GigaOM » Apple

German regulators want details on Apple’s use of Carrier IQ

Darrell Etherington — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:26:14 +0000

Apple was probably hoping that its statement on Thursday about Carrier IQ, the software found to be installed on many devices that reports and records user activity, would be enough to reassure people any potential danger had passed. Some regulators, however, think Apple needs to do more reassuring.

The Bavarian State Authority for Data Protection, a German data regulator, sent a letter to Apple on Friday requesting that the iPhone maker provide more details about the software and its use, according to a Bloomberg interview with the regulator organization’s chief, Thomas Kranig.

Apple said in its statement on the matter that its use of Carrier IQ was limited to diagnostic information and was opt-in only. If you’ve recently set up an iOS 5 device, you may remember the request made during the setup process to allow your device to send diagnostic and usage information to Apple. You can check if you’re sending data by navigating to General > About > Diagnostics & Usage in your iOS device’s Settings app and either opt in or opt out. On this screen, Apple says it uses the information to “improve its products and services.” Apple further stated that Carrier IQ has been removed for most devices in iOS 5 and will be taken out completely in future updates.

Kranig says that “if Apple decided to cease the use [of Carrier IQ], all the better,” but the organization is still seeking more information. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) also called (PDF) for Carrier IQ to release details to the public about why exactly its software tracks and records the information that it does. Franken previously pursued Apple and Google for more information about how customers’ personal location information was being gathered and used on iOS and Android devices.

This Carrier IQ situation could result in another round of scrutiny by regulators in the U.S. and abroad, and I doubt that Apple has seen the worst of it yet.

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Apple fixing some 4S bugs, but what about mute and network problems?

Darrell Etherington — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:47:51 +0000

It’s no secret now that Apple is working hard on getting a fix for iOS 5 battery issues out the door. It even opened up beta testing of pre-release software to end users, instead of just the usual registered developers. But battery life isn’t the only problem new iPhone 4S owners are having with their devices.

The mute bug

Now that the talk around the battery problems has died down at the Apple Support discussion forums, the new star of the show is a flaw with outgoing calls that sees them often automatically muted. It doesn’t seem to be limited to any one carrier, so the problem seems to be something specifically with the 4S’s hardware or software. I’ve also experienced this myself, though only a couple of times near the beginning of my time with the device. Still, I don’t often make outgoing calls without a headset, so I may just not have noticed since then.

While users wait for an official fix, you can get voice working again by turning speakerphone on and off, or by using a headset to call as I mentioned I usually do anyways. This hasn’t been acknowledged by Apple in any official documentation yet, but it does seem like the kind of thing that could be addressed in a future update, so you may want to pause before scheduling an appointment to make a return.

The 3G or network data drop

Another common complaint at Apple’s support discussions is that the iPhone 4S drops network data connections seemingly at random. Besides being well represented on Apple’s forum, it’s also something I’ve heard of a lot personally from other 4S owners I know. The problem isn’t something that totally disables your device; often data just drops from 3G to EDGE and eventually goes back to normal after a few hours. But sometimes, data can be dropped altogether, which means you won’t know about new voicemail, or get push emails, and measures like turning Airplane Mode on and off are often required to get a connection back.

I’ve seen this on my own iPhone 4S, too, and as mentioned, it’s hard to identify a cause. It seems to happen most frequently when I get or make a call, but not exclusively during those activities. Also, just opening Safari and browsing can sometimes re-establish a connection if you’ve only dropped 3G but still have EDGE.

Again, this one hasn’t been officially acknowledged by Apple, but if it’s happening to you, it’s probably not worth exchanging your device just yet. The problem seems widespread enough, based on the discussion threads related to it, that a replacement will just display the same issue, so waiting to see if a forthcoming software update is the least inconvenient option.

The Siri volume bug

Siri has a nasty habit of maxing out the volume just after use. You’ll notice if you activate Siri, and then press the home screen button to cancel your request, then lock the device. After a short time, the volume goes back to wherever you set it, but for a little while, the volume is ear-splitting, and this applies system-wide. There are many threads in the Apple Support Communities about this issue.

Mostly minor, but majorly irritating

All the bugs listed here are actually quite small, which is why a lot of users report not having returned their devices as a result of encountering them. I, too, have run across each but have yet to ascribe it to hardware fault, since each seems pretty likely to be a software problem. It’s troubling, however, to see no mention of these apparently common problems in any of the information circulating about Apple’s upcoming bug-busting iOS 5.0.1 release. Hopefully they’re filed under the category of “general bug fixes” and do arrive with that update. Otherwise, Apple will have to tackle them head-on sooner or later.

Anyone else seeing these or other persistent problems?

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iPhone 4 pre-orders start at Sprint, unlimited data plans official

Darrell Etherington — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:27:23 +0000

Sprint has begun taking pre-orders for the 8 GB iPhone 4 Apple announced at its press event on Tuesday. The iPhone 4 will retail for $99 on a two-year contract, and Sprint says it should deliver by Oct. 14 or Oct. 15 if you pre-order now.

You can order either the black or white iPhone 4 right now, and the best news of all is that you’ll be able to tack on Sprint’s unlimited data pricing plans, too. Sprint announced via official press release on Wednesday that it would be making unlimited plans available for both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, which start at $69.99 plus $10 Premium Data add-on for plans with restricted minutes, and go up to $99.99 plus $10 Premium Data add-on for the Simply Everything plan.

Sprint will start taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on Friday, Oct. 7. Pricing for the iPhone 4S on Sprint is the same as it is on other U.S. carriers; $199 for the 16 GB version, $299 for 32 GB and $399 for 64 GB. To get those prices, you have to sign up for a new two-year agreement, either as a brand new customer to Sprint, or and existing customer who’s eligible to upgrade.

The iPhone is a notorious network data hog, and some were worried that unlimited data might not fly when Sprint got the device. In a recent article, wireless consultant Chetan Sharma noted that Sprint is in much better shape than AT&T was to deal with iPhone data demands. However, another wireless industry expert, Michael W. Thelander, cautioned that because of the nature of Sprint’s bandwidth spectrum, it may run into coverage problems similar to those encountered by AT&T customers.

It might also just generally be slower. Stacey went into detail about why; Sprint uses a CDMA-based 3G network with considerably slower theoretical speeds than AT&T’s HSPA+ network can offer. However, Sprint’s network divides voice and data traffic on different networks, which should enhance call quality even as it sacrifices some speed in terms of tasks like loading mobile video.

Are you planning to pre-order an iPhone from Sprint, and if so, is unlimited data a motivating factor? Does it matter that network speeds may be perceptibly lower?

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IPhone and iPad cleaning up in every category of UK mobile data use

Darrell Etherington — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:27:37 +0000

Only recently, it seemed like Apple was on the ropes in the ongoing fight for mobile dominance with Android. But more recently, the tale of the tape seems to indicate that the battle is far from over. This is true especially in certain geographical areas like the U.K, where iOS accounts for an outsized portion of mobile data use, as it pertains both to apps and to the mobile web.

Earlier this week, the GSMA reported that 65 percent of devices that offer Internet-connected apps use iOS as their operating system, compared with only 30 percent for Android. This is only a measurement of connected apps that need to hook into a cellular network or active Wi-Fi Internet connection to transfer data, so offline apps and general phone use don’t factor in. But that’s a huge margin, and one that network operators eager to sign users up for lucrative, high-limit bandwidth plans are no doubt paying attention to. Developers, too, will likely see this as an indication that if you want to land connected customers, iOS is the way to go.

Mobile web developers might glean the same takeaway when considering the latest data from comScore. The iPad is running away with mobile web browsing among iPads in the U.K., with 21.3 percent of total mobile traffic. Android tablets hold only 0.3 percent of web access in the market, by contrast. The iPhone is still king, however, with 29.9 percent of the overall picture. Android smartphones only represent 15 percent of U.K. web traffic, which is even less than the iPad taken alone.

Admittedly, Android still dominates mobile web access in the U.S., accounting for 35.6 percent of traffic on smartphones, according to comScore, beating out the iPhone’s 23.5 percent by a decent margin. But the U.S. is the exception, not the rule. The iPad and iPhone are the top contenders for mobile web access in most other countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Brazil and Japan. Nor is iOS just barely edging out the Google competition: In some cases, Android lags behind the iPhone by 10 to 20 percentage points. Add to that a new report by Yankee Group (via BGR) that says 40 percent of European smartphone shoppers intend to buy an iPhone next, versus only 19 percent intending to go with Android, and the global picture for iOS is very rosy.

Despite Android’s gains in the mobile device market in recent years, Apple still seems to have a hold on mobile data use and web access in many key international markets. It’s a reality that developers have to take into account, especially when preparing apps and websites that appeal to a broad international user base. If your Flash intro automatically cuts out the 50 percent of Australians who browse the mobile web using an iPhone, for instance, that’s a lot of potential customers you aren’t reaching.

Apple may not be the only game in town, but it does have a growing stake in the burgeoning smartphone user community, which is turning more and more to mobile devices to access the web.

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As MobileMe closes, Google rescues new iOS users

Dave Greenbaum — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:28:52 +0000

With all the fanfare for the move from MobileMe to iCloud, new iOS users — or at least those new to over-the-air syncing — will find themselves without an Apple option for several months. Although Apple discontinued new signups for MobileMe on Monday, iCloud syncing won’t be available until the fall, and most likely will only be available for those running iOS 5 and Lion (current MobileMe subscribers will, of course, still be able to use the service). What’s an Apple fan to do in the meantime? Go to a competitor.

Crazy as it sounds, Google, Apple’s chief rival in the smartphone market, will be the one saving iOS users stuck in this donut hole. Moving to Google syncing requires only minor modifications to your iOS gadgets and your Mac, and you’ll be able to keep your contacts, calendars and email in step across devices. You’ll need to sync your iOS device to Google as well as sync your Mac to Google, and you should always backup the data on both before doing so. Note that doings so requires at least Leopard for Mac users.

Google has excellent instructions on how to set up your iOS device with a Google account. You’ll need to set up the Google account first of course, but most people already have that. Note that other email addresses you happen to be using on your devices that aren’t tied to your Google account won’t have their data backed up.

Setting up your Mac to sync with Google is also quite easy again due to excellent instructions, in particular on how to sync your calendars and how to sync your contacts.

While you’re at it, you might consider moving from iCal to BusyCal, as BusyCal syncs simply with Google using only your login credentials, while syncing with iCal is a multi-step process.

Google has a great opportunity to get users signed up in this window between Apple’s announcement and when its service goes live. Both Google and Apple will soon be battling for the right to store users’ data, a much different fight than that going on between operating systems. Any advantage in that coming fight could be a significant one.

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iOS 101: Keep Information on Your Device Safe

Josh Sunshine — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:31:54 +0000

Chances are, there’s a lot of personal information and data stored on your iPhone or iPad. The last thing you want is someone getting hold of that data and using it maliciously. I’ve already been through how to encrypt your iOS backup so that the data in there is secure, but what about if someone gets hold of your actual device?

Set a Passcode

If a thief can’t unlock your device, they can’t access your data, so setting a passcode lock is a good idea. Once set, the passcode will need to be entered each time in order to unlock the device. To set one, tap Settings, General, then Passcode Lock. At the top is a button labeled Turn Passcode On.

Tap that, and you’ll be prompted to enter a four-digit passcode. Type the passcode in twice, and some additional settings will become available.

You can change how long the device has to be inactive before the passcode is required again. By default, this is set to require the code immediately, but you can set it to a range of durations such as after 1 minute, 5 minutes or 15 minutes. Shorter times are more secure, since it gives someone else less time to pick up your device before they’ll need to enter the passcode.

If you don’t think a four-digit code is secure enough, you can also use a more complex password with numbers, letters and symbols. To do so, turn off the setting called Simple Passcode. After turning that off, you’ll be asked to enter your current passcode, if you have one set, then your new password twice. Once you have done that, in order to unlock your device, the password you set will be required, which is more secure than a four-digit number.

One final security measure you can add is the option to erase all the data on the device if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times. This ensures someone can’t methodically try every number until they hit upon the correct code, since chances are the data will be wiped before they get there.

Be Sensible With Your Data

Obviously you can’t just rely on passcodes to keep information secure. You have to make sure you aren’t careless; leaving addresses or phone numbers in the Notes app means they’re available for anyone using your iPhone to see. Similarly, don’t store important information such as credit card numbers or pin numbers on the device at all, unless you are 100 percent sure the data is encrypted and secured using a password. The best way of storing extremely sensitive data like that is in your memory, rather than keeping it stored somewhere accessible.

Also be wary of using password managers designed for iOS. Some of them don’t encrypt your data at all, and only hide it behind an insecure passcode. Other services store your information on their own server rather than on your device, which means it’s susceptible to data theft if the service gets hacked, which is what just happened to LastPass, for example.

Wipe the Data Remotely

If your iOS device does happen to fall into the wrong hands, you can use Apple’s free Find My iPhone service to locate the device and wipe any data on it. Find My iPhone is available to all MobileMe subscribers, and is also available to non-subscribers with an iPhone 4 or an iPad. To set up Find My iPhone on your device, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and choose Add Account. Then enter either your MobileMe credentials or your Apple ID (the same one you use for the iTunes store) and choose to turn on Find My iPhone.

Now if your device gets lost or stolen, you can find where it is, and if necessary, wipe everything on it. To do so, open the MobileMe website, me.com, in your browser, log in and go to the Find My iPhone tab. You’ll see a list of the devices that you have set up with Find My iPhone, and you can click on a device’s name to show its location on a map.

You can then click the blue triangle icon next to the name on the map to see more options. To completely wipe the selected device, choose Wipe. Everything on the device will be erased, and it’ll be as if it were new — nothing is left behind. Don’t worry, if you then get your device back, you can restore from a backup using iTunes.

Got any other tips for securing data on your iOS devices? Share them in the comments.

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How to Migrate Data From Your Old Computer to a New Mac

Geoffrey Goetz — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:20:06 +0000

Deciding which Mac is right for you is only half the battle. Once you finally get that new Mac in your hands, you’ll want to get up and running fast. Migrating all of your applications, preferences and data can be a daunting task, but there are options available to help make your transition as painless as possible.

Preparing Your Old Mac

Moving from an old Mac to a new one can be a nightmare, similar to restoring from a backup. There are some very basic steps that you should take before even considering a data migration from an old Mac to a new one:

Maintenance: You should perform routine maintenance on your old Mac before you attempt to migrate. This includes performing tasks like resetting Safari to clear its cache, emptying the trash, ensuring that your software is up to date, repairing disk permissions, and even repairing your disk itself with Apple’s own Disk Utility or something like Micromat’s Tech Tool Pro.

Backup: While there are certainly several online options available for backing up your data, when transferring data to a new Mac, a local backup is the best way to go. Beyond using Time Machine to help keep a historical account of your Mac’s files and settings, I would strongly suggest cloning your old Mac to an external hard drive to ensure you backup everything. This is also your last chance to check that your backup solution is actually working.

Cloning Your Old Mac: While using a utility like Bombich Software’s Carbon Copy Cloner or Shirt Pocket’s SuperDuper is a great strategy to mitigate the risk of a hard drive failure, it doesn’t just let you duplicate your OS X installation. I would however recommend using this option with the Migration Assistant’s “From another volume on this Mac” option, which will let you import the settings and data from that drive. Simply connect an external drive to your old Mac and backup everything.

Software Licenses: It is very likely that the registration and license keys of some software titles will need to be re-applied on the new Mac. Gather all of you installation media and updates for the software you intend to keep using. I like to use an online service like MacUpdate to manage my updates, and a program like Kedisoft’s AppShelf for my license keys. If most of the apps you care about are now being managed by the Mac App Store, then you may not need to use any additional programs.

Transitioning From Mac to Mac

When you first power on your new Mac, you will be presented with the option to copy your applications, user preferences and data from your old Mac to your new Mac.

Install From Another Mac. You have three options when it comes to copying an installation of OS X from one Mac to another:

From another volume on this Mac — My favorite option of the three is to use an up to date a clone of your old Mac. Simply attach the external drive with the cloned volume (made using one of the tools mentioned above) on it and select which information you what to migrate over. The data transfer rate of this option is also the fastest.
From a Time Machine Backup — This option is best used in emergencies to recover from a disaster or if you do not have the means or the time to clone your old Mac.
From another Mac — Your choices to connect to another Mac will be over a network connection via FireWire, Ethernet or AirPort. If you do not have the means or the time to clone your old Mac to a local drive, and you are not using Time Machine to backup your existing Mac, then this is the only viable option.

Using Apple’s Migration Assistant: If you did not opt to use the Migration Assistant during the initial install, you can still run it later on. Personally, I prefer to install fresh and use the Migration Assistant straight from the install process itself. Using the Assistant after the fact is basically just a good way of copying a user profile from one Mac to another.

Transitioning From PC to Mac

If you’re switching teams, there are also a number of options for keeping your data largely intact. Both VMware and Parallels offer solutions to create a virtual copy of your existing PC, and run Windows on your Mac, so you won’t miss a beat.

VMware Fusion’s Migration Assistant: After purchasing VMWare’s Fusion for Mac, you can execute the Migration Assistant on your PC to create a virtual copy of your PC. You’ll need to download and install the Migration Agent on your old PC before you get started. There’s an advanced tutorial on YouTube that shows how it works.

Parallels Switch To Mac Edition: With Parallel’s you need to be aware of which version you purchase. Be sure to buy the Switch to Mac edition. Like VMware, you will need to download and install the Parallels Transporter Agent on your old PC.

Whether you’re coming from a PC or an older Mac, the best path to bringing your old world into your new is through some sort of “cloning” process. Whether you use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a ‘real’ clone of your old Mac, or the Migration Assistant in Fusion to create a virtual clone of your old PC, you shouldn’t have too much trouble making sure your new world has all the comforts of home.

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Verizon Not Yet Breaking a Sweat Over iPhone Traffic

Darrell Etherington — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:58:08 +0000

Verizon’s network is doing fine under the additional strain of new iPhones, according to research performed by web application performance firm Compuware Gomez. In fact, Verizon’s mobile data performance is virtually the same as it was before the iPhone’s introduction.

Compuware Gomez performed data performance measurements for data performance on the Verizon network during the first four days of iPhone availability (Feb. 10-13). The iPhone went on sale at Verizon beginning Feb. 10, but pre-sales began on Feb. 3, and many customers had working iPhones in their hands by the time Feb. 10 arrived. Some estimates put Verizon iPhone pre-sales at as many as 500,000 units, and the number of users switching to Verizon from AT&T specifically for the iPhone are thought to be somewhere between 70 and 100,000. Verizon may not have seen the long lines on launch day many expected, but Compuware Gomez estimates that between 500,000 and 700,000 new iPhone users were accessing the Verizon network during its initial few days of availability. In theory, that could translate to increased demand, although that those numbers are spread out across the nation and include existing customers might mitigate the effect.

The wireless data performance analysis unit of Compuware Gomez gathers its data from a network of actual device end-users that numbers in the thousands, located across the U.S. These users provide everyday usage data that accurately reflects what the average Verizon iPhone owner would be experiencing in terms of browsing and page-load times, which is how the firm measures performance. Compuware CTO of APM Solutions Imad Mouline sums up the results:

We’re just four days in, but our measurements show that real-world data users on Verizon Wireless are experiencing no noticeable performance degradation due to the influx of new iPhone users on the network.

iPhone users have been shown to be data-hogs when it comes to mobile bandwidth (though Android users have recently been shown to be even more so), so it comes as a small surprise that Compuware found virtually no change (four-tenths of 1 percent) in performance following the Verizon iPhone’s introduction, as compared to a sample taken during a four-day period the week before. Verizon might just have a network that’s better equipped to handle rapid growth, or maybe the bandwidth throttling it’s using to limit network congestion is having the desired effect. Kevin predicted that the introduction of the iPhone wouldn’t significantly affect Verizon network performance, but it’s still quite early to make any definitive conclusions.

Obviously, it’s early days yet, but the results so far from Compuware Gomez seem to indicate that Verizon is having a much better time handling iPhone customers than AT&T. We’ll see if that continues to be the case as Verizon’s share of the iPhone market continues to grow. Gene Munster, for example, sees sales of 1.5 million iPhones for this quarter, with many more to follow as the year proceeds. The strain on Verizon’s network could be just getting started.

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Verizon iPhone Will Have $30 Unlimited Data Plan

Darrell Etherington — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:15:09 +0000

Customers planning to buy a Verizon iPhone have reason to celebrate today as the company’s COO, Lowell McAdam, has confirmed that there will indeed be a $30 unlimited data plan available for the device. McAdam shared the news with the Wall Street Journal ahead of Verizon’s meeting with investors today.

iPhone buyers won’t have much of a choice when it comes to data options, however, as Verizon is also discontinuing its lower tiered 150 MB data plan, which costs subscribers only $15 a month. That option, just introduced last October, will be discontinued at the end of January, and won’t be available at all to new iPhone subscribers.

McAdams told the Journal that the decision to keep the unlimited plan for iPhone subscribers is specifically intended to attract subscribers away from rival AT&T. “I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he said. “Not offering an unlimited plan would put up a barrier for customers who might otherwise switch from AT&T.”

AT&T currently offers two data plan to iPhone subscribers: 200 MB per month costs $15, while $25 will get you 2 GB of usage. AT&T discontinued its $30 unlimited data plan in June 2010 in an attempt to ease its network congestion problems.

Are higher data limits reason enough to convince you to switch to Verizon for iPhone service, if you weren’t convinced already?

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How to Share Your iPhone’s Data Connection Right Now

Darrell Etherington — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Don’t want to wait until iOS 4.3 becomes publicly available to share your iPhone’s data connection? There’s a way to do it, but you’ll need to also have a Mac handy, so it isn’t the most portable solution. Still, if you’re travelling with a group and your hotel doesn’t have Wi-Fi, or you’ve setup a multi-device mobile workstation on a train, it could come in handy. And since the iPhone 3G won’t be getting iOS 4.3, this could come in handy for users not yet wanting to retire older devices.

First, you’ll need to have tethering enabled on your iPhone. Tethering allows you to share your connection with one device over Bluetooth or USB. If you don’t know how to enable tethering, or get it working on your Mac, iPhoneinCanada.ca has a great step-by-step guide.

Once you’ve got tethering enabled, you can share your connection with other devices using your Mac’s built-in AirPort Wi-Fi. You can do this in System Preferences under “Sharing.” The screencast below shows exactly how to do this.

Watch this video for free on GigaOM

You can also enable WEP password encryption by clicking on the “AirPort Options” button on the Internet Sharing screen.

Now that you’ve set up Internet Sharing, you should be able to find a Wi-Fi network on your other devices with the network name of your Mac, which in this case is “Darrell’s iMac.” Just select that network, and enter the WEP password you chose if you enabled password protection.

I’ve used this little trick frequently on family vacations, and will probably have cause to use it more than once before iOS 4.3 becomes available to everyone. Watch your usage, though, as you could hit your monthly bandwidth limit pretty quickly depending on who you share with.

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