Unabashed Apple Fanboy Post [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Apple Poised To Screw Up (AGAIN)

Yesterday Apple killed the end run that one scorned developer did in order to sell his application after it was not allowed in the blessed iTunes App Store.

Alex Sokirynsky, creator of an application called Podcaster was shut down by Apple two weeks after his application was rejected for inclusion in the App Store because it duplicated features in the company's own iTunes software. "Since Podcaster assists in the distribution of podcasts, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes," Apple told Sokirynsky.

Yeah, right. So what's the big deal? The big deal is that Apple is about to royally screw themselves. Read on, dear reader, read on...

It seems that Mr. Sokirynsky did an end-run around Apple by selling and allowing people to install his software via the "Ad Hoc" mechanism that Apple created for people to beta test their software with actual users - and for enterprises that wanted to be able to distribute their apps to up to 100 internal folks.

So what Sokirynsky did was to create new "build numbers" of the application to get around the 100 person limit. He charged people $9.99 for the product and then had them send them the device's UDID (unique device identifier) code.

The UDID is needed by the Ad Hoc program to allow the install of the software without going through iTunes and thus bypassing the App Store all together.

Pretty ingenious!

Well, Apple, being the draconian institution it is - caught on and then just yanked his account. Done.

Yeah, good move, Apple! Bravo! That's a terrific way to motivate developers to spend time and money developing software for your platform. With the crepe paper still up at the new Android phone's coming out party - it would seem to me that it would behoove Apple to stop this kind of heavy-handed bullshit and just do what Steve Jobs said he would do at the Spring SDK event - and that's keep out the "bad" programs that crash, do malicious things, are just porn apps, or ones that are illegal or are bandwidth hogs.

Podcaster is none of those things.

And, I'm sure Mr. Sokirynsky is not the only developer hoping to bring cool, actually useful apps to the iPhone rather than just the 1,000 calculators and variations on to-do lists. What about things like other browsers like Firefox or Chrome?

And as Engadget's Ryan Block points out in his blog about this debacle - it all stems from a super restrictive SDK legal agreement:

Besides a few very specific callouts (like the no VoIP on cellular bit), all we've got to go by is one vague, gray, largely unspecific blanket statement: "No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and built in interpreter(s)."

Basically, that means that you can't build anything that you haven't prescribed in its given tool and feature set. So if the iPhone already has something like, say, a browser (read: mobile Safari), and Google wants to port a mobile version of Chrome for the iPhone, Google's out of luck. And Apple's legal wiggle room is unbelievably broad. Is a Word / Excel editor a code interpreter? Is a BitTorrent client a code interpreter? Should one have to build a complete and fully functional piece of software just to find out?

Now I get the fact that Apple wants to protect the iPhone platform overall - but I agree with Ryan Block when he says:

Now, if you want to do the right thing -- the thing that may ultimately keep you out of some grumpy developer's class-action lawsuit, the thing that will take away Android's biggest consumer appeal right now -- you'll simply stop filtering apps based on content, and only look for the kind of code Steve specifically promised to protect users against in the first place: grossly buggy and broken, malicious, or otherwise evil.

Apple, PLEASE do not mess up this perfect opportunity to dominate mobile communications the way you completely screwed yourself in the OS marketplace! Allow developers to develop cool, meaningful, useful, business applications. You're the cool kid right now - do NOT let it go to your head - or your heart (and marketshare) will suffer - AGAIN.

iTunes Genius = 1984

Remember when the Mac first made its debut in 1984? It was that commercial that opened with an Orwellian "overlord" on the screen with all the enslaved subjects being brain-washed into accepting what was said at face value.

Then, from the back, comes a pretty white woman in a running uniform carrying a sledge hammer and being chased by guards - and throws it through the screen and "frees" the captives. The tag line is "On January 24th Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."

That is, of course until September 14, 2008 - when Apple brought out iTunes 8.0 and introduced the new "Genius" bar on the right hand side. It's billed as an "assistant."

The idea is to suggest music choices you don't have - based on what you do have. It's a good idea - like a suggestion engine that you see all the time in other sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. The problem is - in order for it to work - you need to agree to upload ALL the information about your music catalog, play lists and downloads to Apple.

Hmmmm. That's a pretty big "opt-in" if you ask me. Right before you decide to take the plunge - here's how Apple describes what you're about to do:

"Genius is able to make play lists and give you great recommendations by periodically sending information about your iTunes library to Apple. This information will only be sent to Apple if you choose to turn on Genius."

"The information sent to Apple includes details about the media in your iTunes library such as track names, play counts, and ratings. This information will be stored with an anonymous Genius ID and not linked to your iTunes Account. When using the iTunes Store or Genius sidebar, Apple will also use your purchase history to give you better recommendations."

Ummm.... yeah. So Apple is now the world's biggest distributor of music, and it will now also have data on millions of people's catalogs - including music that was bought elsewhere and "ripped" from CD's etc.

But it will also get all the other nuggets that are stored along with just what songs you have. It'll also get the ratings, how many times you've played them, what pluralists you've put them in, etc. 

In other words - Apple will have some of the most up-to-date and complete information in the world to predict music trends and to (potentially) capitalize on that knowledge.

Now I haven't turned on the feature myself, yet - but I know people who have. They liken the Genius sidebar to an overzealous used car salesman. There are "buy" buttons all down the thing.

Whatever happened to that cool aesthetic, the subtle sell, providing the user with rankings and gently nudging them toward a sale? Now it says "Top Songs You're Missing" and "Recommendations".

Top songs I'm "missing?" Really? Maybe I think those songs totally blow - and aren't worth the $0.89 or $0.99 asking price. Maybe I ripped those songs from a CD I'd made 5 years ago. Who died and made YOU boss?

Sorry, I digress.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: nice try, Apple. You make some good products (I really do like my iPhone), have some snazzy advertising, and have been terrifically successful in selling music and iPhone applications.

Just get your hand out of my data pocket - and keep your distance, less you start to become like all of the other "greedy" non-Mac companies out there. The only reason people like you is because you're different, not the same as everyone else.

Try to stay that way.

iPhone OS - Now Like Windows!

So.... my new iPhone said the battery was almost dead - which was interesting - since it was connected via the USB connector at the time - which, should, in theory, mean it was charging.

In iTunes, the little "lightening bolt" didn't appear (which means it wasn't charging). So, I looked online and people said to restart it - or "let it sit for 5 minutes completely turned off."

Did both of those - no luck.

Then, I decided to think like a Mac user. In iTunes - it says "If you are experiencing problems with your iPhone, you can restore its original settings by clicking Restore."

Hmmm.... hey, I was having problems - so, being a Windows user with my "Mac User" hat on - I clicked Restore. After an HOUR it said all things were a go.

Great! Re-plugged in and it asked if I wanted to register the phone as a new iPhone or restore from backup. So, thinking like a Mac User - I clicked Restore - thinking it just needed some clean up, etc.

Nope. It did the whole thing over again. Surely this time - iTunes would bless me with the "default" iPhone screen for synching, etc.

Nope.

So after some more searching - I found some posts by Windows users (and Mac users) that said to FORCE QUIT iTunes during restore and shut off the phone, turn it on, re-launch iTunes and re-connect.

Now THIS is advice I can use! Being a Windows user - force quitting and restarting is something I'm 100% comfortable with! So, I tried it - and guess what? It WORKED.

Not kidding.

WTF?

I think that firmware update did the old hose the iPhone thing. From the number of posts I went through - there are lots of people complaining of "slow downs" and "freezes" and all kinds of good stuff.

To sum up, in terms of that famous line in Disney's movie Nemo, "Good feeling gone."

They just blew the entire wad of good will they built up - and not just for me. There are horror stories of people staying on the phone with a tech for 2 to 3 hours, re-installing iTunes, etc. - all to no effect.

It's the ultimate revenge - making Mac Users think like PC users!

It's Only A Phone, People! - Part 2

Nah, nah, nah, nah! Told you so.

Once again, the in-store ONLY activation plan - the Steve Jobs my-way-or-the-highway method of activating the phone - has crashed and burned - exactly as I predicted yesterday.

The whole idea of in-store only activation was to prevent people from buying the phone, going home, hacking it, and then switching providers. Because, the thought went, if you did that - you would be locked in to the AT&T contract and at the minimum you would have to pay the difference between the subsidized price and the retail price as well as an early termination fee to AT&T.

Sounds great! Good idea!

If only it worked.

Almost immediately the activation servers at Apple went down due to such a huge surge in traffic from such a huge surge in demand for the new iPhone.

That, in turn, took down the other servers that were serving up the iPhone 2.0 update software for iPod Touch and iPhone 1.0 people trying to update to the new software.

THAT, in turn, took down the iTunes store.

Well, if you're going to crash and burn - you might as well do it all the way!

Nothing like working for 6 months to hype a new product, build demand, build feverish anticipation and actually get people to stand in line to buy the thing - only to fail at the last 10 feet of service. Even in my suburbian town we have an AT&T store on the way to the office, so I thought I'd stop by (about 8:15am PST) to see what the reaction would be. I expected a handful of the faithful waiting in line.

There was about 175 people snaking a line all the way around the building. I didn't even have the courage to go into the parking lot. Our office is right across the street from a mall that has an Apple Store in it. I didn't even bother going to see how many people were there.

What a bummer it must be to be an IT hack over at Apple Corporate today! I can only imagine how many people are getting fired on the spot in a patented Steve Jobs tirade.

The good news is - they now get to work all weekend long (FREE pizza! FREE RedBull!)... and get the opportunity to be under the entire world's microscope. I sure hope they brought a sleeping bag and a change of clothes...

Bob's Cystal Ball: PocketTops

With the run-up to the iPhone 3G introduction and the changing of the guard over at Microsoft, I got to thinking about the future of computing and about what the landscape will look like 3-5 years down the road.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that within the next couple of years we'll see the decline of the laptops and the increase of mobile devices that will be able to function like our laptops do today.

I think that Apple is trying to build more than just a mobile device - I think they're trying to build an entire platform. The little iPhone has it's own operating system (based on Linux), it's own SDK, and it's linked in to millions of copies of iTunes.

So people will start writing the default applications: games, crm links, word processing, spreadsheets, etc. Apple is moving toward the online synch and storage (mobileMe) and AJAX-ifying it's own applications in the cloud for use anywhere on any platform. They also announced wireless FireWire.

It makes total sense that the iPhone would become a true mobile computer in your pocket - or a PocketTop. I can envision on the road with the "normal" iPhone (and the smaller screen) when on the plane; it would wirelessly connect with a monitor and keyboard in my office; would wirelessly connect to my car's audio system; would allow me to wirelessly connect to a projector in a meeting room; etc.

That would be a device I'd buy in a MINUTE. And, I think a lot of others would as well.

To be sure, there are some technical hurdles - like processor power, battery life, solid state storage and faster mobile (4G) networks that need to be solved before this can happen - but I think we'll see these advances in the next couple of years.

In fact, handhelds are advancing faster than laptops - in terms of memory and CPU prowess. Laptop memory capacity typically doubles every two years, while pocket devices are those gains annually.

To be sure - there will always be room for bigger "real" machines in server rooms, etc. - but I think that about 85%-90% of people who are using laptops today would buy a PocketTop with similar capabilities - assuming they could use it everywhere.

Now I only hope I don't lose it...

iPhone Apps in Business Shackled to iTunes

It's the day-after the day-after the "big" announcement - and the iPhone fanboy sites are buzzing (again!) with speculation. Although the speculation is somewhat toned-down - I've seen a bunch of commentary written on how this or that is great or sucks - what the problems are (or will be) - for a product and operating system that has not even shipped yet!

Geez, people - get a life! Just wait another month, stand in line, and actually buy the damn thing before you go off and start predicting doom and gloom - or joy and balloons.

The reality will be somewhere in-between. From a technical point-of-view, the phone is pretty good - but not as impressive (or feature-rich) as those that are already on the market - or ones that will come to market soon.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is - people's perception of the iPhone as "the next big thing." That spells both opportunity for developers building native iPhone applications - and it also means that business folks will have to get ready to adopt iTunes officially into their stable of "blessed" applications.

For small businesses, this is no problem. It's no big deal to have personal media assets on company equipment, and they can just use a single install of iTunes for everything from browsing the iTunes store, to downloading games, to uploading pictures as well as the more "business-like" functionality of contacts and calendaring.

So, let me throw my speculative hat into the ring - and talk about corporate application distribution. There will be certain applications that businesses will develop for in-house use that also happen to run on the iPhone. As announced, there will be only two "official" mechanisms for distributing them:

1. Make them publicly available on the Apple App Store; OR
2. "Register" the iPhones in your organization and roll out apps just for those devices

Both of them have something in common: iTunes.

Now, iTunes is a terrific consumer application, and from the announcements that Steve made the other day, Apple is really trying to "get" the enterprise. It's put in the synch to Exchange, the ability to remotely wipe a device, etc.

What they didn't announce (and what I'm speculating on) - is a "corporate" version of iTunes. Can't you just imagine all the enterprise IT folks going crazy at people installing iTunes on their corporate boxes?

As of the currently shipping version of iTunes, there's no way to centrally control the application. No support for Active Directory Group Policy, no way for the IT wonks to disable the iTunes store, no way to set the default media download location, no way to limit the updating of QuickTime and iTunes versions to a centrally "blessed" version, etc.

Even in SMB companies of 30-500 people, such controls would (will?) make life much easier for an already-overworked IT staff. Hopefully Apple will "get" the needs of business - and include it into their future strategy and roadmap for a business-friendly iTunes.

iTunes Dynamic Pricing - It's a Good Thing

There's been some speculation about whether or not Apple will make some video content available on iTunes on a dynamic pricing model or not. Personally, I think it's a good idea.

Now I know what you're thinking - "Hey Bob, WTF - doesn't that mean we'll be paying more for all that gooey video goodness?" Yes and no.

Think about it for a second - if everything was $1.99 per download - then the studios would say "it's not enough" and would limit the content. On the flip side, if the studios thought $4.99 was a better price, say, for an episode of The Sopranos then people could vote with their feet and just not buy it. Once the numbers trailed off - the studio could then lower the price back to $2.99 and see what happens.

Sure, there will be some pissed off people who bought the $4.99 episode when the price goes down to $2.99 - but if it was worth $4.99 when you downloaded it - it's probably actually worth $4.99 to you now.

Just have a look at the iPhone. It came out at a higher price, and then they lowered the price (much to the chagrin of those early adopters) to boost demand. And - it WORKED.

So you may not be enough of a fan of a show to fork over $2.99 for an episode, but what if they dropped the price (for a limited time - or for a couple of pilot episodes) to $0.49? Would you be interested then? Maybe.

And that's good for everyone. You get a "deal" on a show that you've never seen - or one that sounds interesting that you would have never really watched - and the studios then have to "earn" your viewership of future episodes by keeping the quality of the show high.

I'll admit - there is still something sort of FUD factor when an episode of 24 goes for $1.99 one day, then $2.14 the next and $1.61 the next. But the point is - as a series becomes more popular, then the studios have a bigger upside and they can test market prices - or aggressively try to stimulate demand for a new series or movie - by playing with the prices.

In the end, that whole market-driven thing is good for everyone.