TidBITS#886/02-Jul-07
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/886>
The iPhone is now available - did you buy one? Glenn Fleishman
braved the lines at his nearest Apple Store and reports on opening
day hysteria (the controlled, efficient kind) and gives his first
impressions of the new device. We also detail the iPhone's voice and
data plans, and the TidBITS staff chimes in on whether to buy or
wait. And although it seems unlikely, there was plenty of non-iPhone
news last week, as we note the releases of PDFpen 3.2, MacBook Pro
Software Update 1.0, updates to the Final Cut Studio 2 applications,
a SuperDrive firmware update, the rest of Adobe Creative Suite 3,
and iTunes 7.3 (which does in fact revolve around the iPhone, but
throws in an Apple TV feature, too). Lastly, Adam looks at the
latest brouhaha in the music world, with Universal Music Group
refusing to sign a long-term contract with the iTunes Store.
Articles
MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0 Released
Adobe Ships Rest of Creative Suite 3
Universal Rejects Long-Term Apple iTunes Contract
PDFpen 3.2 Adds Editing Marks
Final Cut Studio 2 Applications, SuperDrive Firmware Updated
DealBITS Discount: 4 GB iPod nano from Small Dog
iTunes 7.3 Adds iPhone, Apple TV Features
iPhone Voice, Data Plans Reasonably Priced, but Missing Wi-Fi
Staff Roundtable: Who's Buying an iPhone?
My First Days with the iPhone
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/02-Jul-07
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MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0 Released
----------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9061>
Apple has released MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0, which fixes a
number of unspecified problems with 2.2 GHz and 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro
models. According to a post at MacFixIt, the update appears to patch
several issues with the Nvidia graphics cards and may solve an issue
with "shimmering" display issues. The update is available via
Software Update on the affected machines, or as a 14.7 MB download.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookprosoftwareupdate10.html>
<http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070629084320249>
Adobe Ships Rest of Creative Suite 3
------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9064>
Adobe Systems has broken with tradition by releasing products
promised for third quarter of 2007 on the second day of that
quarter. A quarter-based release typically means "as close to the
last day of the quarter as possible so we can book the revenue in
that quarter."
In April, Adobe released 9 of the 13 main applications that form
Creative Suite 3 (CS3) as both individual programs and 6 editions
(see "Adobe Announces Creative Suite 3 Plans, Pricing, Dates,"
2007-04-02, and "Adobe Ships Creative Suite 3, Offers Video Betas,"
2007-04-16). The released programs spanned their entire print and
online range, including Photoshop (in two versions, no less),
InDesign, and Dreamweaver. The company then promised four video and
audio tools and support applications by the third quarter of this
year.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8930>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8951>
Today, Adobe shipped After Effects, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, and
Encore for Intel-based Macs and Windows XP and Vista, along with two
Windows-only applications, OnLocation and Ultra. OnLocation, a
direct-to-disk recording tool, works with Boot Camp, Adobe says. The
two delayed editions are now shipping, too: Production Premium
($1,700) and Master Suite ($2,500). Master Suite contains the entire
CS3 line of products.
<http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200706/070207MPShipping.html>
Universal Rejects Long-Term Apple iTunes Contract
-------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9066>
The New York Times is reporting that Universal Music Group (owned by
the French media giant Vivendi), the largest of the record
companies, has refused to renew its two-year contract to sell
downloadable music through Apple's iTunes Store. Instead, Universal
is opting for a month-by-month option that would enable it to jump
ship with minimal notice to Apple, possibly signing an exclusive
deal with another online music retailer.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/business/media/02universal.html/partner/rssnyt>
The move is clearly a game of corporate chicken. Since tracks from
Universal account for a third of all music sold in the United
States, for the iTunes Store to lose access to such a massive
library of music would be disastrous. However, nearly 15 percent of
Universal's worldwide revenue in the first quarter of 2007 came from
online sources, and with the iTunes Store controlling over 75
percent of the online market, Universal stands to anger a retailer
responsible for over 10 percent of its revenue.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_%28game%29>
Universal undoubtedly hopes to negotiate a more favorable contract
with Apple, likely one that gives Universal more control over
setting per-track pricing based on popularity or that involves Apple
paying Universal a per-iPod royalty, much as Universal strong-armed
Microsoft into doing with the Zune (see "Of the Zune, DRM, and
Universal Music," 2006-11-13).
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8751>
I can't see Universal pulling its tracks from the iTunes Store at
this point for three reasons. Apple is now the third-largest music
retailer behind only Wal-Mart and Best Buy, and the iTunes Store
continues to grow. It makes no sense to endanger a relationship with
a large retailer that stands to become even more powerful.
The popularity of iTunes stems in large part from the iPod, which
has now sold over 100 million units and - bolstered by the release
of the music-playing iPhone - shows no signs of losing momentum.
Since nearly all other online music retailers employ Windows-based
digital rights management that is incompatible with the iPod and the
iPhone, no other online retailer stands much of a chance of
competing with the iTunes Store in the near-term.
The final reason? Steve Jobs. The iPod, the iTunes Store, and the
ethos of a flat-rate pricing scheme are near and dear to his heart,
and any significant changes must be accompanied by some sort of
gain, as with the EMI deal that resulted in more-expensive iTunes
Plus tracks that lack DRM and are encoded at a higher quality (see
"Apple and EMI Offer DRM-Free Music via iTunes," 2007-04-02). Jobs
simply wouldn't let anything else happen.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8937>
PDFpen 3.2 Adds Editing Marks
-----------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9057>
For many of us, editing on paper seems like something that went out
with the arrival of the word processor. And it's true - the need to
edit on paper has been drastically reduced by the ease of creating
and sharing digital documents. But sometimes you don't want an
editor or proofreader to be able to change text, even with Microsoft
Word's change tracking capabilities, since numerous errant changes
would require significant effort to reconcile. Plus, a fair amount
of proofing work takes place after a document has already been laid
out in InDesign or QuarkXPress, and many publishers don't want
proofreaders working in a master copy of the document.
The modern solution to non-destructive editing is PDF - you can send
a low-resolution PDF of a book to a proofreader, who can then use
Adobe Acrobat to indicate changes. However, Adobe chose to provide a
limited set of editing tools that are relatively easy to use, but
entirely non-specific. You can add sticky notes; indicate text to be
inserted, deleted, or replaced; highlight text; draw on the page;
insert callouts; and a bit more. But what those tools replace is the
collection of standard proofreading and editing marks used, at least
historically, by professional editors and proofreaders used to
working on paper. The marks may seem arcane at first glance, but
they're essentially a quick and concise instruction set that's
efficient to enter and interpret.
<http://www.colorado.edu/Publications/styleguide/symbols.html>
Now there's an alternative method of editing in PDF for
professionals or those who would prefer a more-structured approach.
SmileOnMyMac has released version 3.2 of their PDFpen and PDFpen Pro
PDF manipulation programs with a new Library panel that provides
resizable graphics of standardized proofreading marks, making it
easy for editors to mark up a PDF. Usage involves merely dragging a
mark out of the Library panel to the document and positioning it;
some may require resizing to make the edit completely clear.
Tooltips provide explanations of what each symbol means, if you're
unclear on some of them. The update also improves PDFpen's
capability to save markup to scanned documents and fixes some minor
bugs. It's free to registered users; new copies cost $50 for PDFpen
or $95 for PDFpen Pro (which can create cross-platform fillable
forms).
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2007-06/PDFpen-Library-Panel.png>
Final Cut Studio 2 Applications, SuperDrive Firmware Updated
------------------------------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9058>
Apple has released updates for the Final Cut Studio 2 suite of video
production applications via Software Update and as stand-alone
installers; the latter require that you sign in using your Apple ID
and your Final Cut Studio 2 serial number. Most of the updates cover
bug fixes and improve stability, but a few items are notable. Pro
Applications Update 2007-01 (an 8.1 MB download) patches the
underlying frameworks and shared components of Final Cut Studio 2
(the package also seems to be specific to those applications).
<http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305524>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/proapplicationsupdate200701.html>
Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 (a 37.5 MB download) adds support for importing
AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) footage, a video format
introduced last year that is designed to be saved to random-access
storage devices such as hard disks, solid-state memory, and MiniDVD
discs (versus MiniDV tapes, the media of choice for many consumer
camcorders as well as cameras that record to the high-definition HDV
format). Although a few AVCHD camcorders are currently available,
editing the footage has been limited under Windows and nonexistent
on the Mac. Apple's release notes indicate a few caveats with AVCHD
footage, namely that as it's imported, the video is transcoded into
either Apple ProRes 422 or Apple Intermediate Codec; that could
require up to 10 times the size of the native AVCHD file of
available hard disk space. (The inclusion of AVCHD also potentially
means the format could be supported in the next version of iMovie
HD.)
<http://www.apple.com/support/releasenotes/en/Final_Cut_Pro_6.0_rn/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/finalcutpro601.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD>
Motion 3.0.1 (a 19.4 MB download) fixes a number of known issues
with 32-bit float projects and rendering of intersecting 3D groups,
and improves performance. Soundtrack Pro 2.0.1 (a 74.5 MB download)
improves stability and performance and updates the Delay Designer
surround effect plug-in. Compressor 3.0.1 (a 93.3 MB download) adds
the capability to export music in the 256 Kbps AAC format used by
iTunes Plus, can now set poster frames, and applies other fixes.
Color 1.0.1 (an 8.3 MB download) improves stability, metadata
support from Final Cut Pro, and single-display mode, as well as
floating-point processing on Macs with Nvidia graphics cards.
<http://www.apple.com/support/releasenotes/en/Motion_3.0_rn/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/motion301.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/releasenotes/en/Soundtrack_Pro_2.0_rn/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/soundtrackpro201.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/releasenotes/en/Compressor_3.0_rn/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/compressor301.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/releasenotes/en/Color_1.0_rn/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/color101.html>
Lastly, unrelated to Final Cut Studio 2, Apple released SuperDrive
Firmware Update 2.1 (a 12 MB download), which provides unspecified
fixes but notes improved readability of certain CD media. The
installer puts an application called SuperDrive Update 2.1 into your
Utilities folder that must be run separately, which is unusual. Note
that the application starts the update process at launch, which is
bad form; it should behave like most updaters, where the user
initiates the process (for example, to make sure the drive isn't in
use, I would imagine). The updater also requires a restart of the
Mac to take effect.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/superdrivefirmwareupdate21.html>
DealBITS Discount: 4 GB iPod nano from Small Dog
------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9053>
Congratulations to Barbara LHeureux of charter.net, whose entry was
chosen randomly in last week's DealBITS drawing and who received a
blue 4 GB iPod nano (refurbished) along with a Mophie case, worth a
total of $136.99. For those who didn't win, Small Dog is offering an
identical blue 4 GB iPod nano (refurbished) with Mophie case through
11-Jul-07 for the discounted price of $119.99. Remember that the
only way Small Dog can continue to give away cool prizes and offer
discounts is if enough TidBITS readers use Small Dog for their
Mac-related purchases. Be sure to mention TidBITS when you check out
so they know that their sponsorship of TidBITS is useful.
Thanks to the 1,841 people who entered this DealBITS drawing, and we
hope you'll continue to participate in the future!
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9052>
<http://www.smalldog.com/wag17521/>
iTunes 7.3 Adds iPhone, Apple TV Features
-----------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9060>
Apple has released iTunes 7.3, which enables support for the iPhone.
iTunes acts as the hub between the computer and the iPhone (much as
it does with the iPod), handling synchronization of contacts,
calendars, music, and movies. iTunes is also the interface for
activating the iPhone's phone and data service plans; a video at
Apple's site demonstrates the activation process. iTunes 7.3 is
available via Software Update or as stand-alone downloads for Mac (a
33.8 MB download) and Windows (a 47.4 MB download). Note that iTunes
7.3 updates your iTunes library, so it's a good idea to have a
current backup before you apply the update.
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunes73formac.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunes73forwindows.html>
iTunes 7.3 also adds a requested feature to the Apple TV: photo
streaming. Previously, photos could only be synchronized (copied to)
the Apple TV.
<http://www.apple.com/appletv/>
iPhone Voice, Data Plans Reasonably Priced, but Missing Wi-Fi
-------------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9056>
A few days before the iPhone went on sale, Apple and AT&T announced
service plans, with offerings for individual accounts costing $60,
$80, and $100 per month for 450, 900, and 1,350 peak voice minutes;
unlimited cellular data; and 200 SMS text messages. These plans also
include rollover minutes, allowing unused minutes to be banked for
up to 12 months, and unmetered calling within AT&T's cellular
network, as well as visual voicemail.
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/easysetup/rateplans.html>
The cheapest plan includes 5,000 night and weekend minutes; the two
higher-priced plans have no limit on night and weekend calling.
(5000 minutes is over 83 hours, so only teenagers and insomniacs
calling each other at 2:00 AM will exceed that number.)
Family plans for two or more lines cost $80, $100, and $120 for 700,
1,400, and 2,100 peak minutes, while the second and subsequent
iPhones cost $30 per month each. AT&T charges $10 per month for
regular phones in their family plans, a fact that's not generally
noted in iPhone coverage. Family plans all include the same features
as the two higher-priced single-line services.
Higher numbers of minutes (2,000, 4,000 and 6,000 for individuals,
and 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 for family plans) are also available.
Existing AT&T customers can add iPhone service for $20 per month for
the same package of SMS messages and unlimited data; 1,500 SMS
messages will run $30 additional per month, while unlimited text
messages adds $40 per month.
SMS messages may be of great interest for iPhone users, as Apple -
at least initially - has included no iChat or other instant
messaging support. SMS would be the likely replacement, and text
message counts climb quickly when used for even short back-and-forth
conversations.
Unlike other cellular phones, the iPhone doesn't need to be
activated at an Apple Store or AT&T Store. Instead, you walk out
with a box, and then use iTunes to enable the phone using Mac OS X
10.4.10, Windows XP SP2 (Home or Professional), or Vista (all but
Basic). Existing AT&T customers can transfer current phone numbers
to the iPhone. Portability of other carriers' numbers is possible
(it's a federal requirement), but specifics of doing so are not
available online. That may require a return visit to an AT&T Store.
Gizmodo asked AT&T that question and got no reply.
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/pr/20070626activate.html>
<http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/apple/will-switching-from-another-carrier-for-iphone-be-easy-as-pie-272348.php>
These prices are in parity with similar offerings from AT&T for
other slow cell data handsets that use the EDGE standard, and with
T-Mobile, which provides unlimited EDGE for $20 a month on top of
voice plans. (AT&T and T-Mobile are the two U.S. carriers that
employ the worldwide GSM standard, which includes EDGE for data in
the United States, and UMTS and HSDPA for faster data elsewhere in
the world.)
What's interesting, and so far unclear, is whether AT&T plans to
leverage its own Wi-Fi hot spot network of 10,000 locations between
its own contracted venues and roaming partners. This network costs
either nothing or $2 per month for AT&T's DSL customers;
higher-speed subscribers get the service for free starting today.
<http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=5949>
<http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQM030A02072007-1.htm>
Because the iPhone has a real browser built in, it should be
possible for the phone's users to connect to a Wi-Fi hot spot
network and view the gateway page from which they can agree to terms
of usage (for free networks that require this), pay for service, or
log into an existing account.
But that's a far cry from seamless roaming from EDGE to Wi-Fi. That
will obviously work for open, free networks and for home and office
networks that can be pre-configured. I was expecting (and still
expect) more from AT&T on this front. Why build a huge national
network and not use it for a flagship product?
Staff Roundtable: Who's Buying an iPhone?
-----------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9063>
As nearly everyone within range of the Reality Distortion Field now
knows, Apple on Friday released the iPhone, selling untold numbers -
one analyst estimates 500,000, while another is claiming 700,000 -
in the first few days, including one to our very own Glenn
Fleishman. There's no question that the iPhone is unparalleled as an
object of techno-lust, but does that mean you should buy one right
away? We'll be writing more on that topic as Glenn explores the
features and limitations of his iPhone, but for now, in the
interests of full disclosure, we wanted to share with you our own
iPhone purchasing plans, or lack thereof.
<http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9738446-7.html>
<http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/brierdudley/2007/07/the_iphone_a_good_thing_and_a_1.html>
[Glenn Fleishman] When my previous cell phone heard about the iPhone
- it was in the keynote hall with me when Steve Jobs announced the
iPhone - something deep inside gave up the ghost. It has been flaky
ever since, crashing, turning itself off, putting a call on hold
when answered. It knew its days were numbered.
Even before the iPhone announcement, I was in the market for a
better communicator, and was giving a Windows Mobile smartphone
serious consideration, perish the thought. So the iPhone, even with
its hefty price tag, seemed like the right migration path for me.
As the release got closer, and more of the limitations appeared, I
grew more reluctant. I know that a 3G iPhone is no more than six to
nine months away: AT&T will have its high-speed network much more
fleshed out by then, and newer 3G chips will give Apple the size and
battery life they want. I also knew that, no matter how good the
initial iPhone was, there would still be some first-generation
wonkiness to work out.
But I'm a reporter, darn it, and it's hard to write about the
biggest news since sliced bread if you're working from second-hand
information or a loaner phone from Apple. Apple's review program was
very small for the iPhone, with only four reviewers given iPhones in
advance of the launch, and a larger number provided with phones on
the Friday night of the launch. (The larger number did not include
me, Jeff, nor other writers at The Seattle Times, for which we write
a regular Mac column.)
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/practicalmac/>
So I bought one (see "My First Days with the iPhone" in this issue).
I don't regret it. It's clearly the best handheld organizer I've
ever owned or used, and it's the best cell phone - despite its
limitations - that I've ever owned.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9062>
[Jeff Carlson] I'll admit, I really _want_ an iPhone. I'm the target
audience: a Mac-focused, highly mobile geek. And yet, I wasn't out
there on the first day, and probably won't be seriously considering
an iPhone for a while. Mostly this is due to price: Although I don't
believe it's overpriced for what it is, $500 is too much for me to
part with right now (it goes against the desire to pay down my one
remaining credit card). I would also need to pay $20 more per month
to use AT&T's iPhone plan. I could swing it, but it's not an added
expense that I _need_ right now, no matter how attractive the iPhone
is. My current phone is a Treo 650, which offers many of the same
features as the iPhone (though not nearly as well), and I don't use
its Internet service. Like Glenn, I'm convinced that my Treo knows
the iPhone is now available, because it flakes out on me more often
than it used to (for example, putting one call on hold to answer
another makes it impossible for me to get back to the original
caller).
And, quite simply, Palm is now Old News. They've had a few years to
make the Treo a breakthrough, but instead kept with the status quo.
Although the company has now restructured itself, recent comments
from CEO Ed Colligan don't inspire confidence. During a conference
call with investors, he expressed hope that iPhone users might be
returning their new devices within 30 days. (And no, I don't see the
Palm Foleo gaining any traction at all). The release of the iPhone
should put aggressive innovation at the top of Palm's to-do list, or
else they'll need to sell Treos at a huge discount to compete.
<http://news.com.com/Palm+reports+profit+drop,+expects+iPhone+effect/2100-1041_3-6194279.html>
<http://www.palm.com/foleo/>
The iPhone definitely has a gravitational pull on me. People are
responding to the iPhone not because of its features, but because
Apple seems to have done it right - they looked at what people hate
about the other phones out there and started from scratch. If I were
to buy one tomorrow, it would be because the iPhone has been
designed from top to bottom with Apple's focus on making something
excellent as opposed to leveraging third-rate components and
fourth-rate software that would maximize some profit ratio. I know
Apple looks as hard at the bottom line as any company, but with the
iPhone I get the sense that they've designed the product for _me_,
not them. And that's a huge difference.
[Adam Engst] As much as I'm sure I lose geek cred for saying this, I
can't see myself or Tonya buying an iPhone any time soon. The
problems are threefold: price, location, and lifestyle. Put bluntly,
$500 or $600 plus $60 per month is way more than we'd be comfortable
spending on such a device, given that we already have $30 cell
phones from Virgin Mobile that cost us about $60 per year in
pay-as-you-go airtime, along with a variety of iPods that more than
meet our mobile music and podcast needs.
The cost becomes especially steep here in upstate New York, where
cell service is fairly spotty. I'm sure the iPhone would get fine
reception in downtown Ithaca and at Cornell, but all bets are off
once you go more than a few miles out of town. Poor reception
promotes a feedback cycle - if you can't rely on having access
wherever you are, you stop thinking about using the cell phone
unless it's absolutely necessary.
And lastly, we simply don't have the sort of lifestyle for which an
iPhone makes sense. We work in home offices, so we have no commute,
and we seldom leave home for work-related events or meetings. When
we're at home, we have perfectly functional landlines, multiple
high-speed Internet connections, laptop Macs, and large quantities
of screen real estate. If we lived in a metropolitan area with long
commutes and a fully mobile lifestyle, the iPhone would be
significantly more compelling. To listen to me play devil's
advocate, check out this MacNotables podcast.
<http://www.macnotables.com/wordpress/macnotables-745-countdown-to-the-iphone-with-the-macnotables/>
All that said, I still want one, and if one arrived on my doorstep,
I can guarantee that I'd figure out some way to work it into my
lifestyle, even if most of the usage was via Wi-Fi in the house.
[Matt Neuburg] Matt Neuburg thinks the iPhone is stupid. He also
thought iPods were stupid. Before that he thought Mac OS X was
stupid, and previous to that he thought those colorful original
iMacs were stupid. He also thought the World Wide Web was stupid;
we've got email and FTP, what do we need a bunch of hyperlinks and
pictures for? In short, Matt Neuburg has never been right about
anything, and suggests that everyone should probably do the opposite
of what he thinks and get an iPhone immediately. Also Matt Neuburg
thinks that people who speak of themselves in the third person are
delusional.
[Mark Anbinder] One of the oft-reported glitches that affected
iPhone purchasers this weekend is related to one key reason I
probably won't have an iPhone for a while. My employer, Cornell
University, has been trying to get iPhones for a few IT staff
members, me included - but no one at AT&T can figure out how to do
this.
The fact that the iPhone is officially only for individual
consumers, and not for corporate accounts, was a stumbling block
this weekend when iPhone purchasers tried to transfer existing phone
numbers that were previously on AT&T corporate accounts. AT&T's
automated system couldn't transfer a number from a corporate account
to an individual account, and AT&T customer service reps could only
do so with permission from that corporate account's contact person -
who was probably not available after 6:00 PM on Friday.
Believe it or not, while I was definitely impressed with what I saw
of the iPhone presented at WWDC, I didn't feel an overwhelming urge
to buy an iPhone right away. (If I'd wanted to, I could have gotten
one easily on Friday at our local AT&T Store; the line didn't get
long until mid-afternoon.) But if I want to let Cornell buy one for
me, they have to figure out how to do it first, and that's proving
to be a challenge.
Apple has insisted that AT&T offer the iPhone only as a consumer
product for now, so not only is it not eligible for corporate
discount plans, there's simply no way to put it on a corporate
account. Corporate purchasers could use a company credit card, but
the activation process still starts with a credit check that
requires an individual's social security number. One of my
colleagues has expressed some concern that signing up with his own
social security number puts him personally on the hook for the
two-year commitment, even if he's signing up for work.
I actually got to touch someone's iPhone (still in its
shrink-wrapped box) on Friday evening, as they left the AT&T Store,
so even if I haven't had a chance to play with one yet, I think I
can keep my gizmo envy at bay for a bit. I'll wait until the
bean-counters can figure out how to do corporate purchases, even if
it requires some fiscal sleight-of-hand.
[Joe Kissell] I'm in the market for a new cell phone, and the iPhone
looks like it would meet my needs nicely. The one teensy catch is
that I've just this week moved to Paris, France, and paying AT&T
roaming charges for all my calls for the next two years doesn't seem
cost-effective. So I'll have to wait until the European release
later this year, and if the rate plans and contract terms are
reasonable, I'll more than likely pick up one then.
My First Days with the iPhone
-----------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9062>
While stopped at a traffic light north of Seattle yesterday, the
driver in the car to the right of us gestures through the window.
Did we leave our gas tank door open when we left the station a
moment ago? No. "Hey," he says to my wife Lynn after she and he have
rolled down their respective windows, "Is that an iPhone?"
The day before - the day after the iPhone went on sale - walking
through a festival at a nearby community park and museum, I pull out
my iPhone to take a picture of my son Ben standing next to an
historic bell. An older Japanese woman says to me, "4 gigabytes or 8
gigabytes?"
Those two experiences sum up the intense interest that Apple managed
to generate around the iPhone through a combination of indifference,
secrecy, and strategic information release.
I bought an iPhone Friday night, and the experience was both fun and
instructive. After two days of use, I'm very pleased with the
combination phone, iPod, and Internet device. It has proven
invaluable in a couple of cases, and it has already failed me, too.
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/>
Astute readers may know that last week I wrote a column for The New
York Post in which I presented the reasons why people who didn't fit
into the early adopter or business traveler categories should wait
to buy the next-generation model. My suggestions from that article
still stand: there's good reason to wait until the next release, but
likely less reason to wait beyond that one. (The article was labeled
by Post editors as a "first review" and the version that appeared
implied that I had recent experience with an iPhone. However, I
hadn't touched one since January; see "iTouched an iPhone,"
2007-01-15. For my account of writing the Post article, see my blog
entry "Glenn Stabbed in Nude iPhone Review!")
<http://www.nypost.com/seven/06262007/news/columnists/dont_get_hung_up_on_buying_an_iphone_columnists_glenn_fleishman.htm>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8811>
<http://blog.glennf.com/mtarchives/007732.html>
**The Worst Part Was (Not) the Waiting** -- Purchasing a new iPhone
wasn't the ordeal I expected. While the line was long at the
University Village Apple Store, it moved quickly and there were
plenty - and I mean plenty - of iPhones left in view by the time I
reached the door.
<http://www.apple.com/retail/universityvillage/>
I had arrived after 5:00 PM to check out the scene, and take a bunch
of photographs. This particular Apple Store, the first of Apple's
stores to open in the Northwest, had a line with at least 300 people
waiting. Only a few had been there more than a day, and many just a
few hours. A nearby AT&T Store had a line of perhaps 60 people.
(TidBITS Contributing Editor Mark Anbinder and various TidBITS
readers also contributed photos to the Flickr pool.)
<http://flickr.com/groups/tidbits_iphone_launch/pool/>
I waited near the entrance until 6:00 PM to watch the Apple Store
open, and dozens of people were allowed in initially. I left to get
into the shorter AT&T Store line, figuring that I'd do better there.
After 20 minutes of waiting, however, only a few people had left
with iPhones.
Another person in line popped up front and discovered that AT&T was
forcing everyone to buy accessories. This was confirmed by Brier
Dudley, a reporter for The Seattle Times, who bought his model at a
different AT&T Store, as well as by reports from across the country.
It wasn't a corporate-directed mandate, because apparently signs
were hand-lettered, and the deal was different everywhere. Most
stores didn't seem to have this requirement.
<http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/brierdudley/2007/06/would_you_like_fries_with_that_1.html>
Customers at AT&T Stores that did were told that they had to buy an
accessory package, comprising a car charger and some other item,
typically running $50 or more, and that they could return items for
a full refund either the next day or within 14 days.
This was a punk move by AT&T, and I imagine it will involve
CEO-to-CEO conversations between AT&T head Randall Stephenson and
Steve Jobs. These were all company-owned stores, so there's no one
to blame but upper or middle management. I expect that the firm just
engaged in commonplace upsell tactics with an exclusive phone. But
they lost a lot of individual good will, and the stories that spread
will keep people out of AT&T Stores in the future to avoid that kind
of nonsense.
I left the AT&T Store line, and returned to the Apple Store, where
half the line had already been served by 6:30 PM. I was in the store
within 20 minutes and out of the store 2 minutes later. Anyone
arriving at 7:00 PM would have waited no more than five minutes.
There was clearly a large supply on display, and store employees
brought out large bins of iPhones from the back.
The sleazy tactics at the AT&T Store near me weren't universal,
thank goodness. TidBITS friend and Take Control editor Karen
Anderson spent a chunk of Friday waiting at another nearby mall at
an AT&T Store, and had a quick and pleasant experience in purchasing
her iPhone. (Karen is a former Apple employee.)
<http://themysterioustraveler.blogspot.com/2007/06/iphone-report.html>
While waiting, I and a few people around me discussed the arbitrage
of the iPhone availability. When we were far from the store, we all
thought we'd buy two, and immediately sell one for a higher price on
Craigslist. As we got closer, we realized that initial demand might
not outstrip supply. In the end, we all bought only one each.
One bit of wisdom acquired in the Apple Store is that while the
iPhone is covered by Apple's warranty today - AT&T doesn't offer its
usual terrible cell phone damage/loss insurance - Apple will be
offering some AppleCare deal in July. Two store employees described
this separately; I haven't been able to find details on either
company's site yet.
iPhone availability apparently is fluctuating, with AT&T Stores
reporting mostly being out of iPhones on Saturday, but Apple Stores
receiving what sounds like a regular wave of shipments. Apple
created an iPhone retail store availability page that indicates
whether iPhones are available at area retail stores.
<http://www.apple.com/retail/iphone/>
**Pleasant, Like a Cool Bath on a Sultry Day** -- Activating the
iPhone was as simple for me as Apple and AT&T claimed it would be.
It was a few steps and a few minutes to upgrade my existing AT&T
cell phone account, transfer my phone number, and be up and running.
Two Macworld editors had worse luck: one had a problem with a
business account that had been converted to a personal account last
week in preparation, while the other got a dud iPhone. Both had
their situations resolved within a day or so. Reports indicate that
many people had hang ups (figurative and literal) in getting their
iPhones activated. It's hard to know what percentage of all
activations were so affected, however.
<http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2007/06/iphone_act/index.php>
<http://iphone.macworld.com/2007/06/things_to_do_with_an_iphone_wh.php>
My reaction so far is that the iPhone is the most remarkable cell
phone I've ever used, and that Apple made a lot of good design
decisions. It works more or less as advertised, and nothing is
actually broken in my testing. Missing features or a lack of certain
controls doesn't equate to broken, and it leaves room for
improvement in small ways that will make a big difference in future
software or hardware versions.
It's wonderful to pull the iPhone out of my pocket, hit the unlock
button and slide my finger, and then have access to a pile of my
personal information, the Web, email, a camera, and a phone. Within
a day, I found myself reflexively pulling it out or grabbing it even
when a laptop was nearby.
My wife and I were at a park, and we couldn't remember the name of
some actor, and I said, hey, I could look it up! We both laughed,
but if we were about 10 percent more geeky, I would have done it.
The resolution, brightness, and clarity are just extraordinary. It's
not just that rendered and photographic images snap, but that even
the smallest type is still somewhat legible. When I saw early shots
of the iPhone, I assumed that rendered text had been inserted into
screen displays. In fact, even when I'm looking at the iPhone
screen, I have the sense that I'm seeing something not quite real,
because of the quality of the anti-aliased type. That brightness
makes it work well even in bright outdoor light.
I hate to say it, but a 10-inch handheld version of this thing would
be an incredibly useful item for many homes, even though I've never
before thought stripped-down computers without keyboards were
useful. Add Apple TV features for local network streaming with
802.11n, and I could see a future for such a device in a way the
ultra-mobile PCs, tablet PCs, and other similar devices never had.
**Some Shortfalls** -- The most talked-about feature of the iPhone was
the decision to not include a physical keyboard, offering a "glass"
one for greater flexibility. What was less clear at that time is
that the onscreen keyboard shows just letters in a typewriter
arrangement; numbers and punctuation marks are reached by tapping
another button. (This is oddly similar to how Baudot code, one of
the earliest data encoding schemes, used an average of
five-and-a-half bits to carry text.)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baudot_code>
After two days, I'm still finding it awkward and frustrating to use
the keyboard. I've been a touch typist for 27 years, since I was 11,
and can learn most keyboard layouts in minutes. I type well over 100
words per minute on a QWERTY keyboard. And I may be too old to
convert well to the iPhone. I'll report as my brain retrains.
The auto-correction and auto-prediction does work reasonably well;
I'm not sure if it has heuristics to learn what I normally type or
not, but it seems to know my name already.
The keyboard method comes into play most irritatingly, however, when
entering passwords. Passwords are almost universally case-sensitive,
meaning "TidBITS" is different than "tidbits" which is different
than "TiDbItS". When entering a password on a Web site or in
settings fields throughout the system, the iPhone keyboard hides
characters after you type each one. But the keyboard shows only
uppercase letters as you type regardless of whether Shift or Caps
Lock is engaged. This approach causes cognitive dissonance when you
type an "e", the keyboard shows an "E", and then the letter appears
as a bullet in the password field.
The Safari browser works quite well, producing stunningly rendered
pages that can be zoomed in and out with a finger gesture or set of
taps. Double tapping any part of a Web page zooms to the width of
that particular CSS or table column - a neat trick. But even when
you rotate the iPhone into landscape orientation, it can still be
difficult to achieve the right combination of magnification to read
lengthy text.
I hope Apple considers adding accessibility features that typically
abled people might use, too, such as a tap command that would
extract the text in the current column to display in larger type or
without much formatting, while still allowing a toggle back to the
normal view.
On the communications side, the most frustrating part of the iPhone
is the reliance on the old and slow EDGE network for data access
outside of Wi-Fi networks; the related part is AT&T's failure to
offer a Wi-Fi hotspot subscription plan to ease that task. (I have a
rundown on Wi-Fi options for the iPhone at Macworld.)
<http://www.macworld.com/2007/06/firstlooks/iphone_wifi/>
Every time I switched to the EDGE network when roaming around the
last couple of days, I groaned. The network was sometimes not
available - a tiny E next to the AT&T network text would disappear -
or speeds were only slightly faster than a dial-up modem. I did
occasionally see something like the average 100 to 200 Kbps that
AT&T has said its subscribers should expect.
An entirely new iPhone model will be needed when AT&T completes its
third-generation (3G) cell data network. That network will be done
this year, and the chips Jobs said he needed will certainly be
available by year's end, too. That could put a 3G iPhone in the
January Macworld Expo announcement time frame.
Changes to all the software, of course, are much simpler, and can be
rolled out at will by Apple and AT&T as they continue development. I
expect there's a laundry list of features that didn't make the cut
for launch, and I predict that before the end of July, a minor
update will add a lot of bits and pieces. For instance, when using
Google Maps, you can't point to a location and make that a bookmark
- a rather insane missing feature for a map application.
But it's also worth noting, as Salon's Fahrad Manjoo pointed out,
that we're completely reliant on Apple and AT&T here - they must
have the same priorities as us to change and enhance the phone's
software. He wrote that he knew that his critique of missing
software features would result in fanboy email claiming the software
was malleable and updatable. Sure, he said, but "that I have to
depend on Apple - rather than on a wide world of software developers
- to fix what's wrong doesn't entirely comfort me."
<http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/06/30/iphone_review/>
And that's exactly it. We at TidBITS are fervent supporters of
application developers; the Mac is what it is because of the
dedication for personal joy or financial gain or both that
programmers and software firms have brought to the platform. And
that has to come to the iPhone, too. After Apple's Worldwide
Developers Conference, Jobs has made more broadly worded statements
that third-party development will be possible, and some kind of
certification program will be in place. Let's hope we see it sooner
rather than later.
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/02-Jul-07
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9065>
**Initial iPhone impressions** -- What are your initial impressions of
the iPhone? (1 message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1353/>
**Mac-friendly alternatives to Exchange?** Microsoft's Exchange isn't
the only game in town. What other mail and calendar servers are
available? (5 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1347/>
**iPhone Hypesteria** -- Has the iPhone been over-hyped? The coverage
of the device can be even more annoying outside the United States,
where it's not likely to be available for some time. (8 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1348/>
**Snapz Pro X 2.1 Goes Universal** -- Ambrosia Software's highly
regarded screen capture utility now runs natively on Intel-based
Macs. Readers discuss how they use it to create professional
screencasts. (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1349/>
**iPhone confusion at AT&T** -- A reader details confusion on the part
of AT&T prior to the iPhone's release, and wonders how difficult it
will be for people to get activated and transfer numbers from other
carriers. (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1350/>
**Odd AirPort Issue** -- Here's an odd problem. Why would a MacBook
connected via AirPort refuse to connect to Google's servers? (3
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1351/>
**iPhone Language Capabilities** -- What scripts can the iPhone
display properly? (1 message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1352/>
**iPhone and DUNS?** Can an iPhone act as a modem for a laptop? (1
message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/1354/>
$$
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