One of the arguments against Apple has always been their control over their devices. With the Mac, I think it is a total non-issue. As an owner of three Macs, I can attest that I am not limited by anybody and can do anything I want with my computers. However, the Iphone is a pretty different story.

In terms of smartphones, the Iphone is revolutionary. I think it is the best smartphone on the market, although the Palm Pre might have the potential of giving the Iphone a run for the money. The Iphone craze, though, is well deserved.

But, the major drawbacks with the device come down to direct decisions by Apple:

1. Apple has to approve each and every app in the App Store. Their reasoning to approving or not approving apps seems to be disjointed and inconsistent. It also seems to take forever sometimes.
2. Apple’s deal to tie the phone to AT&T has been a real problem. AT&T has simply not been able to keep up with the Iphone. The latest Iphone 3GS has capabilities that you can’t even tap into because of AT&T network limitations. Complaints about dropped calls is high. Complaints about lack of MMS are resounding, considering even some of the cheapest phones out there can do MMS while the Iphone still cannot because of AT&T.

Steven Frank, an Iphone app developer at Panic, recently wrote a very hard-hitting post declaring that he is quitting the Iphone. For him, the final straw was Apple rejecting all Google Voice apps from the App Store. In fact, the rejection even included Google Voice apps that had already been approved. They just went in there and retroactively removed them.

And let’s look at that for a moment…

You can get Blackberries on AT&T with apps for Google Voice. There are other apps in the App Store which could potentially conflict with AT&T services. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether it was Apple or AT&T which triggered the rejections, but I think one thing is very clear: This was profit motivated and NOT in the best interest of Iphone owners. From all appearances, this was a “stick it to Google” move.

The App Store approval process is nothing but a HUGE boondoggle. I personally have a friend who is STILL waiting for Apple to approve or give any word whatsoever on a new app. It has been FIVE WEEKS. He’s heard nothing. So, timing is inconsistent. Apple’s own reasons for doing things seems to be purposely hidden while also being inconsistent. And app developers are left in the dark.

Steven Frank ended his post with these comments:

I realize these actions are utterly insignificant to Apple. I know I’m a tiny tadpole flapping his tail helplessly in anger at the ocean. But at least my conscience is clear. I hope change is coming. I’m really going to miss my iPhone terribly. I’m frustrated and disappointed at the whole situation.

I think this sums up a rising sentiment. Apple appears to make it’s Iphone decisions to suit one party: Apple. And when customers feel insignificant to Apple, THAT’S A PROBLEM. No customer should feel like a “tiny tadpole”.

Apple needs to loosen up on the Iphone. And it needs to ditch the AT&T contract. That contract is set to be renewed in 2010, and if Apple renews that contract, expect a mass exodus from the Iphone. Because that will have proved that Apple doesn’t care about it’s customers.

Speaking for myself, I still like my Iphone. However, I don’t want my hands artificially tied by a company only looking out for profits at the expense of their customer. The attractiveness of jail-breaking my phone is looking better and better every day. I haven’t done it yet, however if Apple keeps making decisions which seem only to be self-preserving, I might very well make the move.

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Apple, You’re Screwing Up The Iphone

Here’s the thing: You cannot get such a laptop from Apple for under $1,000. They just don’t build it. So, why make the comparison?

It’d be like Chevy doing a commercial which starts with a person who wants a Lexus with all the bells and whistles for under $15K. Its just not going to happen.

Why? The TARGET MARKETS ARE DIFFERENT.

With the $1,000+ PC market, Apple has a staggering 91% market share, according to an NPD report. Put another way, people looking for “cream of the crop” computers simply don’t buy PCs. 9 out of every 10 dollars goes to Apple. They’re willing to pay.

I have wondered out loud why Apple doesn’t build and offer a mid-grade tower computer, a “Mac Pro Lite”. Since then, however, I realized that Apple just isn’t going to bother any time soon. It isn’t their target market. It would dilute the brand. Lexus and Acura don’t go out and try to compete with Chevy. In the same vein, Apple isn’t going to try to compete with HP and other budget brands of PC.

If Apple ever released such a machine, it would sell like crazy and increase Apple’s overall market share substantially. But, its clear they not only don’t care, they have no need to care. Apple is making gobs of money by targeting high-quality, high-margin machines.

The Laptop Hunter commercials are just pressing market buttons in a down economy. The truth is that people who buy PCs with price as a primary determination are just not going to consider Apple. People who are more willing to pay, however, will flock to Apple. About 91% of them.

If you want a bargain, you’ll use Windows. If you are happy to pay for a premium computer, you’ll be happy to spend more money and buy a Mac.

Again, its a Chevy compared to a Lexus or a Porche. And, yes, a Chevy has pros and cons, as does the Lexus or Porche. Pros and cons aside, they cater to different markets.

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Laptop Hunter Commercials Are Stupid [Mac Versus PC]

First of all, why does this matter on a computer site? Simple. The Iphone IS a computer. It is so much more than a phone. Don’t underestimate the impact this one device is having and will have on the future of mobile computing.

Essentially, Iphone 3.0 is opening up a lot of new options to app developers. This adds new potential to the Iphone platform because it is the third-party apps which make this work.

Some of the highlights include:

• Over 30 million Iphones sold.
• Subscription model as well as in-app purchases supported by App Store.
• Downloadable content from within apps.
• Increased API usage for Maps.
• Iphones will be able to “sense” and talk to each other without wifi, using Bluetooth and Bonjour. Allows peer-to-peer gaming.
• New push notification system. Supports sounds, too.
• Ability to “talk to” and control accessories from the Iphone itself.
• Still no background processes. Tests showed it drained the battery about 80% faster. This is the reason for the new push notification system.
• Copy/Paste! Finally! What took so long, I have no idea.
• Landscape mode for all Apple’s key apps.
• Support for MMS. Think text messaging with attachments.
• Voice memo app now native from Apple.
• Exchange support within the Calendar app.
• Improvements to the Stocks app. Personally, I don’t care much about that.
• Search functions being added to all key apps. But, doesn’t include message content in Mail (that’s stupid). Plus, Iphone gets spotlight to search across all apps. Will be interesting to see how many apps support that.
• Wifi auto-login for hotspots.
• Stereo Bluetooth.
• Anti-phishing now in mobile Safari. Safari will now also remember log-in credentials to sites. Gets parental controls.
• Youtube app now allows login to your Youtube account, management of your account.
• Tethering will be supported, however they still need support from the networks.

The developer beta is available as of today for all Iphone developers. Everybody else will get it in the summer. Current Iphone models WILL support it. No hardware upgrades necessary. Iphone 3G will support all new features.

As I was watching this, I thought of a HUGE opportunity for companies like Garmin. The Iphone will not natively do turn-by-turn GPS and this is because of licensing restrictions imposed by Google on their maps. However, the OS is capable of it – if you “bring your own maps”. So, Garmin can create an Iphone app and SELL the maps from inside the application. If all of North America takes up too much space, then they can sell smaller geographic areas. Somebody will do this.

The other possibilities for Iphone developers are seemingly endless. Apple is practically building a new sub-economy here. At the event, they demoed games that talked to each other. They demoed medical apps.

Just like any new announcement from Apple, there are always some things we had hoped for that don’t get done. This time around:

• Still no background processes, although they’ve tried to address this with the new push alert system.
• Still no ability to record video
• No mention of Flash in Safari.

I’m still trying to figure out why Apple doesn’t allow mobile video streaming. If the concern is AT&T bandwidth, why not just require the apps to use wifi when streaming? It can be done. The new UStream viewer app requires a wifi connection.

All in all, Iphone 3.0 looks like it is going to be an impressive update.

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Iphone 3.0 – The Highlights

On Wednesday, Apple issued a “media advisory” which states, from Jobs, that:

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

This after months of smoke and mirrors to the press about Jobs condition. But can you blame Apple for that? The unfortunate fact is that this company is in a position where people’s outlook on the company is directly dependent on one man.

To prove that, just look at the stock value. The Apple announcement came out just before the close of trading. The stock price was $85.60 per share and that’s at 4:46pm. By the end of trading, at 5PM, the stock had dropped to $78.44. That’s about a 10% drop in stock value, representing (according to Venturebeat) about $6.4 billion. This is in the span of 14 minutes! And all because Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence?!

It looks like the stock value rose to a closing value of $83.38 yesterday, so perhaps these traders are growing a brain. As Scoble says, and rightly so, you’re an idiot if you sell your Apple stock over this. Actually, you’re smart if you purchased yesterday morning because then you would have made some cash.

Is Jobs Really The Hub Of It All?

An article over on Bits asks the question What if Steve Jobs Doesn’t Return To Work? This is a fair question and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being that way. The author says something very interesting:

But the essence of Steve Jobs — the obsessive visionary who involves himself in the smallest details of Apple’s products and advertising — has fostered what is in effect a corporate operating system that will need to be completely upgraded whenever a successor is named.

After all, however talented the executives at Apple, one skill they all need is an understanding of how to work with, and when appropriate, defer to, the whims of Steve Jobs.

My gut tells me that this is the way Apple is run internally. And, that seems unfortunate if true. Sounds a bit like a cult to me, actually. A strong organization can go on just fine without it’s founder. In fact, the founder is supposed to document everything and set up procedures so that it CAN run without him. If Apple executives are smart (and I assume they are), then no doubt this is the case. Which means that while the loss of Jobs would indicate a cultural shift within the company, it should not mean that the company begins to suffer.

In my view, this is a cultural shift that needs to happen. Apple should not be centered around one man.

And that includes public perception.

Time To Pipe Down, People

This focus on Steve Jobs is the result of him being a great marketer. However, step back for a moment. Apple is a large company. They make computers and gadgets. Is this going to change just because Jobs is out? No.

I am a Mac user. I own three Macs. Are each of these 3 Macs direct brain dumps from the mind of Steve Jobs? No, they are not. It takes a large team of smart people to design and build one of these machines. Just like any computer, even if not built by Apple.

My Mac will boot in the morning.

Whether it be Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, or some other person at Apple who makes product announcements, the only thing I care about is that they release cool stuff. And, speaking for myself, I don’t think Steve Jobs needs to be there for that to happen.

I wish Steve Jobs the best of luck with his health. He may need it. That said, Steve Jobs can be replaced. And looking ahead into the future of Apple, I think that replacement should happen for the sake of the company. Any company in a position to lose $6.4 billion over one man might need to re-think how it has itself structured. Just a little.

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Steve Jobs Walks on Water, I Hear

They pretty much took on every stereotype you’ve ever seen as regards Apple fans. They made fun of the prices. They made fun of Steve Jobs. The store designs. Everything.

Here’s the video:

Oh, and that’s not all. The documentary “Welcome to Macintosh” is available for pre-order.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The Simpsons Take on Apple Fanboys

Now, I have a Mac Pro. It is an AWESOME machine. It is a real workhorse and rarely ever hiccups. Extremely dependable and screaming fast. However, you pay through your nose for this machine. It is a high end computer.

When we look a the Apple product line, however, there is nothing with a mid-range price tag that isn’t a notebook computer. That is, except for the iMac. Now, the iMac might be a nice machine, but a lot of people are likely to have issues with the form factor. Most relevant, it has an integrated screen. Essentially, it is a laptop computer with a larger screen that sits on your desk.

So, if you want to use your own monitor, you’re stuck with either the Mac Pro or the fairly puny Mac Mini.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Why doesn’t Apple release a mid-priced tower? It would use a smaller version of the Mac Pro case or perhaps they could design a completely different, cheaper enclosure. The idea would be that we now have a true Mac that can actually be opened up. You’ll be able to add another hard drive, a second video card, more memory. You’ll choose your OWN monitor to connect to it.

The mid-tower is the most popular form for the computer that exists. You can go to any computer retailer and purchase a mid-tower PC from any brand that you want. Why on earth is there not one single Apple product to compete head on with that market?

The Imac starts at $1,199 for a 20” screen, 2.4 GHz Intel Core Duo, 1GB memory, etc. That’s an awful lot of money for what is essentially a mediocre computer with nice aesthetic appeal. Let’s be generous and say that Apple could quite easily build a quality mid-tower machine and price it about the same as the Imac. After all, there is no screen and that right there will save money for Apple.

What possible reasons might there be that Apple hasn’t done this yet? I’m speculating, but…

• They wouldn’t be able to justify a high price tag for it and the lower price would then damage the Apple brand as being a high-end machine.
• Too many people would buy it and they’re afraid it will cause problems for Apple as more people have problems with OS X.
• They look at all the competition from the PC side of the room in the mid-tower space and simply don’t want to take them on.

I’m grasping for answers. Because, Apple, let me tell you something. There are a LOT of people out there who would LOVE to own a Mac. The problem is they can’t afford it. Now, I understand part of your marketing strategy is to price them high so that they’re perceived as a premium machine. Perhaps the mid-tower would threaten that? I don’t think so. You could still price the machine somewhat high and get away with it. You’re Apple, for crying out loud.

Until Apple releases a midtower, there will continue to be a LOT of people who will stick with the PC simply because they don’t want to use a glorified laptop (the Imac).

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The Case For an Apple Mac Mid-Tower

It isn’t and it is about time we get this right. No, I will not be creating a “MacMech” as many times as people shoot the idea to me.

The biggest misconception here, perpetuated by Apple’s brilliant marketing, is that a Windows-powered computer is a PC while a computer running OS X is somehow different. It is a MAC! It isn’t the same as that boring little Windows PC. But, the perception is dead wrong.

Just the other day, a site linked to PCMech saying “it is not a Mac site”. I have had people ask me if I’m going to create a “MacMech”. And, this morning, I also read a piece by the editor-in-chief of PC Magazine entitled “Macs are PCs, Dammit"!”. Apparently, people have been getting on PC Magazine, too, because that word “PC” in the title must mean they talk all about Windows computers, right? Well, I sympathize with Lance Ulanoff. PCMech also has the word “PC” in the title. In fact, this site used to be called “PC Mechanic” and there is little doubt that, yes, this site discusses Windows quite a bit.

Let’s remember, however, that “PC” means “personal computer”. Since when did the word “PC” mean a computer running Windows? Is a computer running Linux not a PC either? Or are we supposed to think that Windows and Linux powered machines are PC’s while a system running OS X stands apart as a different beast?

The evolution of this concept isn’t hard to see. The first PC was the IBM PC and it ran MS-DOS, a text-based operating system. MS-DOS was considered the de-facto standard at the time, just like Windows is today. Apple, in 1984, released the Macintosh. They gave it a different name so as to differentiate it from the text-based IBM compatibles. The Apple was the first computer to use a mouse and a graphical interface, and Apple clearly wanted to differentiate and make that fact clear. But, even then, the Mac was a box with an integrated display, keyboard, CPU, hard drive – everything the IBM PCs had. The word “Macintosh” was simply a marketing term. The only thing unique about it was the mouse, but the IBM compatibles had that before too long, too.

Today, it is the same. The Mac is no different than the PC except for operating system. They all use essentially the same hardware, and that is even more clear now that Apple is using Intel processors. Both are computers. The only different is the operating system.

The Apple commercials are brilliant. They clearly make the PC seem radically different than the Mac. But, introducing reality to it would make the commercial suck. What if the Mac guy said “I’m also a PC.”. He’d be correct, but it would obviously suck as a commercial. Or what if the PC guy says “Hi, I’m a Windows”. Yeah – lame.

Every move by Apple is designed to foster the image of the Macintosh as the gift from the heavens. They position it differently. They price it higher. You have to go to certain stores to get the thing. You can’t build one, really. So, every little thing that they do is designed to do one thing: create an image of the Mac as an exclusive, premium machine. You’re cool if you own one, dammit.

But, alas, it is marketing. Pure and simple.

Don’t get me wrong: The Mac is a fantastic product. OS X is a superb operating system and the Mac Pro (which I use daily) is a solid machine. My Macbook Pro, too, is an awesome laptop. But, on both, I happen to also run Windows. Does that make them PCs and not Macs anymore?

A computer is a computer. They all are, essentially, dumb boxes with circuits that sit there and blindly execute every instruction passed to the processor. That’s all it does.

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Reality Check: A Mac is a PC

I had been holding off on upgrading because 2.0 was in beta. But, now that it has reached final, it was time for me to give it a go. Here’s the scoop…

What’s new in this 2.0 release?

• Multi-monitor support. YES!
• Mirrored folders (have a folder under the guest OS mirror a file on the Mac)
• DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 2 support (good for you gamers)
• Support for multiple snapshots of a guest OS. A snapshot is a saved copy of the virtual machine at any point in time.
• Auto-snapshot of a VM for backup purposes
• Improvements to Unity Mode (which allows seamless use of Windows apps within the OS X environment)
• Integrated McAfee VirusScan Plus with a free 12-month subscription to virus definition updates

Here is a video of be playing around with it:

The interface has completely changed. It now shows a image of what is going on in the virtual machine. Management of your virtual machines is much easier, too.

The pros of this software are obvious. The Windows support is second-to-none, and you can use Windows apps almost seamlessly inside of OS X. As you can see in the video, there is still some slight shadowing of the Windows desktop when you move apps around in Unity mode. However, the fact that you can move the apps between screens really rocks.

Parallels is the other major option for virtualization. There is also the open source option of VirtualBox.

In just about any notable way, Vmware Fusion 2.0 is a rock solid implementation of a true seamless world of Windows and OS X.

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Review: VMware Fusion 2.0 [Video]

Why I Like Apple

It continues to be funny when I witness the emotional reaction Apple can get out of people. A lot of non-Apple geeks are quick to dismiss me as a “fanboy” because I like Apple. Such a reaction is really asinine and, ironically, often comes from people who would buy Apple if not for monetary reasons. But, why I like Apple products come down to a few key reasons:

1. Their products are designed with the end user in mind.
2. Their products are easy to use and I don’t have to battle the thing to do what I want.
3. Their products abstract the hardware and allow you to concentrate on what you do with the machine, but not on the workings of the machine. Windows users do not realize how much time they spend on maintenance, optimizations and tweaks on their PCs until they don’t have to do it anymore.

As a blogger, Apple is an intriguing company to cover, too. The company releases new things pretty regularly and sometimes the stuff they release is pretty exciting. Microsoft, comparatively, is dirt slow at anything new (at least when it comes to the desktop).

But, There Are Warning Signs

While I have admired the user-centric design of Apple products, the company has been showing some signs of losing touch. Some examples:

1. Iphone battery life has been a complaint, and it seems really stupid not to have it be user replaceable.
2. The Iphone software has been a bit buggy, worse for some than others. I’ve had my Iphone crash many times. I’ve had it slow down or features stop working that required a restart to fix.
3. No copy & paste on the Iphone? Stupid, stupid stupid. This is OS design 101.
4. The MacBook Air hasn’t been that high quality and many have been reporting stupid problems with it.
5. MobileMe has been a huge ball of fail since it launched, showing once again that Apple is horrible when it comes to anything on the Internet. And the fact that they’re charging money for it when it can all be done for free elsewhere is dumb. Apple tossed users some free time for their troubles, but all that is is free time using a barely functional service. Also, the fact that all the .Mac customers were automatically moved into this crappy service is a case of very poor customer service.
6. There have been complaints about decreased built quality on the MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

What I’m sensing is a bunch of Apple users who really want to continue liking Apple, but are having to find ways to explain the parade of bonehead moves and buggy products coming from the company.

In all fairness, most computer companies release crappy stuff. I guess Apple is held to a higher standard because of their marketing and the loyal following that they have. Perhaps Apple is just showing us one thing: they’re a computer company just like any other computer company.

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Apple Showing Warning Signs

Excitement mounted at sites like Iphone Alley and Gear Diary. The only problem was…

It wasn’t true. AT&T made a big mistake. According to CNET:

For the second time in less than six months, AT&T mistakenly published a notice on its Web site indicating that Apple iPhone users would get free access to the wireless operator’s more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots around the country.

The notice was on the AT&T website for an hour before it was removed. AT&T issued the statement:

“We have not made any announcement regarding free Wi-Fi and iPhone.  The Web page was posted in error and is being removed.”

OK, here’s the big question: Why did this happen? Again?! (it happened in May, too). Somebody at AT&T obviously typed this announcement and posted it. These things don’t appear on their own. So, that means that somewhere in the deep, dark crevices of AT&T, we either have rouge employees who are practicing wishful thinking or trying to embarrass the company or we have real intentions within AT&T to offer free wifi and somebody just jumped the gun before they were ready to make the official announcement.

Which is it?

One thing is clear: this makes AT&T look REALLY bad. You just don’t pull these kinds of stunts.

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AT&T Iphone Free Wifi Fiasco: What’s It Mean?