Apple Gaming... or not

Just read an article about Apple not understanding "gaming". Not being a "gaming" person, I can't say what the gaming community understands, I can't really see it through their eyes, and I most certainly don't want to offend anyone. That said... I just can't agree with this idea. Apple knows exactly what they are doing.

Yes, gaming is a BIG market. But so what? It just isn't the market that Apple wants to emphasize. People seem to be only seeing a big market and are not looking at the demand it will take to capture that market. As opposed to the "too many eggs in one basket" problem, I think this is a problem of having too many baskets and not enough eggs! Apple would like the market share (and the population that want to use Apple computers but don't because of the lack of gaming options) and would love the MONEY that comes with it, but there is a much larger reality that must be faced. A company that moves into territory that has nothing to do with their expertise will ultimately fail. Having all those baskets with no eggs to fill them with will destroy a company. There is just so much one company can do, and if they add more baskets, they either have to have more eggs, or have to pull eggs out of the baskets they already have filled. It weakens one market, and never really strengthens the new market. Failure all around, and that is NOT good eats!

This is not to say that there are no success stories for diversifying, but for the most part, the really successful companies either keep with what they know (and do it very well) or get rid of what they did in the past and completely change what they do. Look up the history of DuPont and many of the chemical companies. They went all over the map, but not until they got rid of whatever they were doing previously. They put a strong emphasis on the new market without having to be dragged down by the old one. This just isn't the case with Apple. Their strengths are not in jeopardy, their products not some kind of old technology that is going to go away. To add other products will take away from their successes, not add to them.

Being in the education industry, I meet with many who are now getting degrees in Digital Gaming and Simulation. Most of them want to hack away at a computer... they tolerate Windows, LOVE Linux, but aren't really happy with the Mac OS. And that is fine by me. No problems with that... REALLY! But for me, and the market that Apple seems to sell to (yeah... that would be me!), doesn't care about hacking anything. We want something we can buy and that will work. We don't care to tweak, to modify, to break down and rebuild, to redesign. It just isn't fun to us. We are a totally different market than the gaming community, and Apple has made their decision on who they sell to. And that is fine by me too!

There is one point that I don't understand, and maybe someone can clarify it for me. What is so important about games on a computer anyway?? If I want to have games at all, and remember I'm not one that does, so forgive my ignorance, I can just go get a Playstation a Wii, or whatever else is popular in the market. I hook it up to the television and have at it. Why on earth would I want to run it off a computer with a much smaller screen, or worse, on a laptop with a screen far far smaller than even the smaller modern televisions out there now? I just don't get the attraction. Someone please explain. I may change my opinion if you do!

iPhone - Thick... as a brick

Apple is NOT deliberately "bricking" iPhones. There. I've said it. And here is why ~

1. Apple warned everyone that updates could cause problems on hacked phones. What else do you need to know?
2. The updates are necessary additions to a wonderful / beautiful / really cool piece of UNFINISHED software. Does no one remember how Leopard got stalled because all the designers were taken off to get iPhone ready in time? Well, it still wasn't enough to get the iPhone right the first time. But then again, what piece of software is? It is still a better interface than any other phone I have ever had.
3. Apple is adamant about keeping anything they create stable. This is just not possible if everyone and their mother can add whatever hack they want. There just isn't any control. You can like it, hate it, or be indifferent about it, but that is just the way it is.
Here is a quote from Jobs himself:

“You don’t want your phone to be like a PC. The last thing you want is to have loaded three apps on your phone and then you go to make a call and it doesn’t work anymore."

Gee… what a thought… have a product that doesn't die on you. Guess it isn't a PC after all!
On a Yahoo Finance page from September 24:

"Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software"

4. Last time I checked, if I work on my car and damage it with third party parts, it isn't the responsibility of the automobile maker… it's mine. Why should a phone be any different? If you want to hack… go for it! But YOU are responsible. DEAL.

You may agree with this assessment or not, or even have absolutely no opinion whatsoever, but I would like to hear from those that are far more in the know than I, specifically those that use hacks, those that are far more technically savvy than I, and anyone else that owns and iPhone and is interested in the subject.

Cardiac (Avoided)

Okay... so I have been praising the iPhone for a few days now. It's time to show a downside.

I was listening to music and charging the phone at the same time, when all of a sudden... no music.
I looked over and noticed the screen was dimmed but still visible, so I thought, no problem, just wake it up or something, right? Very wrong. The phone is locked up, not moving, not turning off after I press the sleep/wake button at the top... over and over and over and over again!!

I am now in panic mode... I'm off for a much deserved break tomorrow and the phone is dead in the water. Not only that I notice it is getting hot. Oh hell! Now what do I do? I quickly get online, get an appointment with an Apple Genius at my local store (luckily I live near one!), and drive off at break neck speed, fuming all the way!

The good part of this story is, no wait... the GREAT part is, I don't even go up to the counter when I arrive... an incredibly nice person comes up right as I walk into the store and says hello and is everything going well? I pause, confused (does this kind of kindness exist at retail stores anymore?), and go... no, all the while holding up the iPhone. He stops, actually looks and acts concerned, and immediately takes the phone. Within a few seconds, as I am telling the story and getting agitated all the while, he resets it! While I'm still flustered, he looks at me and says... it's okay now. Dumbstruck, I very intelligently respond... huh? grrbl? bllllthth? duuuuuuuuh... and realize... He's a GENIUS!

All it took was holding down the aforementioned sleep/wake button AND the Home button at the same time for about 12 seconds. I cannot say enough for the people at Apple stores. I have NEVER been let down by them. They can't get paid enough! Do you hear me Apple... PAY THEM MORE! They are your first and BEST sales force by far and deserve the credit!

The downside you ask? It's simple... why doesn't Apple give us enough information in the first place to take care of issues like this? I mean, the documentation that comes with the phone is laughable, and unless you know where to look... and you have an internet connection, you won't be getting the downloadable User Guide any time soon! If there is any failing in an Apple product, it is the accompanying documentation... or lack thereof!

Get with the program Apple! I don't want to spend endless hours in chat rooms and forums asking questions whenever something goes wrong. Common problems should be documented and provided for with the product. How long did it take to show an Apple retail sales employee this? Can't you pay someone to add that training to some kind of user guide that comes with the product? It doesn't take a genius to figure out not everyone lives near an Apple store (although they do seem to be popping up almost as fast as Starbucks does! Maybe you should get together with them and provide an Apple store everywhere there is a Starbucks?

Will that be non-fat with your Mac, sir?

iPhone Notes

Here is a link for those who bought an iPhone and need to get rid of your x-Phone:

http://recyclingforcharities.com

In other news...

I found the support site for iPhones (and other Apple products). I never seem to go to that little Support tab at apple.com for some reason, so never realize there are a lot of others with solutions out there! There are forums and links to help files galore so I'm sure whatever answers you might be will be there.


iPhone Support


The forum has been very helpful. I was able to get my custom greeting changed by turning the iPhone off completely, then restarting it (I didn't even know it could be turned off!).

Not much else to report otherwise... it is a fantastic device... not sure how I lived without it!

iPhone Saves and Glitches

Had my iPhone for almost a week now and thought I would share some notes...

Saves...

1. Someone at the office needed a phone number, I had it on the iPhone, so didn't need to go back to my desk to find it.

2. We are off on a short vacation, and I was able to make a list of what we needed to bring, find the hotel we are staying at, add it to my bookmarks, add it to Google maps, find the route to get there. Oh what a machine!

3. The most important save so far... I need to travel around town for work and thought I knew where I had to be. I wouldn't have opened my computer, turned it on, waited, opened my iCal, waited, then looked up my schedule. But since I had the iPhone, I just double checked. Needless to say, I was dead wrong about where I was going, so as far as I'm concerned, this purchase has just paid for itself!

Glitches...

1. Sometimes I will be looking up Google Maps and the phone just decides to go back home. Not sure if I am doing something or not. A minor inconvenience, but troubling.

2. The phone refuses to accept the WEP password for my Apple Wireless at home. I have no friggin' idea why and it is irritating. Not that I need to be online using the iPhone at home... the Mac is used for that, but still, what's the problem? EDGE is not as bad as some think it is, I seem to be able to get mail, go online, etc, relatively fast, so I have no problem with it. Not sure how it would work out in the boonies, but in the big city it seems to do just fine.

3. I recorded a Custom Greeting which is fine, but it won't let me re-record it now. It has the record button visible, but won't record. No idea how to delete the custom one and replace it. Anyone have any ideas?

4. As always, I hate the little to no help guides offered by Apple. I know these things are fairly intuitive, but there are things that need to be documented. I've downloaded the help guide, but haven't gone through it with a fine tooth comb yet. Hopefully it will give more insights.

All in all, this tool is just right for what I need.

iPhone Pics

As promised... the pictures of the great unveiling...

iPhone is here

So... after all the hype about the iPhone, and my snide remarks at those idiots that stood in line days before its release, what do I do?
Yes, you got it... I bought one! No, I didn't stand in line. I just walked into an Apple store and asked "8 gig iPhone?". I got placed next to one of those barriers they seem to have in stores and amusement parks and nowhere else, and was told "You're next".
Ahhh... the satisfaction of living in an Apple world! Not only were the salespeople efficient and polite, but they knew exactly what I needed, got the job done quickly, and I was out of there before I could scream "HOW FREAKIN' MUCH???"

The longer story is somewhat more involved. I started out at two different AT&T stores on a lark just to point and laugh at people, and after inquiring about their stock, found that either everything was sold out seconds ago or all they had was the 4 gig model and there were ten people ahead of me. Like an idiot, I did this on Friday and on Saturday... in the rain... against my better judgement... and feeling like an idiot for succumbing to all the hype. But, in rare a moment of zen, my brain had mental leap and I decided to call the AT&T store to find out if I could buy a phone and only later get an AT&T plan (being a Sprint man myself). They said that was no problem at all, so my next call was to the Apple store, and history was made.

Of course, my wife didn't want an iPhone, to her it is just an expensive toy (No! Say it isn't so!) so we went to the AT&T store on Sunday and I was pleasantly surprised to be led to a very nice salesperson who was efficient and polite... even though she wasn't working at an Apple store! My wife got a Razer (or some such animal) and the woman helping us quickly got us through the account process, gave me a number to enter into the iPhone registration when I got home (which she said was going to make the process go so much faster and easier) a we were out of there before my daughter got too bored with the entire process and gave up understanding what her father was so hyped up about!

Back home, I got onto my computer (having previously updated my iTunes to the proper version) and started the process of getting my new baby working. I was unsure as to which options to accept, as we had moved her phone to the new AT&T account, but my phone number was still Sprint, and we wanted the Family plan, etc etc etc, but all in all it went smoothly. The number she gave me for pre-approval went in fine and the only thing I had to do was put in my wife's social instead of my own, as we had used hers at AT&T.

But, no story goes without a dramatic pause... after the 6 minute wait for the phone number to port over, I get a message... it could take up to six hours for the number to port... go have a latte, twiddle your thumbs, and in general be jealous that your wife's phone is working and the iPhone is still in hiatus... sigh. So I wait. I fall asleep on the sofa. I wake up... lo and behold, only two hours later, my phone is ready working and able! And it was worth the wait!

My songs are loaded, my calendars, my mail, my address book... everything. I am quite pleased and am sure it was a good decision... even with all that hype! I'll load up some pics later on the unpacking of this sweet little miracle... I think it is required from all Apple geeks... I'll leave the snide remarks to you.


iPhone support manuals

It's been a while

Such a long time since I posted, but I haven't had time to do a thing for so long! And then of course, Blogger made me get a GMail account and that took forever, then I got busy again, then... well, you get the idea.

So... here is some humor to start this off again...

A wandering monk walked barefoot everywhere he went, to the point that the soles of his feet eventually became quite thick and leathery. And because he ate very little, he gradually became very frail. Several days often passed between opportunities to brush his teeth, so he usually had bad breath. Therefore, throughout the region, he came to be known as the super-calloused fragile mystic plagued with halitosis.