Reid My Blog!

OMG--My First Apple Rant

For those who know me, sit down before you read this. I’m afraid you might faint. 

For those readers who don’t know my deep affection (read: slave loyalty) for Apple products, you can read some of my prior iPhone posts or just know that since my first Macbook Pro 6 years ago I have been totally sold on Apple products, service, and culture. I am on my second Macbook Pro (purchased December 2009) and my third iPhone, having purchased the iPhone 2.0 and 3Gs. From the sales experience, to the coolness factor, to the outstanding heads-above-the-crowd customer service, I am a huge Apple fanatic.

 Until June 24, 2010—the day the iPhone hit the streets and I purchased mine.

In less than 2 weeks Apple went from an 11 on a 10-point scale to a 5—one small step above their PC competitors.  Loyalty, once unquestioned, is proving to be fickle.

Yes, it has everything to do with the new antennae and reception problems, but it goes beyond the technical problems and to the heart of why I love(d) Apple—they treated me with respect and stood behind their products just like I stood behind the company.

Until last week. Apple has screwed up and is lying about it. Now I am one angry customer!

I guess I should have had a clue when the Apple store associate brought me my new phone along with a new rubber bumper case he said I would want to “protect” it. It seemed a friendly gesture at the time, but I had not yet heard of the reception problem. I realize now the Apple associate was trying to warn me. (It was my teenage son who told me of the reception problem about 2 nanoseconds after I got back from the Apple store.)

Then Apple releases a disingenuous letter blaming some software glitch causing the reception bars to show better reception than actual. Right.

It’s the antenna, stupid.  It’s not AT&T. It’s not my hand. It’s Apple.  I take the same route home from work everyday. Down Constitution Avenue, past the White House, across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, through Arlington, and out to Fairfax County. Before the iPhone 4, I had 2 drop zones—crossing the bridge from DC to Virginia and in a dip in the road near my house. Now, I have calls drop all along the route. Totally frustrating!

Maybe if some of their beta testers had actually HELD the case rather than hiding it in a fake 3Gs case Apple would not be in this predicament.

Furthermore, security settings pop up at random times, and my email is far slower to load than will my old 3Gs. Yes, the screen clarity is amazing and the folders are great, but I need a smart phone to work!

Consumer Reports jumped to the defense of consumers this week and stated they could not recommend the phone. That may have been the tipping point.

True, Apple has a 30 day return policy—and I am seriously considering this. But Apple has to do more. They have to do the right thing. They have to resolve this problem without me (and millions of others) having to return our phones for the old 3Gs. They have to be Apple once again.

 

 

Leaked iPhone Gets Under Apple's Skin

It looks like Gawker Media, owner of Gizmodo, the website that unmasked Apple's upcoming iPhone 4.0 is in a bit of hot water for doing so. It seems that Apple is none to pleased with this whole episode and is working with a computer crime unit of the Santa Clara County D.A.'s Office.

Well, it's not all gloom and doom. Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak is having a bit of fun over the incident.

Gawker Media has given back the phone, so why not forgive and forget? Besides, how can Apple be mad when the free media from the event just spurs further interest in the next phone? So forget the criminal investigation and take a chill pill, Steven!

Is the Apple iPad the Tipping Point? Practicing Law in the Cloud Goes Mainstream in 2010

Right before our eyes a major transformation is occurring within the legal profession. I believe 2010 will emerge as a year that we will look back upon as a tipping point. A year where lawyers left behind the traditional confines of their office walls—no longer tethered by phone cords, computer cords, or real estate leases--to practice where and when it suits their needs and the needs of their clients.  2010 will be the year that being small, mobile, and almost expense-free went mainstream.

 

  

Several trends are intersecting to drive this major transformation. They include the rapid innovation of mobile technology, the changing perceptions of consumers, economic trends that are squeezing the bottom line for many law firms, and the rise of solo and small law firms started by big firm refugees. Let me identify and discuss how these trends are coming together to change the practice of law in fundamentals ways, and whether the Apple iPad is the tipping point in this change. 

  

 

Technology Trends are Powering Change

 

  

The strongest trend is the exploding use of mobile technology because of significant recent innovations within that field. For several years laptop computers have outsold their desktop counterparts, so that more workers--including lawyers—can be productive when outside of their office environment. Being tied to a desk for 8+ hours a day is receding as the norm. Workers can take a laptop home, to a coffee shop around the corner, or to a conference a continent away and be able to do almost everything they could do while sitting at their desk.

  

 

Over the past several years we've also witnessed a dramatic maturing of the smart phone, such that more models have capabilities almost equal to many laptops. Blackberries, iPhones and Android phones all have functionalities that just a few years ago were limited to desktop and laptop computers–and they now do things no desktop or laptop ever did.

  

 

And thanks to iPhone Apps as well as now Google and Palm Apps, these phones are becoming more productive daily. Look at the growth of the Apple App Store and how Blackberry, Palm, and Google followed suit. Sure there are tons of games, but also a huge rise in the number of productivity apps like DocumentsToGo, various calendar and task management apps, and even legal-specific apps like Black’s Law Dictionary, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and numerous ones listing state statutes.

  

 

These changes will accelerate in 2010 not only because the hardware and applications continue to mature, but conductivity, speed, and reliability are maturing too. This smart phone connectivity trend began to really accelerate in 2009 with the launch of the iPhone 3GS, and continued with the release of the Droid late in the year. Phone companies no longer tout lots of free minutes, but speeds at which you can transfer data. In fact, just last week two of the largest wireless carriers significantly dropped the price for talking on a cell phone, but not transferring data—that side of the wireless business is still growing and generating huge profits.

  

 

Beyond cell services, we're also finally seeing the maturing of wireless broadband so that most lawyers can be connected 24/7. Wireless broadband subscribers grew by 90% in the US in 2009, fueled by both a growth in coverage areas and lower pricing. The price for this wireless service has dropped by 30% and more over the past severa1 years. We are also seeing the increase in WiMax connectivity, although that has been slowed somewhat by the poor economy. WiMax is the next generation in wireless data transfer that promises faster data transfer than current 3G networks.

  

 

Not only is mobility changing for lawyers, but for their clients as well. Individual and business clients are using technology to spend less time in the office; and many start-up businesses are forgoing the expense of office space.  With the rise of tools such as Skype and GoToMeeting, more people are conducting meetings on-line rather than always in person.  And how soon will we see a case where a client at a police stop calls his lawyer to oversee the interaction via his iPhone using the UStream Broadcast app?