MacBlogz - One Stop Apple News » Feedback

Genius Bars Beware; “iPhone Challenge” Coming Your Way

Aviv — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:34:10 +0000

Defective by Design.org (a group of open source advocates who happen to hate Apple’s DRM Management), is planning a campaign they call the “Apple iPhone Challenge.” They hope to challenge Apple’s strict DRM protection and get the tech giant to open its code up for everyone to use.

The group would like you to print out their questionnaire, book a 10 minute slot at your local genius bar (or at any of the 217 Apple Stores in 7 countries worldwide), and start drilling the genius with hard-hitting corporate policy and DRM specific questions. “For each question, give them (the Genius) a score between 1 and 32, with 1 being a really bad answer, and 32 being an answer that really showed insight into the restrictive practices of the iPhone,” they explain.

“The total score will be out of 160 — the IQ level of Einstein, a certified genius. Rate your Genius’s iQ to the same score, and if they get over 130, they’re a genius — any lower than that, and they’re screwed. Glory and infamy awaits!”

They ask you to get the genius’ business card first before any questions take place. If the genius does particularly horrible, Defective by Design claims that they will send prizes and information accordingly. You’ll have the genius’ address and information because it’ll be on the business card you asked for.

Seems like an over-the-top elaborate plan to get information from Apple employees who know nothing to begin with. I myself was offered an Apple Genius position at one point. They offered $17/hour and full benefits and after hearing about the strict policies the company has in place, I turned the job down. I can confidently say that Apple employees at the lower levels (primarily the ones who spend their hours in a retail store, whether it be a flagship store or in a mall), know less about the company than the people that write about the ins and outs of Apple’s practices. If Defective by Design wants to get the real information, they need to interview people, analysts and columnists who have written, studied and dissected Apple’s business models. Not some low level Apple Genius who know what AppleScript is.

According to DBD.org, the 10-minute interaction between you and the Apple Genius should go as follows:

Start by introducing yourself to your Genius.

“I’m from the DRM elimination crew at DefectiveByDesign.org — I’d like to ask you a few questions about the defects Apple has designed into the iPhone 3G.”

1. Why do all developers have to submit their applications to Apple before they can be loaded onto an iPhone?

“Most smartphones, including those by OpenMoko, Nokia, RIM, Palm and even Microsoft, allow applications to come from a variety of sources, including free software developers. Free “as in freedom” software development requires that users and developers be able to share and modify the source code for programs they use. iPhone users are not permitted by Apple to share or load modified versions of programs distributed through the App Store — even when a program’s developer wants users to be able to do this! Apple markets itself as empowering, alternative technology — How does Apple plan to support free software development?”

2. Why does iTunes still contain so much DRM-laden music?

“Services like Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, Play.com and 7digital are all selling music without DRM. A typical response to this might be that Apple has no option to sell media without DRM, but this is simply untrue. Jobs is the largest individual shareholder at Disney, and he could insist that its films be DRM-free. Apple should be leading the way to promote DRM-free music, but instead is lagging behind. What is Apple doing to fix this? If it really is the RIAA’s fault, can you tell me specifically what the RIAA said to Jobs when he asked for the ability to sell DRM-free music?”

3. The iPhone 3G has GPS support. How can users be sure that the GPS cannot be used to track their position, without their permission?

“When the only thing preventing the GPS from being used is software, and the software in question is known only to Apple, why should iPhone users trust Apple? There is a privacy agreement, but how would I ever know that the agreement was violated?

4. In ‘Thoughts on Music’, Steve Jobs said, “it is useful to remember that all iPods play music that is free of any DRM and encoded in ‘open’ licensable formats such as MP3 and AAC”.”

“If Jobs really wants to see open formats, why doesn’t the iPhone play Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Theora video and FLAC? These formats require no licensing costs, and are not encumbered by patents. How does Apple plan to support these formats in the future? Will Apple approve applications for the App Store that support these formats?”

5. Last question. Why can the iPhone 3G only be activated by Apple and AT&T?

“In the United States, the Register of Copyrights has ruled that consumers have the right to unlock their phones and switch to a different carrier. How does Apple plan to remedy this discrepancy?”

NEXT STEPS

Give your Genius their score, your contact information (if you want) and your handout, along with any additional feedback you have about the defects in iPhone 3G. Thank them for their time, and quickly and politely leave the store. Outside the store, distribute some of the flyers and spend some time talking to people about these issues.

Let us know how it went by sending an email to info@defectivebydesign.org with your Genius’s information, score, and your comments.

Defective by Design.org via Apple Insider

Apple Apologizes to Mobile Me Customers; Removes the word “Push” From Description

Aviv — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:23:02 +0000

Apple has recently experienced a wave of negative attention regarding the Mobile Me launch. Customers who were anxious to use and experience Apple’s new suite of web-based applications experienced immense troubles during the first 4 days of launch. Today Apple sent out an email to all Mobile Me customers apologizing for the troublesome and frustrating experience, as well as defining, and removing the word “push” from Mobile Me’s description.

We’re glad Apple has acknowledged the issues many of us faced last weekend. Technology can be very unpredictable and even big shape-shifters like Apple can run into sticky situations (especially with deployment). While some users may have been turned away for good, those who have stuck through the turbulence will surely be satisfied that Apple has recognized their loyalty and patience. Additionally, Apple is issuing a 30 day extension of Mobile Me ‘free-of-charge’ for current customers.

We have recently completed the transition from .Mac to MobileMe. Unfortunately, it was a lot rockier than we had hoped.

Although core services such as Mail, iDisk, Sync, Back to My Mac, and Gallery went relatively smoothly, the new MobileMe web applications had lots of problems initially. Fortunately we have worked through those problems and the web apps are now up and running.

Another snag we have run into is our use of the word “push” in describing everything under the MobileMe umbrella. While all email, contact or calendar changes on the iPhone and the web apps are immediately synced to and from the MobileMe “cloud,” changes made on a PC or Mac take up to 15 minutes to sync with the cloud and your other devices. So even though things are indeed instantly pushed to and from your iPhone and the web apps today, we are going to stop using the word “push” until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too.

We want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge. Your extension will be reflected in your account settings within the next few weeks.
We hope you enjoy your new suite of web applications at me.com, in addition to keeping your iPhone and iPod touch wirelessly in sync with these new web applications and your Mac or PC.

Thank you,
The MobileMe Team

P.S. – Hey Apple… We Forgive you.

Mac Users Stay Loyal with Overwhelming Number of iPhone 3G Purchases

Christina — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:27:48 +0000

On July 11th, while many of us were waiting in line to grab our piece of the 1 million iPhones sold this last weekend, members of investment bank Piper Jaffray were conducting a survey in the New York and Minneapolis queues that quantified everything from launch demand to the mix of 8GB and 16GB models, to the phones from which customers were upgrading. The results were then compared to those of a similar survey taken during the launch of the original iPhone on June 29th, 2007. Here is what was discovered:

The survey shows that out of the total respondents on July 11th, 2008, 61% of those in line to purchase the iPhone 3G were already loyal Mac users. Compared to last year, where 75% were Mac user and the remaining 25% PC users, this shows that Apple is beginning to adopt influence over Windows users. Unfortunately, the survey also shows that those who answered “yes” when asked if they would “use an iPod in addition to their phone,” dropped by 17%, showing that the iPhone is indeed cannibalizing the user-friendly (destined to be obsolete?) iPod. On the service front 62% of those in line this year claim to be existing customers of AT&T, up from last year’s 48%. Which clearly shows that AT&T is definitely putting a dent in its competitors networks and user base.

Now here is where is gets interesting: Of those waiting in line, 38% already owned the original iPhone and were purchasing the 3G as an upgrade. 20% were upgrading their phone from a Motorola, 3% from a Treo and 6% from a Blackberry. Last year 35% switched over from Motorola, 13% from Treo, and a mere 6% from Blackberry. The #1 cited reason for purchasing the iPhone 3G was the new features added to the phone…Which would explain the 38% coming to double-dip in the iPhone jar. I wonder what percentage of people will be planning to hock their first generation iPhone on eBay? After all, the recently released iPhone 2.0 software is available on a first generation iPhone, so they aren’t entirely obsolete.

While we find the numbers in the survey to be entirely feasible, the author failed to note the conditions of how the survey was conducted. For example: The results of a survey where those in the front of the line since 3 a.m. were questioned would provide vastly different results than those questioned strolling into queue at 8 a.m. with their 10 pound Dell laptop tucked neatly under their arm. We’re just saying….

While the number of iPhones sold in the first weekend clearly exceeds Piper Jaffray’s initial estimate of 425,000 units from Friday to Sunday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster issued an updated report to clients in which he estimated the majority of that upside was driven by stronger than anticipated demand internationally. Specifically, he estimated that 400,000 units were sold here in the U.S., 250,000 units sold in the U.K., and an average of 18,000 units were sold in each of the remaining 19 countries. “Global demand for the iPhone is better than expected.

This trend will likely continue as Apple rolls out an additional 58 countries in the next several months,” Munster said. You can find specific contry/carrier information by checking out the MacBlogz iPhone World Map. “In addition, we expect Apple will sell phones in China and Russia by year end. The only problem is production, but we continue to believe 45 million units for 2009 is achievable.” Yes, he did say 45,000,000. Pretty soon everyone is going to have one. At least then we won’t have to worry about getting jumped on the bus on the way home from work while daydreaming and listening to the Moody Blues.

via AI

We Love Feedback

Dave — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:54:31 +0000

Hello all,

We have recently received some great feedback and encourage you to keep it coming. We are hard at work implementing new features that guys have suggested. We invite you to let us know your opinions on what you like/dislike and would enjoy seeing in the future. We here at MacBlogz are dedicated to creating a cohesive user-friendly and inviting environment from which you can easily access all of the Apple/Mac community’s recent news. Once again we thank you for your feedback and would love to here more.

Cheers,
MacBlogz Team