Disgusting Apple

Apple, the consumer electronics giant, makes products worth drooling over. The iconic iPod and iPhone have taken the world by storm and literally reinvented the portable music player and cell phone markets. But does that justify Apple’s high handed behavior with customers and developers?

Many Apple App Store developers have been complaining about Apple’s arrogance in disallowing their applications on the App Store even though similar applications were being listed. Apple has been totally silent on it. Very recently Apple denied Google Voice iPhone application an entry into App Store. Like always no reasons were given. This has been going on for quite sometime. But for how long are we going to tolerate this?

Recently, a kid’s iPod exploded when her father dropped it. Like any other consumer, the father approached Apple for a replacement. After going through several departments, Apple agreed to refund for the damaged product only if – check this out – the father agreed to sign a sort of NDA that would allow Apple to bring litigation against the customer if the customer spread the information about the exploding iPod. Here’s the link to the story.

Hey Apple, how about sticking a label on the product warning people that the damn thing might explode if dropped? Would they do it? Of course not. If they do, will those thousands of people who wear their iPods while jogging everyday morning buy them anymore? Surely not.

There are some people who are of the opinion that Apple is justified in asking for an NDA from the customer. If that is so, shouldn’t we, the consumers be justified in asking Apple for a label on their iPods informing us about the dangers? Cigarette packets have to have a warning from the Sugeon General, maybe Apple iPods and iPhones should also have something similar.

I am sure, if people who like Apple were to read this post, I would be flamed. But had something similar happened to a product from Microsoft or Dell, these very folks would be first in line to denounce those products and praise Apple’s offerings. Agreed Apple is a great company producing great products, but it is time Apple’s ardent supporters and all others start to realize that Apple might not have been doing proper checks when coming up with frequent generations of its hand-held products.

Switch to Linux: Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) in Apple Mac OS X

Apple seems to be going the way of Microsoft and the rest of the crowd of pedestrian software vendors. First their iPhone 3G failed to deliver the goods. Then there were security issues galore. Then the Mobile Me fiasco. And now the last bastion has also developed chinks in its hitherto impregnable armour. The famed and fabled Apple Mac OS X has been greeting its users with the Blue Screen of Death that has always been associated to Microsoft Windows. Windows, a victim of vicious derision from the Mac fan boys, probably had the last laugh.

With the OS X 10.5.6 update Apple has left many of its loyal customers with unusable machines. Some complain that the only thing they are able to see after start up is a blue screen like the one with which Microsoft Windows users are all too familiar. Many others have complained about an infinite reboot loop, while others have seen their spanking new and expensive systems freeze up. One business customer actually had the misfortune of suffering from seven of his Apple computers freezing up with the update. When he contacted the customer service he was told that the reason for the freeze up may have been due to the number of third party applications that have been installed. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This comes from a customer service that is supposedly the best in the business? So does Apple expect us to only install applications that it has “approved” ? Are we going to see an App Store concept for the computers soon? Imagine Microsoft selling its Office suite for the Mac OS X through Apple’s App Store. That would be a day to remember. )

This is yet another blow to the bloated up egos of the Apple fan boys ? Is Apple’s bubble about to burst? I sure hope so.

To all the people who have been blind loyalists to Apple, WAKE UP!!! Embrace the power of open source. Switch to  Linux.

Android can beat Apple and the iPhone

The latest entrant in the sphere of mobile operating systems in Google’s Android. The OS has been received well by the mobile content development community and has been gaining steady momentum. T-Mobile’s G1 has also received very good reviews and some(including myself) have called it better than Apple’s iPhone. 

There are quite a few reasons that are in favour of Google Android. Here are a few:

• Android is open source and free to use and customize. This also makes it more attractive for adoption by a large number of mobile phone vendors.
• There are certain features in-built like cut-n-paste that are still to make their way into the iPhone. 
• Android apps are developed using Java that run on a specialized virtual machine. This aspect makes it attractive to a larger pool of developers than the iPhone.
• The Android Market has set policies that would let developers keep a majority share of the revenues earned through it. This is in contrast to Apple’s App Store policies.
• Google has promised to have very little control over the Android Market.
• Coming from Google, Android has the backing of a behemoth and top-notch quality is ensured.
• Being open source, community based development can introduce newer features to this operating system much faster than any other.

In fact Android adoption has seen a steady rise. From developers to mobile phone vendors everybody seems to be jumping on to the Android bandwagon. Here’s a list of few news item that come up on CNET.com when you search for Android in the news section:

• Kyocera joins Android phone bandwagon
• Google Android and Symbian to merge?
• Report: Motorola expanding Android team
• Coders get 70 percent of Android Market revenue
• MySpace’s Android application goes live
• Maverick puts Google Talk on Android G1
• Motorola preps its own Android phone
• Capitalism still alive: EA on Android games
• Google adds Android app for Flickr photos

It’s pretty clear that interest amongst developers and vendors is increasing with respect to Google’s Android. Amongst mobile phone vendors Kyocera, HTC, and Motorola are already on to it. It’s only a matter of time before a lot more follow this trend. If this continues, Android’s appeal would surely surpass that of the iPhone’s. 

So is Android the beginning of the end of Apple iPhone’s dominance in the smart phone segment?

Google Android based T-Mobile G1 is better than Apple iPhone 3G

Looks like its game on. The T-Mobile G1 powered by Google’s open source Linux based operating system, Android, has already seen huge interest from the pundits and consumers alike. There have been recording pre-ordering for the G1 and it appears that the G1 will give the iPhone 3G quite good competition.

Personally I feel the biggest disadvantage that the G1 has is in the looks department. The design and looks of the G1 are nothing compared to the iPhone 3G. HTC just does not know how to make good looking phones. For them its all about using cheap plastic and tacky design philosophies.

Anyway. In a recent speed test done by CNET the T-Mobile G1 beat the pants of the Apple iPhone 3G with regards to web browsing. Click here to see the speed test video.

I am not sure how accurate this test is because web browsing performance depends on the network a lot. So even though the testers might have tried to neutralise the “network effect” I am not sure to what extent they were successful.

Another iPhone challenger: The Nokia ‘Tube’ 5800 Express Music phone

The recently released T-Mobile G1 does pose a serious challenge to Apple’s iPhone in terms of function and specs but look-wise its a no-competition. Even as the dust still settles over the hype of the G1 there’s a new kid on the block that also aims to unsettle Apple from its dominant position. It’s the Nokia 5800 Express Music phone also dubbed the Nokia ‘Tube’.

The specs that I could gather from this website are:

General

• 3.2″ touchscreen with VGA resolution (640×480 pixels), 16M colors
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash(Carl Zeiss lens)
• 30 FPS VGA recording
• 3 physical buttons – answer call, softkey, end call
• Landscape keyboard mode
• Symbian S60 Touch UI, or S60 5th edition

Connectivity

• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS 2100, GSM/Edge, HSDPA connectivity
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS
• WLAN, Wi-Fi
• 3.5mm headphone jack, TV-Out port

Memory

• 150MB of User memory
• microSDHC memory card slot (up to 16GB, 8GB memory card in a box)

Size & Weight

• Dimensions: 111×52×15.5mm
• Weight: 109 gr

And here are a few photos of the device:

Like the G1 the Nokia 5800 is better speced out than the Apple iPhone 3G. On top of that it has the looks that are so important for successful smart phones. So where the G1 fails, Nokia succeeds. The question is will it still be enough to topple the iPhone? The answer lies in how Nokia intends to build an ecosystem around the 5800. 

Rumors are that the 5800 will be available in Europe first and then in the US. Also there is a chance that consumers would be able to buy an unlocked version of the phone in the US.

Unlocked Apple iPhone 3G for Hong Kong

Apple has started selling unlocked versions of its incredibly successful cell phone, the iPhone 3G, in Hong Kong. This is in direct contrast to Apple’s selling policies in other countries like Australia, India and the United States. 

In most of the countries Apple’s iPhone is available to consumers as a part of a contract from a mobile carrier. In the US, AT&T is the sole carrier for the iPhone. This tethering of the phone to a contract helps consumers acquire these high technology devices at more affordable prices. The downside of such a deal is the lock-in to a contract. Sales numbers suggest that consumers do not mind the contract lock-in that much.

However, there has always been and still is a demand for the iPhone to be sold unlocked. This would allow consumers to use the phone on carriers of their choice. Such a step would surely jack-up the price of the phone to by a huge margin, but discerning consumers would not mind that as long as they can use the phone on a network of their choice. This demand has a lot of sense. Not all carriers have the same coverage in all areas. So tying the iPhone to a specific carrier can practically alienate a large consumer base. Till date, Apple has been going into deals with carriers that have majority coverages in their respective countries. 

In Hong Kong, the iPhone used to be available only with a contract from Hutchinson. Now with the release of unlocked iPhones, Apple has instantly appealed to a larger consumer base. A lot of business people are tied to carriers that are contracted by their employers. For such people the unlocked iPhone is a great attraction albeit at a very expensive price.

It’s not instantly clear why Apple made this move. Maybe its just an experiment. If it is so, then Hong Kong is surely a great location for it. The country offers a huge market with substantial disposable income. Another potential candidate for such an experiment would be India.

So are we going to have unlocked iPhones in the US anytime soon? Apparently it all depends on how the experiment in Hong Kong goes.

Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1

The Google Android powered T-Mobile G1 was being waited for ever since reports leaked about it. Now its a reality. The G1 is the new kid on the block with the goods to give Apple’s hallowed iPhone 3G a run for its money. Spec wise the G1 surely has a lot more to offer than the iPhone. Check out my feature comparison between the two. T-Mobile’s network is not that bad even though it has limited 3G capabilities. But all that is going to change once T-Mobile rolls out its 3G network in full.

So does Apple need to worry? You bet it does. 

The G1 comes with a lot more goodies for its price. It beats the iPhone in most feature comparisons. The only thing that the iPhone has going in its favour is looks. The G1 is positively ugly. But it more than makes up for that with its feature list. Being powered by an open source operating system from Google also gives it an advantage. The thriving open source community is more likely to come up with future enhancements of the OS than any proprietary company can. 

The iPhone’s success was accelarated by the launch of the App Store from where users could download third-party applications for the device. Google has already announced the launch of the Android Market on the lines of the App Store but having a lot better and transparent policies for developers. With the Android Market, Google has ensured availability of a rich set of third-party applications for users. Google’s approach with the Android Market is going to be very hands-off thus encouraging more development of applications for the Android platform.

Apple’s arrogance in dealing with developers of the App Store is bound to hit it where it hurts the most. In fact, chances are high that a lot of miffed developers, whose apps were unreasonably rejected from the App Store, may be switching allegiance to the more open Android Market. 

In spite of the outcry from developers asking Apple to come clean on its publishing policy for applications on App Store, Apple has kept quite. Its attitude is more like a dictator and some developers might even view its policies as tyranny. And they would be right. What was bad with IAmRich,  NetShare, BoxOffice, MailWrangler or Podcaster applications? What was the reason for Apple banning these applications from its App Store? Will someone from Apple please answer? Or is it below their hallowed self esteem to answer such questions?

If Apple does not act quick and take certain important decisions, it runs a very high risk of alienating those loyal group of developers who are the reason behind the resounding success of the iPhone 3G, even though the device itself is plagued by many serious flaws. The sooner Steve Jobs and his group of control-freaks open things up in the App Store, the better it would be for Apple.

Comparison: Apple iPhone 3G vs. Google T-Mobile G1

Here’s a cursory feature comparison between Apple iPhone 3G and the new T-Mobile G1 powered by Google Android:

Feature	Apple iPhone	T-Mobile G1
Keyboard	On screen	Full QWERTY slide-out keyboard
Connectivity	3G, WiFi, Tri band GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth	3G, WiFi, Quad band GSM, Dual band UMTS, Bluetooth
Messaging	Email, Instant messaging, Microsoft Exchange support	Email, Instant messaging, Special GMail push support, Multimedia messaging, multi-tasking while messaging
GPS and other services	Assisted GPS	GPS, Google Maps, Google Maps Street View with compass mode
Media store	Apple iTunes music store	Amazon MP3 store
Camera	2 mp	3.1 mp
Dimensions (HxWxD)	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 in	4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in
Weight	4.7 ounces	5.6 ounces
Storage	8/16 GB	Expandable up to 8GB
Screen resolution	480 x 320 163 ppi	480 x 320 65K color screen
Talk time	5 hour talk time, 300 hour standby time	5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time
Application support	Apple App Store	Google Android Market
Voice dialling	No	Yes
Removable battery	No	Yes
Copy & Paste support	No	Yes

As seen from the above comparison, the phones stack up pretty well against each other. In connectivity, messaging, GPS and the camera, the T-Mobile G1 has an edge over the iPhone. Some would argue that having a full QWERTY keyboard is also a major feature. So we can consider the T-Mobile G1 better in that area too. In the others the iPhone is pretty good. The overall user experience should be better with the G1 because of certain features like copy & paste, etc. Also the fact that the G1 has a removable battery makes a big difference.

If T-Mobile can provide service and coverage at par with AT&T, the G1 does have the goods to give the iPhone a run for its money.

22 steps through iPhone development hell

Apple has drawn and continues to draw a lot of flak for the way it is handling its App Store. There have been quite a few instances in the past where Apple has taken off or barred applications from being sold through its App Store for dubious reasons; the most popular of which seems to be duplicate functionality. The latest app to bite the dust is an application called MailWrangler. This application makes it easy for people to manage multiple GMail accounts. MailWrangler uses WebKit and thus allows certain functions like starring and threading to be done with GMail e-mails. Apple has barred this app since it supposedly “duplicates” some function that is already available. So how does Apple allow all the notepad apps and Sudoku games? Isn’t there any duplication there?

The way Apple is proceeding with its bullying, it shouldn’t be far when somebody sues it for anti-competitive practices. Why on earth should a user not have the choice of using different mail software on an iPhone? And what right does Apple have in stopping them? Pertinent questions.

Notwithstanding these “malpractices” that Apple seems to engage in when it comes to monitoring its App Store, developers are still writing apps for the iPhone due to the sheer popularity and mass appeal of the device. Even though there is a whole lot of applications available for the iPhone, the development process is not really a simple one.

In his article, software developer, Mike Ash, describes the 22 steps that he had to go through to get his application on the iPhone. Ash sums up his experience neatly saying:

Development for iPhone is an incredibly difficult process, much more difficult than it needs to be. The arduous process of shipping an application for the Mac suddenly appears to be absolutely straightforward after going through this mess. I really don’t envy those companies who have staked their success to the iPhone platform. The amount of arbitrary hassle, uncertainty, and delay in the process can only feel vastly worse when your livelihood depends on it.

To read about his 22 steps through iPhone app development hell click here.

Arrogant Apple good for Google

Another one of the prospective Apple App Store applications bites the dust! The application in question is the Podcaster. Podcaster enables people to download podcasts to their devices directly without going through iTunes. Apple thinks that’s a bad idea since iTunes already gives that function. The result – Podcast rejected from App Store. 

So what’s Apple’s policy for App Store applications? Apparently only two entities are in the know. God and Apple. I am pretty sure God is not interested in it. As for Apple, they want to control everything in their eco-system. Controlling everything is fine for stuff that Apple creates. But how can they intend to exercise this same level of control over third-party applications.

Time and again we have heard that Apple’s policy of examining each and every application that goes on the App Store is to ensure quality and stop malicious and offensive content. Malicious we can understand, but what is the yardstick that Apple employs to determine offensiveness? There have been no answers from Apple on this.

Here is a list of a few of the apps that have been axed by Apple from the App Store for no reason:

• Podcaster
• I Am Rich
• Pull My Finger
• NetShare
• A comic book

In not publishing a clear policy of conformance for application developers, Apple is actually hurting itself. Already a lot of developers have vented their frustration over such high-handed behavior. Yet they still stick to Apple because of the popularity of its portable devices. But for how long? After all there is a limit to everything. Unfortunately Apple is not ready to listen to their woes.

A potential winner may be Google’s Android powered mobile phones. People have expressed their concerns about the viability of Android phones without a vibrant eco-system to sustain its growth. Google has answered that, even though partially, with the Android Market. What remains to be seen is how popular the Android phones become. Google can bolster this popularity by making the hosting policy for applications on the Android Market more open and transparent. Maybe even have community participation in forming a policy. This would surely encourage developers to write content for Android. In fact, if Android becomes a success, we might see a lot of switch in allegiance from Apple to Google. If this happens Apple will only have itself to blame.