loaded up my Snow Leopard DVD and used Time Machine to take me to my prior OS life.

I don't feel any worse off with Lion and at some point I would expect some of the issues I had to be addressed through bug fixes. However, I was disappointed I had to revert back. I've never had that experience before with an Apple product. Any Lion desires will have to wait...

iPhone Annoyances - December 2010

If you’ve read a number of my previous blog entries you’ve seen a number of my criticisms of the iPhone. I wanted to cover my most recent list of annoyances. Some of these are based off of a comparison with other devices while other items are things I would just like to see. Here’s the list:

• Lack of hard buttons for a variety of features. There are a couple of annoyances here. First, I miss an end button when I’m ready to hang up. I also miss having a “back” button like you might find on a Blackberry or Android phone. Apple makes huge tradeoffs by substituting aesthetics for functionality.
• The iPhone calendar is terrible. It’s incrediblly basic - rudimentary. It’s missing basic functionality like holding down on a time to create a new appointment and being able to side swipe between dates. Fortunately the 2.0 version of Week Cal saves the iPhone from its terrible excuse of a calendar. Android’s calendar puts the iPhone to shame.
• The lack of an external LED light continues to bug me. I like looking at my phone from across the room to see if I have a message or a missed call. Again, Apple trading in functionality for aesthetics.
• The iPhone’s method for alerts is terrible. They are practically useless because they are so difficult to manage. I believe Apple hired Palm’s notification expert to address notifications in iOS. Would guess and hope this would be an iOS 5.0 item.
• Why is there no option to easily view my picture after I take it? Every time I take a picture it’s reduced to a little thumbnail that I need to click on to expand. Apple’s camera application needs an option where the picture recently taken can stay on the screen for a number of seconds to determine if I want to keep it.
• Multitasking works great on the iPhone. If you want to select between different open applications you can scroll back and forth between apps to select them. The only issue is, after a while you can have 15-20 apps in your multitask tray. Even though applications don’t need to be closed, Apple should provide a way to “close all” to make the open application list more manageable when using it.
• One of long standing annoyances with the iPhone is the inability to complete basic tasks such as turn Bluetooth or wireless access on and off from the home screen. It takes too long to dig through the Settings application to make simple changes like that. Android users have a basic widget to meet this need while us iPhone users go through hoops to toggle these basic features.
• Apple provides access to applications and Safari pages via the home screens. That’s great, but why not the ability to have a contact as an icon. If I want to call someone, it takes too many steps to open the phone app and find the contact to call. Others have complained about this as well, and I find it very annoying when it's something that could so easily be added.
• I really envy Android users who have Google’s turn by turn directions (with voice) built in to the phone. That’s such a great value add I wish Apple provided.
• I want a Mail icon on the top status bar if I have a message. There are jailbreaks that provide this. It’s really a no brainer for a smartphone and can’t think of any reason why Apple wouldn’t want to include.
• And finally, what I think has been my greatest annoyance, is my inability to use voice recognition on the iPhone. Android includes voice recognition in all aspects of the phone. I frequently used Dragon Dictation and Google Mobile on the iPhone, both have some voice recognition, but there’s nothing integrated in iOS. A real bummer as I find I want to use voice commands for many different functions from composing a message, to finding out directions, etc…

I can’t provide an update on my iPhone usage and be completely negative. The quality of the iPhone apps continues to amaze me. Android apps don’t come anywhere close to them in terms of look and feel. Safari continutes to be a great mobile experience compared to other mobile browsers. Safari is fluid and does a great job of focusing in on text correctly. Except for multiple window management, it’s great. Not having Flash doesn’t bother me. All things considered I’m still happy with my iPhone, but there remains a lot of room for improvement. AT&T has their own improving to do. The AT&T network in Chicago, where I am, continues to operate at a snail's pace. Walt Mossberg did a great job of putting AT&T on the line on the topic of network quality.

The Growing Discontent with the iPhone

I want to like my iPhone 4. I really do, but the number of things that I either can't do or don't work are really starting to get to me. The biggest issue I have right now is that the proximity sensor is still having an issue. For those unfamiliar, the proximity sensor is a part of the phone that can sense when it is close to your head. So when you place the phone to your head the screen turns off. Well, that's not working. The issue was supposed to be fixed with iOS 4.1 but it's still a problem. I'll talk on the phone while on the bus and everyone can suddenly hear what I'm saying because my ear touched the Speaker button. Ridiculous that this even occurs for a company that claims how everything "just works". I've also become frustrated with features Android users have that I don't. For example, if I'm in the calendar and want to touch hold an appointment I should have that option. Another example, on my home screens I can have applications and Safari bookmarks, why can't I have contacts to call or email? How can the most "advanced" mobile device lack things that Android has had for multiple versions. Apple can't blame AT&T solely for why people are choosing Android phones. There are many great reasons to have Android. I find the Android feature of having speech to text in the OS practically a must have. Of course, for many iPhone users, AT&T continues to be a sore spot. In my location in Chicago I am very close to two towers, but they are at capacity. I've even worked with someone, who was very nice, at AT&T in their Executive Support division who confirmed of many service issues in my area. The same issues that have been around for over two years now. Apple needs to get up to speed with the competition and quick. The OS needs significant work, especially in the area of alerts, to complete over the long term with Google's Android. Apple clearly has a long term strategy and a vision for their product, but that vision comes at the expense of users who are shorted on features.

New iPad a Winner

I purchased my iPad on April 3rd at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store. I didn't expect the lines to be very long and they weren't. I arrived around 9:20 AM and found my place in the "reserved line". After about five minutes, I was led in to the store with dozens of Apple employees cheering for me. I thought that was ridiculous. Cheering for people who are spending upward of $500 on a personal technology device? Really? I think Apple needs to rethink this approach. I'd much rather see big signs saying "thank you for supporting Apple!" along with enthusiastic clapping. That's just me...

After thinking through my space needs a few weeks back I opted for the 32 GB wifi only iPad. 16 GB wasn't enough and 64 GB seemed like overkill for an extra $100 over the 32 GB. I also picked up a dock and case. The store was setup so each customer purchasing an iPad could work one-on-one with an Apple staff member. The Apple staff did a GREAT job of getting me registered, giving me a quick tour and answering some of the questions I had that were still unknowns prior to the device going public. I had already watched the iPad videos on the Apple web site on Friday and I've used an iPhone and Touch so the learning curve was already low.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts after using it for a day and a half. The device is absolutely all it was made out to be. All of the critics who say the iPad is simply a larger iPhone just can't appreciate how an increase in screen size can dramatically change a user experience. I think in time those voices will die down as people begin to use the device and see the potential. The colors produced by the screen are bright and vivid. The screen size combined with the dramatic screen colors are a joy to experience. Besides the screen's color it is incredibly responsive. I was actually surprised by how responsive the screen is to "pinch" and "expand" type gestures. The iPad is also very fast compared to an iPhone or Touch. The processing speed provided by the iPad is remarkable.

I'm working my way through a number of applications. In the builtin application arena, Safari has a nice Expose like view of all of your open Safari windows. iTunes, the App Store, Mail, Photos, etc all look great. The Calendar looks fantastic with a week view that's incredibly valuable. Hopefully we'll see a week view on the iPhone one day. The absence of a Weather and Stock program is more than made up for by third party applications. On the third party side I've tried a number of news, productivity and weather applications and they do a great job of showing off the device's potential. Not much of a gamer so I won’t comment on those. As with any device, some applications are better than others. One of the things Apple mentioned since announcing the iPad was the device's ability to use iPhone and Touch applications. Be aware that the experience of "expanding" the iPhone and Touch applications using the "2x" option is terrible. I remember when I first switched over to an HD TV. I couldn't stand to watch non HD after that. I'm having the same experience with the iPad. If I can't use an iPad specific app then I'm not using it. In the short term, the library of iPad applications remains small relatively speaking. That will change over the next few months and I think those developers who held out will want to get on board quickly.

Many have made an issue of Flash not being on the device and I have to say I think it's all about nothing. Multiple web sites are already moving over to HTML5 to play video. Apple has a page dedicated to "showing off" those web sites. Lots of big names are on board. True, some Flash based sites won't be along for the ride, but oh well.

There's also been a lot of criticism for the iPad not including a camera. While this wasn't a deal breaker for me I do think that a camera absolutely has a place on the device. It would have been nice to have a front facing camera for video conferencing.

One thing I'm very pleased about was the ability to use wireless bluetooth keyboards with the iPad. I'm typing this entry on a bluetooth keyboard while my iPad is sitting upright in an iPad dock. I happened to be using the Apple wireless keyboard from my Mac Mini. I can control brightness, iTunes controls (including volume) from the keyboard. I feel like I'm working on my keyboard. Awesome. I would like to see more keyboard shortcuts added to programs such as Mail, etc so hopefully those will come. The onscreen keyboard is more than adequate for basic needs. It is a bit awkward to use sometimes and my wrists are complaining a little about the typing angle.

My biggest complaint so far has been the weight. Even at a pound and a half I still found the device heavy to hold after five or ten minutes. I don’t know what’s needed to take some weight off this thing, but that should be a high priority for Apple. The device’s weight is its number one setback. Considering the weight, I would not recommend an iPad as a primary book reading device.

And speaking of books, after trying iBooks and the Kindle's iPad application I would still prefer to use Amazon's Kindle environment where I know I have all my purchased books available on multiple devices from different hardware vendors.

I'm still annoyed by the lack of multitasking, the inability to customize home screens and the inability to group programs under "folders". All of these, and many other issues on my list, are all software related and we're likely to learn more from Apple this summer on what the future of the iPad's OS changes will be.

Overall, even with the weight's toll on regular usage, the device is fantastic. The battery life so far has been superior and I've experienced few problems if any. The iPad isn't perfect and has some refinements throughout that can be made, but for anyone looking for a tablet like device the iPad is a winner.

Despite the Criticism, the iPad is Revolutionary

For the last two days, I've ready countless reviews about the iPad. They are all extremely critical of the device for not multitasking, lacking Adobe Flash and not having a camera. The problem with all of these reviews is that they focus purely on the technical merits. The criticism comes from a bunch of techy bloggers and journalist who get totally lost in the technical specifications and forget the devices merit on function. While I agree that Flash and multitasking would be ideal they in no way detract from the value of the iPad. There are multiple millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users today who love their devices without Flash and multitasking. Reviewers seem overly harsh and almost angry at Apple for not bringing a “revolutionary” device. The rhetoric has reached the point of advocacy against purchasing the device. A comment from Nucleus Research Tech Watch declared “Just say noPad”. The overly critical reaction is an overreaction to a device that does transform mobile technology. No other device today provides the same experience the iPad does. The iPad is the one device where you can sit on your couch or in your bed and experience the Internet and media without the bulkiness of a keyboard or the limited screen space of a mobile device. The iPad is revolutionary in a way that every publisher in the world was spending their Thursday morning thinking about how they transform their product to the iPad format. The iPad will eliminate stacks of magazines next to people’s bed. It will reinvent the newspaper. The iPad is just as much or more about the form factor than the features. Time will tell how the device is received by the public, but I wouldn’t look to the pundits for purchasing advice on this one. Even technical people sometimes don’t understand the next “big thing”.

A Mouse with the Wrong Kind of Magic

My trusty Logitech multi button, rechargeable, wireless mouse decided to call it quits recently. I've been using an old, corded mouse to bridge me to my next input device. When I saw Apple's announcement for the Magic Mouse I thought to myself what great timing! I wasn't a huge fan of the Mighty Mouse (Apple's last mouse product) because I've always enjoyed mice with multiple buttons. I'm one of those users who has one button on my mouse to close windows, another to close applications, etc. I like having the options that multiple button mice provide and Logitech has always had a good product line to offer Mac users (with software to support the features). I was intrigued by the Magic Mouse because of its look and use of the multi touch experience found in the Apple laptop line. I was initially gung-ho on the Magic Mouse until I saw a Cnet review that talked about the need to chase the mouse around the desk when using certain motions. That didn't sound good. I started becoming a bit skeptical if the Magic Mouse would be the right solution for me. Well today I had a chance to try the Magic Mouse and while I can appreciate the aesthetics and the technology I'm not a believer. First of all, it's very uncomfortable. I can't imagine using this mouse for more than 15 minutes without hand cramps. The use of the two finger stroke to the left to go "back" in Safari felt really awkward and I experienced the mouse scooting around like Cnet referenced. This is a really innovative product and from a design perspective I would give it an A, but it's ergonomics are a real show stopper. Try it and let me know what you think.

Apple TV 3.0 - Does anyone care?

I owned an Apple TV for about a month. I thought the interface was difficult to use and not up to Apple standards. It always felt like it lacked functionality and there were big questions about Apple's long term commitment to the device. Well, today, Apple announced Apple TV 3.0. 3.0 now adds support for iTunes LP, iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes, and streaming Internet Radio. The interface has improved as well as navigation and better integration with iPhoto. Still missing is a streaming options from Netflix or Blockbuster. Come on Apple, it's almost 2010 and your "state of the art" set top box doesn't offer these options? This upgrade is unlikely to motivate anyone to the Apple TV product, but it is good to know that Apple seems committed to the product. Hopefully these changes are part of a long term strategy for a future DVR. Let me know when that happens and I'll consider selling my Tivos.

"The holiday lineup is set."

For all of you eager to see what Apple might have up its sleeve before the end of the year don't get too excited. Apple executive Phil Schiller confirmed that the Apple product lineup is what it is through the rest of 2009. Apple recently introduced a new iMac, a mouse called the Magic Mouse and a newly redesigned entry level MacBook laptop. While those were nice adds I think all of us were looking for some kind of new shiny toy. So much for buying an iPod Touch with a camera for the holidays!

AT&T Opens the Door for Google Voice and Skype on 3G

AT&T announced it will now allow voice over IP technologies on their 3G network. This opens the door for applications like Google Voice and Skype to be used on the iPhone on 3G as well as Wifi. This announcement is long overdue and comes a few weeks after AT&T opened the door to MMS on the iPhone. AT&T must be feeling more confident in their network these days even though cities like Chicago still have large pockets of missing 3G coverage as well as saturated networks. There's certainly been pressure and frustration from Apple for AT&T's handicapping of the device for all these months. AT&T has not been the partner Apple was hoping they would be. Yesterday's news of the end of the Rogers exclusivity arrangement in Canada shows that AT&T's iPhone dominance could end within a year.

For The Love of Money

On Tuesday, AppleInsider reports on Microsoft's attempt to hire Apple staff away from the Apple retail stores and over to Microsoft's new retail operation. I've always found Apple employees to be extremely loyal to the Apple cause. It's hard to imagine Apple staff would sell their soul to the "other side". Apple staff are being tempted with much higher salaries and, most likely, other perks (i.e. stock options). All hail the mighty dollar!

Lower priced Apple laptop on the way?

Apple has long felt the need to not compete with the low end Windows PC market. I've always been frustrated by this. Not competing in the low end market has caused Apple to delay market share gains. Now, if you're not a shareholder or Apple evangelist that may not matter much to you. The fact is, many consumers can't look beyond price. They look at a $500 PC laptop and compare it to a $999 Mac and it all looks the same. So the customer goes with the lower priced machine. Computer store employees recommending PCs, know nothing about Macs and slam Apple for offering overpriced computers without understanding the value of OS X, iLife, etc... Apple needs to move beyond, or actually below, their minimum standard. They need to compete, or at least be competitive, with the low end PC market in some way. True, the profit margins are slim on the low end, but a low end Mac is like a gateway drug to even greater and more powerful Macs. The trick is just getting people in the door and exposing them to some Apple goodness. The research firm Wedge Partners is predicting that Apple may get into the low end space. No one knows if that's true or what the endeavor would look like, but it's one I would welcome! What do you think?

Genius Mix Issues Aplenty

Some people who have upgraded to iTunes 9 and iPhone/Touch 3.1 have had issues with the Genius Mix icon missing from their device and appearing in iTunes. The iTunes fix seems to be to select Store from the iTunes menu bar and select Update Genius. After performing that step, Genius Mix should appear. If it doesn't, try turning off and on the Genius feature under the Store menu bar. The iPhone/Touch issue seems to be related to people who manually manage how their music is synced to their device. If you're someone who manually manages what gets synced you'll need to enable the Genius Mixes you want synced. The Apple Discussion boards are very active on this topic tonight.

iPhone/Touch 3.1 and iTunes 9 Released

Apple released the iPhone and Touch 3.1 software upgrade today. A number of minor enhancements that will be sure to please the niche groups who will likely notice. The App Store Top 25 now includes a "Top Paid" vs "Top Grossing" to address those developers who felt slighted by those applications that were down at the $.99 price point. The App Store Genius feature provides suggestions for applications you might like. While not perfect for now (the suggestions will improve over time based on uploaded results), it does a good job of showing which of your installed applications was the basis for the recommendation. And finally, Apple added the ability to use Voice Control over Bluetooth. Other minor items you can check out via the link above. The team at The iPhone Blog provide a good walkthrough of the changes.

iTunes 9.0 was released today and hosts a number of new and noteworthy features. Genius Mixes are a new feature to help you "rediscover" music in your collection. It's like a prepackaged selection of songs based on a genre. The iTunes 9.0 syncing options have really improved with a new level of granularity all users will appreciate. There's a new Home Sharing option that allows you to not only stream iTunes content from other computers on your network, but you can also copy the content from the other computer as well (up to five authorized computers). It can even be configured to sync content automatically provided the content is purchased content. The iTunes store was resigned and the jury is out on how much it actually improved. I like the menu bars across the top as they seem to improve navigation. A new iTunes LP feature provides artist/album content previously found in vinyl albums and CD booklets that have been lost in the digital era. There's also Facebook integration and Wish List capabilities. Not addressed is the issue of how to address the growing number of items along the left hand navigational bar. Playlists are still difficult to manage. Navigation seems clunky. Does anyone else feel that way? The real win for me out of iTunes 9 is the improved ability to manage iPhone and Touch applications. There's also a new interface that allows you access to modify your iPhone or Touch icon screens without the pain of performing the same steps on the device. The ability to modify iPhone and Touch application icons and screens is a great addition, but I ran in to one or two bugs while moving icons and screens around. There's no option to name pages such as "Sports" or "Games". That would be a helpful way to manage the screen instead of using the current numbering system.

iPhone, iPod, App Store and iTunes Statistics

Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" media event provided an update on a number of Apple statistics. Here's a quick review:

• 30 million iPhones sold to date
• 20 million iPod Touches sold to date
• 220 million iPods (all types) sold to date
• 75,000 applications in the App Store just within the first year
• 28%, or 21,178, of the applications in the App Store are games and entertainment related
• 1.8 billion applications downloaded to date (not including updates which would have represented a number a few times more than that)
• 8.5 billion iTunes songs sold
• 100 million iTunes accounts
• The #1 music retailer in the world

Many of these stats are jaw dropping considering how long the products have been around. The iPod Touch numbers are a real stand out. The Touch is an amazing product and Apple should continue to do everything it can to provide it with every feature the iPhone has, but the phone, of course. Also interesting to note how almost 1/3 of all iPhone and Touch applications are game based. I'm not sure how the percentage of this category would compare with other platforms, but there's clearly no shortage of any application type. The application numbers don't address quality so while there may be 20K+ applications many are average at best. All in all, impressive numbers that will only grow.

Jobs Returns to the Apple Stage

With a sincere thanks to his staff and a public pitch for organ donations, Steve Jobs returned to the stage today at Apple's latest media event. Steve looked good, but I wouldn't put him at 100%. It's comforting to see him steering the ship again after a long and serious illness. While I have confidence in many of the Apple senior staff, there's no one like Steve. Glad to see he's back. Full speed ahead!

AT&T Responds (Poorly) to iPhone Data Issues

What do you do when you're AT&T and you're experiencing one of the worst backlashes in corporate history related to your network's performance? Apparently, you bring the creepiest guy you can find who's neither a credible geek or corporate "friendly" and you make a YouTube video. That's exactly what AT&T did last week to explain why they've totally screwed up on providing the appropriate level of data capacity on their network. AT&T just recently issued a press release committing to network improvements in a few cities throughout the country within a specific timeline. AT&T continues to botch up how they communicate with customers. You would think that the partnership with Apple would teach them a few things about marketing, PR and communication. The network improvements can't come soon enough to Chicago.

Apple Tablet Destined for Greatness

Media hype continues for the upcoming Apple Tablet and I'm as anxious as any other Apple fan. While pictures have been seen in the wild there have been no official announcements. I'm more excited about the Apple Tablet than any other Apple product right now It's the perfect fit between a laptop and an iPod Touch. I frequently use the Touch as a mobile personal computer around my house for email, Facebook, browsing, etc but find that the size isn't big enough. I wouldn't want to carry a laptop around my house with me due to its size, weight and the need to type. Windows tablets are out because they are basically laptops with a touch screen. Netbooks are light and small, but too keyboard dependent. The Apple Tablet will fit nicely between all of these options. Apple's implementation has the chance of becoming a household standard in the next ten years for many markets. I'm anxious to see what the keyboard experience is like and how it will interact with other devices on my network. Outside of the house, I'm interested to see what type of traveling companion it might become. Trying to imagine how people will use it in Starbucks. It would be great to see a camera on the front side! The product release could still be months away, but no reason not to get excited about it now!

Why AT&T is Holding Back The iPhone

If the iPhone has any achilles heel it rests firmly with AT&T. AT&T hasn't turned out to be the best in class partner that Apple thought they were buying in to for a multitude of reasons. The AT&T 3G network has been a major disappointment. The quality of coverage in many parts of the country is inadequate. In downtown Chicago my phone switches between 3G and EDGE constantly in multiple locations. The 3G network, when you're on it, continues to be slow. AT&T has gone on record multiple times about their efforts to upgrade their network. No official word so far that I know of. The data and phone plans are expensive. I know many people that stay away from AT&T because they can't compete with vendors like Tmobile who offer much more competitive rate plans. AT&T was also behind in providing MMS support with the release of iPhone 3.0. Other carriers around the world were ready to support MMS upon its release while AT&T was left delivering promises of future MMS support. Your mileage with AT&T may very, but the stories of disconnect with AT&T are fairly common. Come on AT&T... Step up to the plate!

Poor service

Expensive data and phone plans

Network terrible

MyTouch and Pre No Match for iPhone

I've had an opportunity over the past few weeks to try the Google MyTouch and Palm Pre. They are both great smart phones with fantastic features, but they don't come close to the iPhone. Both phones seem more unfinished than Apple's first iPhone two years ago. All of these new product sales for Google and Palm are driven in part by exclusive agreements. The MyTouch and Pre users I know made their purchasing decisions strictly on their desire to stay with their carrier. It would be very interesting to see how the MyTouch and Pre would complete with Apple if all vendors offered all three phones.

Apple Software Box Set Staged For Upgrade

Recent evidence has pointed to an upcoming release of the Snow Leopard Box Set. The set includes Mac OS X 10.6 with iLife '09 and iWork '09 for what is expected to be $169. Many of you may not be aware that there's already a box set like this that includes 10.5 along with iLife and iWork. The box set is a great value compared to the $287 you would spend on the products individually. Awesome value for any of you who have yet to upgrade. The deal breaker for most people is the lack of interest in the iWork software. However, if the shoe fits, the box set is a great deal. If the leaked 10.6 box set information is correct I believe it confirms we're unlikely to see any major updates to iLife for at least eight to twelve months. It also confirms that Apple is very motivated to move people to the 10.5/10.6 platforms.

Desire for iTunes Playlist Tip

Apple likes to talk about how their software "just works". Use any product long enough and you'll know that's not true. Apple is no exception. For years I've been frustrated about not being able to delete a song from my playlist as well as from my iTunes library. I thought to myself, "how can Apple not include a delete feature like that?" Well, it turns out there is a keystroke to perform that exact task. I like to think of myself as a Mac power user, but you can't know every tip and trick and this is one I never learned. To remove a song from your iTunes library when in a playlist, select the song, hold option and hit delete. Relief!

iPhone and Touch App Store Addiction

Are you one of the growing numbers of those obsessed with installing applications on your Touch or iPhone? Free and $.99 apps have created app addicts who are nothing short of compulsive about trying new applications. The insatiable appetite for applications demonstrates the ease of finding and installing applications mixed with the human curiosity and fun of trying something new. Blackberry users can only be in envy of the App Store compared to Blackberry's App World! The experience isn't the same....