Rotten Apple

I took a trip to the Apple store at Eastview today to drop off my MacBook to have a couple of parts changed out. Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the mall to find security guards (and man, do I use that term loosely) blocking the door to the store and a line of about 50 people in the middle of the mall corridor. Turns out today was the release of the iPhone 3GS. I explained to the "guards" that I just wanted to drop off my MacBook for service and I was denied entry. After demanding the attention of one of the orange-shirted Apple enforcers, I had to wait for a service tech to come out to me. Apparently, I presented a serious threat to the orderly roll-out of a cell phone. Because of the iPhone launch, the 45 minute job I was promised turned into a half day odyssey and I had to come back after work to pick up my machine. Getting access to the store to sign for my computer was similar to the security process at a major metropolitan airport (though I was permitted to leave my shoes on).

The whole incident has me pretty irate because I have had it with Apple acting as though iPhone users are the only customers that matter to them anymore. And its not just today's product launch. Let's turn back the clock to the World Wide Developers Conference held June 8th. Typically the keynote address at the WWDC serves as a "state of the union" for Apple's product development efforts. It began at 10AM PST. The first 47 minutes were dedicated to mac products and the new Snow Leopard version of OS X. The next 1 hour and 21 minutes were ALL iPHONE. Attendees at this year's conference reported overwhelming emphasis on iPhone app development. I'm shocked...

I know that the iPhone has kept Apple's revenue flowing as the iPod cash cow began to dry up, but last time I checked, they're still actively selling computers. So it's time to stop treating those of us who dropped a considerable chunk of change on their computing hardware like second class citizens.

Don't get me wrong, I think the iPhone is great product. And at some point in the future, I might even buy one. But it's still just a phone. And if I'm standing at a genius bar with a $1400 MacBook that needs a new battery next to some iPhone junkie who can't set up the exchange email on his new 3GS, you better believe I expect to be served first.

So here are a couple constructive suggestions for Apple to turn the tide and start treating mac customers like they matter:

• Let AT&T handle the iPhone. Get it out of the Apple stores. This is a no-brainer. No other retail store I can think of is forced to close it's doors to all other customers on the day it rolls out a new product. AT&T has a national chain of retail locations and a fully-featured shopping website. They're providing the service, let them sell the phone.
• Quit it with the "There's an app for that" commercials. Yes, there is an app for that. And there's been an app for that for Windows Mobile users for years. And we didn't have to pay a dime for it. The bottom line here is that Apple needs to resume it's focus on encouraging independent OS X developers. Every geek with a copy of X Tools installed thinks they're going to strike it rich designing iPhone apps. These people don't need any more encouragement.

I love Apple products, but it's time for Steve-o to retake the reigns and get his company actin' right.

iPhone 3G: Dodged the Bullet?

As I indicated in my post yesterday, today was the momentous launch of of the iPhone 3G. And I was pretty bummed I wasn't eligible to pick one up. But following widespread reports of long lines, significant wait times and serious difficulties activating the phones, I think I may be better off without an iPhone. At least for the moment. As early adopters of the the iPhone were burned last year by the rapid price decrease, so it seems that buying straight off the assembly line may not be the way to go.

In addition, there is a rising tide of vocal dissatisfaction around the globe at the ridiculous price of the data packages for the new iPhone. I would not be surprised if either the cost of the phone, or the cost of the data plan saw a reduction prior to the holiday season, when I'll be eligible to get one. Until then, I'll sit back, wait and watch.

iPhone Dreams

The news is almost a month old, but on Friday Apple is releasing the new 3G version of the iPhone. I've been saying since the first iPhone was introduced, that as soon as Apple offered a version that ran on a 3G network and had Exchange support, I'd buy it. Now both these features have been added to to product and the price has dropped to $199 as well. So I decided the time was right to do away with my AT&T 8525 brick of a smartphone and make the plunge. One problem: When the original iPhone was introduced, AT&T allowed subscribers, regardless of where they were in their current plan, to make the switch to the iPhone with a new 2 year contract. But that was when AT&T wasn't subsidizing the cost of the iPhone.

Now, a year later, the drastic reduction in the price of the iPhone 3G is directly related to AT&T subsidizing about $200 of the cost. And since AT&T is footing the bill, if you're mid-contract with any handset other than the iPhone (which they didn't originally subsidize) then you're out of luck. You can either wait until you are eligible for an upgrade, or pay the unsubsidized price for the iPhone ($399 for the 8 GB model).

Regrettably, I'm not eligible for an upgrade until November of '08, and I'm not stupid enough to pay $400 now for a product that could see another price drop by the time I'm eligible for the discounted price. So for the moment, I'm stuck with the handset I've got and iPhone dreams.