Steve Jobs Acknowledges MobileMe Missteps

[theGentleman]

Service renewal

by (un)happy coincidence i received an email from apple 20 minutes ago notifying me that my mobile me subscription is up for renewal on september 4th.

This is strange because my .mac subscription has always been up for renewal on the 24th of august.

What happened to the 30 day extension? i seem to have got only 20!!!

i have just written to them to politely ask wtf.
______________________

on a separate note, i have to agree that the QA of apple products has been on the slide for a good few years. When i sold my 12" PB (why oh why did i do that) i bought an iMac g5 (pre iSight). This machine has the infamous whine, and every apple product i have bought or used at work since has had some sort of issue.

I still love them though.

 

[bobbleheadbob]

I'm glad they've finally come out, acknowledged the problem and are taking steps to correct it. I, for one, DO feel better now that Steve Jobs appears to be personally involved. Of course, we'll have to wait to see if that actually makes a difference (and soon, I hope!)...

 

[motulist]

[Jobs]..., tough life if this is your worst mistake!

Hah, apparently you don't know much Apple/Jobs history.

If you wanna talk about big Apple product failures, none was bigger than the Cube. And that was Jobs' personal project (iirc). And for business decision failures, Jobs hired the guy who eventually took Jobs' Job as Apple CEO! And that guy he hired also started Apple's decline toward near-death before Jobs was rehired.

 

[shirohagen]

If it isn't going to be a service Jobs is proud of until the end of the year, I take it the free trial will be extended until then? Or are we supposed to start paying while we wait for it to be worth the money...

If he thinks it is worth the fee already then there's no problem, but he obviously doesn't, so drop the fee until it is right instead of complaining about a service internally which you are happy to charge for externally.

 

[theGentleman]

Or are we supposed to start paying while we wait for it to be worth the money...

....apparently yes, we are supposed to keep paying for it, based on the email i received this morning (see above)

 

[motulist]

If it isn't going to be a service Jobs is proud of until the end of the year, I take it the free trial will be extended until then? Or are we supposed to start paying while we wait for it to be worth the money...

If he thinks it is worth the fee already then there's no problem, but he obviously doesn't, so drop the fee until it is right instead of complaining about a service internally which you are happy to charge for externally.

Or, you realize that no one is forcing you to buy the product, and stop complaining that you think something should be made free after you already paid for it. Unless you were automatically switched over to MM after you paid for .mac, then I don't see how a person who bought MM (with an available free trial period) has any right to complain about the product not being worth what you paid for it.

 

[Luca Larobiade]

And you're not able/authorized to cancell!

....apparently yes, we are supposed to keep paying for it, based on the email i received this morning (see above)

See my post above about "Apple becoming dishonest?"
I don't know if it's the case for everybody but the "Cancel Account" button is not available for me!

 

[theGentleman]

the "Cancel Account" button is not available for me!

i cant find a 'Cancel Account' button, where is it?

I simply have a check box that allows me to opt out of renewing the service.....

has anyone had any luck renaming files on their iDisk online yet? that is my biggest bugbear at the moment.

 

[Juo100]

Sounds like they will learn from their mistake, which is good. Now that Mobile Me is all working I’m very pleased with the functionality, as soon as the push time of Mac/PC is to for a few seconds it will be perfect.

Not that ill actually use the me.com service due to lack of custom "from" address but Apple could give it some basic editing options.

 

[Swift]

I think there's another culprit here

Steve says we have something to learn about Web services? Well, why doesn't he ask Google about gmail? Isn't that still in beta? Didn't you have to wangle an invitation back in the beginning?

In other words, Apple uses secrecy to market its hardware and desktop software. It works, frankly. The iPhone started as rumors, they didn't confirm anything, but the persistent use of "iPhone" in the rumors sites even helped Apple win the name. And the PR smash hit also worked, after making Leopard late because they borrowed engineers.

But it doesn't work on the Web. There, you need openness, and a prolonged Beta phase at least. Why didn't they recruit 50,000 .Mac members to try out MobileMe? Because "word would leak out"? So what? That's called buzz. But Apple doesn't work that way, and that's why its online services always suck a bit.

 

[clevin]

SJ must have been sleeping in past several years, this IS apple's standard. delivering premature products and letting users suffer has been apple's tradition at least for 2 years!

RevA MB
iMac
RevA iPod Touch
MM

anyway, I told ya, every big companies' head send these type of emails from time to time, remember BG's email? They don't change a thing.

 

[mike12806]

SJ must have been sleeping in past several years, this IS apple's standard. delivering premature products and letting users suffer has been apple's tradition at least for 2 years!

RevA MB
iMac
RevA iPod Touch
MM

anyway, I told ya, every big companies' head send these type of emails from time to time, remember BG's email? They don't change a thing.

What was wrong with the RevA iPod Touch? It didn't include the application updates you didn't want to pay for?

 

[born4sky]

Very nice of him

 

[Orng]

From a technical perspective it was definitely a mistake, but from a miner, insignificant, personal perspective, I might have waited a few weeks to get my iPod Touch 2.0 update if not for the promise of push email. (I already had dotMac)

So take heart, Steve-o, you got my ten bucks a few weeks sooner.

That being said, I'm finding that push email is not nearly as earth-shattering as I'd hoped (might be better on the iPhone, but none of my email is so urgent that I can't wait fifteen minutes to read it), I miss my JB1.1.4 NemusSync app to sync up my Touch calendar with Google cal, but otherwise, I'm glad I have the 2.0.

As for MobileMe, it's prettier, but really it's just dotMac, which I was and am satisfied with. But I still think that if they want to make it a killer app, they'll allow me to edit iWork documents on the web like Google docs. When that happens, I'll buy iWork as well.

 

[137489]

Well, obviously they are still working on "something" as my calendar and contacts started syncing properly. Email was never a problem for me.

Since they are taking to the end of the year to figure it out. I say - at the very least.... all new subscribers should get it free until the end of the year.

Why I say new? there were a lot more new subscribers with the new iphone as they wanted these features for their phone, as well as new subscribers for the non-iphone. It is the new subscribers that will be turned off quicker than existing customers. Existing customers are used to "some" (and probably not to this degree as experienced with MM) transitional changes and can pretty well know what to expect. In my business experience, you dump on a new customer - they are bound to spin more negativity about your services than an existing customer, since an existing customer remembers the good times; especially when there are hopes of it returning.

Exisiting customers are likely to return....
New Customers are likely to "Hey I tried them, they suck from day one. they could not even get it strait after a month, blah blah blah."

Since I have been in I/T for a number of years and know transition is not easy, I am not giving up - however I will admit that I am using GMAIL more and looking at other products. If this was business critical for me, I would have cancelled after the first week. However I also know good business and if is is going to take until the end of the year - then either give it free until the end of the year, or offer those in their trial period a discount (ie $45) when their paid service begins, since it will be about 1/2 year with disruptions in service - give them the 1/2 year of problems for free....

I think the sync'ing of calendars and contacts was fixed as I posted on Apple's community board the problems I was having, and how to use GMAIL/GOOGLE products and the success with those. then I sent Apple support an email with a copy of that post and also pointed them to their own community that showed multiple having the same problems as I, as well as the people still posting about email outage - even after the statement that it had been restored.

Like I said, I have about 65 more days until my free trial expires. I already have other plans in place. About the only thing holding me back right now is the fact that MM will sync contacts. I have not found a google option to sync contacts that works.

 

[137489]

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

MobileMe Anonymous...

Hi, I am John and I am a Mobile Me user.

 

[Luca Larobiade]

THE "Cancel Button"

i cant find a 'Cancel Account' button, where is it?

I simply have a check box that allows me to opt out of renewing the service.....

has anyone had any luck renaming files on their iDisk online yet? that is my biggest bugbear at the moment.

As mention on the MobileMe support:
"How To
To cancel your subscription:

Go to (www.me.com) on your Mac or Microsoft Windows-based PC
- Log in if you’re not already logged into your MobileMe account
- Click the Account button at the top of the window
- Click Account Options in the left sidebar
- Click the Cancel Account button at the bottom of the window

Additional Information

If you don’t see the Cancel Account button, the subscription is already past the 60-day trial period and you can no longer cancel the subscription yourself. Contact MobileMe Support to cancel your account and receive a prorated refund as outlined in the MobileMe Terms and Conditions."


Apple is forgetting the first business rule: "Without customers, you don't have a business. You just have a hobby..."
I paid for MobileMe the price defined by Apple. I deserve a minimum of respect, especially if I'm not satisfied!

 

[gnasher729]

Man I hope Steve stays around. It seems like everyone at Apple doesn't self start at all. I mean for Steve to have to step in and tell the MobileMe crew to start posting daily updates on it's status is pretty lame. That should be a no brainer.

You don't know what the real situation is. There could be an under-manned team of engineers working as hard as they can, telling their management that MobileMe isn't ready, only to be ignored and forced to release an unfinished product.

That said, one of Steve Jobs' greatest qualities is this: If it turns out that he was wrong (or the same idea that was absolutely right three years ago is now wrong because times have changed), then he doesn't try to defend his old, incorrect ideas but switches straight over to what is right. (Margaret Thatcher would have hated him. She thought that sticking with old, outdated ideas was somehow showing strength of character).

 

[Fabio_gsilva]

I really admire how Apple, and most of all, how Steve Jobs are handing this issue.

They're in contact with everybody all the time, letting people know what the heck is going on with Mobile Me and what they expect to do to solve the remaining problems.

He is not hiding nor is Apple turning his back to the problem, like is very common to see nowadays. He is showing his face, assuming the responsibility for all the problems, and publicly assuming when mobile me is going to be great.

This, in my opinion, shows how Apple diverges from the rest of the tech companies, and endorses my opinion to keep supporting Apple.

Microsoft ********s its costumer with the Longhorn/Vista Mayhem and, a year and a half later, tells everybody who uses it that there is nothing wrong with the system, but with the users that are stupid.

Go Apple!

 

[gnasher729]

I really admire how Apple, and most of all, how Steve Jobs are handing this issue.

They're in contact with everybody all the time, letting people know what the heck is going on with Mobile Me and what they expect to do to solve the remaining problems.

He is not hiding nor is Apple turning his back to the problem, like is very common to see nowadays. He is showing his face, assuming the responsibility for all the problems, and publicly assuming when mobile me is going to be great.

This, in my opinion, shows how Apple diverges from the rest of the tech companies, and endorses my opinion to keep supporting Apple.

Microsoft ********s its costumer with the Longhorn/Vista Mayhem and, a year and a half later, tells everybody who uses it that there is nothing wrong with the system, but with the users that are stupid.

It is a well-known, successful and often ignored marketing principle that every time you mess something up, it is a brilliant opportunity to show your customers how you handle your mistakes. There is no better advertisement than having handled a problem well, because every customers biggest fear is not that there might be a problem with the product, but that there might be a problem and nobody does something about it.

With Microsoft, I don't know if it just happens or if it is intentional, but their products are designed in such a way that whenever something goes wrong, the poor users tend to blame themselves for being stupid, and not Microsoft for making a bad product. I think that is why you see much more complaints from Mac users; if something goes wrong then we tend to see it as Apple's fault and not our own. On the other hand, Mac users are happier with their products.

 

[thedave3000]

Accepting Responsibility

I for one was very surprised the way Apple rolled out the Mobile Me launch. I was fully expecting it to happen during the week prior to the launch of the iPhone 3G so that all the potential bugs could be worked out. It seemed logical to introduce Mobile Me first so that existing dot Mac customers could report any issues or problems with the service. Let's face it, we were existing customers and were already paying for a service - as a whole we would've been the perfect test group for Apple. Instead, they introduced a new untested service to the general public with millions of new people subscribing to the service and the results speak for themselves. This article seems to indicate a willingness on the part of Apple leadership to acknowledge that the direction from the very top was flawed and should've been rethought. I am glad to see Apple accepting responsibility when errors are made. As the company grows and expands and takes on more and more customers, more detail to practicality I think will have to be given than has been in the past.

 

[freddiecable]

FIX iDisk speed in Europe

this is one of the most important issues to be fixed now. we that use iDisk outside of the US has superslow bandwidth with iDisk - and also other MobileMe services. Apple - please fix this! Maybe "a few" servers in Europe?

 

[Fabio_gsilva]

It is a well-known, successful and often ignored marketing principle that every time you mess something up, it is a brilliant opportunity to show your customers how you handle your mistakes. There is no better advertisement than having handled a problem well, because every customers biggest fear is not that there might be a problem with the product, but that there might be a problem and nobody does something about it.

With Microsoft, I don't know if it just happens or if it is intentional, but their products are designed in such a way that whenever something goes wrong, the poor users tend to blame themselves for being stupid, and not Microsoft for making a bad product. I think that is why you see much more complaints from Mac users; if something goes wrong then we tend to see it as Apple's fault and not our own. On the other hand, Mac users are happier with their products.

Yeah, and it is incredible that the number of big companies that usually do that is reducing day by day...

 

[dtyson]

MobileMe Anonymous...

Hi, I am John and I am a Mobile Me user.

Twelve Steps for MobileMe Team Recovery?

Hi, I'm Dave and I'm a MobileMe Programmer. Here are the steps I took, which are suggested as a program of MobileMe recovery:

1. We admitted we were powerless over MobileMe - that the app had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that SOMEONE must have an idea of how to restore this thing before too long (or before Jobs noticed - whichever came first).
3. Made a decision to turn our job security over to Jobs, as we know the buck stops there, because we realized we HAD to tell him something was wrong.
4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of every line of code from start to finish.
5. Admitted to Jobs, Apple, Inc. and to all of its customers the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have the wrath of Jobs come down in the form of mass firings.
7. Humbly begged him to see that we “kinda” fixed it so we should not be fired.
8. Made a list of all persons affected by the outages and became willing to give them a peace offering.
9. Made direct amends in the form of a thirty-day extension to all subscribers, except for those who signed up after a given time, of course.
10. Continued to search all code to figure out why people weren’t getting email now.
11. Sought through endless scouring of coding manuals to pacify Jobs, as we know the buck stops there, hoping that that one percent of end-users don’t actually use the MobileMe email anyway.
12. Having realized that it truly was our fault, we carried our resumes to the nearest unemployment office so that we could practice our coding and release our apps in a much less consequential environment.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

Eh. So they screwed up. I still love Apple.

 

[Digitalclips]

I distinctly remember Steve Jobs saying (during his keynote, regarding MobileMe): "This time, I think we got it right"...

This, in and of itself, was admission that Apple knew .Mac never really "Got it right". They got it very wrong. Any former .Mac user knows that... Yet they still charged full price for that service.

And now, once again, Steve Jobs himself admits that they really didn't get MobileMe right... Yet they still charge full price for this service.

• Are we supposed to feel better because Apple keeps admitting that they can't "Get it Right"?

• Are we supposed to be impressed because Steve wrote a letter and is now involved?

• Are we supposed to be happy with a one-month extension for this half baked, under tested service?

• Now, we are supposed to wait until the end of the year before they "Get it right"?

The end of the year is 5 months away...

I don't really care "who's heads roll" or "who reports to who"... That is Apple's problem, not mine.

I don't want or need anything free... I just want Apple to deliver on what it promises, on time. If Apple wants to play with the big boys they just need to "GET IT RIGHT".

My iPhone and MobileMe seems to be working fine, what's the problem with yours?

I realize the Mac itself, when not on MobileMe web site, i.e. Mail etc. isn't auto push but I am able to move my mouse a few inches and click 'sync now' without over taxing my brain or arm muscles too much.