iPhone:
We can expect the iPhone will be upgraded to the much-anticipated iPhone 5 in the Fall of 2012. The new iPhone 5 will bring a re-designed form factor, true 4G data connection and overall improvements to Siri, speed and battery life. I’m not confident the iPhone 5 will be a quad core device, but it’s a very strong possibility if the chips are available that won’t eat too much battery life.

iPad:
The iPad 3 will be released in the spring of 2012 and no surprise will bring improved cameras, a higher resolution display and perhaps a jump to a quad-core processor. If the iPad three goes quad-core I think it’s all but certain the iPhone 5 will follow. Contrary to current rumors, do not think we will see the release of an iPad 3 and the release of an iPad 4 in the same year. I believe Apple will stick to a once a year, or possibly even extended release cycles in the future for the iPad. The iPad 3 will gain Siri support along with 4G networking capabilities. I see a low-end iPad 2 remaining at a lower price point to try to recoup some of the market that may be interested in devices like the Kindle Fire. An 8GB version of the iPad 2 may make sense now, especially given Apple’s growing dependence on Cloud storage. I very rarely come close to filling my 16GB iPad to capacity.

iPods:
I anticipate fairly minimal changes again to the iPod line this year with the possible exception of the iPod Touch. We may see the re-introduction of a camera into the iPod Nano, but no Wi-Fi given the small form factor. I think this will be the year the iPod touch will finally get bumped to 64GB and the Classic iPod will disappear, especially given the emphasis on the Cloud and a $25 subscription to iTunes Match. The iPod Touch will likely see improvements to the screen and camera this year and I will even go out on a limb and say this may be the year we see the option for a an a la carte 3G data plan (similar to the plans offered on the iPad) for the iPod Touch. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if the iPod touch kept with a slower processor and data capabilities to keep overall cost down.

Macs:
This will be an evolutionary year for Macs. We will continue to see the development of the Thunderbolt. There will be the obligatory upgrades across the Mac line with faster processors, graphics cards and a push towards SSDs. I would hope to see Apple make the move to USB 3.0 this year. The major change to the Mac line will be that the 15” MacBook Pro will take on the Air form factor but the 17” will remain for those who refuse to give up the additional peripheral support. The Mac Pro will see a major update in specifications, but I’m afraid it will likely be the last. We may continue to see some increases in overall screen resolution, but I doubt we’ll see any true “retina display” yet in the Mac line due to cost.

Software:
I expect we’ll see updated iLife and iWork suites fairly early in 2012 with more emphasis on Cloud support and sharing. I do not expect an OS upgrade or even a preview in 2012. There will be a new version of iOS previewed and released later this year with continued emphasis on Siri and the cloud. I also expect to see across the line upgrades to Apple’s professional program similar to the changes made to Final Cut in 2011. I expect FaceTime will gain multi-party support and hopefully be updated to incorporate iMessages, IM and video rather than having separate applications across multiple devices. Apple will continue to push their respective App Stores as the distribution point for software.

TV
So far I think my predictions for 2012 have been fairly realistic. The mythical “Apple TV” is an area where I have the most skepticism and concern. I do think that Apple is planning on making its next major move into the area of video entertainment; I’m just not sure whether the time is right to do so in 2012. I also very concerned that this is the area where if not handled correctly, Apple could have its first major flop in many years.

While I think Apple will release an upgraded Apple TV, I’m not convinced that Apple wants its product in this market to be a $1000+ ultra high-end television. While I have no doubts that Apple could produce one heck of a television in terms of quality and experience, how many consumers would spend that kind of money on an all-in-one TV that Apple updates every couple of years with new features when we live in a world of $49 Roku boxes? Everyone I know already has a newish HD television in their living room with no plans to upgrade in the near future.

I think the better move here is to stick with a sub-$200 box, preferably a sub $100 box that will work with all modern TVs currently on the market today and has all the functionality of a truly next-generation Apple TV packed inside. This does put Apple in a bit of a catch-22 here because everyone expecting a “true Apple TV” so anything less may be seen as a disappointment. For those ultra-high end consumers perhaps sell a separate display that incorporates with the next generation Apple TV for the ultimate Apple living room experience.

I had an opportunity to share these predictions along with Ken Ray of Mac OSKen and Victor Agreda, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Episode 133 of the MacTech Live Podcast. You can find a direct link to the show here.

Why Cut the Cable?
Two years ago when I moved to this area I signed up for a cable bundle package that was a pretty good deal, $99 for expanded cable TV (no premium channels), high speed Internet and basic phone service. This $99 bundle was not a special, it was advertised as the “everyday value price” for this bundle. Over the years, that price has grown and now my bill just over $150, that’s quite a price increase in two years.

I’ve used a TiVo since the early 2000s and although I haven’t been happy with some of the recent decisions the company has made, I still love the TiVo service. My current TiVo HDs work with either Cable service or over the air digital antennas.  Looking at my TiVo season pass list, I realized that nearly all of the shows that I record were network television shows that were available free over the air. There were a few non-network TV shows that could easily be watched or bought through other services. I quickly realized the $65 I was paying for the cable TV portion of my bill was really being spent on only a few channels.

As my cost for cable service kept increasing, I didn’t feel like I was getting anything more for my money.  My cost for services went up at the same time my cable company instituted bandwidth caps. Shortly thereafter, they started running television ads boasting “free HD” that were simply blatantly untrue. I was paying over $15 a month for a “digital gateway” and for cable cards with the only benefit being HD service. When I called the company to inquire about these claims and charges the representative was downright rude and refused to address my concerns. That was the straw that broke my back.

Making the Switch
Since I already owned the TiVo HD units and HD TVs the only hardware that would be required was the antenna. Prior to cutting the cable, I wanted to install the antenna and make sure I was happy with the reception. I started my research at antennaweb.org and after inputing my address and some basic information was able to see what channels were available in my area and the type of antenna I would need.

I purchased my $20 antenna from Mono Price and was pleased to find in total, I received 10 channels including all the network channels (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX) as well as several public broadcasting and local stations in pristine high definition, all free.

Installation of the antenna was the only thing that did not go as expected. My initial plan was to install the antenna in the attic and splice it in place of my primary cable line so it would feed all the TVs in my home and be out of sight. Unfortunately, when I got up in the attic I found there was a barrier between my access point and the cable junction box that made the installation more difficult than I was comfortable with. Though I may end up paying a professional to come out and run a line in the attic at some point in the future.

For now, I installed the antenna on a wall in my guest bedroom next to an unused cable outlet and back-fed the signal into my cable junction box, using that line as my new input which feeds the three HDTVs in my home. The solution works perfectly, but means that there’s an antenna about the size of a basketball mounted on the wall in my guest bedroom which is a bit of an eyesore. It’s out of the way and I don’t have guests often, so hopefully they won’t mind.

I re-ran the guided setup on the TiVos to look for the antenna signal and they adjusted their setup and converted all my saved season passes over with no problems. All my regular season passes are recording as they should.

Canceling Cable
After a couple of days living with the antenna and finding everything worked according to plan, I set out to cancel my cable. This was probably the most difficult part of the process. Because of the options in my area, I needed to keep my cable Internet service but could choose between the cable or phone company for the phone service (I have a monitored alarm system that requires a hard-wire phone.)

When I called the 800 number to cancel my cable I was on the phone for no less than 35 minutes with the cable rep who was determined to convince me that I really didn’t want to cut my cable. The misinformation this sales person was spewing was almost entertaining. She first tried to up-sell me the cable company DVR and cable box telling me to ignore the fact my bill was going up, but I was getting a “better value.” Then, she tried to sell me a less-expensive cable package that included none of the expanded channels I actually watched and was nothing more than network television plus some extra junk channels. Lastly, she explained to me how “concerned” she was for me because without my cable I wouldn’t be able to get my local news and weather and after all, it was hurricane season in Florida. After this I lost my patience, asked her if she was intentionally lying to me or if she was really this misinformed? Things went downhill from there.

The cable rep on the phone was not very helpful and told me after unbundling my cable service the price of my phone would double and my Internet service would go up significantly making the savings of cutting cable TV very minimal. I decided to do nothing and later that day went in person to the local cable office and received much better service and better options allowing me to keep my current pricing on both phone and Internet services, just lose the cable. Overall, by dropping cable I’m saving $65 a month off my bill and keeping the same level of Internet and phone service.

Concerns:
It’s only been a few days, but so far from a technical standpoint my antenna only setup with cable phone and Internet service seems to be working well.  Making the switch from cable meant I lost about 70 channels, however I can tell you from my experiences so far, there are less than a half dozen that I actually miss.  My biggest loss was 24-hour cable news programing and a few custom channels like HGTV. I’ll be experimenting with replacements through podcasts, Hulu and other providers and see how this works and if I really end up missing the lost channels. I have a feeling those few lost channels won’t be worth the $65 premium I was paying for cable.

Conclusion
I’m not yet a week into this experiment, but so far I’m not going through any major withdraw. I still miss CNN and HGTV but that’s about it. I expect as time goes on, I’ll find even better ways to fill these voids. I’ve heard from a number of people who have cut the cable in the last couple of years as I’ve been considering this move, and I’ve yet to hear of one person who went back. I’ll check back in a few months to let you know how it goes.

Steve’s influences are everywhere in my life. The iPhone that is never out of my reach is my connection to a larger world with email, twitter, Facebook and instant messaging clients. I’m able to be constantly connected to my office organizing my appointments, tasks and business documents, and contacts. Oh yeah, and it’s a phone too. It’s changed my life in a way that I could never imagined, and in such a way that I could never go back.

The iPod and the iTunes Music Store has opened me up to a whole new world of educational content, information and entertainment. I can spend my commute learning about the latest technology or hearing commentary on world events thanks to podcasting and iTunesU. The iPad has re-energized my love of reading, allowed me to keep up to date on the latest news and events and allowed me to consume and share content in ways I never thought possible.

Then there’s my Mac, my everything machine that is the heart of my technological life. The machine that makes it possible, among other things, to create a podcast with my friend and share it with a tens of thousands of people I’ve never met around the world. If that’s not magical, I don’t know what is.

The topic of Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO of Apple Computer will generate a lot of discussion and debate over the coming days and weeks. I recently discussed this topic on the Mac Jury if you’re curious on my take on how this will impact Apple, the shareholders and the technology world in general. However, for the purpose of this blog post, I simply wanted to say, thank you, Steve. I hope you are well and I wish you and your family all the best.

I packed up a large storage tub full of spare cables and old software and took it off to my local Mac Users Group with a sign that read: “Free to Good Home.” I came back with an empty tub. I’ve also donated boxes of books to our local Friends of the Library and taken several more boxes of household items to charitable organizations.

However, there were a few tech and larger items of value that I wanted to sell and try to recoup some of the investment, especially considering I had some significant moving expenses coming up. I despise eBay. Maybe selling an item here or there is okay, but I can’t stand how eBay takes a cut every step of the way. Listing fee, final value fee, PayPal commission, it just keeps going on and on. For tech related items that are still sold,  I much prefer selling on the Amazon Marketplace. Amazon takes a cut too, but one cut at the end, and they tell you up front exactly how much they’ll take at the time you list your item for sale.

I could go on for several paragraphs explaining how the Amazon Marketplace sales process works, but my friends over at CNET recently published a video detailing the process (direct link – also embedded below) that’s worth checking out. The one new addition that CNET didn’t cover is that now Amazon also integrates with Stamps.com and allows you to print shipping labels and charge posting directly to your Amazon account which effectively deducts it from your profits. I really like this feature, especially because I have access to a postal scale at work and can easily weigh and package my shipments.

Another avenue I’ve used for selling larger items that are impractical to ship is Craigslist. You have to be careful on Craigslist because there are scammers and you are meeting people face-to-face to conduct business and sometimes inviting them into your home. So be careful. I found the Craigslist Mobile iPhone App has helped greatly in my sales process. I can take photos with the iPhone camera, write a brief description and post, all directly from my iPhone.  Best yet, it’s free.

These services have helped me clean house, hopefully they’ll help some of you too.

I knew it was standard procedure, but I cringed when the AppleCare service rep asked me for my administrator account password. The keys to the kingdom. My entire life was on that machine and giving up my admin password could mean giving a nefarious person the command codes to my entire life. I tried to talk my way around giving up my password to no avail.

As companies go, I probably trust Apple more than most with this information. I’ve been told by people inside the company their confidentiality and data disposal policy is very strong. Still, the thought still made me uneasy.  While the hard drive alone would likely be of minimal value – the combination of the hard drive and the admin password could be disastrous.

Fortunately, some of the precautions I put into place prior to the hardware failure should have served to protect my most confidential data in the unlikely event of a data breach. This incident has also started me thinking about what steps could be taken in advance to protect data when your Mac is at its most vulnerable, when being sent in for repair. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

• Use a secure password manager and set the password to something other than your login password. I’ve preached at length about the need to have unique, secure passwords. But that’s only good if the key to your password manager is secure as well. Obviously, it should not be the same password as your login password. If someone has an admin password for your Mac, that will be the first thing they try.
• Use the features of your password manager. It surprises me how many people use a solution like 1Password or another password manager to store their passwords, but don’t truly take advantage of all the features such as strong password generation or finding and eliminating similar or weak passwords. Your passwords should all be unique and random. Don’t repeat passwords across sites, ever.
• Consider using disk encryption. I’ve never been a great fan of FileVault but it seems to come of age with the release of Mac OS Lion. My biggest complaint about disk encryption solutions is that it seems to create some problems with my other favorite utilities, backup utilities. So you may have to play a little give-and-take here to find a workable solution. Just keep in mind, in the case of FileVault, once you give up that admin password, you’ve just unencrypted FileVault. In the case of an alternative solution like PGP, you’re likely going to have to un-encrypt to properly diagnose and work on your machine.I’m very eager to see what changes Apple has made with FileVault in Lion and what better protections that will offer.
• Use secure disk images. You can create secure disk images for your most sensitive files. Files stored in secure disk images are inaccessible without the disk image password, regardless of whether someone has access to your account. The only problem is that these images typically are stored as a single file, sometimes as a bundle. So if the image becomes corrupt you can lose all your data inside. Backups are important.
• Use an alternative admin account. If Apple wants an administrator password, this will allow you to give them access to a password that is not your primary account. This will offer you some additional protection. I also like the idea of having a fresh clean user account for troubleshooting purposes. Setup a password for this account that is unrelated to any of your other passwords so your other passwords aren’t compromised if you have to give it out.
• Change your default keychain password. Passwords for many items are stored in your login Keychain. Mail accounts, wireless routers, etc. By default, your login Keychain password is the same as your login password. Changing this password makes using your Mac a bit of a pain because to really do anything with your Mac you’re going to have to punch in yet another password to unlock your keychain too. As with everything, security is a balance between security and user-friendly usability.
• Consider the security offered by the cloud. This may sound counter-intuitive but if you have sensitive items stored in a cloud-based solution like Dropbox, you can usually use the web interface for the cloud solution remove files from the computer next time it tries to connect. The options vary by service, but it’s something worth checking out.
• Look at security services. If your Mac suffers a hardware failure, many software based solutions will likely not work. However it’s an option worth considering for other situations. Apple may make this easier as there are rumors of a “Find My Mac” feature in Lion.
• If you have a special situation, explain it and ask. While not common procedure, especially if you are taking your Mac for repair at a local facility, you may ask the Tech or management for the return of your original hard drive or proof it was destroyed. This is more difficult when you ship your machine away, but still may be possible. Be prepared that you may have to pay for the defective part. For example, I had a defective Time Capsule replaced under AppleCare a few years ago but the defective unit still worked well enough to access data. While I had to take the functioning Time Capsule into Apple for diagnosis, the Manager (with a credit card hold) allowed me to take my old unit home for 24 hours  so I could perform a secure erase on the hard drive.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of security precautions you can use with your Mac, nor is it intended to be. For a review of that topic, I suggest you check out Mac Power Users Episode 10: Mac Security. This post was directed to steps you an take to make your Mac more secure whens sending it off for service. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please leave a comment to this post so others can benefit.

Remembering my troubleshooting techniques, I unplugged all external devices and rebooted again. This time, a folder with a question mark. I grabbed the USB key that shipped with the Air and was able to reboot from it, but Disk Utility did not see a hard drive. This is looking more and more like a hardware problem so I phoned AppleCare.

When I get on the line with the first-level tech support I always politely identify myself as an experienced Mac user and troubleshooter and identify the steps I’ve already taken to resolve the problem in the hopes of avoiding some of the normal troubleshooting routine. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to work this time. The first-tier tech insisted all I needed to do was archive and install the operating system. However, she didn’t seem to understand that I couldn’t do that when Disk Utility won’t see the hard drive. After about 10 minutes of convincing, she put me on hold to consult with her supervisor.

One of my friends from the local Mac Users Group runs an Apple Authorized Repair center in town, so I took the opportunity to impose on him for advice. I called my buddy Glenn, after hours and on his personal cell phone (Sorry, Glenn!) and he and I were immediately on the same page. We ran through a couple of additional steps on the phone but unfortunately the situation turned from bad to worse. After a couple more reboot attempts, the computer would no longer recognize the USB key and would do nothing but kernel panic on start. Before AppleCare could come back on the line, Glenn already had my information logged into his system and verified my warranty status and we made an appointment to meet when his shop opened the next morning.

When the AppleCare representative came back, she agreed that service was warranted and when I explained this was my primary machine and needed it back as soon as possible she agreed that the best thing was to take to to an Apple Authorized Service Center in town. (The nearest Apple store is a two hour drive away.)

Glenn ran diagnostics on my machine the same day and placed in a repair order for a new logic board and hard drive. Apple was due to overnight him the parts and I was going to walk out less than 36 hours later with a repaired Air. Unfortunately, Apple had other plans. Glenn came to the shop Wednesday morning hoping to find my delivered parts, instead he found Apple canceled my repair. Upon further inquiry, Apple changed their repair policy three days before and were requiring that logic board repairs be done through their Texas Depot.

I called Apple Customer Service and tried everything I could to let them have the local tech do the repair (he had done them as recently as the week prior) but Apple insisted my machine go to Texas. The rep noted this was a new policy and hinted this was because Apple wanted to recapture the defective logic boards for analysis.

By this time it’s Wednesday afternoon. Instead of having my computer back, I’m now requesting a box from Apple for shipment to Texas. I should note that normally the local Tech would send the computer directly to Apple without involving the customer, simply informing them of the delay. However, Glenn knew I would want to be involved in the process and would get my machine back faster by dealing direct with Apple.

I do have to give credit to Apple once the box was requested their turnaround time was fantastic.  I was able to watch the progress of my machine on Apple’s web site and received email updates every step of the way. My machine was received by 8 a.m. Friday morning, diagnosed by 10 a.m., repaired by noon, and picked up by FedEx at 6pm. FedEx made the first delivery attempt at 10:30 Saturday morning, although I wasn’t available so had to pick it up at the depot later that afternoon. Thankfully, I’ve only had to send devices back to Apple for repair on a few occasions, but every time the turn around time has been within 48 hours assuming no weekends.

In the end, my Air’s logic board and hard drive was replaced and returned to me. Apple’s policy is that they will not ship back a computer if there is any irregularity, so my suspicion is the repeated failed restarts from the faulty logic board caused hard drive corruption and when they detected a problem with the hard drive, they replaced it too rather than just perhaps erase and attempt to repair it. This is a policy that will ultimately serve the consumer well.

The new hard drive was installed with a fresh copy of Snow Leopard just as though it was a brand new machine. Apple warns you in advance your data may not be preserved and mine was not. Of course, I had backups so restoring the data was not a problem.

My machine would have been covered by AppleCare so long as there was no physical damage because it was within the first year of coverage. However, had this repair happened outside of my AppleCare coverage, it would have easily been a $1500+ repair.  People regularly debate the value of extended warranties, but I have always recommended AppleCare, especially for notebooks. With the MacBook Airs, more and more technology is now being put on the main logic board, making individual component repairs that would be less costly impossible.

My only complaint with Apple in this process is that the first phone tech did not seem to be fully equipped to help me (remember all she wanted me to do was archive and install – I had to push to convince her this was hardware) and did not know that the local repair facility was only able to perform some repairs on Macbook Airs. Had I requested a box form Apple on Monday, I would have had my Air back Thursday.

I did have an intermittent issue with my Air with back-to-back kernel panics and the folder with the question mark about two weeks ago that I called into Apple. However, that issue resolved itself without further intervention while I was on the phone with AppleCare. I ran the Apple Hardware Diagnostics in loop mode for several hours after this instance and the machine tested normal. Apple said that meant it was software and I should archive and install, however I always suspected hardware and requested a Case Number that was helpful  for this incident. In retrospect, that was likely the first warning sign something was going bad.  I can’t blame Apple for not taking action sooner because the problem was intermittent and the machine appeared to work flawlessly for the next two weeks until its sudden death.

Hardware repairs are never fun, and I’m concerned that my logic board failed with only 7 months of use. The fact that Apple has changed their policy on Air logic board repairs to require they go through the Texas depot makes me wonder whether this is a larger problem they are analyzing. If I hadn’t already bought AppleCare for the Air, I certainly would now, and I’m going to keep an eye on this machine for any other issues. I’m going to continue with my diligent backup policy and I’ve already learned things from this experience that have caused me to re-think and evaluate privacy and security of machines sent in for hardware repair. Expect a new blog post on that soon.

Lessons Learned:

1. AppleCare is a must.
2. Backups are crucial.
3. Ask the AppleCare rep if all repairs can be done locally, if not consider shipping your machine off to Apple from the start.
4. It pays to belong to a Mac Users Group and make friends. Although he couldn’t perform the actual repair, my local Apple Authorized Tech was invaluable and bent over backwards to help me in this stressful situation.

In my case, I remember logging in to my Dropbox account on Sunday afternoon, although I don’t recall the specific time. I just received my MacBook Air back from the Apple Depot and as an additional security precaution thought it would be good form to change the passwords to my most sensitive services.  Dropbox sent me an email letting me know that my account was logged in during the time of the breach, but because I accessed my account during that time, I now have no way of knowing whether the access was just my access or whether anyone else logged in to my account as well. Thus far, it doesn’t appear that Dropbox can tell whether an account was accessed with an inappropriate password. Though it appears that none of my data has changed. Aside from their initial blog post, Dropbox has provided no official information as of the date of this post.  As a security precaution, I changed my password again as soon as I learned of the breach.

In my last post, ironically posted during the time of the security breach but before it became public knowledge, I commented about how I stored my entire Documents folder on Dropbox and how this act saved the day when my Air suddenly died and required service. We also sung the virtues of Dropbox on Mac Power Users Episode 47 and I explained how I implemented my system of creating a symbolic link to my documents folder in Dropbox. (It should be noted that I’ve cleaned out my Documents folder so that it truly only includes Documents.)

What to do now? I’m still going to use Dropbox, but I am going to be more aware of what’s in there. Dropbox is simply too convenient a service for me to stop using it and my workflow has become too depending on it. I have never stored confidential information in Dropbox unencrypted. While I wouldn’t want anyone reading the contents of my Documents folder, it contains mainly word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, no financial or client confidential information.

Someone asked me if I was going to continue to use Dropbox sync for applications like 1Password. Yes, because the 1Password database is additionally encrypted within Dropbox, the file itself is useless. My guess is the 1Password folks will review this incident and discuss it further in their blog.

The reality is these security breaches are going to happen because the people who run these systems are human, and humans make mistakes. I will not vilify them, but I do expect them to learn from the experience and implement better security and testing procedures. Am I upset? You bet. But hammering out an angry blog post will serve no productive purpose.  I expect changes are already in progress at Dropbox to ensure this type of embarrassment does not happen again, however their reputation has been tarnished. I am also concerned this accidental incident may make Dropbox a bigger target for malicious attacks.

We as users must take a hard look at the services that we take for granted and take better steps to control our own privacy and security, we can’t count on companies to do this for us.  While we have no control over what happens at the corporate and the sever level, there are things we can and must to do protect our information:

• Do not store confidential information in the cloud unencrypted
• Use strong passwords and change them frequently
• Read and understand the Terms of Service for the services you use
• Stay on top of what the company is doing

To commemorate the occasion, I thought I’d put together my wish list of things I’d like to see announced in this presentation. Note that these are not predictions; in fact I think there’s an excellent chance that many of these items are tech unicorns. But in the spirit of wishful thinking, here my top ten list of what I’d like to see from Apple at this year’s WWDC:

1. More Content Partnerships and/or A Development Platform for Apple TV

Put this one in the long shot category. Apple TV is still a hobby project, but I think it’s one that Apple is rekindling interest in. At $99 the price is right and one of the major competitors (GoogleTV) has imploded since its release. The field is clear for Apple to take this product and run.

Apple TV has special meaning for me because I desperately want to ditch my Cable TV subscription but there are a few holdouts that keep me subscribed. Apple TV along with some content partnerships could solve this for me. Right now, the $1.99 per episode purchases or $0.99 rental options aren’t enough. We’ve already seen this start with MLB.com. If you could get access to live sports and other specialized programming such as premium channel content and specialized channels like HGTV or the Food Network on the Apple TV I think a lot of people would pay a la carte for the content.

2. Over the Air Sync for iOS Devices

We’re so close here. I can already update my apps over the air and sync my contacts, calendars and email. But I can’t sync my music and podcasts over the air or receive software updates. Wired may be better for some things (like software updates) but if I could sync music and podcasts over WiFi I’d be in heaven. I can see iCloud making this possible for music, though sadly podcasts seem to always be left behind.

One of my law partners recently bought her first iPhone last month. She picked up her first Mac a couple of months before. I setup Exchange to sync her contacts, calendars and mail over the air and she couldn’t be happier. I couple of days ago she came to me asking how to transfer pictures. I told her to plug it in. She asked, “to what?” It occurred to me that she had never synced her phone to a computer, neither her home Mac nor her office PC. She didn’t even realize that was something she was supposed to do. A Verizon employee set her phone up in the store and she never looked back. I bet there are a lot of other people in the same situation.

3. Bridge to the Mac App Store

I like the idea of the Mac App Store (MAS), and when I buy applications in the future I try to make it my first stop. But the vast majority of my applications never came from the Mac App Store and thus can’t take advantage of the benefits of the auto-update feature and the ability to install on multiple machines. It would be nice if Apple would offer Developers some way to “plug in” apps that were previously purchased outside the MAS into the system. I’d even be willing to pay something for this feature so long as the price was in line with the additional benefits and features offered.

4. Upgrades and Demos in the Mac App Store

Related to the above, one of the major reasons I don’t use the MAS for many of my purchases is because developers offer discounts for upgrading software purchased elsewhere. Now, many developers will over specials in the MAS when they release a new version to try to convert users over to the MAS model, but it would be nice if they had the option to offer upgrade pricing.

Another issue is the availability of demo software. If all software could come with some built in “try before you buy” option where you could download a demo it would clean a lot of cruft out of the MAS. Currently, developers of to clog the MAS with two versions of their software, one demo version, one regular, have people who are unhappy request refunds, or send buyers to their website to download demo versions. Seems Apple could implement a better way.

5. Archiving Email

I don’t throw away email. Perhaps that’s a character flaw that will come back to bite me one day. But I like to be able to go back through and search the archives of my email, and more than once this practice has saved my bacon. MobileMe webmail already offers an option (in the form of a button) to archive email, but this functionality is not built into the Mail.app client or on the iPhone. Gmail already does through its web interface and the iPhone. Why can’t MobileMe figure this out?

6. Better MobileMe Email Filters

While we’re on the subject of MobileMe, could we please get some useful server-side email filters. Apple finally implemented some basic server side filters last year, but they pale in comparison to the email client offerings or even the customization of competing services like Gmail.

7. Multiple Custom Email Signatures on iOS Devices

I obviously have lots of issues with email. For personal email, my generic iPhone email signature is fine. But especially in a work setting, there are times when I don’t want my clients (or my bosses) to know that I’m not in the office. My normal work email signature is fairly lengthy, so I’ve created a TextExpander snippet. This works fine, but because TextExpander support isn’t natively supported in Apple apps I have to launch the TextExpander Touch app and either compose the message there or copy and paste my signature. No question, better than typing it manually, but a problem that could be easily solved by Apple.

8. A Better iDisk

There are rumors that MobileMe will be swallowed up into iCloud, perhaps the core features will be free with a pay service for more advanced features with maybe a cloud music service will be premium. Currently I pay $99 a year (okay, less because I buy from Amazon and other sources) primarily for my email address that I’ve had for years and over the air sync with the MobileMe cloud. But everything I currently pay for with MobileMe could be replaced by free services. The one feature MobileMe feature that I wish I could use but don’t because it’s woefully underpowered is iDisk. I’ve switched over almost exclusively to Dropbox when possible.

Apple, meet Dropbox. Fix it.

9. True Voice Control and Navigation

I love the Dragon Dictation apps for the iPhone, but I don’t use them as often as I should because they’re not built in the OS. The speech recognition is remarkably good. I recently dictated my dinner order flawlessly to a text message while sitting at a traffic light. (Small sirloin, medium, with loaded baked potato and side salad.) It was wonderful, but a feature I rarely use.

The limited voice control feature on the iPhone has been hit or miss for me. Unfortunately I’ve found voice dialing on the iPhone to have poorer accuracy than my previous Motorola flip phone.

While we’re at it, how about you let the iPhone read me back my text messages and email messages at my command. That would be ideal for the car, gym or any other place where I don’t want to pull out my phone and check my messages.

10. Don’t Lose OS X

I am not a part of the Apple Developer program so I haven’t seen anything about OS X Lion other than the information that Apple has made publically available or that has otherwise leaked from various sources. However, I am concerned about the merging of OS X and iOS. Some crossover is a good thing, make the operating system more user-friendly and easier to use. But there’s a line.

I don’t want to sound like a curmudgeon stuck in the past, but I don’t want to lose my ability to be a “Power User” within OS X. The walled garden approach Apple takes with iOS devices is not appropriate for a computer operating system. Remember, the Mac App Store, as great as it is, is limited to only certain apps because of API and use restrictions. Many of my favorite apps had to loose functionality or are not available in the MAS because of Apple’s restrictions.

From what I’ve seen, I don’t think Lion is taking us down this path, but I don’t want it to start us down this slippery slope either.

Well, that was then and in the year plus that has followed, I’m now squarely in the OmniFocus camp and training to become a “Ninja” like my podcasting partner. If you’ve listened to the show you’ve probably heard me speak some about this change and I’ve received quite a few emails from listeners asking why. Rather than respond to all those emails individually (I really should make a TextExpander snippet) I figured I’d write this blog post as explanation.

First and foremost, let me make one thing clear up front. The Omni Group is a sponsor of Mac Power Users. My switch from Things had nothing to do with that sponsorship. In fact, my switch had already begun before our sponsorship deal with The Omni Group started.

My biggest frustration with Things started with the iPad.  When I started using the iPad more and more in my daily life I now had three devices that I had to keep in sync with my Things database, a Mac, iPhone and iPad. Things fairly quickly released an iPad app, but despite many months of promise had never released an over the air sync capability that OmniFocus had out of the gate. Every morning (when I had time or remembered) I would sync via Wi-Fi my iPhone Things database with my Mac and now I had three devices to juggle.  It was  really becoming painfully cumbersome to the point where I was using it less and less.

To pile on, OmniFocus released a gorgeous iPad application. David was raving about it and the interface looked so simple and easy. The iPad application was just what I was looking for, a simple, clean, intuitive user interface to the OmniFocus data.  Within a week I downloaded it and started playing with OmniFocus again and realized just how big a deal over the air sync was. I had also already invested in the OmniFocus application and iPhone application from my previous attempt to use the OmniFocus system, so it was a relatively small monetary investment for me to switch back over to OmniFocus.

Now, it just so happens that on May 2, 2011, Cultured Code, the developers of Things announced the first round of Beta testing for their cloud sync service. This is a step in the right direction, but still a long way from an actual release and implementation across the board for all their products. Things had been promising some kind of cloud based sync service was in the works and coming soon for months and months before  I abandoned the platform. It came too late. There was a kludgy Dropbox Sync method that would work between multiple Macs, but left iOS devices to still depend on Wi-Fi sync.

While I understand that cloud sync is no easy task, the repeated promises with no solution also left me with more serious concerns about the state of the application and development roadmap. By contrast, I knew the gang at The Omni Group and their commitment to Mac Development and improvement to their products. I started to think long-term about where I wanted to put my time and resources. Don’t get me wrong, I still think Things is an excellent product and will be an even better one once Cloud Sync is implemented, but I couldn’t wait any longer and needed to move on.

Once I realized how critical sync was to my workflow and how dependent I had become on the iPad application (really, using it more than the desktop application) I started reading up more on OmniFocus, talking with David and really digging into the application and I found that I could make it fit in my workflow. I wish I had the benefit of David’s excellent OmniFocus Screencast series (Part I, Part II) during my transition, but I did have some tips from the Jedi Master himself.

If Things had gotten a Cloud Sync solution together sooner rather than later would I have switched? Maybe, maybe not. I was happy with the Things interface. The lack of Cloud Sync was really the deal breaker that made me want to go look at alternate solutions and the OmniFocus iPad app was just the icing on the case that induced me to take the plunge at that time. I’m happy now using OmniFocus although I’m sure I’m still not using it to it’s full potential, the learning curve on OmniFocus is greater to get maximum benefit. But it’s really like anything, you get out of it what you put in.

1. No Verizon service at my house either – As I’ve mentioned my home is a bit of an anomaly in that it is situated smack dab in a black hole for cell phone coverage. I’ve had several Verizon phones at my home for testing purposes and I’m afraid to report that they too have no or very poor service. Now, I will say that Verizon has vastly better service all around town compared to AT&T, but I still make about 75% of my calls or more from my home. I understand that Verizon has a device similar to the AT&T Microcell I currently use, so that’s at least an option in the future.

2. I’m still in contract with AT&T – It’s quite a hefty fee to part ways with AT&T. I paid that early termination fee several years ago with I switched from Verizon to AT&T in the first place to get the iPhone, I’m not looking forward to doing it again. However, the early termination fee plus the cost of a subsidized iPhone is less than the price of a full priced iPhone. So, if I’m ever in the position where my iPhone breaks out of warranty and I would have to purchase a new one at full price, the early termination fee would suddenly become a moot point.

3. My family just renewed their AT&T contracts – I begged them not to, but my mom, dad and brother all got iPhone 4s on AT&T for Christmas just a few weeks ago. Thus their AT&T contract (I am not on their family plan) was renewed for another two years. The cost to break the early termination fee times three means there is no chance they will switch to Verizon for another two years. So that means that if I want to continue to enjoy free mobile-to-mobile calls with them, I too have to stay on AT&T. They probably make up about 60% or more of my calls, so I could see myself having to increase my rate plan if those calls were no longer free. Though I do understand that Verizon does have some kind of “A list” calling on some of their plans – that might work.

4. Verizon’s iPhone is already old technology – the iPhone 4 released on Verizon will be 8 months old by the time it is available for sale. Assuming Apple keeps with its steady upgrade policy we can expect to see the iPhone 5 sometime this summer. Will the iPhone 5 be available on Verizon the same time it is on AT&T? I don’t know, but it makes the most sense for Apple to try to keep the phones as similar as possible to avoid confusion. The Verizon iPhone doesn’t use the new LTE network and it doesn’t provide the ability to use data and voice services simultaneously. I see this release as a stop-gap measure to get the iPhone on Verizon, much bigger things are to come and I don’t want to be stuck in a 2 year contract with old technology.

There are many things appealing about Verizon’s iPhone. A better network in my area (assuming it can withstand the strain) and the new mobile hotspot (though we don’t have word yet on pricing.) Unless AT&T makes major changes to their network and coverage, I will not be renewing my contract with them when it expires. I may very well end up breaking my contract with AT&T sometime down the line, but not for this Verizon iPhone.

Nonetheless, I’m very excited about the announcement of the Verizon iPhone. I hope this will encourage AT&T to step up its game and become more aggressive with their pricing, features and network build-out. We long-term AT&T customers who have had to suffer with poor service patiently all this time would sure appreciate a free mobile hot-spot and some upgraded speeds. I’m still waiting for HSDPA in my area, but heck I’d just be grateful for consistent 3G coverage at this point.

I’m putting you on notice AT&T…I have other options now. So get your act together and soon. You’ve got a limited amount of time left to impress me, and I’m keeping my eye on what Verizon is up to. If you continue to disappoint, I will cheerfully pay you my early termination fee and show myself the door.

However, after three years of law school, I found that my love of reading faded a bit. While in law school I didn’t have much time for pleasure reading yet I was reading all the time for class. Reading became more associated with work and a chore than with escape and relaxation and as a result, I began reading less and less for pleasure. I can’t tell you how many attorneys I’ve spoken to who have noticed the exact same thing happening in their lives.

As a technology enthusiast I have been intrigued by eBooks and their climb in popularity. However, going back to my traditional book-loving roots, I just couldn’t grasp the concept of reading on an electronic device and giving up the feel of a hardback book in my hands. Books are treasured possessions in my family. I’ve found that when I go to someone’s home for the first time I’m drawn to their bookshelves to see what kind of books they’re interested in and what they’ve been reading. You can tell a lot about a person by the types of books they read, and especially those they think highly enough to keep on their shelf. That’s not really an option with a library of eBooks.

This winter, things changed for me.

It goes back to that silly “rule” in my family about having to read books before you can give them as gifts. I found myself in a bind when I had several books to read before Christmas and I was running out of time. The books were interesting and I was enjoying them, but I just couldn’t seem to make my way through them. I do most of my reading at night just before bed just couldn’t get comfortable reading with the lights on and having to climb out of bed to turn off the lights when I was done for the evening. (Yes, I know this sounds trivial.) I also felt like whenever I had some free time, the book was always somewhere else.

Getting desperate, with two books to finish and less than 20 days to do it, I decided I wasn’t going to make it. So I decided to pony up an extra $9.99 buy the larger of the two books in eBook format. I figured that I could “cheat” and give the hardback book as a gift at Christmas, and finish up the eBook after the fact. The eBook in question wasn’t available in the iBook store (no surprise there) so I ended up buying it from the Amazon Kindle store.

That evening, I decided to try reading from the iPad using the Kindle App rather than the actual book so I could play with my new toy. Thanks to the color screen on the iPad, I was able to turn off the lights in my bedroom and curl up in bed with the iPad. Much to my surprise, the experience was a joy! There was no eye strain associated with reading text off the screen and I was able to adjust various settings including the color of the text, the brightness and size to my liking. Most of my reading has been done on the iPad in the evenings, but there have been a few occasions where I’ve used the iPhone app when out and about to read a chapter or two while waiting for various appointments.

In less than a month I’ve breezed through my two Christmas books using the Kindle app on the iPad (about 700 traditional pages in total) and have started a third. More importantly, I’m enjoying winding down in the evenings reading again.

The biggest problem for me is that that physical bookshelf still means a lot. If it’s a book I particularly enjoyed, I’m going to want a hard copy for my shelf. Perhaps this is a vestige of the old “analog” reading age that I just need to get over. However, I think for the next little while, I’ll probably continue to buy some duplicate physical books in addition to my eBooks. I wish Amazon would offer some kind of “bundle” pack where you can buy the physical book and the eBook together for a significant discount. I would imagine I’m not the only one with this preference.

I also think the pricing of eBooks is still artificially high. The hardback version of the book was $16. The eBook was $10. However, my eBook book didn’t have to be printed, bound, affixed with a cover, shipped to Amazon and then shipped to me. I’m all for authors, publishers and distributors making a profit. However, $9.99 for a book that I’m going to read once, that I can’t loan to my friends and that I can’t put on a shelf after the fact seems a little high.

All in all, I’m enjoying my new found love of reading on the iPad. While the iBooks app seems a little more polished, the Kindle app is very good and the selection of the Amazon Kindle store is far superior to the iBooks Store. I’m very happy with the iPad experience using the Kindle App. I’ve read the debates about which reading device is better, Kindle vs. iPad. For my use, the iPad is the right device for me. Most of my reading is at night in the low light where the Kindle (or even a traditional book) would not work for me without some kind of book light. On very rare occasions do I read outside or in bright sunlight where the glare screen of the iPad might present a problem.

Make no mistake, this is how our children will read books in the future. On one hand, that makes me a little sad. But on the other, I welcome this technology that has renewed my love of reading and make it easier to open up the endless fictional worlds to others.

This all got me thinking about the way I use my Mac and if it isn’t time to start looking at a different strategy.

For the past 10 years, I have been a one Mac household and my Mac of choice has been a notebook, usually one of Apple’s top tier portables. Because much of that time has been spent either as a student or in a job that has required travel, I’ve opted for a smaller screen when possible. I loved the 12” PowerBook and currently carry a 2.56GHz 13” MacBook Pro while keeping a full size screen, mouse and keyboard back at my desk at home. Unfortunately, opting for smaller size screens usually means compromising with horsepower compared to the 15” and 17” models.

Why go with the one notebook model? It makes sense in the right situation:

• I absolutely have to have a notebook for use on the road
• Keeping multiple computers in sync can be frustrating and time consuming.
• More Macs to maintain and regularly upgrade means more costs.
• Having a larger monitor, keyboard and mouse is a fairly minimal expense that gives me a “desktop experience” while at home.

There are also some downsides to having a portable as a primary computer. Notebooks are slower and more expensive generally than desktop counterparts. They are more prone to damage from the bumps and jostles of everyday use. There are compromises with storage space, drive speeds and availability of expansion ports. There is also the issue that a notebook may also spend a good bit of time asleep, lid closed, or in a computer bag and be inaccessible. While it’s not necessarily the case, a traditional desktop computer is more likely to be “always on” and ready to serve files, share printers, or run automation. I’ve run into this issue quite a bit when working with the new AppleTV that has no onboard storage. I’ll go to stream a movie or a podcast only to find that my Mac asleep or logged off. (As a security feature, I set my Mac to log off after a period of inactivity – I find that having enhanced security on a portable Mac is more important compared to desktop machines.)

A lot has changed in the last couple of years, in the last year especially with the release of the iPad. Both David and I have noticed that we’re using our notebook machines less and less and our iPads more. I’ll admit that there are days my MacBook Pro doesn’t even power up anymore, that never happened before the iPad. I would estimate that the combination of the iPhone and iPad has replaced my MacBook Pro for about 75-80% of my media and data consumption that was previously done on the Mac. On the other hand, media and data creation is still primarily done on a traditional Mac.

Especially with my podcasting work, while the MacBook Pro perfectly adequate, I’m starting to run up against some limitations. Hard drive space always seems to be at a premium and audio encoding is time consuming. The occasional video encoding work I do on my Mac could also use a boost.  Reading the reviews and benchmarks in Macworld, I see that I can expect a1.5 to 2x the real world performance increase by upgrading to one of the top of the line iMacs. Of course, there’s always the question of how much power is enough and how much is overkill. If 80% of my daily use doesn’t even come close to taxing the requirements of my Mac. Is it worth the additional cost to speed up that other 20%?

Then again, I still go back to the reality of life that I need a notebook computer. There are many times a year when I simply require a full fledged computer that is portable and an iPad just won’t do. I can never give-up my notebook computer.

For a while now, I’ve been considering adding a Mac Mini to my home setup to supplement my MacBook Pro. My MacBook Pro would remain my primary computer, but the Mini would function as a in home file server of sorts. The mini would be used as an iTunes library share point for my AppleTV, I would use it to run a Mail client that would filter email and other tasks that scripts that would benefit form having an always on machine. Still, a Mini doesn’t help me from a horsepower perspective, It’s about the same caliber Mac as my current MacBook Pro.

With the release of the MacBook Air I’ve started drooling over the sexiness and portability of the 11” beauty. Of course, it makes no sense to swap out my 13” 2.56 GHz MacBook Pro with a 320GB hard drive for an 11” 1.6 GHz 128GB MacBook Air. It’s a downgrade, and while the Air is tempting, it couldn’t function as my only computer.

What about the combination of a 27” iMac for the desk and an 11” MacBook Air? Gives me the extra power I need for a desktop, a gorgeous screen and the ability to travel with a ultra-compact notebook. Especially when using the 11” Air as a secondary computer, keeping data in sync shouldn’t be as much of a problem thanks to today’s technology. (See Mac Power Users Episode 004: Staying in Sync) My guess is if I sell my current MacBook Pro and my 24” Apple Cinema Display I would probably recoup enough money to buy the MacBook Air, which really just leaves me coming out of pocket $2000 or so for the iMac.

Then again, the practical side of me wonders whether this is a smart decision. My current setup is more than adequate for my needs. My iPad already satisfies much of my mobile computing demands, would I really use my 11’ MacBook Air enough to justify the purchase? I hardly use my current MacBook Pro as a portable that much as it is. Most of the time (and more now since getting the iPad) the MacBook Pro stays docked at my desk. Furthermore, there is always the additional expense of maintaing two systems. I’m on a very regularly 2.5 year upgrade cycle with my current equipment, throwing new equipment into the mix means that much more cost every upgrade cycle, slightly more software licensing costs, higher accessory and AppleCare cost and more upkeep.

It’s a lot to think about…fortunately I have some time. My current MacBook Pro is only 18 months old so I have another year before I’m ready to upgrade. A lot has changed in my computing life in the last year, and along with the release of 10.7 Lion I expect we’ll have another refresh of the iMac line, the MacBook Pro line and the MacBook Air line within the next year. So I expect even more changes and exciting things in the year to come. (A faster iMac, USB 3.0 and a MacBook Air with a faster processor, more storage and a backlight keyboard would be upgrades worth waiting a year for in my opinion.)

I can’t wait to see how it all plays out, and I’m keeping my eye on things. Would love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Another big issue for me was the AT&T contract. I have had nothing but trouble with AT&T since signing on with the iPhone more than three years ago. Believe me, I would love nothing more than to kick AT&T to the curb. Keeping the iPhone 4 means committing to AT&T for another 2 years or paying them a $300+ early termination fee. While I was maybe willing to swallow a $175 early termination fee should the iPhone become available on Verizon, $300+ makes that a significantly larger burden. If I returned the iPhone, I would have reverted back to my old AT&T contract terms, which would put me on a month-to-month contract.

Returning the Phone Also Would Have Cost Me:

When I upgraded to the iPhone 4, I gave my iPhone 3G to my dad. He needed the iPhone 3G to use with his microcell. (Microcell wouldn’t work with his iPhone 2G.) In return, he gave me his iPhone 2G which I sold on Gazelle for about $75. (Not exactly a windfall, but enough to buy a few iPhone 4 accessories.) So if I returned the iPhone, I would have no phone to go back to. I was in a no-win situation because I wasn’t about to ask my dad for my phone back and leave him in a lurch.  If I returned my iPhone 4, I would have to turn around and buy another phone to replace it. That meant buying an iPhone 3GS from Apple or AT&T and signing another AT&T contract – that didn’t make any sense. If I’m going to be stuck in an AT&T contract and use up my eligibility for a subsidized phone, might as well have the latest technology.

The other option to stay without an AT&T contract would have been to buy a 3G or 3GS without a contract. Used iPhones hold their value well and are still selling for $300 – $350. My iPhone 4 subsidized was only $299. Although I had many twitter friends who I trusted willing to sell me their iPhones, it’s always a bit of a mixed bag when you buy a used phone. Regardless of which way I went, I would still out $300 or more compared to where I was 30 days ago. I either had an iPhone 4 that was a much better device, but a worse phone. Or a comparable phone, but only a slightly better device.

If You Don’t Like It…Take It Back…

Apple says “if you don’t like the phone, return it for a full refund.” Sounds great., right? What more could you possibly expect from Apple? Well, I could expect them to deliver the phone they promised. Here’s the problem: I took Apple at their word that the iPhone 4 had a revolutionary new antenna design that was better than any previous iPhone and I would have even better reception than before.  Granted – I would have been okay with an iPhone 4 that had just as good reception as I had before and still had all the fancy new iPhone 4 features. Now, I’ve got a phone with worse reception and nothing to go back to.  What more could I ask for? I want what Apple promised me! Unfortunately, Apple let me down in that they couldn’t deliver on what they promised. It’s one of the few times that’s happened.

But, I’m Keeping The Faith:

While I haven’t been thrilled with the way Apple has handled this whole situation, I still have faith that they’ll come through and do the right thing. Apple acknowledged at their press event that despite the new design of the iPhone 4 antenna, it drops more calls than the iPhone 3GS. Something is wrong.

My AppleCare advisor tells me that Apple is continuing to work on this problem. They are not just giving away free bumpers and calling it a day. Steve Jobs specifically said that the free bumper program was only going to last until September 30^th so Apple could “reevaluate” the situation at that time. That statement in itself implies they’re working on a fix so bumpers won’t be necessary.  Apple may never say another word about antennagate, but I would bet you the purchase price of an iPhone 5 that the iPhones that roll off the assembly lines a few months from now will not be as prone to these antenna problems as the ones that rolled off the assembly line 30 days ago.

My AppleCare case is still open, and my support tech promises me that he’ll keep in touch regarding the situation and if I want to swap out my iPhone again in the future, all I have to do is say the word. We’ll see.

What I Know Now:

If I knew 30 days ago what I know now, would I have ordered the iPhone 4? In a word: No. I wish I could turn back the clock and have my old iPhone 3G back, my $300 back, the money I’ve spent thus far on accessories back, and all the time I’ve spent dealing with this issue back. For now, I wait and hope that Apple comes up with a fix, that AT&T starts building towers and that Verizon announces they will start selling the iPhone.

I know there are a lot of people out there who are fed up with this topic. So this is the last I’ll say until there’s some kind of new information. For the vast majority of you who are not having any type of problem with your iPhone, I’m happy for you and sorry to have bored you with my tale. But I do at least hope that I have shown you that there are real people out there with real problems. Is “antennagate” over-hyped? Probably. But for those people like me who are having problems, it doesn’t feel like Apple has taken it seriously enough.

Well, I’m once upgrade eligible for a fully subsidized iPhone, (plus $18 upgrade fee) yet I’m not sure I’ll be pulling out my credit card on June 7^th. Here’s why the purchase of this iPhone is a tough decision for me:

AT&T’s Poor Network

Anyone who follows me on twitter or listens to my occasional ranting knows that my AT&T service sucks. I live in a city with a population of over 260,000. Not a metropolis by any means, but still large enough to justify reasonable cell coverage. AT&T has been a miserable disappointment. Sure, every city has their dead spots, that’s to be expected. But I have bad service just about everywhere I go. Voicemail can be hours delayed, my phone regularly doesn’t ring, even with 5 bars of service and text messages sometimes show up timely, sometimes not. I love the iPhone, but I hate AT&T.

Complicating matters for me personally is that my home is in a known dead spot for all cell phone providers in my city. Because of the geography of the land, we have an area that is recessed between a series of hills and has notoriously bad coverage. There have been efforts to get a tower in my area for years, but because the area contains a major park, two schools and several hundred residential homes, there has been community concern over the possible health risks associated with a tower. (Apparently there are those who think the cell towers are going to cause children to grow gills or something.)

The Verizon Question

The “experts” have gone round and round over the issue of AT&T exclusivity. The generally accepted notion is that the original exclusivity deal was for 5 years, but that there may have been modifications to the contract. Buzz seems to be at an all time high that a Verizon iPhone is coming but no word on when.

I had Verizon before and still had that same dead zone around my home. But generally after I left home and traveled around the city and state I had no problems making and receiving phone calls and messages. So for me, Verizon would likely have the same dead zone in my home, but probably be better service overall.

Also, let’s be real – everyone hates their cell phone company. They all suck. It’s 2010 and we sill haven’t figured out a way to make cell phones operate reliability. As one blog post pointed out, the grass may not be any greener over on the other side. We all saw how AT&T’s network crumbled under the iPhone’s popularity, what makes us think Verizon’s network will be that much better?

Let me weigh in with my two cents regarding this issue: I think we’ll see a Verizon iPhone within the next 2 years. Or put another way, I think anyone who signs a new 2 year contract with AT&T when the iPhone 4G comes out will be faced with a decision as to whether or not they want to switch carries badly enough to pay the early termination fee to dump AT&T. I do not think we’ll hear any announcements about a Verizon iPhone at WWDC.

Early Termination Fee

This just has me fuming. You may have heard that effective June 1, 2010, AT&T is drastically increasing their early termination fee on smart phones, including the iPhone. The ETF increases from $175 to $325. AT&T did lower the ETF by $25 on non-smart phones from $175 to $150. I should also note that for iPhones the ETF drops $10 a month for every month into your 2 year contract you go. Their rational is that the current ETF does not adequately cover the phone’s subsidy.

This may be true, but let’s just say the timing is interesting. True, Verizon made a similar move in raising early termination fees last year, (Verizon’s ETF is $350 and drops every month as well) but one can’t help but wonder why AT&T is doing this now. Part I’m sure is related to the iPhone 4G release, but is some part of it related to the fact that they know their exclusivity deal is coming to an end and they want to make sure that they can take one more swipe at their customers as they jump ship and head for Verizon?

The Promise of the Microcell

I’ve got mixed emotions on this one. First off, when the heck is AT&T going to release the damn thing nationwide? We’ve been promised the Microcell for over a year now with the nationwide release being right around the corner. Then AT&T announced the Microcell came out of the “testing phase” in Mid-April but it still isn’t available in most areas. Apparently AT&T has to push out a network upgrade for the device to work with the towers. I check the AT&T website every day, no Microcell yet.

I’m not sure I like the idea of the Microcell. Of course I like the option for customers who have very poor AT&T service to have an alternative way to use their phone. But, I already pay for AT&T service that I can’t use. On average, I use around 200 minutes a month on my phone, not because I don’t want to use any more minutes, but because I can’t. My phone doesn’t work in the areas where I make most of my phone calls. So because AT&T has poor service, I have to pay them another $150 for a device to connect to my broadband to supplement their network. That doesn’t quite seem fair. I pay for the minutes, I can’t use them so I have to pay for the Microcell and I have to pay for the broadband. By the way, for the first time in years, I also now pay for a home phone line because I can’t use my cell phone at home.

If AT&T had some kind of policy that would provide the microcell to customers for free or at a drastically reduced cost if there were documented network issues in their area, I would feel much better about this whole situation. Unfortunately, they’ve got me. I can’t make a call, I don’t want to give up my iPhone, so I’ll pay the $150 for the microcell. But all the while, I’ll hate them a little bit for it.

What to do?

While writing this blog post I called up AT&T customer support. They were polite and tried to be helpful, as always. Unfortunately they had no news on the possibility of any new towers or Microcell availability in my area. One thing I do have to say for AT&T is that their customer service has been great. So long as you’re polite, the AT&T reps will do their best to help you and throw a couple of bucks credit at you for you troubles. Unfortunately, they can’t build a tower or upgrade a network. So for now, I sit and wait as I have been for the past year.

Which brings me to the question of what do I do next? A lot of that depends on what’s announced at WWDC. I’ll have to see how magical and revolutionary the new iPhone 4G really is to justify me upgrading and how strong Steve’s reality distortion field is. Although I’m doing the best I can to mentally prepare myself for iPhone launch day and resist the urge to immediately pre-order an iPhone online, we all know there’s a pretty decent chance of that happening.

My iPhone 3G is adequate for my needs for now, but my AppleCare is due to expire soon and with the new iPhone 4.0 OS having limited functionality on the 3G iPhone, I’m really about due for an upgrade. At some point I’m afraid I’ll drop my 3G or it will finally die and I’ll have no choice but to buy a new iPhone. But for now, it’s adequate for my needs.

A lot also depends on the Microcell. Right now I don’t even have the option to use the Microcell, but I can’t help but wonder whether I could live with AT&T another two years if I could reliably make and receive calls in my home. This would alleviate about 80% or more of my problems. It won’t solve my problems everywhere, but it’s a start. Assuming of course I can actually buy it at some point.

Depending on the new pricing that is announced on the iPhone, it looks as though the cost of buying an iPhone at the subsidized rate and paying the early termination fee is a few bucks cheaper than buying a contract-free iPhone. I might also look at waiting a while and trying to pickup a refurb or gently used 3G S or 4G without a contract.

I’m sure I’m not the only one facing this dilemma. I’d be curious to hear what others are going to do. Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

1) Wireless Sync
2) Printing
3) Background Apps/Multitasking
4) Location Awareness (Automatically change settings based on location)
5) Unified Inbox

And as a bonus not necessary related to the update:
Better support for developers to offer App trials, upgrades, discounts and bundling.

We thankfully don’t have long to wait. What do you want to see?

I’ve gone back and fourth about which iPad model is right for me, my decision changes every couple of days.

Part of me says no questions asked, I need the top of the line 64GB 3G model for $829 because that will best suit all my possible needs. Another part of me says I only need the 16GB Wi-Fi only $499 model because this will save me $330 and will meet my needs more than 90% of the time. So when you split the difference, you end up with the $729 32GB 3G model. I should point out I have a 16GB iPhone and storage has never been an issue, except it was a little tight (but manageable) when I loaded it up for video for my Macworld trip.

I’ve gone this long without an iPad and my life hasn’t fallen apart. So do I buy based on what will be work for me most of the time and just deal with the limitations the small amount of the time I don’t have what I need? Or, do I spend more money on features that I will rarely use? Here’s the kicker… no matter what I buy, I’m guaranteed that something better, faster, bigger, and cheaper will be out next year and I’ll want that too. Alas, that’s the nature of the beast.

Part of the problem is the iPad is a totally new type of device, so I really won’t know how I’ll use it until I get it. My iPhone changed my life overnight. Will the iPad do the same? Will it take longer to become an extension of my body? Will it take a couple of revisions and updates? Plus, I still have my iPhone at my side 24/7 and the ability to take my MacBook Pro where I need it. So that goes back to the ultimate question, here does the iPad fit in?

Maybe I need to focus on my anticipated use of the iPad. First, I see it as a device that will primarily be used at home. I’m a creature of habit, I don’t travel much and I tend to run in the same circles. I see about 90% of my use being at home or one of my regular haunts where Wi-Fi is available. I also don’t see myself watching all that much video on the iPad. If I’m home, I’m going to watch the video on my 42” Plasma connected to my AppleTV. If I’m away, it’s likely only for a couple of hours and having a couple of videos will be fine. In most situations, the low end model will suit me just fine.

But a couple times a year I travel. A perfect example is Macworld, I can’t tell you how many times I thought, “If only I had an iPad right now…” The iPad would have been a great video device on the plane rather than pulling out my laptop. I really could have used it on the show floor for taking notes about products. But again, I had my laptop with me in the hotel room and my iPhone in my pocket. Having the 3G would have been nice for composing longer emails and surfing the web while waiting for the plane, but that was a couple of hours of my day a couple days a year.

Adam Christensen just about had me convinced I needed the 3G version on the iPad edition of the Mac Roundtable. His point was it’s better to pay $130 for the 3G and have it, because inevitably there will come up a situation where you need it and don’t have it and then it’s a really big deal. I agree. But is $130 premium worth those few occasions? I should also note, I’m more than a little miffed that the 3G version costs $130 more. Come on Apple, that’s like a $12 chip you’re putting in there, give me a break!

The other option I’m considering, but need to look into further, is the idea of buying a Wi-Fi only iPad but also purchasing a Verizon MiFi with a pay as you go plan. I’ve experimented with Virgin Mobile’s mobile broadband in the past and liked the idea, but found the Sprint service spotty. The MiFi is more expensive, but a more compelling product because of the versatility. I would have the ability to network multiple devices including a MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPad if needed with room to share the MiFi wireless love. Buying a WiFi only iPad saves me the $130, but the MiFi cost is around $200. But, for the extra $70, I get two toys plus the extra versatility. I’m going to visit my local Verizon store this weekend and investigate the MiFi option further and will follow-up with another blog post since I’ve gotten a lot of questions already from Twitter on the subject.

There’s also the upgrade issue. I tend to use iPods until they die. I’m on a 2 year upgrade cycle with my iPhone. (Thanks in large part to my contract). I didn’t upgrade to the iPhone 3G S when it came out because I was in the middle of my iPhone 3G contract and it didn’t kill me. In fact, I rarely even think about it now. I’m on about a 30 month upgrade cycle with my Macs. What kind of upgrade cycle will the iPad have?

No question the 2nd Generation iPad will have a lot of perceived missing features including the illusive camera and probably double the storage space for the same or lower price. So, if I buy the low end iPad for $499, sell it in a year for $299 and put the savings towards a 2G iPad am I actually making out better in the long run? If I’m going to keep the iPad for a couple of years, then it’s better to go with the higher end so I won’t need to upgrade? Also, what’s coming with iPhone OS 4.0? You know it’s coming later this year and will run on the iPad. Will there be compelling new features then that will make me wish I had a more advanced iPad?

Lastly, there’s the 30 day delay issue with the 3G iPad. That sucks, and really throws a wrench in everything. I know I shouldn’t be so impulsive, but there is something about having that iPad on the day it is released. If I decide to go with the 3G version, it’s stupid for me to buy a Wi-Fi iPad only to turn around and sell it 30 days later. But the child in me wants the new shiny toy the instant it’s available. I want to drive 90 miles to the nearest Apple Store and stand in line for 3 hours with my early adopter peeps. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to wait in a line that wraps around the Apple Store all day?

So, I hoped writing this all out would help me organize my thoughts and make a decision. Guess what, it hasn’t. I’m still conflicted. Perhaps my trip to the Verizon store will offer more clarity. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I have a week to figure it out. Feel free to comment with your perspectives; I can use all the help I can get in making this decision. While I don’t want to buy a device that doesn’t suit my needs, I think I’m going to be happy just to have the iPad regardless of which way I go.

Netflix changed the movie rental market forever with its business model. I haven’t stepped foot in a traditional movie rental store since activating my Netflix subscription. In fact, the idea now seems so old fashioned. Who would want to drive to a rental store, suffer the limited selection and frequent inability to rent the newest titles? Inevitably,   you wouldn’t get around to watching the movie until the day it was due and someone would get stuck driving back to the rental store in their PJs in order to avoid a ridiculous late fee. No, thank you!

Unfortunately, the rental market is changing again, and Netflix may be struggling to keep up the pace. Now, I don’t even want to wait the reasonable two business days for my Netflix movies to arrive. I want to be able to turn on the TV, push a button and have the movie come to me. Netflix offers streaming, and the service beats almost anything offered by the competition.  But the service has suffered from the random availability of titles and the near non-existent availability of new releases. You may add a title to your instant streaming queue and a month later it’s unavailable.

Netflix isn’t all to blame for the availability problems. I’m sure they would love nothing more than to have every single movie available for instant HD streaming. Sadly, the movie studios are trying to hold on to a dying revenue scheme and are putting the brakes on the innovation companies like Netflix are trying to bring.

In an effort to focus more attention on the streaming service, Netflix is striking deals with the studios that further limit their ability to offer new releases. Just a few months ago, Netflix inked a deal with Warner Brothers whereby new release titles wouldn’t be available for rent until 28 days following their release for sale. Redbox recently had to make similar concessions in order to settle litigation with Warner.

What sealed the deal for me was a growing inability to access new releases. Since very few new release movies are available for streaming I have no choice but to add the physical DVD to my queue. Over the past few months I’ve noticed the wait time for new DVDs growing longer and longer. Recently, I had four new releases at the top of my queue, all with “very long waits.” It was over a month of waiting for these movies before I finally received one. Some people have speculated that Netflix is buying fewer movies in an effort to save costs. Perhaps it’s just a growth in membership as more physical rental locations close. Whatever the reason, the ultimate result is longer delays and the push by the movie theaters to delay new release rentals will only compound the problem.

By contrast, a recent check of the iTunes store showed that every one of the four titles Netflix was showing as a “very long wait” was available to rent instantly. This was a pleasant surprise as iTunes also has to deal with the studios pressure to push back the availability of rentals. While there may be a delay in the rental availability of a DVD compared with the sale date, at least with iTunes I’ll be able to rent the movie as soon as it’s available rather than taking my chances with Netflix availability.

For now, I’ve placed my Netflix account on a 3 month hold to see how the other options compare. I spend roughly $9 a month on my Netflix subscription, and on a typical month watch maybe 3 movies. With $2.99 iTunes and Amazon Unbox rentals and $1 a night Redbox and Blockbuster Express rentals, my bet is that I’ll spend the same or less money every month and actually watch more of the movies I want when I want.

So, Netflix and I are taking a break from each other while I experiment with other movie delivery methods. We’ll see how it goes and I’ll report back later with an update. The good news is I can restart my queue with a few simple mouse clicks.

Tablet

It seems all but a certainty the Apple will introduce some kind of Tablet device.

I think it will be a device very similar to an oversized iPod Touch. It will have Safari, Mail and access to iTunes content. I think it only makes since that this tablet be capable of running programs from the App Store, though perhaps not at the initial release.

In short, I see the Tablet device to be a multi-function device encompassing the functionality of an oversize iPod Touch and a kindle but will be more focused to the playback and viewing of media, specifically including movies, TV shows and eBooks. (See my comments on the iTunes store later.) It will have some basic computer like functionality but will not be a full fledged computer. I’m uncertain if it will come with required 3G service or a cellular contract. I can see that coming later on.

Sadly, I see this device being very expensive. I think the estimates of $800 – $1200 are on par and we’ll likely see something closer to the $1000 range. It won’t come out until the second half of 2010. Like the iPhone, it will drop in price over time, but not until the early adopters have already shelled out he big bucks. (And yes, I will probably be one!)

Macs

I don’t see any major changes on the horizon for Apple’s computer lineup. We will see the obligatory bumps in performance throughout the line but I don’t think we’ll see any earth-shattering new designs. The Mac Pros will get a fairly significant bump thanks to the new chips available and due to the fact the iMac is quickly catching up. SSDs will become more common and less expensive, but still not standard.

The MacBook Air will hopefully get another significant price drop, but like the Mac Mini once did, it will languish and go unnoticed. The release of the tablet device and the more compact MacBooks will render it more and more obsolete over time, but it will continue to remain available for people who need an ultra-compact notebook, place a high emphasis on style over performance and have more money than sense.  (Just kidding about that last part!)

iPods

We’ll get the obligatory iPod revamp in the late Fall. But I think it’s possible we may see the introduction of a camera into the iPod touch early in the year. Apple intended to do this with the last revamp but didn’t dare make any change before Christmas.

The Nanos will see a bump in storage capacity to 16 and 64GB respectively and retain the same price point. I think we’ll also see the camera placement on the device move. (Hey, they have to make some physical change to accommodate all the case manufacturers!) The camera will also get a bump in specs. I would like to see Wi-Fi in the Nanos, but my guess is that will probably hold a few years.

The iPod touch will also see storage bumps up to 128GB as well as a software update to be similar to the iPhone 4.0 update that will surely come. If the touch gets a camera before the Fall event it will probably see a slight rev. The processor will also be upgraded.

The release of a 128 iPod Touch may signal the end of the road for the iPod Classic. Though Apple may wait another year until they can bump the Nanos up to 128GB. Either way, if the Classic stays around it likely won’t see much of an upgrade, if anything, a slightly larger hard drive.

iPhone

I’m not so sure about this one, but the signs are pointing to the iPhone loosing exclusivity with AT&T. Verizon seems the most logical choice but I think it will largely depend on whether dual band chips are available to allow the iPhone to work with GSM or CDMA carriers. I don’t think Apple will want to make a CDMA and GSM version of the iPhone but depending on the manufacturing costs two lines would create, they might.

iPhone will also see an update. Larger storage capacity up to 64GB, faster processor, and a better camera at least. We may also see the Wi-Fi get bumped to 802.11n and an option for a radio similar to the Nanos, but I’m less confident about these updates. iPhone software 4.0 will be released which may have some more limited functionality for background Applications just so Apple can say they’re keeping up with the competition, but it will be very limited. We’ll also see promises of longer battery life.

Depending on the chips that are available we’ll may see an iPhone capable of working on the 4G network, but virtually no one will have this rolled out so the actual advantage will be negligible to consumers at this time.

Of course, the form factor will change slightly so we’ll all have to buy new accessories, but I don’t see an “iPhone Nano” on the horizon, ever.

iTunes

I think we will see that iTunes expands once again to include eBooks and Magazines. However, like with the launch of everything on iTunes the selection will be fairly limited at first to a few key partners. I think we’ve already seen the early development of this type of interactive content technology with the iTunes LP format.

More movies will be available with Extras and we’ll see some loosening on the restrictions and more movies will be available for rent after they’re available for sale, but there will still be a discrepancy. The iTunes catalog of Movies and TV shows will continue to grow. We will also start to see the beginnings of a subscription model but it will be very limited at first as not all the studios will be ready to jump in. Because it’s so limited, it likely won’t be enough to allow anyone to seriously consider dumping their cable solely as a result of these additions.

I’m very curious to see what the Lala acquisition will bring along with this multi-million dollar data center. Some kind of ability to stream content or perhaps having some kind of “digital locker” for items bought will be introduced, but again, limited at initial launch.

Software

I don’t think we’ll see much, if any, of an update to iLife and iWork. Apple recently changed the retail packaging of these boxes to remove the “09” designation and I think this is a single we’ll start seeing less frequent updates, which is probably fine. The Pro Apps will likely see updates in the first half of the year.

MobileMe

I don’t foresee any major changes to MobileMe. Though I’m very hopeful we’ll see some performance improvements as a result of the new data center Apple is building. Perhaps an increase in capacity and MobileMe will be used in some way in combination with Lala to be a “digital locker” for purchased items.

Other

Sadly, I don’t see many updates coming to any of Apple’s other devices. The Time Capsule may see a storage bump but not much more. The Mighty Mouse and keyboards are all very popular and I don’t see any changes there.

I don’t foresee any major updates to the AppleTV and it will still remain a “hobby” project. Perhaps an increase in storage size and an availability of more content in iTunes to feed the AppleTV. (see above)

We will likely see a 27” Apple display nearly identical to the one used in the iMacs and if that is the case the 30” display will quietly disappear. Though Apple Displays will continue to be expensive compared to similar sized models from the competition. The new display will have all the same features at the current 24” display.

So there you have it, my gaze into the crystal ball for what Apple will bring in 2010. With the strong exception for the Tablet device, I see this as more of an evolutionary year than a revolutionary one. Please feel free to add your comments below and it will be interesting to look back a year from now and see how full of hot air I was.

Happy New Year…