The Good:

• Great Interface . . . one that only Apple could envision and execute!
• Well Rounded Feature Set!
• Marvelous Design!
• It’s Gorgeous!

But I’ve got a few issues that will need to be resolved before I will buy one:

1. EDGE?!?!? Apple, are you serious? Have you tried an EDGE data connection on Cingular? Calling it painful is generous . . . at best! A couple of facts about EDGE:
• It’s inadequate for video streaming and/or near real time media downloads. Less than 80k of throughput . . . in real world use, much less!
• Cingular is in the process of deploying UTMS/HSDPA 3G networking, and there should be a fair amount of coverage in metro areas within the year.
• There are many phones on the market with combined GPRS/EDGE/UTMS data support, why limit the iPhone?
• This handset has to be usable for at least as long as the carrier commitment (2 years minimum for this deal). Launching a “revolutionary” phone with yesterdays data access is inexcusable.
• The cellular ecosystem does not allow for the same upgrade cycle that Apple has enjoyed previously with the iPod. The cost of upgrading hardware mid-contract is prohibitively expensive. Who here has experienced the sticker shock of replacing a lost or damaged handset? What’s the price of this phone without a “carrier subsidy”? Enough said.
• I really hope the hardware is capable of 3G/UTMS/HSDPA out of the box . . . just waiting for a code to activate, like the recent stealth roll out of the Pre-N WiFi cards in recent Apple hardware?
2. 4/8Gb Storage? Not enough to use it for a video media player
• I hope the slot below the camera lens (on the left side of the phone) is a removable media bay (CompactFlash I Hope, but I’ll settle for SD).
3. WiFi Access:
• Where is the seamless VoIP integration that can roam between the Cingular and WiFi network?
• Open WiFi is not ubiquitous in the US, and most public access is fee based.
• Cingular, your signal sucks in my house but I have great WiFi coverage.
4. And now no user installable applications . . . according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

apple, cellular, cingular, wifi, iphone

Gives new meaning to factory fresh . . . the weird part . . . they shipped it Ground!!!

china, fedex, ipod, ipod video, apple

Ad 1 and Ad 2 Via YouTube

And people wonder why I carry my PowerMac around to security conferences

EDIT: Looks like the official Apple site has all six ads . . . Â

mac, marketing, microsoft, security, apple

The consumer encryption problem is really a chicken and egg issue. On one side you the software developers that would rather not put the time and effort into making online identity and non-repudiation of transactions a standard feature in all Internet applications. On the other, you have the consumers, in desperate need of a standard – USABLE method for proving their identity online (or say, checking the identity of their eBay trading partner).

On the software side, the developers seem to be waiting for a critical mass of consumers to adopt a specific solution (which will never happen). On the consumer side, they continue to look for a solution that doesn’t require an engineering degree to install and a PHD to use.

Making the consumer credential free, drives the software industry in a direction . . . one, arguably, that I did not believe would be successful in the past (I have always thought that PKI for the masses will never fly duue to its complexity). While the consumer experience leaves a lot to be desired, its a great first step in the process of deploying some sort of digital credential to each Internet user.

Ok software developers, let’s start focusing on a usable consumer interface for this foundation that Thawte has deployed.

Also of note, Thawte does not seem to have a eassy way for you to integrate their certificates into the Apple OSX Mail.app. I have written a ‘quick’ rundown of the (35) steps that you will need to complete to make this work on a Mac. This process takes about 15 minutes.
Have fun, and happy signing!

mail.app, certificate, certificate authority, credential, identity, x.509

It’s got to be much cooler than what we saw at MWSF last week!

And to think, I almost bought one last week . . .

apple, ibook, mac, macbook pro

This ad has been seen making the rounds on the Internet.

A full size – readable screen shot is also available.

Not only is this ad in bad taste . . . the ad is asking potential recruits to enter their full name, address, phone number, birth date and other data on an non-secure form, a clear fraud and identity theft risk.

They even have the balls to ask you to refer a friend!

Digging into the “terms” of the offer results in some choice bits, including:

“Users must register by completing all required fields with valid, accurate information in order to receive iTunes®”

Does this mean that I have to stop using iTunes since I’m not in compliance with the Army National Guard terms? Does Apple know about this?

“Limit one (1) registration per person. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than the stated number of registrations by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that participant’s registrations and that participant may be disqualified from receiving iTunes.”

Notice that they are quite specific about not giving you more than three free songs from iTunes if you enter more than once . . . though you will likely receive multiple calls from recruiters.

army national guard, military, recruiting, itunes

As of this morning, I’ve seen nothing on the Apple .MAC site talking about this upgrade.

What’s next? Will they make my .MAC email account work consistently now?

.mac, idisk, mac, apple

From the site:

“What are Gadgets? Gadgets are a new category of mini-application designed to provide information, useful lookup, or enhance an application or service on your Windows PC or the Web. Examples might include a weather gadget running on your desktop or on your homepage, an RSS Gadget that pulls in your favorite feeds, or an extension of a business application providing just-in-time status on the pulse of your business.”

You have got to be kidding . . . this is a direct knockoff of Apple’s Widget functionality in OSX. Crazy . . . I guess imitation continues to be the sincerest form of flattery.

Apple should feel extremely flattered . . . or not.

gadgets, microsoft, widgets, apple

A group of people numbering in the thousands waited in line for hours to purchase $50 used Apple iBooks from the Henrico County school system. These were laptops issued to students (so you know what kind of shape they were likely in). Now these were not the current models, they were at least 4 years old.

When the gates opened, the group rushed through the gates pushing, shoving and hitting their fellow line inhabitants. People were trampled, a child’s stroller was crushed by the mob, and a person who felt that waiting in line was below him, tried to drive his car through the mob scene to get a laptop. To really top this spectacle, one woman urinated on herself to keep her place in line (rather than asking someone to keep her spot and walk to the bathroom).

More accounts can be read here . . . there’s even a photo of the mob!

What on earth were these people thinking?

human stupidity, insanity, ibook, apple