Where Are The Apple Fans?
Have you noticed how Apple news has been increasingly negative in the past month? I try to keep my articles upbeat, but it has been hard to find many positive things to talk about.
Apple stock continues to reach new highs and some are just now coming to the realization that Apple is a big corporation with the goal of making a profit. The primary focus has shifted from the Mac to other profitable products like the iPod and iPhone. Many of the Apple faithful that stood by this company through the good and bad times now feel as though they have been left behind and forgotten. They don't have that feeling of being a part of something special, a tight-knit family of loyal Mac users sticking up for the little guy.
It wasn't too long ago that Apple could do no wrong. Steve was admired for his ability to mesmerize an audience with new product announcements. Today every public decision Apple makes will be scrutinized. Any action that appears to be made solely on the basis of increasing profits will result in a backlash from the community.
The iPhone 1.1.1 update breaks network hacked phones. The most unique description of this is the dead cow analogy from Leo Leport. The general belief is that it would have been easy for Apple developers to review the checksum of system files prior to updating the phone. Continue with the upgrade if the files match approved values, otherwise notify the user that the upgrade is not possible. Apple chose to go the route of a press release and a warning message prior to the upgrade in iTunes. Users who ignored the warnings are now shopping for a new cell phone.
99 cent ringtones. Surprisingly this has a lot of people upset. The outrage doesn't make sense when you consider what other companies are charging for ringtones (Only $1.99 annual fee per Ringback Tone with a $0.99 monthly subscription). So you want to make ringtones of songs you already own? Well, prior to iPhone 1.1.1 you could do this using the popular Ambrosia Software iToner application. Not anymore. Daring Fireball has a great article covering the whole ringtone subject in more detail.
Apple has not supplied an iPhone SDK to the development community. The dive into mark site has an interesting take on this issue (Buy it for what it is, or don't buy it at all). Users who put Installer.app and software packages on their iPhone can now see what is possible with this little device. Third party developers did an amazing job of creating applications without official tools or documentation. If developers can do this without help just imagine what could be done if Apple worked with the community! What about web 2.0 you say? While it is better than nothing, it simply does not compare to native applications. Why not wait for Apple to develop more applications? There is no way Apple can develop the variety of applications that exist today for the hacked iPhone and other platforms. Since the iPhone was released on June 29th Apple has released the following new applications: 1) iTunes Wi-Fi music store.
Apple dropped the price of the iPhone $200 two months after the release. The early adopters got pretty whipped up over this one. I agree with Scott Bourne (the guy who has probably purchased more iPhones than anyone), I would not trade the two months of iPhone use for $200. With that said I didn't mind cashing in on the $100 store credit.
The iPod touch comes loaded with a subset of applications that are available on the iPhone. Some applications were not loaded including stock, weather, maps, notes, and mail. Several of the applications that made it to the iPod touch have been modified to limit functionality. For example, the calendar and contact applications do not support adding new items. The official word on why this was done is because the touch is an iPod, not a PDA/iPhone. You primarily use it to play music. AppleInsider has an in-depth review of the touch.
iPod touch display issues. An article on Ars Technica describes the issue as dark colors looking either darker than normal or "blown out" (negative). Apple has released an update that resolves the issue, though it does raise the question of how these products made it on store shelves.
Video cables purchased for previous iPod models are not compatible with the new line. Many iPod owners view this as an attempt by Apple to make more money on accessories. iLounge has a good article and discussion on this topic.
Games you purchased for previous iPod models are not compatible with the new line. iLounge has a lot of information and game screenshots on their site.
DRM free, higher quality 256 kbps, cheaper music from Amazon
NBC leaving iTunes in favor of their own free (ad supported) solution called NBC direct. Check out this article for all the crazy details (hint: service for Windows PCs only).
No podcast support in the Wi-Fi music store. The name says it all -- it is a music store. I have listened to a variety of popular podcasters who were very disappointed to find that their shows would not be downloadable through the new application. I listen to many Apple focused shows and would love the ability to download podcasts when away from my computer.
An update issued by Apple can sometimes cause new iMacs to freeze. Check out the article on Ars Technica for a lengthy discussion about this issue.
iMovie '08 does not support plug-ins or a timeline view. Many of the power users prefer the precision and clarity of the timeline view. Some believe this was a move by Apple to push their Final Cut Express product. The people who liked the timeline are hoping that this is added as an option in a future minor release.
iWork '08 does not allow you to easily work with Microsoft Office files. Users who frequently share MS Office files are forced to import when opening and export when saving.
People are already complaining about Leopard. That whole vertical shelf thing has some users upset. Apple should probably include a classic view so those who prefer the vertical display don't have to worry about the visually confusing reflections and floating icons.
There are many other stories that have received a lot of attention recently: iPods bursting into flames, insane international iPhone roaming charges, frivolous lawsuits such as the "You hurt my feelings when you dropped the price of the iPhone" suit, and recent iPhone activation issues.
I think a lot of these issues will fade away after the next keynote. We need Steve to stand on stage and keep us convinced that Apple is still focused on providing the high quality products we love to use.
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