[Update] 7/17/2010

Last night, I watched Apple’s press conference.  Since I never actually had a problem with my iPhone 4, I’m very happy with Apple’s response to “antennagate”.  Even if I did have a problem, I would still appreciate their actions.  I’ve been reading several blogs this afternoon, and my point still stands…  It doesn’t matter what Apple does, or says.  People will still complain.  The bloggers who have jumped all over this non-issue should be ashamed of themselves, especially the Apple related blogs.  Apple is bread and butter for a lot of people such as myself, and for a lot of professional bloggers.  I’ve been an Apple customer for over 20 years, and I know of no other tech company who treats its customers better than Apple.  While Apple does make mistakes, and they sometimes take a long time to admit those mistakes, they always make things right.  I think it’s time for these hack bloggers to shut the hell up, and move on!  Get your advertising revenue by attacking a company that deserves it.

I’ve been using my new iPhone 4 for almost two weeks.  For the first week, I used my iPhone without any kind of case.  It wasn’t until this past Thursday morning that I was able to purchase an iPhone Bumper so that I could use my iPhone without the constant fear of it slipping out of my hand.  I have experienced far less dropped calls than with the previous iPhone.  Unfortunately for AT&T customers in Dallas/Fort Worth, there are several areas of poor coverage all over the city.  I have identified at least three specific locations where I have experienced consistent dropped calls almost on a daily basis.  For almost four years, I have called into AT&T to report these locations in the hope that these issues would someday be fixed.  Since upgrading to iPhone 4, my dropped calls in these problem areas have been reduced.  In one of the locations, the dropped calls have stopped altogether.

Although I believe that Apple should have taken more time to respond, they have responded to reports of poor reception by claiming that this is mainly a software issue with the way that the new iPhone displays signal strength.  They have promised a fix that will be issued soon.  Within hours of Apple’s latest statement, the blogosphere was full of more complaints from users who allege that they have experienced a lot of reception issues with the new iPhone.  After reading some of them, I was forced to conclude that it doesn’t matter what Apple says.  People will still find a way to complain.  After working for Apple for over four and a half years, and using Apple products for over twenty years, I have concluded that Apple will never be able to completely satisfy their critics.  If Apple announced today that they would begin to bundle a bumper with each iPhone, there would still be complaints.  Apple could issue store credits to customers who bought the new iPhone, but the complaints would continue.  It’s a no-win situation.

No Apple product that I have ever owned has been 100% perfect.  My last MacBook Pro was plagued with several hardware issues.  Last year, Apple replaced it.  I didn’t have to complain on my blog.  I didn’t post my complaints on any Apple related websites.  I didn’t try to sue Apple.  I simply called AppleCare, and voiced my dissatisfaction with the quality of my laptop.  When I requested a replacement, my complaint was forwarded to Apple’s customer relations department who agreed to replace my computer.  The whole process took about 3 days.  Apple takes care of its customers when they have problems.  Whining and complaining on every website on the Internet only makes the problem worse.  I know eight people (including myself) who have an iPhone 4.  None of us have had significant reception issues with our new iPhones.  In fact, we’ve all had BETTER reception just as Apple promised.

When Google announced recently that they will begin phasing out Windows at their corporate offices, I was very happy.  This move represents something that a lot of people working in I.T. have known for years.  Devotion to using only one platform, Windows in particular, presents many security risks.  Mac OS X, and Linux are not immune to security issues; however, these two UNIX based platforms tend to offer better security, as well as better reliability, and stability.

Many business users will still argue that Windows offers more applications, specifically in accounting, than are offered for Mac and Linux.  They’re right, but this assumption is misleading.  Most business applications today have a Mac equivalent, or a version written for the Mac.  Microsoft Word, and Excel actually shipped on the Mac BEFORE they shipped for Windows.  Today, Microsoft Office 2008 is a great business software suite that provides Mac users with seamless compatibility with their Windows using couterparts.  There are also several application suites available for Linux that also provide compatibility with Microsoft Office documents.  Companies like Intuit, and other software vendors who make accounting software have largely marginalized Mac and Linux users.  That’s starting to change.  The latest versions of Quickbooks for the Mac have been vastly improved.  Intuit has also started offering an online version of their Quickbooks software, which allows any user with a supported web browser to access their company’s Quickbooks data.  This means that Windows is no longer mandatory for accounting.  Still, a lot of businesses who wish to move their computing to the Mac may still be hesitant.  Why not keep the Windows PCs for accounting, and other specialized tasks, and go Mac, or Linux for everyone else?  Also, keep in mind that, since 2006, Macs have been able to run Windows side by side with Mac OS X using either Parallels Desktop, or VMware Fusion. I’ve used both of these products.  They’re both great solutions for Mac users who want to run Windows applications while still enjoying all of the features and benefits of the Mac.

I think this story may serve as more proof that the iPhone is coming to Verizon soon.  Because of their lousy network coverage, and foot dragging on tethering,  AT&T knows that there are a lot of customers who may leave for Verizon.  It’s something that I’m contemplating myself.  AT&T Wireless CEO Ralph De La Vega recently was reported to have stated that he’s not worried about customers leaving.  His reason was that these customers are currently shackled to AT&T by contracts.  Wow!  What a great reason for customers to stay!  They can’t possibly want to stay because of the “great” network coverage right?  Oh, and tethering.  That’s a great feature.  What’s that you say?  The network isn’t that great?  We STILL don’t have tethering yet?

Because of AT&T’s total failure to live up to the iPhone’s full potential, I am forced instead to use another service for my wireless data needs.  In March, I signed up with Clear for 4G coverage when I don’t have a WiFi network available for my laptop.  So far, it’s been really good service.  There are a few areas in Dallas/Fort Worth where I can’t get online, but the service is still relatively new to DFW.  I’m content to allow Clear to continue rolling out new towers.  I just wish that I could have been using my iPhone for data service.  Thanks to AT&T, I have another bill to pay.  Of course, I’m sure that if AT&T did roll out tethering service, they would charge an abusively large fee for it.  Right now, I can get a 3G card from AT&T to use with my laptop, but they want $70 a month for unlimited data, whereas, I’m only paying $40 for Clear for unlimited 4G service.  Oh, and Clear gave me $15 off the first two months.  AT&T doesn’t do that.  What’s more, the early termination fee from Clear is only $120, and it drops over the course of the two year contract.  AT&T’s $325 fee for early termination does not.

Even after the dramatic resurgence of the Mac platform since the late 1990s, most businesses today still use Windows PCs. There is still the prevailing  misconception that, for general business, Windows is the better choice whereas, the Mac is a better choice for home users, or for creative endeavors.  As an Apple Consultant, I see every day that this old myth is wrong.  The Mac is great for business.  In fact, you can run your whole business on a Mac.

There is a growing number of small and medium sized businesses (and even some large ones) that are adopting the Mac as their primary computing platform.  These companies have found that the Mac is just as capable of running their accounting, email and messaging, file sharing, and web services.  There are several great accounting software titles available for the Mac [Macworld Review].  These include Quickbooks from Intuit, and MYOB AccountEdge.  For businesses who are seeking to avoid the high licensing and maintenance costs associated with Microsoft Exchange, my recommendation is Kerio Connect 7 (formerly Kerio Mail Server).    Mac OS X Server’s file sharing capabilities are excellent, even in mixed computing environments.  Since 2003′s release of Mac OS X Server v. 10.3, Mac OS X Server has had the capability of serving as a primary domain controller for Windows PCs.  Mac OS X Server leverages industry standard LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol), and Kerberos services to provide secure authentication services to both Mac and Windows PCs.  Apple calls its implementation of LDAP Open Directory.   Mac and Windows PCs can bind directly to Open Directory, which enables the server to host home directories for end users, and allow each user to access all of the share points and services that he or she has been authorized to access.  Mac OS X Server offers a much simpler interface for which to manage the server, and all of its services.

MacNN reported today that AT&T has released an iPhone app that will allow users to report problem areas on their network.  It’s about time!  For almost 2 years, I was working out of an office in downtown Dallas where the coverage was horrible.  My complaints reached some of the company’s executives, and AT&T is now — finally, looking into the issue with more effort than just a trouble report to tech support.  Having an application on my iPhone that could utilize the phone’s GPS chip to allow me to file reports would have been a lot more helpful than simply giving the address since the problem pretty much blanketed downtown Dallas, and the surrounding areas.  AT&T should have had an app like this on the iPhone from the beginning.

Click the link below to read the article at MacNN.

New AT&T app prompts iPhone users for network feedback | MacNN.