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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Richard articulated anxieties regarding two areas where Apple either already has or could potentially wrest more control away from carriers. The first is with the Apple App Store, which now offers a library 500,000 apps. Apple has exclusive control over what software is allowed on Apple devices, independent of carriers. Richard framed this as a net neutrality issue, since it means Apple has the exclusive power to censor content it finds disagreeable.

It’s already a weak argument, because there’s plenty of choice available to customers who don’t want to deal with Apple’s closed ecosystem, but it’s worth remembering that carriers like Orange once operated as the exclusive channel through which additional software could be added to any phone, and the loss of that relationship with the customer is a costly one. In fact, Richard suggested the main problem carriers have with the App Store is that Apple is well within its rights to reject carrier software from the marketplace. Being cut out of the software loop altogether isn’t an attractive prospect to network operators, since it leads to Apple grabbing control of subscriber billing info and the relationship with those customers, as well loss of revenue stemming from software sales.

Apple apparently wanted to hold even more control over the customer using a software-only virtual SIM, according to Richard. Dubbed the “e-SIM project,” Richard said Apple had been working on a way to allow phones to work without hardware SIM cards, which would clear up a significant amount of internal space, and likely make it easier for customers to switch carriers. Network operators advised Apple that this was “a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process,” said Richard, arguing that “it would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship” if an e-SIM was implemented.

Which, of course, is a roundabout way of saying carriers didn’t want to be left behind while Apple took a more direct role in managing cellular customers. As a compromise, Richard says Orange and others are working with Apple to standardize a new, smaller SIM card design. Richard doesn’t go so far as to claim that the e-SIM project is off the table completely, but it seems apparent that it’s not something major network operators want to see in production iPhones anytime soon.

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The Current Marketplace

Consider how you currently watch TV, which could be through broadcast or cable television. If you watch cable, you pay a fee to a provider (like AT&T), which allows you to see certain channels based on your subscription (though that model doesn’t seem to be panning out so well anymore). The providers pay a portion of your subscription fees directly to the networks (an average of about 26 cents per channel). Networks make additional money with the ads they run on their channels as well. If a network doesn’t show ads, you can expect they charge the cable provider substantially more than 26 cents per channel, and the opposite is true if they show an average amount of ads. This is all relative and pretty much a standard business model.

How Apple Could Shake Things Up

With the introduction of the App Store, we’re starting to see how some industries are shaking up the status quo. For instance, consider the magazine industry. Wired now provides its app directly to consumers, and can sell a digital version of its magazine at a comparable price (per issue) to the newsstand price. Yet, without having to incur the printing costs behind it, and even while giving Apple 30 percent of the revenue, Wired pockets a lucrative profit.

Can the same model work for the television industry? Network providers already provide their content through iTunes, and, through negotiation, have arranged to sell content at $2-$3 per episode. Rumors of 99-cent TV shows have been rampant but unfulfilled, simply because of the tough negotiations required to make it happen. Could the solution be to simply bring an App Store directly to the TV? If so, similar to the Hulu or Netflix app, a network provider like HGTV  could provide its own app for free and charge within for in-app content, like episodes of a show. If it wanted to provide streaming content of the past few episodes for free, it could do so. As long as it approves of the 70/30 profit split with Apple, it would maintain a lot more control over its content and pricing. The networks would be happy, and Apple would be happy. Networks could still run ads as they wished and earn even more profit.

Who would stand to lose from this? At the outset, nobody, but if such a solution were to become mainstream, then cable providers could begin to see a dip in subscriptions. Why would most consumers pay a monthly fee of $30 to over $100 if they only want to watch a certain show or a certain network? Instead of paying for needless extra content that consumers never watch (based on their own viewing habits), they can pay for content that matters to them. The providers are aware of this, which is why many of them also provide internet service (think about Verizon, Comcast (c cmcsa) and AT&T).

I think an App Store on the TV could really revolutionize how we watch and engage with content.

What are your thoughts? A new Apple TV could revolutionize the television experience. Do you think it will take off? I’d love to hear what you think, so please share your comments!

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Checking What You Have Left

First off, make sure you know how to check how much data you have left for the month. On an iPad 3G, you can go to Settings → Cellular Data, then tap View Account. After logging in, you’ll be able to see how much data you have remaining.

On an iPhone, for AT&T customers, dial *DATA# (*3282#) and you’ll be shown on screen your data usage for the current month. You can also go to your account on the AT&T website. For customers on O2 in the UK, you can either download the MyO2 app or visit the MyO2 website. Other customers should visit the website for their provider to find out how to check your data usage.

Reducing the Amount You Use

The first thing you’re going to want to do is try to use Wi-Fi as much as you can to save using 3G data at all. Many places such as Starbucks and McDonalds offer free Wi-Fi, and there are many apps that can help you find others. Some network providers also offer free Wi-Fi with their iPhone and iPad data plans.

If for some reason you don’t have access to any Wi-Fi, the next step is cutting down on everything that automatically checks the Internet, such as Mail. Having your emails checked every 15 minutes is going to rack up a lot of megabytes, especially if you’re the type of person who gets hundreds of emails a week. If you want to go all out with saving data, change the settings of Mail to fetch emails manually. This means that your device will only check for new emails if you open the Mail app. You can set this up by going to Settings → Mail, Contacts, Calendars → Fetch New Data and choosing ‘manually’. If you are unable to cope with emails not coming through automatically, then set a low frequency – 30 minutes or an hour.

If even that doesn’t suit your needs, you can use Push, which, instead of your device checking the server regularly, whenever you get an email, the server will send it to you. This means that you save on some data usage because your device isn’t checking when there are no emails. However, this requires an email service which supports Push, which most don’t. For example, Gmail doesn’t support it, and neither does Windows Live Mail.

Another thing you can do to help is stop using sites which have a lot of images. For example, Flickr will use a lot more data than, say, this site. Visiting Flickr involves loading a lot of images whereas this site is mostly text. By visiting mainly text-based sites you can reduce your data usage a fair amount. Saying that, however, a lot of websites have mobile-friendly versions, such as Facebook and Twitter. They usually have fewer images, and any images they do have are lower resolution, meaning they take less data to load.

Finally, the last resort, when you’re extremely close to going over the limit, is to turn off cellular data altogether. This means it’s impossible to use any more data because you’re not connecting to the network. To do this, load up Settings and go to Cellular Data on the iPad or General → Network on the iPhone. There, you should see a toggle switch labeled ‘Cellular Data’. Switch that to the off position and your device won’t connect to the data network again until you turn it back on. The benefit of using this over Airplane Mode is you can still receive texts and calls this way, you just can’t use any data unless you use Wi-Fi.

TheAppleBlog joined GigaOM back in September 2008 but for the past 18 months we kept our pre-GigaOm design. This was the last step in fully integrating TheAppleBlog as part of the GigaOM family.

The new design helps us do a better job of featuring new content as well as letting you explore popular topics a lot more easily. In addition, we’ll be able to feature relevant content from around our network more easily.

At the end of the day, this redesign is about surfacing content for you and helping you interact with our little community more. There are a lot of intricacies and small features spread out around the site, so be sure to dig around. It’s definitely a dynamic new site with lots of extras that aren’t necessarily immediately obvious.

So have a look around and let us know what you think!

An interesting patent of Apple’s relating to a social networking app surfaced recently. Dubbed iGroups, the app aims to solve the pitfalls of traditional social networks, like Facebook, that require users be a member before being able to participate. Instead, iGroups creates a virtual social network based on proximity.

To set the scene, imagine a casual weekend enjoying drinks at a bar. Your device would be able to detect others nearby and allow for easy communication by the tools already built into your device: SMS, email or by phone. If you’re a Mac user, you could loosely term this as Bonjour for your iPhone.

A Network Of Proximity

The idea of a network based on proximity is intriguing considering the technology built into mobile devices that can help facilitate this. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, for instance, both allow for discovering new devices that are within range. But the problem arises when a user leaves. If they are out of range, they are excluded from the network.

iGroups attempts to solve this issue when it first detects other users. At this point, the devices exchange a token (or handshake, if you will). These tokens are tagged. If there happens to be a trusted source at this venue, for example, like a wireless access point or perhaps a website setup for this purpose, devices can exchange tokens with it. Before this gets too technical, let’s agree to call the trusted source “Wilma.”

This accomplishes two important things. The first is that Wilma can match or correlate tokens to determine groups and their members. When my device approaches and exchanges tokens, Wilma now knows what group I’m part of and similarly, I’ll know other group members that have checked in with Wilma. This process allows the network to grow by allowing its users to infer other users through this daisy chain process. Further, tokens can be exchanged through a variety of mechanisms: Wi-Fi if available, Bluetooth if desired or even 3G. By supporting all of these, it becomes much easier to visualize a realistic image of the network and prevents the network from being stifled because users are not exchanging tokens by just one method that not all devices may support.

The second important goal that this serves is solving the issue of users leaving range and thus losing the whole social networking aspect. If a user interacts with Wilma either at the event or afterwards (through something similar to MobileMe, perhaps), the user can see the entire group. Even if they are just uploading exchanged between Fred and their self, the inferring process described earlier will allow the rest of the network to be recreated. As Fred moves on and continues to exchange tokens, even after our user has left, they are still connected to the same event and will appear as part of the group. Mac users? Think of this as being similar to Smart Folders. The group “knows” who its members are by this process of exchanging tokens, even if not all of the users are present at the same time.

It’s worthwhile to mention that any sort of implementation of such a technology would of course be completely optional and protect the privacy of users if they did not wish to participate. Further, the patent sheds light on the fact that the tokens themselves do not contain information that would identify any particular user or device. Merely the tokens act as a way to tag an association with a specific group.

Still, the idea of creating these virtual social networks on the iPhone is appealing. In some regards, there are applications on the market that attempt to deliver similar functionality, like Loopt. However, as mentioned earlier, these solutions still require users to have an account with them which can be problematic if you meet someone and want to exchange information but they are not a member of Facebook or LinkedIn. Instead of waiting for them to sign up and register a profile, iGroups solves the whole problem faster.

This definitely isn’t Apple’s first foray into patents on social interactions, but none of them have seen the light of day. With rumors of iPhone 4.0 around the corner, however, perhaps there is a substantial social component waiting to be unveiled. What do you think about the potential of iGroups?

I love Time Machine for its simplicity and the fact that it’s free. Apple did the right thing in creating a backup utility that was integrated into the OS and was actually useful. Anyone who has fought with Windows Backup can tell you, this has been needed for a long time. Apple created a beautiful backup  utility and then made money on hardware that seamlessly works with it. For the home user, nothing could be more simple.

In the office environment however, users tend to backup to server shares and not local external drives. So, let’s take a look at how to use Time Machine over a network.

Setting it Up

It’s easy to do this in Leopard Xserve by sharing a backup folder. Under Server Admin, you can check the box “Enable as Time Machine backup destination.”

This worked great in Leopard but in Snow Leopard, Time Machine no longer saw this as an available destination. Luckily, changing a property for System Preferences solves this.

Enter this command in Terminal:

sudo defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

This tells Time Machine to treat network shares as possible backup locations. Now, when I go to select a disk in the Time Machine preferences, I see my mounted AFP share listed.

Restoring

So that’s how you get the Time Machine backup working, but what about restoring. Most people don’t test the restore functionality but it’s the most important thing you can do. To restore a Time Machine backup over an AFP connection,  first boot off the Snow Leopard install DVD. Then, Launch Terminal by clicking on the Utilities menu. In the terminal window, type the following commands.

mkdir /Volumes/TimeMachine
mount -t afp afp://user:password@afpserver.local/ShareName /Volumes/TimeMachine

This will mount your AFP share and make it available to restore from. Quit Terminal and then run “Restore from Backup” from the Utilities menu. You will see your backup listed and you should now be able to restore from it.

Time Machine is a very nice utility and if you aren’t using it, you should be. I even have other Xserves backing themselves up to this share using Time Machine. Sure, there are third-party applications out there can do so much more, but I’m for just getting the job done. Integration with the OS is also important to me. It’s the main reasons I use Safari as my main browser. As with all backup solutions though, you need to test the restore functionality once in a while. If anything, you might sleep better at night knowing your data is not only safe but recoverable.

Bellaria and Liebovitz didn’t specifically mention AT&T by name, but it seems fairly obvious who they’re talking about in the FCC blog post last week, especially given that the iPad so far only has one official carrier in the U.S.:

With the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn’t choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing, or frustrate mobile broadband’s ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy.

The blog post also recalls a time not too long ago when AOL’s unlimited internet usage plan caused connection and service problems, and how that time mirrors our own:

The congestion problem circa 1996-97 revealed an intense latent demand for Internet access.  Similarly, wireless network congestion today reveals intense demand for wireless broadband.  Widespread use of smartphones, 3G-enabled netbooks, and now, perhaps, the iPad and its competitors demonstrate that wireless broadband will be a hugely important part of the broadband ecosystem as we move ahead.

Finally, Bellaria and Liebovitz leave off with the conclusion that AT&T and other mobile broadband providers must expand their spectrum offerings to ensure that a similar congestion problem doesn’t happen again. No doubt, AT&T is taking steps to galvanize its network (which it knows is in trouble already) against the demand increase it has to have anticipated as a result of the iPad’s introduction, but will it be enough?

This problem is one that affects the fundamentals of mobile communication in this case, unlike before with AOL’s home Internet access issues. Even though it doesn’t make as much sense from a profitability perspective, AT&T has to make every effort not only to anticipate demand, but to over-prepare for the iPad’s release. If there’s one lesson the telecom should’ve learned from its ongoing iPhone usage problems, it’s that half measures will only continue to exhaust the patience of its subscribers.

I realize that a just-in-time approach to bandwidth probably makes more financial sense, but surprise everyone by taking a slightly longer view, AT&T. Presumably the next-gen iPhone will be available on your network, too, as an exclusive or otherwise, so factor that into the estimates of what you’ll need to provide for the iPad’s launch. Stay just one step ahead of the game instead of two steps behind and maybe you can go some of the way towards improving your terrible reputation.

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The two new ads, posted by BusinessWeek ahead of their U.S. television debut, depict different scenarios in which you want to access data-using features of your iPhone while also remaining on a call. This is something you can do on AT&T’s HSDPA/UMTS 3G network, but not something you can do using Verizon’s CDMA-based one.

In the first ad, three different scenarios where you might want to check something without leaving your call are depicted. They include a client call, talking to a friend and changing a reservation, and talking to your wife and ordering flowers for your anniversary.

The second ad depicts a single call with a friend, during which you can check movie times, location, and restaurant details. Both ads follow this post.

The ads are clearly aimed at Verizon customers. I was actually completely unaware that the ability to use both voice calling and data access at the same time was even a feature. I do it constantly without even thinking about it. Would I miss it if I’d never had it to begin with? Hard to say.

There’s another question the ads bring up. Does network reliability trump multitasking when it comes to cell phone usage? As convenient as it is to be able to pop in and out of the phone app to check on showtimes and other little luxuries, does it really matter if there are huge blackout zones where you can’t even take a call to begin with, let alone take one and use your network data simultaneously?

In my opinion, these ads fare very poorly when compared to their Mac counterparts. The “Get a Mac” series of ads manages to target an Apple competitor cleverly, and in an entertaining fashion. Apple’s iPhone ads have never been anywhere near as good, but so far, they haven’t had to be. I’d expect more from Cupertino in response to the first real challenge to the iPhone’s market domination, Verizon’s Droid, than this sort of middle-of-the-road effort that doesn’t address the main concern customers wary of AT&T still have.

Apple’s clearly doing this for AT&T, but both companies need to get their acts together if they want to counteract the clever work coming out of Verizon’s camp. Here’s a tip: A little Hodgman goes a Long way.

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The BBC noticed something a little off when it investigated the new pricing structure and terms of use for the iPhone deals Orange is about to begin offering on Nov. 10. First, it turns out that far from sparking a price war, Orange has basically adopted the same deal that O2 currently offers, with some minor changes meant to sway customers its way.

Secondly, and this is the real kicker, Orange’s “unlimited” apparently means up to a maximum of 750MB per month, if you look at the fine print. When asked to clarify, Orange stated that the cap was for its 3G network, and that another 750MB cap existed for use at the hotspots of its Wi-Fi partner BT Openzone. Finally, another clause in the Orange Terms and Conditions states that data is…

Not to be used for other activities (e.g., using your handset as a modem, non-Orange Internet-based streaming services, voice or video over the internet, instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, non-Orange Internet-based video). Should such use be detected notice may be given and network protection controls applied to all services which Orange does not believe constitutes mobile browsing.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty certain I do almost all of those things on my iPhone over my carrier’s data connection on at least a daily basis. If true, this clause could block the use of programs like Beejive IM, Facebook, Spotify, and the BBC iPlayer.

By contrast, O2, when asked to clarify its fair use limits, said this:

We reserve the right…to contact customers about their usage if we believe it adversely affects the service of our other customers, e.g., if a customer uses their SIM in another device for which it is not intended.

So what advantage is left to Orange, then? Basically only network coverage and quality. This just goes to show that the iPhone is a cruel mistress no matter which carrier she appears on, and that the end of exclusivity might have less positive ramifications for customers than previously expected.

Data is the key to the iPhone’s success, as it is positioned as one of the few devices on the market that users increasingly use for Internet access first, and phone functionality second. This presents a dilemma (subscription required) for wireless operators, since keeping up with demand can considerably tax network quality and dependability. AT&T in the U.S. is constantly under fire for its 3G network stability, for example.

Orange later said it would be reviewing the cap following the large volume of negative emails it received regarding its use of the word “unlimited.” Hopefully, the company will also look at those ridiculous restrictions regarding data usage, since the real appeal of the iPhone for most users is the ability to do precisely those things which that clause specifically prohibits.

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