But hey, tell the world that Unix's ping utility is a cloud service for all I care. This discussion has passed the point of being useful.
Really? Alright then...
I'm tempted to say your idea of what "the cloud" encompasses is out of date (if it was ever in date) but I don't think you've given a solid definition of what you think the cloud is?
You seem to be able to say what it isn't, but you're vague on the definition of what you think it actually is.
Looking back on your posts your explanation seems to resemble SaaS more so than "the cloud"... except for email. In which case you concede that using a local email client to view emails and a cloud server to store and process emails is an example of "cloud computing" where both Twitter (where you use a local Twitter client to view tweets and a cloud server to store and process tweets) and IM (where you use a local IM client to view IM's and a cloud server to store and process IM's) are both not examples.
So give me your definition of what "the cloud" encompasses and I'll either admit that I'm wrong or give you pointers as to where you need to update your knowledge.
This article is supposed to paint a picture of Apple's impressively unique management architecture. But the MobileMe example unintentionally shows that their system failed miserably. First of all, how could Steve Jobs the almighty leader not be aware that MobileMe was simply not working well? How could the entire management team allow it to be launched? How is it that, two years after this impassioned outburst by Jobs, MobileMe remains essentially a dud? Clearly, neither Jobs nor his gestalt management team uses it, or they would be more aware of its failings.
Jobs likes to say that Apple makes great hardware in order to write great software. Well, MobileMe and Ping are two examples of miserable software failures. In comparison, their hardware products have a superior batting average.
And, before the shots are fired, this is not an Android troll writing, but rather a passionate Apple fan. The point here is that Apple does not seem to have the requisite DNA in writing service based software. This is not an easy thing to change. And it makes you wonder about their upcoming music locker service.
I agree with you quite a bit. It seems strange that Jobs would have delegated this much responsibility away from himself and his core team.
Ping notwithstanding, it is very strange that .Mac/ MobileMe/ iCloud has been flapping in the wind for years... One can't say Apple can't do distributed online software solutions. The iTunes Store and the App Store are really quite sophisticated and successful.
There must be some reason for the MobileMe blind spot that we don't yet know about. Yes, something in the DNA that makes them want to make me.com as beautiful as possible instead of rock-solid... But at the same time they've made the iTunes Store and App Store attractive, engaging, and with blockbuster sales.
Maybe that's the key - *SALES*. Anything online that Apple does related to a direct sale has finesse. For example, Apple Store online ordering, iTunes Store and App Store. Whereas non-direct-sales-related websites like the discussion forums, MobileMe or iWork.com do not come to the level of robustness we expect.
RSS is too "antisocial", agreed. Everything's gotta be "social" nowadays. If the whole world doesn't know what you're doing, where you are, who you're friends with or following or not following and who's retweeting or not retweeting or tagging who and what or what not it's no longer worthwhile.
Isn't it interesting that the value of "news" is no longer in the content or reporting but the response of those consuming the news.
I think there is a benefit to social integration that's often lost in a sea of tagging, retweeting and ego trips.
Tight social integration should allow services to be tailored for the individual user. There is a feeling that this will be the next shift in the web.
They should essentially follow the same concept as "other people who purchased this item also purchased..." but far more intelligent.
Specifically I think two situations should be prioritized
Items that are "liked" by "friends" (whether they be actual friends or journalists/bloggers) I trust should take precedence.
Items that are "trending" among users that have similar interests to my own should be next on the list.
For a news feed there needs to be a service that sits on top of my RSS/Twitter/Facebook etc, groups similar items together, removes duplicates and tailors priority based on the user.
This applies to all the information we consume though, not just news feeds.
Look, no company can be great in every product category. A centralized management system makes it impossible for the key visionary to spend enough time on anything except the core products. Clearly, MobileMe is not their core product - heck, it is not even one of the legs of the stool. This is no surprise. Chewing out his team for what is really a management failure is simply not the right way to go. This is why MobileMe remains Woe is Me today. Let's face it - it is not fixed.
He is very protective of the brand, cancelling nearly finished products because they were not good enough (so I have heard). He was probably p*ssed that this one got passed his radar somehow.
That is one thing that will dog Apple once he is gone, no one with the guts to cancel things that millions have been spent on. Not-so-great products may start coming out alongside the great ones.
I don't know how stupid you are but the reason people use the phone and like it so much is because they are willing to LIVE with the antenna gate thing.
You're a pretty classy and very smart guy, but you must have missed the memo.
When this went down, the issue with 'death grips' was demo'd on each and every competing handset. iPhone's may have been bad, but all the others had special death grips too; it's part of the tech...
I guess you missed the part about iPhone selling +10mm more handsets yoy vs #2 Samsung selling about 2mm+ yoy and everyone else being FRACTIONALLY better yoy.
(Hmmmmmmmm, maybe satisfaction has something to do w/ everything, BUT antennas. Perhaps you're right, after all. But I'd rather own $aapl than be right about the antennas.)
I'm writing to the other 'dummies' here; I'm guessing smart guys like you will miss the point again.
I really do hope that the iCloud is MUCH better than MobileMe. I still have problems with syncing despite endless hours of email and chat exchanges with Apple MM support. My problems have twice been escalated to their senior team, with the latest one I have been waiting over 4 months for a resolution - sometime around Christmas my home events in iCal stopped syncing with my iOS devices (iPhone and iPads). The problemn is bizarre - it only affects home calendar - the work and other calendars work okay, but Apple are unable to provide a fix, and since they will not actually talk to you on the phone about MM problems getting help is tortuous - earlier comments about this being a poor product are dead right - it sucks compared to other Apple products, and has definitely tarnished the brand for me. It has wasted soooo much time, and I have even missed appointments because its hard to remember what is in which calendars on which devices (I have 2 computers and three iOS devices).
I don't know how stupid you are but the reason people use the phone and like it so much is because they are willing to LIVE with the antenna gate thing.
The misunderstanding about the antenna continues. Many (most?) users do not have an antenna problem that is noticeably different from other phones.
So Steve Jobs saw how bad it was back then, changed the entire team and it's still all terrible.
I started on MobileMe because I wanted a well-integrated and Apple-quality service, but every part of it is slow and unreliable. They regularly delete or mangle people's data, some of which i have experienced myself.
I really don't think Apple get data processing at all. They get hardware and they get multimedia but, perhaps due to having been away from enterprise for so long, they just don't get data processing. They can't design it and they can't code it. Many of the apps and services I buy are to compensate for poor software from Apple, such as Dropbox to replace iDisk. I want to give Apple more money every year for an upgrade to 60GB iDisk, but it's slow, buggy, gives poor feedback when it fails.
So what was the point of all that ranting and blaming if it's all still crud?
There are some services that are far better than the MobileMe counterpart (Dropbox and SugarSync compared to iDisk are prime examples) but I don?t know of a single product that competes well with MobileMe as a whole.
Some of Apple?s other advancements have obsolesced some of MobileMe?s features. For example, the syncing and backup of so many personal settings and info that go well beyond what MS? Active Sync can achieve. Another is Find My iPhone which Apple made a free service thus demising its value in another way.
Others simply have no equal, like Back To My Mac which means I can input my MobileMe credentials and have access to all computers both in Finder and as a remote client without any additional setup. For $65/year I get plenty of use from the service.
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I don't know why this is "messed up." It sounds like appropriate chastisement to me.
What are they supposed to do after screwing up thousands of people's data? Have a group hug?
If it was me I would use the word "ashamed" more than "hate" because it's more accurate, but the general feeling is the same.
I would agree except that I think Steve is shouting at the wrong team.
The MobileMe team was probably put together from developers at Apple.
Apple has no culture or understanding of data processing, so this team never stood a chance.
Steve should look at how to build an understanding of data processing, enterprise systems, etc by building exposure. They could hire in or buy small companies, for their skills and management. They should put together a small consulting team and have them do implementations of packages at businesses. All to build the knowledge that Apple is lacking.
Steve Jobs has probably done more to tarnish Apple's reputation than any number of MobileMe programmers did.
1) When a number of iBook G3 units had bad logic boards and he knew about it, the tech reps were instructed to tell people calling in that they had not heard of it. They charged loyal customers $350 for the repairs until a then-popular cable show called "The Screen Savers" broke the story of just how many of the laptops had the problem. Apple then offered refunds to those who paid and offered free repairs from them on ... again... AFTER being called out on it on a TV show.
2) iPod batteries that were defective and ignored by Apple/Jobs until lawsuits were filed that might damage sales.
3) Nano batteries that did the same on a previous generation, again ignored by Jobs, until lawsuits were filed.
4) More than once issue with Powerbook batteries, known and ignored by Jobs until there were damages and lawsuits filed.
5) Shall we yet again discuss Steve Jobs telling iPhone 4 users to simply "Not hold the phone that way!", when they had reception issues??
Sorry - sounds to me like Mr. Jobs is doing a FINE job of hurting Apple's reputation little by little, without any help from the old MobileMe team.
Apple Brand Value at $153 Billion Overtakes Google for Top Spot
By Tim Culpan - May 8, 2011 11:59 PM ET
Apple Inc. (AAPL), maker of the iPhone, iPad and iMac, overtook search-engine giant Google Inc. (GOOG) to become the world’s most valuable brand, WPP Plc said in a report today.
Apple’s brand value climbed 84 percent in the past year to $153.3 billion, WPP’s Millward Brown unit said. Google’s brand lost 2 percent to $111.5 billion, ending four years atop the rankings, while International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) climbed 17 percent to be the No. 3, ahead of McDonald’s Corp. (MCD)
New versions of the iPhone and iMac, and the introduction of the iPad tablet, helped Cupertino, California-based Apple almost double sales and profit for the latest quarter. Apple, which overtook Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), as the most-valuable technology company by market value in May 2010, boosted its share of the global phone market and is the leading seller of tablet computers.
“It’s clear that every single Apple employee, from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook to the summer interns, see protecting and nurturing that brand as a top priority,” Millward Brown Chief Executive Officer Eileen Campbell wrote in the report. “Tablet computing also drove value growth not just for Apple, but also for the providers who support yet another networked device.”
Facebook Inc., operator of the world’s largest social- networking site, had a 246 percent climb in brand value, the fastest, to become the No. 35 brand at $19.1 billion, according to the report. Baidu Inc., Google’s Chinese rival, posted the second-fastest climb at 141 percent, to be the No. 29 brand at $22.6 billion.
Twelve of the top 100 global brands were from China, led by China Mobile Ltd. (941) at No. 9 and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. at No. 11. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), which ranked 14th, overtook Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which ranked 15th, to become the most-valuable retail brand.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Culpan in Taipei at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at [email protected].
Record March Quarter Drives 83 Percent Revenue Growth, 95 Percent Profit Growth
Record iPhone Sales Grow 113 Percent
CUPERTINO, California—April 20, 2011—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 second quarter ended March 26, 2011. The Company posted record second quarter revenue of $24.67 billion and record second quarter net profit of $5.99 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $13.50 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.07 billion, or $3.33 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 41.4 percent compared to 41.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 59 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple sold 3.76 million Macs during the quarter, a 28 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 18.65 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 113 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.02 million iPods during the quarter, representing a 17 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 4.69 million iPads during the quarter.
“With quarterly revenue growth of 83 percent and profit growth of 95 percent, we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year.”
“We are extremely pleased with our record March quarter revenue and earnings and cash flow from operations of over $6.2 billion,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $5.03.”
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
Sort of like people here continually bash Windows, Android, Windows Phone 7, etc.? Most here wouldn't dare want to be seen using such devices, but will gladly bash them without even touching them.
Quote:
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I'm glad that you are happy with MobileMe, but I just find it ridiculous to pay Apple for a service, when there are plenty of free alternatives.
- I do automatic Boomark/Extension/Cookie/Password/etc. syncing with Google Chrome in OS X. Just simply plug in my Google credentials to any PC or Mac with Google Chrome and I can take my ENTIRE web portfolio "identity" with me. It's seamless.
- iCal? Again, iCal provides integrated Google Calendar support, so if I add an event with my iPhone, MacBook Air, or from any PC through Google Calendar, it shows up in iCal.
- All the file backup/sharing I do is accomplished with DropBox. I can share files anywhere, and even use it on my iPhone. Couldn't be happier.
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I use it and it is crap. ( Why do I use it - the email address I have had since the .Mac/ itools day).
idisk is the worst in class. The email is alright, but the client is sloooow and sometimes hangs, the rest of your post is stuff I never use.
Some of Apple?s other advancements have obsolesced some of MobileMe?s features.
"obsolesced"? Does this pass for English in America these days or was it invented on the spot? This trend of turning adjectives into verbs is becoming very ugly.
Hey, remember clicking that little agree button. You agreed that any loss of information due to YOU not being RESPONSIBLE to back up what's important to YOU, won't be apple's responsibility. Take some god damn responsibility lolol...jeeezzz adults act as ignorant as kids.
You're comparing a legal agreement to the frustration of losing one's photos from installing a photo management program? You don't get frustrated when a piece of software hoses your computer? I guess not. I mean, after all...you're "responsible."
I use it and it is crap. ( Why do I use it - the email address I have had since the .Mac/ itools day).
idisk is the worst in class. The email is alright, but the client is sloooow and sometimes hangs, the rest of your post is stuff I never use.
Meanwhile I use dropbox all the time.
I would like to be able to say that the email part of MobileMe is the bit that works, but I have discovered syncing issues there too.
I have had trouble with moving large numbers of email from one folder to another and also with renaming a folder with emails in it. Eg: A folder with a few thousand emails in it, renamed, the new folder appears after some winking on and off and then the emails all disappear. The email start to arrive back, slowly, then at some point it just stops. Not all the emails are there and the old folder is gone. Checking back later, the old folder reappears with the missing emails in it, so now I have to tidy up. In another case I moved a thousand plus emails from one folder to another and discovered that the total number of emails decreases each time.
So, in my experience, there is no part of MobileMe that is really safe to use.
Oh, and I often email notes to myself while out on the iPhone, then back on the Mac I find left over copies in Drafts.
Oh yes, and I have two or three Junk folders at any one time. I keep deleting them then they mysteriously come back.
Oh and now I also remember - I added my old hotmail account to mail.app for a while, then made some Notes in the iPhone, they disappeared and I found them not in MobileMe but in my Hotmail inbox.
Yeah, whats with the Junk mail under MAILBOXES/junk/.Mac and the other one under .Mac/Junk?
The other thing is that syncing on the Mac takes ages, if I havent used the mac for a while. Looking at the activity window shows about 10-12 threads, very few of them doing what I want.
Comments
You just can't admit you were wrong and move on.
But hey, tell the world that Unix's ping utility is a cloud service for all I care. This discussion has passed the point of being useful.
Really? Alright then...
I'm tempted to say your idea of what "the cloud" encompasses is out of date (if it was ever in date) but I don't think you've given a solid definition of what you think the cloud is?
You seem to be able to say what it isn't, but you're vague on the definition of what you think it actually is.
Looking back on your posts your explanation seems to resemble SaaS more so than "the cloud"... except for email. In which case you concede that using a local email client to view emails and a cloud server to store and process emails is an example of "cloud computing" where both Twitter (where you use a local Twitter client to view tweets and a cloud server to store and process tweets) and IM (where you use a local IM client to view IM's and a cloud server to store and process IM's) are both not examples.
So give me your definition of what "the cloud" encompasses and I'll either admit that I'm wrong or give you pointers as to where you need to update your knowledge.
This article is supposed to paint a picture of Apple's impressively unique management architecture. But the MobileMe example unintentionally shows that their system failed miserably. First of all, how could Steve Jobs the almighty leader not be aware that MobileMe was simply not working well? How could the entire management team allow it to be launched? How is it that, two years after this impassioned outburst by Jobs, MobileMe remains essentially a dud? Clearly, neither Jobs nor his gestalt management team uses it, or they would be more aware of its failings.
Jobs likes to say that Apple makes great hardware in order to write great software. Well, MobileMe and Ping are two examples of miserable software failures. In comparison, their hardware products have a superior batting average.
And, before the shots are fired, this is not an Android troll writing, but rather a passionate Apple fan. The point here is that Apple does not seem to have the requisite DNA in writing service based software. This is not an easy thing to change. And it makes you wonder about their upcoming music locker service.
I agree with you quite a bit. It seems strange that Jobs would have delegated this much responsibility away from himself and his core team.
Ping notwithstanding, it is very strange that .Mac/ MobileMe/ iCloud has been flapping in the wind for years... One can't say Apple can't do distributed online software solutions. The iTunes Store and the App Store are really quite sophisticated and successful.
There must be some reason for the MobileMe blind spot that we don't yet know about. Yes, something in the DNA that makes them want to make me.com as beautiful as possible instead of rock-solid... But at the same time they've made the iTunes Store and App Store attractive, engaging, and with blockbuster sales.
Maybe that's the key - *SALES*. Anything online that Apple does related to a direct sale has finesse. For example, Apple Store online ordering, iTunes Store and App Store. Whereas non-direct-sales-related websites like the discussion forums, MobileMe or iWork.com do not come to the level of robustness we expect.
That's one theory, I guess.
RSS is too "antisocial", agreed. Everything's gotta be "social" nowadays. If the whole world doesn't know what you're doing, where you are, who you're friends with or following or not following and who's retweeting or not retweeting or tagging who and what or what not it's no longer worthwhile.
Isn't it interesting that the value of "news" is no longer in the content or reporting but the response of those consuming the news.
I think there is a benefit to social integration that's often lost in a sea of tagging, retweeting and ego trips.
Tight social integration should allow services to be tailored for the individual user. There is a feeling that this will be the next shift in the web.
They should essentially follow the same concept as "other people who purchased this item also purchased..." but far more intelligent.
Specifically I think two situations should be prioritized
- Items that are "liked" by "friends" (whether they be actual friends or journalists/bloggers) I trust should take precedence.
- Items that are "trending" among users that have similar interests to my own should be next on the list.
For a news feed there needs to be a service that sits on top of my RSS/Twitter/Facebook etc, groups similar items together, removes duplicates and tailors priority based on the user.This applies to all the information we consume though, not just news feeds.
That is one thing that will dog Apple once he is gone, no one with the guts to cancel things that millions have been spent on. Not-so-great products may start coming out alongside the great ones.
I don't know how stupid you are but the reason people use the phone and like it so much is because they are willing to LIVE with the antenna gate thing.
You're a pretty classy and very smart guy, but you must have missed the memo.
When this went down, the issue with 'death grips' was demo'd on each and every competing handset. iPhone's may have been bad, but all the others had special death grips too; it's part of the tech...
I guess you missed the part about iPhone selling +10mm more handsets yoy vs #2 Samsung selling about 2mm+ yoy and everyone else being FRACTIONALLY better yoy.
(Hmmmmmmmm, maybe satisfaction has something to do w/ everything, BUT antennas. Perhaps you're right, after all. But I'd rather own $aapl than be right about the antennas.)
I'm writing to the other 'dummies' here; I'm guessing smart guys like you will miss the point again.
well, let's hope something actually good is around the corner.
Originally Posted by huntson View Post
I don't know how stupid you are but the reason people use the phone and like it so much is because they are willing to LIVE with the antenna gate thing.
The misunderstanding about the antenna continues. Many (most?) users do not have an antenna problem that is noticeably different from other phones.
I started on MobileMe because I wanted a well-integrated and Apple-quality service, but every part of it is slow and unreliable. They regularly delete or mangle people's data, some of which i have experienced myself.
I really don't think Apple get data processing at all. They get hardware and they get multimedia but, perhaps due to having been away from enterprise for so long, they just don't get data processing. They can't design it and they can't code it. Many of the apps and services I buy are to compensate for poor software from Apple, such as Dropbox to replace iDisk. I want to give Apple more money every year for an upgrade to 60GB iDisk, but it's slow, buggy, gives poor feedback when it fails.
So what was the point of all that ranting and blaming if it's all still crud?
There are some services that are far better than the MobileMe counterpart (Dropbox and SugarSync compared to iDisk are prime examples) but I don?t know of a single product that competes well with MobileMe as a whole.
Some of Apple?s other advancements have obsolesced some of MobileMe?s features. For example, the syncing and backup of so many personal settings and info that go well beyond what MS? Active Sync can achieve. Another is Find My iPhone which Apple made a free service thus demising its value in another way.
Others simply have no equal, like Back To My Mac which means I can input my MobileMe credentials and have access to all computers both in Finder and as a remote client without any additional setup. For $65/year I get plenty of use from the service.
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I don't know why this is "messed up." It sounds like appropriate chastisement to me.
What are they supposed to do after screwing up thousands of people's data? Have a group hug?
If it was me I would use the word "ashamed" more than "hate" because it's more accurate, but the general feeling is the same.
I would agree except that I think Steve is shouting at the wrong team.
The MobileMe team was probably put together from developers at Apple.
Apple has no culture or understanding of data processing, so this team never stood a chance.
Steve should look at how to build an understanding of data processing, enterprise systems, etc by building exposure. They could hire in or buy small companies, for their skills and management. They should put together a small consulting team and have them do implementations of packages at businesses. All to build the knowledge that Apple is lacking.
Steve Jobs has probably done more to tarnish Apple's reputation than any number of MobileMe programmers did.
1) When a number of iBook G3 units had bad logic boards and he knew about it, the tech reps were instructed to tell people calling in that they had not heard of it. They charged loyal customers $350 for the repairs until a then-popular cable show called "The Screen Savers" broke the story of just how many of the laptops had the problem. Apple then offered refunds to those who paid and offered free repairs from them on ... again... AFTER being called out on it on a TV show.
2) iPod batteries that were defective and ignored by Apple/Jobs until lawsuits were filed that might damage sales.
3) Nano batteries that did the same on a previous generation, again ignored by Jobs, until lawsuits were filed.
4) More than once issue with Powerbook batteries, known and ignored by Jobs until there were damages and lawsuits filed.
5) Shall we yet again discuss Steve Jobs telling iPhone 4 users to simply "Not hold the phone that way!", when they had reception issues??
Sorry - sounds to me like Mr. Jobs is doing a FINE job of hurting Apple's reputation little by little, without any help from the old MobileMe team.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...-top-spot.html
Apple Brand Value at $153 Billion Overtakes Google for Top Spot
By Tim Culpan - May 8, 2011 11:59 PM ET
Apple Inc. (AAPL), maker of the iPhone, iPad and iMac, overtook search-engine giant Google Inc. (GOOG) to become the world’s most valuable brand, WPP Plc said in a report today.
Apple’s brand value climbed 84 percent in the past year to $153.3 billion, WPP’s Millward Brown unit said. Google’s brand lost 2 percent to $111.5 billion, ending four years atop the rankings, while International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) climbed 17 percent to be the No. 3, ahead of McDonald’s Corp. (MCD)
New versions of the iPhone and iMac, and the introduction of the iPad tablet, helped Cupertino, California-based Apple almost double sales and profit for the latest quarter. Apple, which overtook Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), as the most-valuable technology company by market value in May 2010, boosted its share of the global phone market and is the leading seller of tablet computers.
“It’s clear that every single Apple employee, from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook to the summer interns, see protecting and nurturing that brand as a top priority,” Millward Brown Chief Executive Officer Eileen Campbell wrote in the report. “Tablet computing also drove value growth not just for Apple, but also for the providers who support yet another networked device.”
Facebook Inc., operator of the world’s largest social- networking site, had a 246 percent climb in brand value, the fastest, to become the No. 35 brand at $19.1 billion, according to the report. Baidu Inc., Google’s Chinese rival, posted the second-fastest climb at 141 percent, to be the No. 29 brand at $22.6 billion.
Twelve of the top 100 global brands were from China, led by China Mobile Ltd. (941) at No. 9 and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. at No. 11. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), which ranked 14th, overtook Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which ranked 15th, to become the most-valuable retail brand.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Culpan in Taipei at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at [email protected].
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http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/04/20results.html
Apple Reports Second Quarter Results
Record March Quarter Drives 83 Percent Revenue Growth, 95 Percent Profit Growth
Record iPhone Sales Grow 113 Percent
CUPERTINO, California—April 20, 2011—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 second quarter ended March 26, 2011. The Company posted record second quarter revenue of $24.67 billion and record second quarter net profit of $5.99 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $13.50 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.07 billion, or $3.33 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 41.4 percent compared to 41.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 59 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple sold 3.76 million Macs during the quarter, a 28 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 18.65 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 113 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.02 million iPods during the quarter, representing a 17 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 4.69 million iPads during the quarter.
“With quarterly revenue growth of 83 percent and profit growth of 95 percent, we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year.”
“We are extremely pleased with our record March quarter revenue and earnings and cash flow from operations of over $6.2 billion,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $5.03.”
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http://www.neowin.net/news/report-ap...rtphone-seller
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/28/...uarter-profit/
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&safe=off...676df340ff76e8
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Can you remember the last time Apple *didn't* have a record quarter? I can't.
I see nothing but growth there.
You're bad at trolling.
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
Sort of like people here continually bash Windows, Android, Windows Phone 7, etc.? Most here wouldn't dare want to be seen using such devices, but will gladly bash them without even touching them.
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I'm glad that you are happy with MobileMe, but I just find it ridiculous to pay Apple for a service, when there are plenty of free alternatives.
- I do automatic Boomark/Extension/Cookie/Password/etc. syncing with Google Chrome in OS X. Just simply plug in my Google credentials to any PC or Mac with Google Chrome and I can take my ENTIRE web portfolio "identity" with me. It's seamless.
- iCal? Again, iCal provides integrated Google Calendar support, so if I add an event with my iPhone, MacBook Air, or from any PC through Google Calendar, it shows up in iCal.
- All the file backup/sharing I do is accomplished with DropBox. I can share files anywhere, and even use it on my iPhone. Couldn't be happier.
So again, why the hell would I pay?
It's funny that so many of the people bashing MobileMe also say "I don't use it". It really amazes me how many people while whine about a product that they don't use - and expect their whining to have any credibility.
I use MobileMe all the time and use it on several different computers and iDevices. What it does for me is:
- Add a bookmark on one computer and it's automatically on all of them.
- Add an item to iCal and it's automatically on all my computers.
- All my essential files are instantly available to all computers when I save them to iDisk. No extra steps of moving them around to drop box or anything.
- My keychain is synced to all computers.
- If I DO have to get something on my home computer that isn't on iDisk, I can go to my home computer's Finder.
- I can continue to do the same thing even when not connected to the Internet. If I make changes to one computer, it will automatically sync as soon as I connect to the Internet.
It comes close to allowing me to work on all my computers the same way without having to spend countless hours manually syncing files and worrying about where to find something. It's all automatic and I don't have to give it a second though. I want my business files? Just go to iDisk without worrying about where I put them.
I'm not aware of any other package that does all of that. Heck, I can't think of even a collection of software that does all of that, although I suppose that you might be able to find 5 or 6 different software packages that would do the same thing, but I haven't seen them.
Is it perfect? Nope. There are a few flaws. For example, when you mirror iDisk to your computer, it seems that it should be backed up with TimeMachine, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or, at least, I can't find it). I guess Apple feels that their own data center backup is sufficient. I don't agree, but it's a minor enough issue that I can live with it to get all the other advantages (once I week, I simply copy the iDisk to somewhere else on my computer so it gets backed up locally).
It's a great product and makes life much easier for many people. Unless you've actually used it enough to explore its capabilities (some of the posts here are so wrong as to be ludicrous), you shouldn't be commenting.
I use it and it is crap. ( Why do I use it - the email address I have had since the .Mac/ itools day).
idisk is the worst in class. The email is alright, but the client is sloooow and sometimes hangs, the rest of your post is stuff I never use.
Meanwhile I use dropbox all the time.
Some of Apple?s other advancements have obsolesced some of MobileMe?s features.
"obsolesced"? Does this pass for English in America these days or was it invented on the spot? This trend of turning adjectives into verbs is becoming very ugly.
Hey, remember clicking that little agree button. You agreed that any loss of information due to YOU not being RESPONSIBLE to back up what's important to YOU, won't be apple's responsibility. Take some god damn responsibility lolol...jeeezzz adults act as ignorant as kids.
You're comparing a legal agreement to the frustration of losing one's photos from installing a photo management program? You don't get frustrated when a piece of software hoses your computer? I guess not. I mean, after all...you're "responsible."
That 'revamp' of MobileMe was lipstick on a pig. I hope that whatever is coming will make us go 'wow,' like the iPhone did at launch.
I am at a critical decision stage for my cloud needs. Make it 'magical,' Steve and team.
Only fools and children believe in magic. After two tries at mobileme I've given up and found alternatives.
I use it and it is crap. ( Why do I use it - the email address I have had since the .Mac/ itools day).
idisk is the worst in class. The email is alright, but the client is sloooow and sometimes hangs, the rest of your post is stuff I never use.
Meanwhile I use dropbox all the time.
I would like to be able to say that the email part of MobileMe is the bit that works, but I have discovered syncing issues there too.
I have had trouble with moving large numbers of email from one folder to another and also with renaming a folder with emails in it. Eg: A folder with a few thousand emails in it, renamed, the new folder appears after some winking on and off and then the emails all disappear. The email start to arrive back, slowly, then at some point it just stops. Not all the emails are there and the old folder is gone. Checking back later, the old folder reappears with the missing emails in it, so now I have to tidy up. In another case I moved a thousand plus emails from one folder to another and discovered that the total number of emails decreases each time.
So, in my experience, there is no part of MobileMe that is really safe to use.
Oh, and I often email notes to myself while out on the iPhone, then back on the Mac I find left over copies in Drafts.
Oh yes, and I have two or three Junk folders at any one time. I keep deleting them then they mysteriously come back.
Oh and now I also remember - I added my old hotmail account to mail.app for a while, then made some Notes in the iPhone, they disappeared and I found them not in MobileMe but in my Hotmail inbox.
The other thing is that syncing on the Mac takes ages, if I havent used the mac for a while. Looking at the activity window shows about 10-12 threads, very few of them doing what I want.