Apple Tech Support
Apple
NetShare
Aug 16th
When NetShare became available on the App Store (the second time 8/1/2008) I bought it and downloaded it. I hadn’t even tried to set it up or use it. Within an hour of downloading it the apps on my iPhone stopped opening. So I did a restore to my iPhone which took more than an hour. Everything looked good but when I went to open an app on my iPhone it wouldn’t. So I went into iTunes and told it to not sync apps, therefore removing them. Then I syncing again to reinstall them. It didn’t work, the apps on my iPhone still wouldn’t open. I decided to delete all of the apps from iTunes, re-download them and then reinstall them on my iPhone.
Hours later I had re-downloaded all my apps except one, NetShare, why? Because it wasn’t available anymore. Apple had for the second time pulled the app from the store. Only they removed my ability to download it even though I bought it.
After sending iTunes Support a message that I was unable to re-download NetShare they sent me this reply on 8/4/2008.
Dear Rob,
Thank you for purchasing from the iTunes Store. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am unable to add “NetShare” back to your account.
The iTunes Store is not responsible for the loss of purchases and encourages customers to back up their purchases regularly. If an item needs to be replaced, you can restore your purchases from the backup and avoid the need to purchase replacement copies of titles from your collection.
Additionally, please make back up copies of your new purchases on a regular basis. These articles explain the backup process:
How to back up your media in iTunes
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n302392
Use a Smart Playlist to make regular backups of your music in iTunes
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n93474
iTunes: How to backup and restore playlists
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n93763
To learn more about purchasing on the iTunes Store, choose “iTunes Help” from the pull-down Help menu in iTunes. Click “Purchasing music, video, and more” on the right.
The iTunes Store Terms of Sale is available for your review at:
http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/us/sales.html
Thank you for your understanding Rob. We appreciate your business and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Eric
iTunes Store Customer Support
Their reply being completely unacceptable I replied back with this message today (8/16/2008 8:09 PM).
Your reply is unacceptable. The reply is basically saying “Thank you for buying from the App Store but you can’t have what you paid for.”
I did download the app one time but due to problems with my iPhone I cleaned out my apps from iTunes because they wouldn’t open on my iPhone at the time. I then redownloaded them all except NetShare because it was no longer available.
But why is it not available to me when I bought it? I understand that it’s not for sale anymore, but I should still be able to download it. Like I can every other app I bought.
You’re letting the fact that it was pulled from the store carry more weight than the fact that a customer bought it and would like to download it.
It doesn’t even matter if I had not downloaded it or if I had downloaded it 10 times. I’ve had the iTunes store allow me to redownload music that I hadn’t backed up before my HD died.
If you’re not using the magic kill switch on this app and giving everyone who bought it a refund then I should be able to download it again.
I don’t want a refund I want what I paid for. Please re-add NetShare back to my “Check for Purchases” so I can have it back.
Thanks
Within 5 minutes of sending that message I received this email (8/16/2008 8:14 PM).
Dear Rob Jones,
iTunes has issued you a full or partial refund for your payment.
Message from merchant: memo
—————————————————————-
Original Payment Details
—————————————————————-
Date Payment Sent: Aug. 1, 2008
Amount: $10.69 USD
At first I didn’t think that I could have received a refund that quickly from a message that was 5 minutes old until I received this message from Apple (8/16/2008 8:31 PM)
Dear Rob,
Yes, I understand that you want it back, but it simply isn’t going to happen. It is no longer available. That means it doesn’t exist, thus, cannot be downloaded again. What your asking for is basically the same as going to your local car dealership and telling them that you should be able to buy a model of car from them that they stopped making and selling, just because you had one before.
Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience this download has caused however. I have taken the liberty of refunding your purchase of $9.99 plus any applicable sales tax. The credit will be posted to your account shortly. Unfortunately, as I stated, I can’t add the item back to your account for download.
I hope the information I’ve provided proves to be helpful to you Rob, and thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for being a valued iTunes Store customer. We appreciate your business and hope you have a wonderful day.
Sincerely,
Eric
iTunes Store Customer Support
Wow, his analogy is so wrong I don’t even know where to begin. Apple did exactly what I said I didn’t want which was give me a refund and didn’t do what I asked for which was re-download NetShare.
iPhone 3G and the Line
Jul 11th
2008-07-11 09:50 AM I was to meet a client at the Oxmoor Mall (Louisville, KY) at 10 AM and wait in line together to get the new iPhone 3G. I arrived at the Mall with a Starbucks coffee I had already picked up. My client was already in line and had been waiting for more than an hour. He was in about the middle of the line and since I couldn’t wait there I headed towards the end of the line.
The Apple Store had a couple employees walk by asking if we had any questions and passing out water. The guy in front of me sat down on the fountain and I jokingly said, “Ohhh come on, we just got here, you can’t be tired already”. The people in front of us (10 people up) were sitting down in the chairs at the Starbucks cafe which was dangerously close to the line. And then they proceeded to scoot those chairs along as the line moved.
2008-07-11 10:45 AM A woman approached me asking if we worked at the Mall. It was an odd question since I was standing in line. After saying no she proceeded to explain that she had just purchased something from Sharper Image (who’s going out of business) and they didn’t have anyone to carry it to her car. She offered pay two of us $15 each to help her. I said, “Sorry, no, but I’m sure you can find help from someone who isn’t standing in line”. The guy in front of me said, “I didn’t know what to say to her.” I said, “She obviously used the least amount of effort to find someone to help her since we were standing outside Sharper Image. She can find someone else.”
2008-07-11 10:32 AM
You can see in this photo a Starbucks chair in the line and further up my client in a green shirt and khakis pants.
2008-07-11 11:15 AM Mall security came along and told everyone they had to put their chairs back. Even the guy with a cast. However, they did get him a wheel chair. I finally finished my coffee. Occasionally chatting with the people in front of me and the kid in a wheelchair behind me.
2008-07-11 11:53 AM
In 1.5 hours we had only moved to where the chair is from the previous picture.
2008-07-11 12:03 PM In line for the iPhone 3G, they are telling people they have plenty but the wait could be 5 hours because AT&T servers are down. Sad face
After hearing the AT&T server went down I expected more people to get out of line, but they didn’t. Apple employees still walking around answering questions and passing out water.
2008-07-11 12:05 PM I’m in the Oxmoor Mall in Louisville, KY. iPhone 3G, I can wait. Line is still moving. And I have 2.0 on my current iPhone. SuperMonkeyBall
2008-07-11 12:12 PM I’ve already been in line for 2 hours. My feet hurt a little, which is sad since I used to run the Mini Marathon (13 miles) in under 2 hours
2008-07-11 12:17 PM Twitterrific on the iPhone works very well, while I wait in line for the iPhone 3G. Easy to read and post. I like it a lot. Happy face ;-)
2008-07-11 01:12 PM 3 hours now waiting in line for the iPhone 3G. Gary did you block me? You listed me in that tweet. Thinking about sitting down
Other than my feet hurting I was still standing without a sit down or restroom break.
2008-07-11 02:04 PM 4 hours and waiting for the iPhone 3G. I’m 50 feet from the Apple Store entrance. I’m going to be quite hungry after I get it.
I’ve already sat down on the floor letting my feet relax. A lady who was sitting up against a wall was asked not to.
2008-07-11 03:02 PM 5 hours now waiting for the iPhone 3G. 20 feet from the Apple Store entrance. Could be done by 4 or dinner time which ever comes first.
2008-07-11 03:05 PM
2008-07-11 03:24 PM My client who waited more than 6.5 hours just left, they could not activate his new iPhone 3G. He has a ticket to come back. Ouch :-(
His problem was he was on a business account and the transfer did not go through as expected.
2008-07-11 03:27 PM I’m standing in the Apple Store foyer, next to the security guard. They can only let so many people in at one time. Need food.
I laughed out loud when I realized there was a line inside the store.
2008-07-11 03:30 PM
I was just let into the store.
2008-07-11 03:48 PM Almost 6 hours of waiting for the iPhone 3G so far and my current iPhone battery is almost dead. I’m close to the middle of the store. ;-)
As I passed the AppleTV display I tuned it to one of my Flickr Sets.
2008-07-11 04:08 PM Finished the purchase of my iPhone, now off to set it up with another Apple employee. As I was switching employees my client had returned to the store to see if they could get him setup now. I told him I would check up on him before I left. After getting setup I went back to check on my client, he was not happy, he wasn’t going to get his iphone 3G today. Not only did he also wait in line 6 hours to get it but he’s 72.
2008-07-11 04:35 PM I just walked out of the Apple Store with my new White iPhone 3G. Time for something to eat.
After 6 hours of standing without a restroom break or food, all of the sudden a restroom break was the only thing I could think about. Follow that up with a soda and some pretzels and I was ready to head home. Several time while carrying my new iphone in a bag I could feel it vibrate, missed calls.
As I was walking towards my car I passed the same guy who was in front of me in line all day. He said he was having a problem getting his phone activated and I said “Let me guess, business line” he said yes.
After getting home I rewarded my daughter, Allyson, with my replaced iPhone, she was so excited it actually surprised me.
What is MobileMe?
Jul 3rd
I’m not going to go into depth about MobileMe features because you can find 100’s of those reports elsewhere.
I want to point out that MobileMe is a rebranding and update of DotMac, which was a rebranding and update of iTools.
When Steve Jobs first announced the switch from iTools to DotMac he made referrence to the fact that Miscrosoft was even sure what their own DotNet service was for. While these two services weren’t anything alike that didn’t matter, DotMac was touted as Apple’s way of knowing how to implement a service Microsoft had started. So Apple used Microsofts own marketing to it’s benifit. DotMac was not competition for DotNet, it just adopted the naming convention.
When Phil Schiller was finished touting all of the features of MobileMe over DotMac he refered to it as “Exchange for the rest of us”. Yes, Exchange would be another Microsoft technolgy. Still not a direct competitor but certainly much closer than before. MobileMe and Exchange do many of the same things.
This would be the second time Apple used a Mirosoft technolgy to promote it’s own. Clever Apple, you can’t fool us, we know you don’t invent everything, just the really good stuff.
Do I leave cookies and milk out for Santa Steve Jobs?
Jun 6th
If you’re anything like me, then you are very excited about Monday. If you don’t know what Monday is then you’re not like me. Monday at 1:00 PM (EDT) Santa Steve Jobs gives goodies to all the girls and boys, you don’t even have to be good.
I’ve read the rumors, I’ve watched DotMac go down, I’ve heard AT&T coverage plans and there is a lot to be excited about on Monday. Steve will give a keynote presentation and talk about all the things going on with iPhone, Macs and DotMac. This is the first time I’m more excited about announcements that aren’t related to the Mac.
Come Monday at 1:00 PM (EDT), I’ll be ready with 52oz of tea and a bag of chips. Interuptions during keynote time are inexcusable.
Closest thing to that childhood feeling.
May 28th
As an adult the only thing for me that comes close to the anticipation of Christmas and then Christmas morning is the MacWorld keynote hosted my Steve Jobs.
I literally feel excited, I can’t wait for it to start, I prepare with food and drink so I won’t have to get up.
Now I read the updates from about 4 sites at one time, previously I watched it Live when they did that.
I’ve never been to one but hopefully I won’t have to wait much longer.
It’s almost here, less than two weeks away.
When syncing your iPhone with iPhoto doesn’t work.
May 13th
There has been this recurring problem with syncing my iPhone to iPhoto. I plug my iPhone into the USB port, iTunes comes to life and syncs my music, calendars and so on. But I took pictures with my iPhone, that’s suppose to make iPhoto come to life and let me import them. For many months iPhoto would not recognize my iPhone, I reset my iPhone, deleted preferences, restarted, nothing would make it work. So last night I spent a couple hours researching the problem. I read dozens of entire threads on people with similar problems.
In the middle of one of the threads someone posted “TRY A DIFFERENT USB PORT”. I wanted to blast them for wasting my time and posting such a simple fix to the problem. But then I remembered one of my clients was having trouble with their USB modem adapter and the solution was to use the USB port closest to the front of the MacBook. I paused for moment, looked to see which USB port I was using, it was the one furthest from the front of my MacBook. It couldn’t possibly be that simple, I unplugged the USB cable and moved it to the USB port closest to the front of the MacBook. Hello iPhoto, it popped up and was ready to import my photos. I couldn’t believe it, not because it worked but because I has inadvertently used the rear USB every time without even thinking about it.
That leads to a hardware question. What’s wrong with the rear USB port on the MacBook?
Apple TV and external hard drives
Mar 23rd
I look forward to owning an Apple TV. First I’m going to have to get a widescreen TV which is the only kind they work with. They also work with 480p TVs but what’s the point in that?
I don’t currently own an Apple TV but I do own an Xbox 360. And as it turns out the Xbox is one hell of a good video device. I have a 500GB external USB hard drive formatted as FAT32. It must be FAT32 for you to be able to connect it to your Xbox 360. Once connected to your Xbox 360 over USB you can watch many video types. I’ve been using Handbrake to convert my DVD movies to M4V video files. I’m using Handbrake’s Apple TV Take 2 settings with 2-Pass. Then I transfer the video files to the Movie folder on the external hard drive.
I can easily select the hard drive from the Xbox 360 menu and play any movie or TV Show (Firefly) I have on it. And they look fantastic. You can also put image files on the drive and view them from the Xbox. I plan on getting a PS3 (maybe) by the end of this or beginning of next. The PS3 will also read this same drive connected over USB and play the same video files or view image files.
The Apple TV has been out for a year now and it’s one USB port currently serves no purpose. When I get an Apple TV I want to be able to connect my pre-existing 500GB external USB hard drive to it. And have it play the movie files I’ve already encoded. I am making sure to select Apple TV specific settings.
Why does it matter. Because I really like the idea of all my movies accessible from one location. This is taking time and effort to setup. It would be nice not to lose the effort when it comes to the Apple TV. If the Apple TV never supports external storage, the drive will remain connected to the Xbox 360 and will continue to be my main source for video content. I already rent more movies from Xbox Live than iTunes or TiVo.
“Apple, by the time I get an Apple TV could you enable external storage through the USB port? And make sure it can read FAT32 so I don’t have to reformat and transfer all of my video files.”
The iTunes Station, WAPL The Apple
Mar 22nd
In a previous article of mine I describe a new type of subscription service. It was more of a try before you buy solution.
I believe that Apple can have a plan to start a subscription based service for music. But unlike all of the comments about how people don’t want to rent music, this is more like XM Radio. Imagine paying a small monthly fee to Apple in exchange for unlimited listening to many channels of music. I don’t think the service will work if Apple doesn’t automatically make channels get music for their particular genre. Nearly identical to the way that XM has an 80′s channel. It would need to be similar to a radio station.
Apple would need to differentiate between renting music and a music station with many different channels. All songs are purchasable, the channels only play songs that you can buy. Unlike radio where you listen to what they want to play, with The iTunes Station you pick the channels you want to listen to and you may even have options to filter it specifically to your tastes. For instance, I like 80′s music, but only from about 84-89.
Apple probably already had something like this in mind and the newest iPods and iPhone are fully capable of playing music channels from The iTunes Station.
I would certainly consider trying it to see or hear rather some new music. Since I listen to mostly my own music instead a radio stations I’m sure I miss out on songs I would buy.
You can take this a step further and Apple could provide The iTunes Station for free with advertisements between songs just like a regular radio station. They could also provide this service over the internet as an internet radio station. There would be a ticker tape that could be clicked on taking you to the iTunes track in the iTunes Store for purchasing. How would they benefit? They would focus on playing music you don’t already own (when local to your machine). This way if you hear something you want to buy, click a Buy button while the song is playing from The iTunes Station and you own it. There are several models that could be used for this type of service, I describe just two of them.
The key for Apple is to remove the perception of renting music. Presenting it as a radio station (WAPL The Apple) will accomplish that.
