Apple's Accelerating Stumbles: Abundant Examples

My editorial in this morning’s print edition of EDN is an abridged version of a blog posting that went live a bit over a month ago. What’s changed at Apple since then? Nothing, as far as I can tell; if anything, the mess in Cupertino has gotten even more…err…messy. Prove it, you say? Certainly…

• Remember the hard drive crash I experienced on Saturday night? After reinstalling on Sunday the admittedly early version of OS 10.4 that came with the system (remember, this is a first-generation MacBook I’m typing on), I had to endure roughly a GByte’s worth of operating system and application (since both iLife ‘06 and the trial of iWork ‘06 came pre-installed) patches tumbling down my DSL connection, complete with multiple system reboots. And after it all, I’m still stuck with a generic 802.11g Wi-Fi subsystem; System Profiler reports that my 802.11n-supportive Apple part number MA688Z/B is a ‘third party wireless card’, and Apple’s $1.99 ‘AirPort Extreme 802.11n* Enabler for Mac’ upgrader reports that ”your computer does not meet the hardware requirements for this update’. Quickertek, who did the upgrade for me after I bought the hardware from Small Dog Electronics, says that ‘Apple screwed up’ and that to restore full 802.11n functionality for the MacBook, I need to install the utility that comes with Apple’s $179 router.
• After Sunday’s patch debacle, I thought I might be done downloading for at least a while. Silly me. Monday brought OS 10.5.5 for Leopard users, along with a security-fix update for Tiger folks like me; both patch suites were multi-dozen MBytes in size. Amidst the abundant bits, Apple finally updated the client-side BIND DNS code, resolving an issue I highlighted back in early August. Hey, it’s only 2.5 months late…
• Last week’s intro debacle was accompanied by the unveiling of iTunes 8, Quicktime 7.5.5 and Front Row 2.1.6. You guessed it…all were multi-dozen MByte downloads. I’d previously been able to directly stream music from my MacBook’s OS X-native (i.e. not Windows-virtualized) copy of iTunes to my Apple TV, but when I tried this under iTunes v8 last night, it repeatedly failed with a cryptic ‘unknown error (-15000)’ indication. Hit this link and you’ll see that I’m not alone; I guess an all-Apple ecosystem is no guarantee of success, after all. Ironically, I’m still able to stream tunes to Apple TV just fine using Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil (which I’ve mentioned before) in both OS X and Windows. And in spite of Monday’s Quicktime update, an unpatched exploit is in the wild…
• The iTunes update also subsequently led to BSODs (Blue Screens Of Death) when attempting to use the program with Windows Vista, indicative of something awry with the software’s access to the O/S kernel, although the Apple faithful predictably blamed Microsoft…sigh…
• Initial version 2 of the 3G iPhone’s firmware exhibited numerous reception shortcomings and other issues, leading many observers to label it a prematurely released beta. Both it and the 2^nd generation iPod touch still have Wi-Fi encryption problems in spite of the recent v2.1 flash memory upgrade.
• My editorial (and its more in-depth blog post foundation) complains about the hardware lock-ins that force Apple customers to use Apple-branded peripherals and to upgrade those peripherals with each iPod generational increment. As Small Dog’s blog reports, the company’s still up to its same tricks; peripherals that rely on audio passed through the iPod’s dock connector will no longer work with the 2^nd generation iPod touch, 4^th generation iPod nano, and 120 GByte iPod classic. Similarly, a recently published patent suggests an encryption-induced expanded Apple lock-in for the next generation of Nike+ accessories.
• My earlier blog post also discussed how Apple was indiscriminately yanking already-published third-party applications off the company’s iPhone and iPod touch App Store (the only place you can get applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, by the way). Tough luck if you want to get a refund in such a case…even though you bought the program from Apple, the company says you need to contact the third-party provider. And get this…Apple recently rejected a third-party application submission because it was too similar to the company’s own iTunes software. I wonder what the Federal Trade Commission thinks about that?
• Finally, the iPhone contains an Apple-controlled ‘remote kill switch’ and surreptitiously takes snapshots of your screen while you use it…which is particularly problematic given how easy it is for someone else to get around the unit’s password ‘protection’. I guess Google’s not the only Big Brother we need to worry about, huh?

Let me be clear to the Steve Jobs fanboys (and fangirls) out there: I’m not saying that Microsoft’s no better than Apple in this regard. All I’m saying is that fundamentally it’s no worse. With that qualifier in mind, feel free to flame on if you wish; I’ve re-donned the asbestos underwear…