AppleSolo

Apple tested some new security features in Mountain Lion yesterday by pushing out an update to the Mountain Lion Developer Preview as a “security update.” Security is good and all, but in many instances it can be at odds with convenience and user experience. Does Apple feel like they can find the balance between those two seemingly diametrically opposed ideas? I hope so, but some of these new features have me concerned especially since I’ve experienced the Microsoft Windows equivalents all too often at work.

Specifically, I’m referring to forced updates and forced installations. In theory, forced updates by themselves aren’t a bad thing and could really really help harden the OS and prevent attacks like Flashback from occurring at all or from becoming as widespread. Apple started down this road cautiously with Snow Leopard’s malicious software definitions being automatically updated daily in the background. That was fine because no user interaction was required and it was all transparent to the user, that is unless they downloaded something bad. Bug fixes and security hole patches presented as system updates are also most definitely good for a user, and Apple has always had these. But not everyone installs them in a timely manner and some don’t at all. So theoretically forcing them to install the updates would be good and an improvement to the overall health of the Apple ecosystem.

But the problem is they definitely don’t happen in the background and come with some user inconvenience as they take time to install and you have to stop what you’re doing to do so. Lion helped with this by adding Autosave, Versions, and Resume functionality. Unfortunately many apps haven’t added support for these features yet, and some things like text in a browser page can’t really be restored easily if at all (especially if the page requires authentication first before a form can be presented). So to install an update even on Lion you still have to save your work, stop what you’re doing, and go grab some lunch while the update installs and your machine reboots. You can get up and running again faster than you can on Windows due to Resume and stuff, but it’s still inconvenient.

So here’s where the problem lies. How do you get people to install the good crap so they don’t get the bad crap? Well, Windows has long had forced updates which gets the job done but sure ain’t pretty. Myself and many co-workers have lost a lot of work and productivity time because of the way the forced updates are implemented. You can only postpone the update for so long and if you miss the notification window where you have the postponing option (which can happen if you’re in a meeting, giving a presentation, or having a conversation and turn your back) then tough luck, your unsaved work is gone and to add insult to injury you have to manually reopen everything you had up. The worst part is this happens far too frequently, at least once a month or more.

I’ve always been a bit proud that I never had to worry about this kind of ridiculous experience on my Mac. But Apple seems like they’re going to attempt this same method of getting things done. Again, it does get the user to update but it’s sure super inconvenient. I and many people will be quite upset if we end up being forced into the same boat as poor old Windows users in this regard. But only time will tell if the impact will be the same, and that will also be determined in part by how frequently it happens.

Apple, don’t Windows-ify my Mac just for security! You can’t even turn the dang thing off…

I sure hope so. It’s been a slow but steady process of separating all media on iOS. You now have Music, Videos, Podcasts, iTunes U, and iBooks, 3 out of the 5 of which have their own stores built into them. You can’t access iBookstore from elsewhere on an iOS device presently. iOS 6 will similarly completely segregate iTunes U content. The first beta of iOS 6 hinted the same thing would happen to Podcasts, though they reappeared in the iTunes Store with beta 2. You’ve also always had iTunes and App Store separated.

In addition, while it doesn’t necessarily mean anything in regards to iTunes, Mountain Lion showed that Apple isn’t averse to splitting out functions/renaming apps. Notes used to be in Mail but not have their own dedicated app. Same with Reminders from iCal. And iCal was renamed simply Calendar and Address Book to Contacts. I don’t think Apple would go so far as to ditch the iconic iTunes brand name; while they probably could get away with it, it’s unnecessary and would be going too far.

But they totally could duplicate everything else they’ve done on iOS. They could release iBooks for Mac as a separate app and have the store built in there, same for Podcasts and iTunes U, leaving Music and Videos and their corresponding stores in the iTunes app. Alternatively, the could follow even more closely and just leave iTunes as the store (and possibly sync manager) and then have even separate apps for Music and Videos.

It’d be interesting to see if they would merge iOS and Mac App Stores, too. It would give even more exposure to Mac apps and help companion apps to popular iOS device apps get discovered. Heck, if they let Windows users see the Mac App Store then maybe they’d get even more switchers as people dispel the old myth that they can’t get the apps they need on a Mac.

At any rate, it’s still painfully obvious that iTunes in its current form is slow, bloated, and overreaching and needs to be dealt with. Do we really need one single app to listen to music, watch TV, take some college courses, organize books and PDFs, find and buy new apps and music and movies and TV shows and books, and backup a mobile device? I don’t think so.

While the language and severity of this post may push it too far, I’m not sure very many people could argue with the basic premise particularly if they watch the whole video. The event was 1 hour and 20 minutes. There was almost literally nothing new or event worthy up until the last 10 minutes. Up until that point it was like they were patting themselves on the back.

“Oh, our services are so great. We get our data from lots of sources now, including users. We have so many locations. Traffic updates so fast. Oh look, here’s a Ghostbusters/Yoda backpack with a ridiculously large camera we’re using to get more street level data in places we can’t drive our automated cars. Google Earth can be awesome if you use it right.” The rest of it was, “This is where Google maps started. Here’s how we progressed over the years. Here’s a demo of what’s coming soon.”

It really wasn’t that polished of a presentation and whether or not you agree with the idea of Google “being scared” of Apple’s rumored upcoming service, I think you’d be hard pressed to deny that rushed feeling most especially when considering that Google I/O is so close. Such a fluff-filled presentation surely could have been crammed into that event. So why else do it now other than to try to beat Apple to the punch?

Okay, Apple. I know you don’t let rumors guide your product announcements, but if this spec sheet ends up being for real, I and thousands of others will be quite upset. This is NOT the kind of update we were expecting. It’s just a minor spec bump.

Slightly upgraded processor with slightly upgraded graphics. That’s about it. Nobody cares about this USB 3.0 crap now that we have Thunderbolt. Bluetooth 4.0 will be interesting in the future, but it’s not now. 500GB hard drive and only 4GB RAM? Seriously? Check this out, Apple. 8GB of the same spec’d RAM is only $42(!) which is less than 4GB used to be when you first put that much standard into your Pro machines, and you know that price is going to tumble in the next few months–-it always does.

But the real travesty is the lack of form factor change and no upgraded “Retina” displays. For Heaven’s sake, at least match the 13” MacBook Air’s resolution. Pros who go for the 13” model’s price and portability would also appreciate a slim down of the weight and chassis, too. It’s been over 3 years with the same Pro model look, 4 if you count the original unibody MacBook. Ditch the optical drive for an SSD boot drive like is available in the Mini and iMac. Pros definitely need as much speed as can be eked out of such a small package. It would definitely also help with battery life, which we also need.

But since this is unreleased as of yet, I’m still giving you the benefit of the doubt. This better NOT be what’s shipping, or at very very very least be the entry level model as a hold over with a possible price cut. There better be a higher end model with much more impressive specs next week.

This definitely would be interesting, if it could be pulled off. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I see this actually being possible. This would be yet another thing for retailers to have to deal with. Not sure how many of them could afford it or at least think it was worth it. A lot of the old PayWave or whatever tap-to-pay systems are already compatible with Google’s NFC stuff, so I’ve been told by people who use it. Why force another system on people? The likely scenario would be that retailers would choose one or the other. Not sure they’d go this route, though.

But it would be cool.

Yeah, of course they will cost more. I think I’d have been amazed if they didn’t. But here, I think, is a great opportunity for Apple to use its huge cash horde to their advantage and utilize their position to place themselves far, far ahead of the competition in computers; they can show everyone that they are still serious about laptops and desktops.

They should just eat the cost.

Nobody else can do that. It would add significant value and differentiation to their traditional computing offerings while keeping with their cemented position as being the premium, high quality brand. Even at their current resolutions, you can see this with the MacBook Air when compared to “ultrabooks.” Continuing to improve their features and quality at a faster rate than the competition can match is definitely what’s needed and would be a great use of their war chest. Over time, the costs will come down as production ramps up and margins can return back to their original percentage. 

Apple has done this before with iPads, iPhones, and Macs. Most recently we’ve seen it with the new iPad. But we forget things like the original unibody MacBooks and the first iPhone. It’s totally doable, entirely feasible, and would be quite a distinguishing factor.

C’mon, Apple! Make us proud. Can’t wait for WWDC.

Like I’ve said before, Apple looks like they’re continuing their slow rollout of iCloud features to completely replace MobileMe. They learned their lesson and rather than throw everything out there at once like they did with MobileMe they did a “soft launch” with the most basic features, just enough for the service to be useful and for people to catch a glimpse of its future usefulness and centerpiece to Apple’s vision of the future of computing. After more than 8 months of scaling up capacity, they’re getting ready to show the rest of their hand.

iPhoto for iOS brought basic photo sharing functionality, but sounds like they’re going to build that out some more. Additional syncing for things like Notes and Reminders, open web pages, and possibly saved passwords will be added as well. iDisk and iWork.com will soon be shut off. Perhaps there will be replacements for those, too. Third-parties to get in on the… well, party? developer.icloud.com sounds promising.

Let’s get this straight out of the gate:

Microsoft, this is not a good idea.

Obviously this means you don’t like and/or don’t care about your customers. People buying your new free Nokia Lumia 900 that is supposed to be the new hotness that will put you back on the map are now locked into a contract for 2 years. Oh but guess what. The phone is a couple weeks old at most but now it’s already an old piece of junk because it will not get any updates. Windows Phone 7 is an okay OS now but could be better. In 2 years with no updates? Yeah, it’s going to be a piece of junk. When that new awesome Windows Phone 8 “Apollo” update comes this fall (or whenever), your customers will be like, “Oh, sweet! That’s awesome!! Where do I get it? … Wait, what?… I can’t? That stinks. BUT I JUST BOUGHT THIS PHONE!”

Does this really sound like a good idea to you? You’re alienating your customers you’re trying to woo into a lifelong branding romance. You’re spending millions and millions of dollars on advertising and partnerships to distribute and promote these devices (AT&T may spend $150 million on the 900 by itself) but now you want to blow all that away by not providing an upgrade path to your current customers. They signed their life away to AT&T to give you a chance and you’re sticking it to them. How lovely.

There goes your customer loyalty. At least with Android Google feigns update promises. False hope is better than no hope, Redmond. I’ll likely now stick with iOS permanently as Apple has proven to support iPhones for a relatively lengthy time, bare minimum 2 major updates per device with an average of 3 and max thus far of 4 (assuming 3GS will get iOS 6). And that’s not counting bug fix/maintenance releases. Oh, and all devices on all carriers get it the same day, usually the day it’s announced.

But all the WP7 apps they bought will still work… If that’s any consolation… Right…

This is HUGE news! I’ve ranted about this at least once before and I’m glad this is finally getting traction. With only iPhones being mentioned, this could be another thing that makes the iPhone more desirable than Android (until they start doing the same for all phones).

Will resale value of iPhones increase, decrease, or stay the same? I wonder… I should find out in a few months when I sell mine to upgrade to the new iPhone when it arrives. Should at least be much easier to sell.

“I have always liked the fundamental concept of Android — an Open Source smartphone and tablet operating system that could be used on a variety of manufacturers devices with varying feature sets that gives consumers the added benefit of choosing exactly what product suits their specific needs.

…

And of course, there is also the ability for the base OS itself to be modified as well as the ability to side-load applications of your own design for use in vertical markets.

But at the same time, my tolerance for how Google loosely manages its ecosystem and has allowed the platform to mutate and fragment and permit its OEMs and Carriers to abandon its users by not providing timely updates to their handsets and tablets has made my blood boil.”

This dude wants his cake and to eat it, too. Can’t blame him, but I also can’t help but laugh.

You like Android because it’s “open” and people, companies, and carriers can do with it as they will. You want them to be able to make it so it suits their needs and can be put on all kinds of different devices. But you don’t like it because that’s how it’s being used… Well, duh. Hello, McFly!

Carriers and handset makers are using Android in just that way: taking it, changing it and tweaking it to be what they want it to be and to differentiate themselves from the mass of competitors selling the exact same products. They’re using Android to continue to assert control, the control they lost when Apple came in and flipped the whole wireless industry on its ear. Before iPhone you had locked down dumb phones that had different interfaces, functionality and features depending on what carrier you had it on. Some carriers disabled features and sold additional proprietary accessories to unlock others so they could nickel and dime you.

Firsthand example: I had two friends who had the same Motorola Razr phone, one on T-Mobile and the other Verizon. I helped the friend on T-Mobile send custom ringtones to his phone over Bluetooth from my Mac. The Verizon friend couldn’t do it because her phone had Bluetooth disabled and Verizon wouldn’t enable it. Her two options? Buy tones for $2.50 each from Verizon or pay $25 for a proprietary “media” cable that came with proprietary software that only worked on Windows. She HAD to use that cable, no other cable would work; she HAD to use that software as it was the ONLY program that would read the phone due to the custom software Verizon had.

Carriers made big money and had say over every tiny thing in regards to software and hardware design and functionality. Apple took that away with the iPhone. They miraculously negotiated this sweet deal with AT&T where Apple controlled everything from the hardware to the software to the support of the device. AT&T didn’t care so much because they got to require the data plan and didn’t have to pay any subsidies. The problem came when the iPhone became an explosive hit. Now everyone wanted an iPhone and Apple wanted subsidies. AT&T couldn’t really say no. Apple kept on improving the device with software and hardware upgrades.

Now everybody wants that kind of experience. A sexy device with great, capable software that delivers a smooth and pleasant experience, as well as the promise of updates to fix bugs and add functionality in the future. They want to see their phone as an investment, one they pay a fair amount of money for and keep for a number of years, yet one that also continuously improves with new and better apps and new OS revisions.

But that’s not what the carriers and other device manufacturers want. What do they want? To sell more devices. Carriers want you locked into contracts. If you’re not on contract, you’re at risk of leaving. Device makers want you to buy their newest hardware all the time. For both of them, it’s not worth the time and effort necessary to update and support “old” devices; you’re not spending more money, buying more devices and extending your contract if you’re happy with the phone you have. It’s not in their best interest to update your phone. Why do you think these kind of updates didn’t occur before the iPhone?

Apple is different. Apple actually cares about the end user. They care about you having a great experience with your device. The company has a fundamentally different business paradigm infused into its DNA by late co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs: they make good products for themselves and just so happen to sell it to you because you like it, too. And they way they make their products work together and the way the ecosystem is woven in the experience, if you have a good experience with one device you’re likely to buy another from them. This kind of experience is different from just general “brand recognition.”

So, Apple will continue to treat their customers well, selling the best quality products that last and providing long term updates and supports to them. Android handset manufacturers and carriers will continue to try to entice you into buying newer devices more frequently so they sell more units and keep you under contract. In other words…

They’ll never “fix” Android because this is how they want to use it.

We’ll welcome you to Apple’s greener pastures when you’re ready to make the switch. And you definitely won’t regret it.