So, Apple launched PING yesterday to the masses. I have it on my iPhone and my MacBook Pro, and now I have a new AppleTV on the way because it makes getting NetFlix movies that much easier. Plus I can stream movies to the AppleTV that I have on my iTunes account and rent others that I might want. I think a great idea for movie rentals is a “rent to own” capability so if I really like a movie, I can purchase it. The same goes for music. Pandora? Are you listening? I’d pay a subscription fee to get the radio + store as much music as my iPhone can handle + purchase them if I want.
Which brings me back to PING, which is a social network for music lovers. It allows us fans of music of all kinds to get to know each other, and subscribe to our favorite musicians. The problem is now, at least for me, that Apple is creating a musical walled garden to the same degree that Facebook is creating an Internet experience/Social Network walled garden similar to AOL of the 90′s.
I enjoy the design and interface of Apple products, but there are some serious issues for me as a consumer. Hardware is upgraded each year, nearly like clockwork. It is okay I suppose, but the software is matched to the hardware. So, if you purchased a MacBook Pro 2009, Snow Leopard operates a tad slower than the 2010 MacBook Pro. Although that is my perception, I believe it to be true in the light that the iPhone 3G with iOS 4, locks up with the frequency of a cheap HAM radio and makes me want to throw it on the ground and stomp on it with a pogo stick. Today for instance, I was trying to stream NetFlix. The application locked up, then dropped to the desktop. From there, the iPhone sat for 15 minutes. Locked up. Nothing moving. Eventually, it crashed and rebooted. I’ve wiped and restored to no end. Nothing helps and you can’t go backwards because security patches move you forward.
OH, and iOS won’t let you get apps that aren’t fully supported. So, if I want to get something on sale, so I can use it with the iPhone 4 when I get it later… the OS won’t let me.
I used to have an iPad WiFi. Great device, great design. I hate the iOS because it doesn’t let me do whatever I want, like I can on my PC [run any application, not just APPs], like I can on my MacBook Pro [again, run any application, except APPs for iOS]. It really is nuts.
I understand the specification requirements, you can’t run a full OS on a small screen. But really, why not? Just reduce the instruction set. At the rate things are going, you’ll see OSX get turned into iOS before you see a full operating system running on an iPhone or iPad.
That is why I still like PC’s and Tablet “PC” devices. The iPad has great life, but limited functionality. It is always going to be purely consumptive except for power users. I count myself in that last bit. But I hit a threshold where I am not interested in creating something without using Photoshop and multiple 24″ monitors.
The new iPods that were launched yesterday are also running iOS or variants there of. It means it is locked down tight. As much as the iPhone and iPad is. That means data sharing is only done through approved channels. The Nano won’t play video on its little screen. Bummer. It will page flip images though. Fun.
There is a lot to talk about, so those are some thoughts, but more to come. I haven’t been blogging much because I’m working behind the scenes on projects.