Interesting news to report: today I had the good fortune of watching an app get removed from my iPhone during sync, much like what happened to Terry White when he lost Netshare (http://terrywhite.com/techblog/?p=753).
I know what you're thinking, "how is that 'good fortune'? Doesn't it suck to lose an app?" Usually so, but because Terry shared his experience, I had the clarity of mind to correct the problem and confirm the disappearing app trick is, as I suspected, a problem of timing.
The app in my case is Simplify Media (http://www.simplifymedia.com/index.html), a tool for streaming your iTunes library to your iPhone or iPod touch. It is free only to the first 100,000 customers (as I shared on Rambles (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2008/08/stream-itunes-to-your-iphone.html)), so I downloaded it straight to my iPhone. As soon as it was done, I synced my iPhone to my tablet and eventually saw the message "Removing 'Simplify'".
When the sync finished, there was no sign of Simplify Media on my iPhone or in iTunes. Not in the application folder either. It was gone, just like what happened to terry. I got screwed, right?
Actually, no. The core of the problem seems to be if you don't sync all apps, iTunes will remove apps that aren't on the list of selections. When you download an app straight to the iPhone, it doesn't get added to that list if iTunes hasn't already gotten the update from your store account. Thus, in my case, since I'd grabbed the app seconds earlier, there was no way it could be on my iTunes list, so it got removed.
However, where as Terry lost Netshare after it was pulled from the store, I had the SM download page on my iPhone after the sync. So I re-downloaded SM, connected my tablet to the Internet (via Netshare, ironically), updated my iTunes account, then re-synced. No problems this time. Simplify Media is now on both my tablet and iPhone.
"Hold on, Sumocat. It's good you didn't lose the app, but where's this 'good fortune' come in?"
Well, I reasoned Terry's predicament was the result of a timing glitch, and today's adventure supports that. Obviously still not great, but a glitch can be fixed, and it's preferable to the "invasive removal" so many feared. No conspiracy here. Just a glitch. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Now that so many people are coming down from their iPhone highs, I thought I'd continue to rub into their faces how good my experience has been. But then I redecided and thought about the weak points in my iPhone enjoyment instead.
1. Safari bites off more than it can chew. In general, the "real" Internet experience on the iPhone has been great, but sometime it's too much for it to handle, resulting in a crash. The crashes are fairly predictable, usually occurring when I zoom and slide long or JavaScript-heavy pages before they finish loading. I dodge a chunk of this by viewing the RSS feeds of the sites I visit daily, but for all others, the solution is patience.
2. Assisted GPS (http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/gps.html) not getting much assistance. When I'm outside, I can get a GPS lock no problem. Obviously not going to work as well when I'm indoors and out of satellite line of sight, but cell tower triangulation is supposed to help offset that. My attempts so far have either failed or shown minimal accuracy. Fortunately, I usually know my location when indoors.
3. Music apps aren't integrated into the iPod. I stream music over Pandora (http://www.pandora.com/) almost all day. It is a fantastic service, very well implemented on the iPhone. However, it can't play in the background while I'm checking email or be controlled by the iPod remote on our home speaker system. I would love for Apple to open up the iPod component to developers so that Pandora and other music apps could be integrated into the iPod system.
4. Why can't all web videos work like YouTube? If you find a YouTube video in a web page, you can tap it to make it play in the iPhone's YouTube app. Cool, but how about sharing the love with other web video formats?
And that's pretty much it. There are also the occasional reboot (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/you-know-how-i-know-iphone-is-computer.html) and the disappearing app trick (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/disappearing-iphone-app-trick.html) I already reported, but those are nothing I can't handle. No fatal connectivity issues. I've yet to run the battery dry (came close once). The iPhone did a full crash once, not sure what could have caused that. So, not quite sunshine and candy canes, but pretty darn good so far. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
[snip]Although a launch day is still pending, the iPhone is still slated for a June release[/snip] *The iPhone is due June 29 (http://tinyurl.com/yqd7jx), so I'd better lay out my predictions before they come to pass.
1. Many will be sold without phone service. I am convinced AT&T is not subsidizing the price. It just doesn't suit Apple to let the carrier control it. That being the case, a lot of people will buy one before their existing contract expires and switch later. Without phone, it's still a widescreen iPod and wifi-powered Internet device. A lot of people want that now and won't mind adding phone service later.
*Also, look at the new ads (http://tinyurl.com/36n5uv). They open with the non-phone features and close with a phone call. They're selling it as an iPod first and a phone second. That strategy makes no sense if it cannot be bought without phone service, and unlike Microsoft, Apple has an established track record of marketing their products based on their strengths.
2. The dock connector will be the killer app. Yeah, the iphone won't be open to third-party software until they work out all the bugs (and since Apple has no phone experience, there will be bugs). However, third-party hardware exists now, including systems that could expand an iPhone into a laptop or desktop. Plus, USB charging and seamless sync with Outlook through the dock are very attractive features.
3. Quick and easy firmware updating is another underappreciated edge. Again, Apple is new to phones. They will need to hammer out the bugs, and that means firmware updates, which are quick and easy to do through iTunes. BTW, as I stated a while back (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/09/iphone-rumor-sparks-crazed-commentary.html), this inexperience is a big reason for them to start off with one carrier. They'll have enough trouble making the iphone work smoothly with one network. No point in compounding that difficulty with multiple networks with unique quirks..
4. iPod sales will be noticeably cannibilizeds. What Apple's not publicizing and analysts aren't recognizing is the iPhone will be many people's new or next iPod. This means sales of regular iPods will decline. This won't hurt Apple since the iPhone generates more revenue, but it will make their prediction of selling ten million units seem far less grandiose.
That's it for specific predictions. In general, I think the iPhone will at least approach Apple's sales target, if not surpass it, though this will come at the cost of iPod sales, and many buyers will not immediately sign up for phone service (I'll say one-third). Some will interpret this as failure, but I think they've been planning it this way all along. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out in a year.
Good amount of speculation going around as to why Apple pulled Netshare (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/iphone-netshare-working.html), an iPhone tethering app, from the App Store. Most obvious answer is that tethering is not allowed by AT&T's terms (unless you pay extra) and is not part of the iPhone plan. AT&T, however, points out that Apple runs the App Store (http://gizmodo.com/5035034/why-netshare-is-probably-not-coming-back-to-the-app-store), putting it back in their court, though there's no admission that they didn't press for the removal. But let's say the removal was all Apple's doing. Why wouldn't they want people to use iPhone's as mobile modems? Why else: they plan on selling mobile modems.
First, Apple does stuff like this all the time. They included 802.11n wifi in their Macbooks and didn't announce it until their 802.11n router was released (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/01/truth-behind-mac-80211n-fee.html). They announced Time Machine would back up to a network attached drive, then reserved it for their own network drive, Time Capsule. Maybe this time they let Netshare through then someone realized it conflicts with their mobile computing plan.
Second, I think Macbooks with embedded mobile Internet connectivity are coming. I blogged this a couple weeks ago (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/07/apples-next-big-move-isnt-tablets.html). Basically. it looks like Apple is prepping a big push into mobile computing, and it seems likely Macbooks with mobile broadband will be apart of that. If so, offering tethering on the iPhone would cut into that... or perhaps Apple has their own tethering plan in mind.
The idea that Apple plans on enabling tethering via the iPhone makes sense. Netshare is a tiny application, comparable in size to apps that do very little (like Flashlight) or those that leverage existing capabilities (like Here I Am). It would seem then it doesn't take much to share an iPhone's Internet connection. On the Mac side, changing proxy settings in Mac OS X to take advantage of Netshare is simple. Windows requires a third-party solution.
Either way, there is a logical path for Apple to offer one or both of these mobile Internet solutions in the future, and it's possible Netshare was an obstacle on that path. Time will tell. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Apple and AT&T finally announced service plans for the iPhone (http://www.apple.com/iphone/easysetup/rateplans.html), as well as the method of getting the plan. Nothing too surprising, at least to someone with my powers of prediction.
First, my prediction (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/06/my-iphone-predictions.html) that many will be sold without phone service is officially dead, while also being ironically accurate. It turns out all iPhones will be sold without service; they just won't work without service. Yep, even to use it as an iPod, the iPhone must be activated and signed up to a phone and data plan with two-year commitment.
iPhone activation and sign-up is handled entirely by iTunes on your own computer. This is right in line with my thoughts (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/06/prediction-1-picks-up-steam.html) on the iTunes Store account requirement, and it means buying an iPhone will be a grab-and-go experience, which should help make the product launch as smooth as I predict it will be (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/06/iphone-reinvents-product-launch-sort-of.html).
Admittedly, my first prediction was a big stretch. I'm sure Apple didn't want the restriction of a two-year commitment, and I'd hoped AT&T would be content with five years of exclusivity, but that apparently fell through. However, Apple (or hackers) may yet lift the restrictions and allow the iPhone to work as an iPod and Internet device without phone service. Time will tell.
One thing that troubles we is AT&T runs a credit check at activation. So what if you don't pass? Sure, you can return it, but what about that time you wasted getting it? Hopefully, that will make the line-waiters think twice, but it strikes me as a hole in the system caused by AT&T's two-year service requirement.
Rumors of a next-gen iPhone coming this summer continue to grow. 3G connectivity and GPS are the common expectations, but a new report from CNN (http://techland.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/04/29/att-to-cut-the-price-of-apples-new-iphone/) indicates AT&T might subsidize the cost by $200. This is welcome news for anyone planning on making the switch after their current phone contract runs out - like me!
Just as interesting to me is the likelihood that the various methods of unlocking iPhones are contributing to this move. Currently, there are only two incentives for using an iPhone with AT&T service: convenience and visual voice mail. It's just easier to sign up with AT&T on an iPhone than to unlock it, and other services don't support the iPhone's visual voice mail.
However, VVM is just one feature of many, and hackers have devised extremely easy ways to unlock the iPhone. Thus, very little prevents people from using their iPhones on other networks. Some estimates put the percentage of unlocked iPhones in double digits, up to 30%. The incentives and safeguards to keep users locked in are insufficient. Added incentive is needed and it's in the form of money.
I'm sure other factors, like new competitive devices from rivals, are contributing to the move, but the impact of the unlocking hacks is undeniable. AT&T offered a lot to get the exclusive rights to the iPhone. They're not just going to roll over as hackers take it away. Kudos to the hackers for helping to force their hand. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Okay, so I thought we wouldn't see wifi (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/09/short-this-weeks-ipod-prediction.html) in the new iPod, officially iPod Touch (http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/), but even though it does have wifi, the supporting reasons still stand.
First, no sync via wifi. Admittedly, it would have been a cool feature, but I don't think it's ready for mass market. Better to keep it wired only, so people remember to keep their pods charged.
Second, undercuts iPhone sales but... Stop for second. Rewind back to My iPhone Predictions (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/06/my-iphone-predictions.html) and you'll see my top claim was that people would buy an iPhone without phone service just to get the widescreen and Internet capabilities. Well, today Apple offered that with the iPod Touch. Could cut into iPhone sales, so Apple made the iPhone more competitive by cutting its price... by $200. The 4GB model is now discontinued, so the price going forward is $399 for the 8GB iPhone, same as the 16GB iPod Touch. Competitive not undercut.
So while the prediction was wrong, Apple addressed the underlying concerns, and I'm pleased with that and, because I didn't buy an iPhone yet, excited about the iPod Touch & lower-priced iPhone.
One of the things to get cut from the lower priced iPhone 3G was the included dock. Thus, you can never give too many docks to an iPhone 3G owner. Wait, does that mean limit the number or give as many as you want? I think the latter.
I personally could use three: one for work and two for home. One at home and the one for work will be connected to speakers, so they'll make the most of the iPhone 3G dock (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB484G/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE0NjMxOA), though there are docks that do more.
The Apple Universal Dock (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB125G/B?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE0NjMxOQ), for example, offers access to the iPod features via a remote and can output iPod video to a TV using an Apple Component AV cable (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB128LL/B?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE1NTI2OA). The cable acts as a dock connector and includes an AC adapter. BTW, a dock connector cable (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA591G/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE1NTI2NQ) and AC adapter (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB352LL/B?fnode=MTY1NDA0MQ&mco=MjQzNTIxNw) would be useful add-on gifts with an iPhone dock. Anyway, an iPhone owner who wants to play video on their TV could use a universal dock and component cable. Otherwise, the iPhone dock should be fine for most. You can never give too many iPhone docks. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
When news of the iPhone power adapter broke, I immediately thought of two things: 1. Free adapter (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2008/09/free-iphone-3g-power-adapter.html) (though I am reconsidering now that I see their ridiculously simple and easily duplicated method of marking new ones) and 2. Why hasn't anyone blogged about their broken adapters?
It seems like every other isolated experience anyone has with their iPhone hits the Internet first and then prompts Apple to react. The adapter recall, however, seems to have been unprompted. Even now, after the recall was announced, I can't find one complaint or photo of a broken adapter. Strikes me as terribly odd, particularly since it only affects people with cameras and Internet access on their phones.
Update! My diligence has paid off. (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2008/09/photo-of-broken-iphone-power-adapter.html) I found one photo of an iPhone AC adapter that is broken (http://twinkle.tapulous.com/index.php?id=1197978) as described in the recall. No details, but if I were prone to speculation (and I am), I would guess that this guy kicked off the recall, He exchanged his iPhone (presumably with broken adapter) four weeks ago. That's enough time for the adapter to go back to the lab for analysis and determine the flaw is recall-worthy.
Mystery solved, but still seems a bit odd this guy hadn't come forward to say it happened to him. Also a bit sad that none of the big blogs dug up this photo. Too busy trying to make the loudest echo? [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Fake Steve Jobs (http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2008/03/happy-now-bitches.html) declared all iPhone competitors dead. Warner Crocker (http://www.gottabemobile.com/It+Is+All+Over+But+The+Crying+Apple+SDK.aspx) thinks its all over except the crying. Rob Bushway (http://www.gottabemobile.com/iPhone+SDK+Available+Now+100m+In+VC+Funding+For+IPhone+Software+Development.aspx) thinks Apple took the UMPC/MID market away. I'm not so optimistic.
Optimistic? They're saying it's over. What could be worse than that? A lot actually.
Remember, I called the iPhone launch an "ass-kicking" (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/01/apple-officially-kicks-everyones-ass.html) and the "opening salvo". (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/07/iphone-nano-heres-my-prediction.html)To me, the SDK launch is just round two. It's a savage beating, but there's more punishment to come, and a dead foe feels no pain.
No, we can expect a counter-strike from Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, and the others. But we can already predict what Apple will fire back in return: 3G/4G connectivity, the iPhone Nano, and the end of AT&T's exclusivity.
Yes, the SDK launch was a massive pummeling, but the final blow? No, that's at least a little more than four years away. And even then, who knows? Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right? Interesting days await. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Since I've already listed some iPhone add-ons I don't have, I should probably mention the add-ons I do have. These are the items I felt were too important to go without.
iTunes gift card: (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/giftcards/itunes/gallery) To take advantage of all the iPhone can do, you need to download a few apps and a few of those cost money. So I bought a gift card from Costco at a 5% discount and established an app allowance. Still have a bit left, but I could always use a little more.
InvisibleSHIELD: (http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/apple-iphone-3g-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php) To keep from worrying about scratching my iPhone, I wrapped mine in Zagg's super-tough skin. It bubbles a bit at the curved edges, but otherwise, it's unnoticeable and works as advertised. Best screen protector I could ask for.
DLO Strapwrap: (http://www.dlo.com/Products/strapwrap_Prod.tpl?command=showpage&cart=1217466365216466) Had my eye on this during my iPhone planning then saw it on clearance at Best Buy. It secures to my pack strap or belt tightly. iPhone slides in and out easily but the fit is snug. It's simple, it's versatile, and it looks good on my sling pack. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
