Sunday, July 27, 2008
Jobs to Operations - Stat!
The rollout of the iPhone 3G and MobileMe service will be remembered for one of Apple's worst deployments ever. I'm not speaking of items like phone availability but basic services and functionality. MobileMe has suffered a horrendous start. Some users have been down and without their email for days. There's now word some users might have lost mail. While Apple continues to work on the issues causing ongoing outages the damage to Apple's typically untarnished reputation is done. In the iPhone area, the App Store has been a hit for users but is causing developers a real headache. Apple is failing to provide developers with information on application sales, timely push updates of software and other issues. In both cases, Apple is late to the game to provide honest and accurate information to not only the public, but their own support staff. Steve Jobs needs to take a break from product development and marketing and focus on the operational side of the house.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tablet Temptations
During this week's Apple news conference, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer tantilized analyst with talk of upcoming "state-of-the-art new products that our competitors just aren't going to be able to match". While this certainly could have been talk to reinvigorate a stock that has come off recent highs it's highly unlikely. ABC and other media outlets have speculated a long time coming of the Apple tablet. The tablet format has hardly been successful, but with Apple's multi touch technologies and innovation they could create something so compelling it will redefine the mobile platform and transcend portability beyond phones and laptops. The timing of such a device could happen as soon as August for back to school sales or closer to October for the holiday buying season. While I'm not sure that a tablet will be released I am convinced a new device from Apple is pending.
Fixation on Fixes
Apple blogs and news sites are actively discussing the news of an upcoming iPhone 2.1 SDK as well as a pending iPhone 2.0.1 release. Both the 0.1 and .1 release are welcome news for device lovers who are frustrated with many elements of the iPhone. Application crashes, sluggish response, poor 3G performance (relative to other 3G devices in the same coverage area) and other issues plague the iPhone. Features still "missing" even with the 2.0 software become more and more apparent as use of the updated software progresses. Hopefully we won't have to wait long for each.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Review: iPhone 3G
I’ve had an opportunity to use the iPhone 3G for about a week. While the device is light years ahead of any other mobile device on the market today it is plagued with issues not typical for an Apple product. Apple’s claims that the iPhone is ready for the enterprise are countered by a vast array of missing enterprise like features. As a ten year plus Blackberry user I found many features I became accustom to completely missing. Here’s a quick overview of my experiences with the iPhone 3G.
Keyboard:
The keyboard takes time to learn, but once acquainted with it, it is usable. Even with my early proficiency my keystrokes per minute will never reach what is capable on a tactile keyboard. The biggest limitation to the keyboard is its inability to enter landscape mode with the Mail application. This is possible in Safari so it’s not clear why, on a phone that is over one year old, this is still an outstanding issue. On some occasions I found the keyboard to be unresponsive or delayed.
Exchange Activesync:
Configuring mail accounts is very easy. Overall Activesync works great with Exchange. I have noticed that the Push technology is a real battery killer. Many have suggested turning off Push to Fetch manually to save battery power (but then losing out on the Push feature). There are issues with using Activesync when you can’t connect to Exchange. There’s no “offline” mode so messages you try to move to a different folder result in an error. For some reason I had intermittent issues with Activesync when using Wifi.
Phone Functionality and Voice Mail:
The phone functionality is very good. The numeric keyboard is easy to use. On screen call options are well designed. Visual Voicemail is great! Switching between speaker phone, handset and Bluetooth is a cinch. Call quality is decent. Max volume on headset still seems low to me. External speakers worked well for calls as well as music.
App Store / 3rd Party Applications
The iPhone SDK will produce a vast array of applications. The 500+ applications currently available through the App Store barely scratch the service on what we will see vendors produce over the next year. There’s a tremendous opportunity for developers to produce rich mobile applications.
Enterprise Readiness
The iPhone is not ready for the Enterprise. The device is missing basics that both Blackberry and Windows Mobile have. Consumers will, for the most part, not care about these. Here are a few examples of features found in other mobile business products, but missing from the iPhone:
• Inability to create meeting request from phone
• Inability to view calendar in week view
• Inability to directly view contact info from meeting invitee
• Inability to customize and “profile” alert notifications for email and phone calls
• Inability to view ToDos and Notes,
• Inability to mark all messages as read
• Inability to perform global search on calendar, contacts and mail
• Inability to copy and paste
• Lack of new message indicator on screen when unlocked
• Lack of new message indicator along status bar
• Lack of external message indicator/light
• Lacks the ability to modify “out of office” from the device
• Exchange lookup via Address Book requires extra steps
Battery Life:
Phone users will need to adjust to the reduced battery life of a 3G type phone. The following settings are a must to mange battery life properly:
• Turn off locator service
• Turn off 3G unless needed
• Reduce screen brightness to 20%
• Consider Fetching mail when needed vs Push
• Turn off wireless when not in use
• Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
• Reduce auto lock time
Ultimately, you will need to figure out what services you can live without to prolong the battery life per charge cycle.
Stability:
Like others who are reporting issues via Apple’s Support forums, I am experiencing a wide arrange of stability issues. Safari has quit on me a number of times while browsing. I’ve also had a number of third party applications quit upon start up. I’ve also experienced the now called “black screen of death” where the device completely freezes and requires a hard reset. Apple needs to address these quickly. Mac news sites have reported a 2.0.1 in testing to hopefully address some of those issues.
3G Performance:
The 3G network in Chicago is spotty. AT&T’s coverage web site reflects 3G strength in binary terms – it’s there or not there. This is misleading due to the patchy 3G coverage areas and is different than how they report EDGE coverage. Browsing on 3G is a great experience and really demonstrates the new phone’s value.
GPS:
I’ve used the GPS feature in various Blackberry’s for about two years now. It has been reliable and accurate. I can’t say the same for the GPS in the iPhone. I’m not sure if the issue is with Google Maps or the GPS chip on the device. Google Maps is extremely slow to update the GPS signal on screen. On some occasions, Google Maps floated my GPS position a ¼ of a mile off from my actual location. A manual reset of my position got it back on track. Use with caution.
Multimedia Functionality:
This is the best iPod anyone could ever have. Video, music and pictures are excellent.
Camera:
With proper lighting, the camera takes great shots. Very easy to sync pictures back to your computer or email to someone else.
Overall experience:
iPhone users will enjoy having so many features packed in to one device. As a business user I’m a bit frustrated with missing features found in Windows Mobile or Blackberry. The overall experience, however, is very satisfying. Apple needs to aggressively address bugs and missing features. As 3rd party application development continues the value of the device will rise even further.
Keyboard:
The keyboard takes time to learn, but once acquainted with it, it is usable. Even with my early proficiency my keystrokes per minute will never reach what is capable on a tactile keyboard. The biggest limitation to the keyboard is its inability to enter landscape mode with the Mail application. This is possible in Safari so it’s not clear why, on a phone that is over one year old, this is still an outstanding issue. On some occasions I found the keyboard to be unresponsive or delayed.
Exchange Activesync:
Configuring mail accounts is very easy. Overall Activesync works great with Exchange. I have noticed that the Push technology is a real battery killer. Many have suggested turning off Push to Fetch manually to save battery power (but then losing out on the Push feature). There are issues with using Activesync when you can’t connect to Exchange. There’s no “offline” mode so messages you try to move to a different folder result in an error. For some reason I had intermittent issues with Activesync when using Wifi.
Phone Functionality and Voice Mail:
The phone functionality is very good. The numeric keyboard is easy to use. On screen call options are well designed. Visual Voicemail is great! Switching between speaker phone, handset and Bluetooth is a cinch. Call quality is decent. Max volume on headset still seems low to me. External speakers worked well for calls as well as music.
App Store / 3rd Party Applications
The iPhone SDK will produce a vast array of applications. The 500+ applications currently available through the App Store barely scratch the service on what we will see vendors produce over the next year. There’s a tremendous opportunity for developers to produce rich mobile applications.
Enterprise Readiness
The iPhone is not ready for the Enterprise. The device is missing basics that both Blackberry and Windows Mobile have. Consumers will, for the most part, not care about these. Here are a few examples of features found in other mobile business products, but missing from the iPhone:
• Inability to create meeting request from phone
• Inability to view calendar in week view
• Inability to directly view contact info from meeting invitee
• Inability to customize and “profile” alert notifications for email and phone calls
• Inability to view ToDos and Notes,
• Inability to mark all messages as read
• Inability to perform global search on calendar, contacts and mail
• Inability to copy and paste
• Lack of new message indicator on screen when unlocked
• Lack of new message indicator along status bar
• Lack of external message indicator/light
• Lacks the ability to modify “out of office” from the device
• Exchange lookup via Address Book requires extra steps
Battery Life:
Phone users will need to adjust to the reduced battery life of a 3G type phone. The following settings are a must to mange battery life properly:
• Turn off locator service
• Turn off 3G unless needed
• Reduce screen brightness to 20%
• Consider Fetching mail when needed vs Push
• Turn off wireless when not in use
• Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
• Reduce auto lock time
Ultimately, you will need to figure out what services you can live without to prolong the battery life per charge cycle.
Stability:
Like others who are reporting issues via Apple’s Support forums, I am experiencing a wide arrange of stability issues. Safari has quit on me a number of times while browsing. I’ve also had a number of third party applications quit upon start up. I’ve also experienced the now called “black screen of death” where the device completely freezes and requires a hard reset. Apple needs to address these quickly. Mac news sites have reported a 2.0.1 in testing to hopefully address some of those issues.
3G Performance:
The 3G network in Chicago is spotty. AT&T’s coverage web site reflects 3G strength in binary terms – it’s there or not there. This is misleading due to the patchy 3G coverage areas and is different than how they report EDGE coverage. Browsing on 3G is a great experience and really demonstrates the new phone’s value.
GPS:
I’ve used the GPS feature in various Blackberry’s for about two years now. It has been reliable and accurate. I can’t say the same for the GPS in the iPhone. I’m not sure if the issue is with Google Maps or the GPS chip on the device. Google Maps is extremely slow to update the GPS signal on screen. On some occasions, Google Maps floated my GPS position a ¼ of a mile off from my actual location. A manual reset of my position got it back on track. Use with caution.
Multimedia Functionality:
This is the best iPod anyone could ever have. Video, music and pictures are excellent.
Camera:
With proper lighting, the camera takes great shots. Very easy to sync pictures back to your computer or email to someone else.
Overall experience:
iPhone users will enjoy having so many features packed in to one device. As a business user I’m a bit frustrated with missing features found in Windows Mobile or Blackberry. The overall experience, however, is very satisfying. Apple needs to aggressively address bugs and missing features. As 3rd party application development continues the value of the device will rise even further.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Breaking Down the iPhone 3G Hype
The main stream media is once again failing to cover the difference between the 3G iPhone and the original iPhone. They connect features such as the App Store and Exchange connectivity as 3G iPhone features Let's break down the new phone. 1) 3G and 2) GPS. That's what you need to know. A 3G phone does not guarantee 3G speeds. Be sure to check AT&T coverage in your area to find out how well you're covered for 3G connectivity.
Blackberry to iPhone Potential Regrets
If you're a Blackberry user moving to a iPhone I have a few thoughts on what you're likely to miss.
-integrated voice dialing
-visual message indicator
-vibrate and ring profiles (level 1 messages, vibrate and ring combinations, etc...)
-speed of navigation
-week view
-speed of text entry from manual keyboard
-camera flash and zoom
Can you think of more? Email me with your thoughts.
-integrated voice dialing
-visual message indicator
-vibrate and ring profiles (level 1 messages, vibrate and ring combinations, etc...)
-speed of navigation
-week view
-speed of text entry from manual keyboard
-camera flash and zoom
Can you think of more? Email me with your thoughts.
A Little Communication Please
Since Apple opened the download floodgates for the 2.0 Touch software I've tried to connect and download the upgrade. Despite a number of attempts I've been unsuccessful. The overloaded Apple servers are well known by now. What frustrates me is the lack of communication from Apple. Instead of iTunes telling me the store is down, it would be much nicer to let me know that they're experiencing issues. Yes, that is one in the same, but I shouldn't have to guess about why I can't connect. Perhaps the server meltdown was so dramatic Apple was unable to provide that type of communication. I can't find anything on Apple's web site that makes reference to the issue. Poor communication leads to frustrated and unhappy users. Apple, where is the customer service you're known for?
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