Jet City Journal

iPhone 2.02 software breaks application updates

After installing the 2.02 update on my first-gen iPhone, I can no longer install new versions of apps without first deleting the prior version.  Aside from being incredibly annoying, this is a serious problem for apps that use and save data, because removing an app from the iPhone also deletes all of its related data. 

I'm not the only person experiencing this problem.

9/16 Update: After installing iPhone 2.1 and doing a complete restore, wiping all my apps and then reinstalling all of them again, I now seem to be able to install updates again.  Hallelujah.

Apple's continued incompetence

Apparently, bricking my phone for a full day this month wasn't enough for Apple.  Today, my iPhone decided that it wouldn't recognize headphones any longer and would only play music out of the built-in speakers.  After trying everything I could think of, the only option left- short of a visit to the Apple Store - was to restore the software.  Unfortunately, once the restore was completed I was greeted with the dreaded  "Could not complete iTunes request" error message.  More than two full weeks after the launch of the iPhone 3G, Apple still hasn't fixed its iPhone activation server problems. Apple may want to consider themselve a consumer company, but until they can deliver basic functionality to their customers without endless hassles, they're just another consumer unfriendly tech company.  Citing unexpected demand as an excuse for poor performance just doesn't cut it anymore.  Can you say "not ready for prime time?" 

Let the bad PR begin

That old expression "nothing succeeds like success" is a load of crap.  Apple created a feeding frenzy for its new iPhone 3G and for its iPhone 2.0 software for existing 2.5G iPhones. Success, right?  Problem is, they can't handle the traffic to upgrade and activate all those phones and now a lot of very unhappy people are sitting around with very expensive, very stylish paperweights.  I'm one of them. 

So this raises an interesting question: is this just a one-time blip or a sign that Apple has a lot of work to do before it can become a truly consumer-focused company?

P.S. My AppleTV is bricked, too.  Nice going, Steve.

Update: So where I was getting the ubiquitous and really helpful (unknown error -9838), now I'm getting (unknown error -4).  Progress?  Who the hell knows. 

Why I won't be rushing out to buy a 3G iPhone

One of the hazards of being an Apple aficionado is that, because of the overwhelming hype, it's almost impossible to keep your expectations in check regarding new products.  That's the case with the new 3G iPhone.  Don't get me wrong, it's a better device than the original iPhone and cheaper, too.  That's no small feat. But the sum total of new features is two: 3G networking and GPS.  Those are both important, but not enough for me to shell out $200 or $300 (plus pay a higher monthly charge for data) to replace my original gen 1 iPhone, at least not right now. 

On other hand, I might have ordered a new one today if Apple had added a couple of additional features.  In particular, I was hoping for video recording, MMS capability and a camera flash (and/or a better camera).  It's possible the first two might get addressed by third party developers (though I doubt it). 

Still, I'm feeling pretty good about what I already have.  The iPhone 2.0 software update will make the original iPhone do some new tricks.  So I'll wait til Apple ships a 32GB model, at which point it'll be able to hold my entire music collection plus some video.

Dear Apple, please sell this

An iPod/iPhone-based fitness system. An Apple patent application describes:

"...a software- and hardware-based fitness system that includes sensors for motion and biometrics, a rewards program, and a system for facilitating group activities in which users can challenge others to match their workout performance."

Excellent idea.  And while you're at it, could you design an iPhone headset that stands up to the rigors of exercise (namely, sweat)?  I've gone through three iPhone headsets, all of which were ruined when a drop of sweat landed on the mic/action button.  Now I've had to resort to a  $100 pair of Vibe Duo headphones (which are awesome, actually).

[via iLounge]

How did he get this job?

Popular Science has a negative review of the iTunes movie rental service.  It's complete crap. The review, that is.

Jon Chase used a relatively old laptop with outdated software to review a new service.  That's like road-testing a brand new Ferrari on an old, rutted dirt road; any conclusions you might draw from the experience are sort of meaningless.  Jon's review also misses the larger point of the service.  Rentals are primarily a strategy to help Apple capture the living room, not the home office.

I've tried several online movie rental services, including Amazon Unbox and the XBox Marketplace. I've been using the AppleTV and ITunes movie rental service for a while now, and it is the most seamless and consumer-friendly of the bunch, by a wide margin.  Set-up took about 5 minutes. I've now rented about 10 movies from iTunes, with only one (minor and easily fixable) technical problem.  That's not to say iTunes is flawless; there are a few quirks and the content is still pretty thin.  And the usage rules that Jon complains about are real and stupid. But they aren't Apple's fault; they are required by the movie studios. 

While it's still early days, I'd say we're a lot closer to electronic movie distribution becoming mainstream than Jon's highly slanted review would suggest. I, for one, won't be visiting a video store any time soon.

iZune

Microsoft showed off its latest Zunes yesterday.  They're still not cool, but at least someone finally got Microsoft reps to stop talking about "squirting" songs.  That was, hands down, the dorkiest marketing ploy ever by a company that seems to take perverse pride in out-dorking everyone.  The new wi-fi syncing feature is, however, quite nifty.  I wish my iPhone had that...

But you have to wonder how long Microsoft's going to be in this business.  They sold as many Zunes in a year as Apple sold iPhones in a quarter.  I've seen exactly two Zunes in the wild. Ever. I saw 8 iPhones and twice as many iPods just during the 3 block walk from my office to the gym on Monday. Eventually, someone will out-iPod the iPod. That's inevitable. I just don't think it's going to be Microsoft.

And in the process pissed off 999,000 early adopters...

Apple sold 1,000,000 iPhones in just 74 days. There's a certain amount of market schizophrenia surrounding Apple.  When the iPhone was introduced, industry pundits ripped it for being too expensive.  Then a few analysts made some overly optmistic (and patently ridiculous) assertions about initial sales, only to voice disappointment when early figures tracked with what Apple had been predicting all along.  Last week, Wall Street punished Apple for lowering the price on the supposedly overpriced iPhone, despite the fact that the move will probably drive up sales heading into the holiday season.  All of this strikes me as evidence that market analysts have no real clue about what constitutes success or how to measure it.

Don't be an early adopter

I bought an 8 GB iPhone about a month ago when my Treo 650 fell down a flight of concrete stairs. And, no, it wasn't pushed. Today, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399. They softened the blow by adding some new features, though, as well as free wi-fi access in any Starbucks. Which, in Seattle, pretty much means you'll never be out of wifi range...

Correction: You won't be able to get free Internet access via Starbucks' wi-fi network, just access to the new WiFI iTunes music store and one-click purchases of whatever happens to be playing while you're buying that triple latte. That's, ummmmm, kinda lame...