Apple fans, old and new, got to experience the good side and the dark side of Apple's product launch mania during Friday's iPhone 3G release. Lines were long, though some said not as long as for the original iPhone, but the big news was all the iPhone activation problems. Apple's decision to brick iPhones until they were activated at AT&T stores, or via users' iTunes software, showed the real weak link in Apple's launch strategy of bringing out the iPhone 2.0 software and iPhone 3G devices on the same day.
Bringing out a new phone, updating original iPhones and iTouchs with 2.0 software, and launching the online App Store was more than a bit too much for Apple to handle. Apple became the victim of its own marketing hype machine by making customers wait an extraordinarily long time in AT&T store lines. 16GB models quickly flew off the shelves leaving others to buy the 8GB model if they wanted to take one home right away. The two most prevalent pros and cons reported by users of the new 3G models were that the GPS was very fast, and battery life is noticeably shorter.
Why all the activation problems? ITunes, one of the biggest pieces of bloatware on the planet (that is, next to Microsoft Outlook). ITunes activation and download servers proved woefully inadequate to handle the demand created by the Apple marketing machine. ITunes not only proved to be the single point of failure for new iPhone 3G buyers, but all of the activation problems had the ripple effect of disabling iPhones and iTouch devices which failed in the middle of the 2.0 firmware update process. Only emergency calls could be made from disabled iPhones. ITunes has managed to brick my iPods on more than one occasion, both happening during a firmware upgrade. TMCnet blogger Tom Cross had his iPhone bricked while performing an upgrade to the 2.0 software, (see "iHate My iPhone Because its iDead.) Tom had to wipe everything on his iPhone and even his AT&T voicemail system to get back to a place where he could start using his iPhone again.
ITunes has been the vehicle for huge music and video sales by Apple. No doubt that iTunes has been a big part of Apple's success. But iTunes can also be the most frustrating piece of software you've ever used. Very slow to start up, visual interface bugs, over-frequent software updates, and now activation problems.
Now that we've seen the impact iTunes server failures can bring, does this foretell a future of distributed DoS attacks against Apple's iTunes and App Store servers? Could there have even been some nefarious activities at the root of Friday's iPhone activation issues? The iPhone 3G may be the cool new device out on the street but iTunes could prove to be the Achilles' heel in Apple's online strategy.
Related Link: 3G iPhone Follies
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yeah right
methinks you're going out on a bit of a limb speculating about itunes attacks when you clearly have no clue about how such a system would even be implemented in the first place. such is the life of a writer at a mediocre industry publication.
Bricked?
"Bricked" is used to indicate that a device has irreversible damage that makes it useless in any capacity.
Making emergency calls means the iPhone wasn't bricked.
If it was fixed later, it wasn't bricked.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_(electronics)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bricked
Stoner Mac Guy to Apologize to PC Guy
Now that Apple has had issues with the MAC phone launch this week, I suppose the Slacker MAC guy in the commercials will be appoligizing to PC guy in an upcoming commercial. MAC Guy always viciously attacks the PC guy for his security fixes and code fixes. Now its time for MAC guy to put down the drugs, stand up and pronouce himself an idiot for all the issues that Apple has been having.
"Dell Dude" and Stonr MAC Guy would make great companions
Steven, the stoner dude from the "Your Gettin' a Dell, dude," commercials would make an ideal companion for the Slacker Mac Dude. They are both similar (the real Dell actor was busted for drugs) and both have that "I really don't care" attitude. They could be great crack - marijuana buddies and may even get their own TV show like the Geico Cavemen had. Apple and Dell could then continue to fine tune their marketing to the dropouts, drug addicts, drunks and dirt bags. It would be a great marriage and an ideal targeted campaign. Oh! I forgot, Apple is proprietary and would never share architecture with Dell. Sorry Mac Dude, get stoned by yourself. PC guy is laughing in retirement with his billions.
In a battle to the death
Who do you think would win - PC Guy or MAC Dude? My bet is on PC Guy. I think he'll be pushed over the edge one day and go postal. There's only so much more of this back and forth parrying that his Vista addled brain can handle.
That's it Celebrity Death Match !!!
Quick someone call MTV, This is definetly a Celebrity Death Match made for TV...
I can see it now....DUDE, wanna buy a dell, and the Dell Dude Kills Stonr guy with what he calls the "connection interrupted" (modified 'Cobra Clutch') then as a shocker , PC guy, swoops in and 'terminates connection" on the Stonr Guy.
yeah I can see it now....Celebrity death match.
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