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Hey, Microsoft & Apple: Grow Up!

To be honest I'm surprised anything works together at all. I hate to say it but I wouldn't want to support the competitions devices either.
 
Given how well the iPhone works with Exchange (a Microsoft product) and G-Mail (from their other enemy, Google) I'm kind of forced to conclude that this is Outlook's problem.

I mean, if this IS Apple trying to be mean to their enemies, can someone explain to me why Gmail and Exchange work so well? Shouldn't they be prime targets for the Apple "revenge squad?"

I kind of think this article is pointless if he doesn't attempt to answer that question.
 
Small White Car said:
Given how well the iPhone works with Exchange (a Microsoft product) and G-Mail (from their other enemy, Google) I'm kind of forced to conclude that this is Outlook's problem.

I mean, if this IS Apple trying to be mean to their enemies, can someone explain to me why Gmail and Exchange work so well? Shouldn't they be prime targets for the Apple "revenge squad?"

I kind of think this article is pointless if he doesn't attempt to answer that question.
Click to expand...
They don't.

GMAIL mode doesn't support push or inviting people to your calendar events.

EXCHANGE SYNC mode doesn't support editable drafts, moving messages, and calendar doesn't support shared calendars well. Doesn't supprt flexible fields to google contacts.

It's all a nasty kluge.
 
Local sync to a PC is a rather outdated way to do it. It's an iPhone not an iPAQ!

Switch wholesale to iCloud, Gmail or a corporate Exchange server and the iPhone and Outlook will happily sync your data from the central server.
 
<sarcasm>
Wow I guess the happy "union" formed in 2008 is deteriorating.

Today, Apple announced it plans to join the list of mobile device makers that offer built-in support for Exchange mobile e-mail, licensing Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for the iPhone.

https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2008/mar08/03-06easqa.mspx

</sarcasm>

I realize the author wasn't using an exchange server and/or active sync but that MS news release seemed like maybe they could all get along...
 
I call BS on this article. We have yet to have issues with Outlook and iPhones at work. (Literally not one trouble ticket).

Sounds like the author either isn't as savvy as he things he is or he has a crappy IT department who can't get their email server to sync with phones. Both MS and Apple did a good job with this (Exchange on iPhone that is) in my opinion.

That being said I personally hate outlook. Its insanely buggy.
 
chrono1081 said:
I call BS on this article. We have yet to have issues with Outlook and iPhones at work. (Literally not one trouble ticket).

Sounds like the author either isn't as savvy as he things he is or he has a crappy IT department who can't get their email server to sync with phones. Both MS and Apple did a good job with this (Exchange on iPhone that is) in my opinion.

That being said I personally hate outlook. Its insanely buggy.
Click to expand...

I have no issues with my work Outlook and iPhone. I was even amazed it did the reminders also. iPhone is coming a very popular enterprise smart phone, if there were this many issues, I doubt companies would be using iPhones for their employees.
 
This is exactly what I have complained about. Glad somebody with national exposure published this. Problem is, I don't expect either company to do anything about it.
 
Why exactly would they? I don't see Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft rushing to get their first party titles on any of the others' consoles, I'm not sure I see the difference in computer/mobile software. These aren't kids playing together and trying to figure out what they can mutually do to to make their end users lives easier, they are businesses in direct competition to each other. Why doesn't MS make a better phone or apple make a better mail app are really the questions you should be asking.
 
I surprised from a business point of view that a lot of companies use MS Office and depend on Outlook for calendars. So if the iphone was trying to replace BB's from reluctant users this would not be a great "feature".

I use exchange on my phone with google and have no issues for my use, I'm syncing 4 calendars fine.
 
chrono1081 said:
I call BS on this article. We have yet to have issues with Outlook and iPhones at work. (Literally not one trouble ticket).

Sounds like the author either isn't as savvy as he things he is or he has a crappy IT department who can't get their email server to sync with phones. Both MS and Apple did a good job with this (Exchange on iPhone that is) in my opinion.

That being said I personally hate outlook. Its insanely buggy.
Click to expand...

The article wasn't just geared towards the products, it was discussing the poor support through pass the buck mentality and training while bashing the other company so you completely integrate into THEIR ecosystem....you call Microsoft, you will hear "because you are not completely in Microsofts eco-system, the problem is not theirs, it's Apples And you call Apple and hear the same thing. In the meantime, if I am integrated in the Apple Eco-system at home (which I am) and my company is in the Microsoft eco-system (which they are) Sometimes our choices are limited by other peoples budgets and decisions....


cynics said:
To be honest I'm surprised anything works together at all. I hate to say it but I wouldn't want to support the competitions devices either.
Click to expand...

But when Apple made iTunes for Windows, and Microsoft made Office for Mac, they made themselves support it for obviously profitable reasons. So the article which I agree with states when you decided to support each others platforms, don't make the customer the victim of incompatibilities by (as stated) passing the buck around forcing numerous time consuming phonecalls.
 
So Microsoft gets a bad rap because Apple screwed up integrating ActiveSync with their product?
RIM seems to not have any issues with integrating it.
The issue is solely on Apple's poor integration of ActiveSync with their programs.

I'm no fan of Outlook, but it is just a client. Anyone thinking it is the cause of the sync issues is delusional.
Exchange, via ActiveSync handles 3rd party communications between it and data entered via Outlook.
 
rjohnstone said:
I'm no fan of Outlook, but it is just a client. Anyone thinking it is the cause of the sync issues is delusional.
Click to expand...

So whats the client of a client then?

If the article writer is POPping the mail off the server and maintaining a local calendar and contacts within Outlook then it's all down to Outlook and the Apple software that plugs in to Outlook and syncs against iCloud.

The vast majority of Outlook users on Windows use it for corporate email with an Exchange server. In that environment it's solid as a rock. I certainly wouldn't characterise any version since 2000 as "insanely buggy".
 
MagicBoy said:
So whats the client of a client then?

If the article writer is POPping the mail off the server and maintaining a local calendar and contacts within Outlook then it's all down to Outlook and the Apple software that plugs in to Outlook and syncs against iCloud.
Click to expand...
Apple's software doesn't "plug into Outlook", it hits the ActiveSync service.
ActiveSync is the service that let's third party devices/apps sync with Exchange/Outlook data.
Hitting the local replica when in offline mode still uses ActiveSync to access the data files. Outlook is not involved in that process.
The only thing I can think of is Apple is trying to collect the data through Outlook directly. If this is the case, Apple is using an improper method as they should hit the data files via ActiveSync.
This is how RIM does it when your BB replicates via a desktop connection vs an OTA update.
It hit's the service which reads the data files.
ActiveSync does have to read the Outlook config so it knows where the data files are located. But that doesn't require Outlook to be running.
 
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