With the recent spate of Verizon ads that have been attacking AT&T’s 3G network, and by extension the iPhone, I began wondering what life for iPhone users would be like on Verizon. Even among the iPhone faithful, there is a fairly decent amount of disdain for AT&T. Among the digerati, many of whom live in the San Francisco area & New York City, it is even greater. But such is the love for the iPhone, they put up with the sketchy service (Most of which is due to the dense concentration of iPhone users in these areas).
As of Q1 of ‘09, Verizon had about 86.5 million subscribers leaping ahead of AT&T’s 78.2 million as of the same period (Let it be noted that Verizon achieved this with the acquisition of Alltel which brought with it 13.2 million subscribers). Also as of Q1 of ‘09, AT&T had activated about 8 million iPhones since 2007 (I haven’t found a hard number on how many iPhones are currently in use).
What is for certain is that no one uses wireless bandwidth like iPhone users. In creating mobile Safari, Apple made a mobile browser people actually want to use, not to mention the apps. My theory is that even with a wider 3G coverage map, iPhone users on Verizon’s network would face the congestion problems seen on AT&T. Like it or not, going with AT&T was the right thing for Apple to do. It allowed them to make one phone with a GSM radio that could be widely used around the world and therefore gain greater adoption. Now that they have a strong foothold, they can branch out to other carriers (once exclusivity ends). I’m just not so sure I’d abandon ship so fast.
In social media circles and particularly stories written about social media, one of the favorite topics is customer service. There are some good examples of companies that exercise great customer service. There are many more who do not. The fact we will more quickly share a bad experience over a good one should make that no surprise.
Probably the most recent, bad example of note is that of musician Dave Carroll and the experience he had with United Airlines after his guitar was damaged by baggage handlers (YouTube video here). The YouTube video helped turn his bad experience into a better one. I could go on with more examples but the tone of indifference he and others experience in their customer service experiences seem to be the rule rather than the exception.
In the way of positive customer service, there is Frank Eliason who is @comcastcares on Twitter. Frank basically took it upon himself to use Twitter as a tool to reach out and help customers who were having problems or negative service experiences. Particularly those that were voicing their problems on Twitter. It is now his primary duty along with a growing team of people helping with the load.
While there are more stories like these on both sides, the point is sites like Twitter or Facebook are being used as tools/weapons to get results. In one sense I’m glad that consumers have a recourse to combat service problems. On the other hand, it’s sad that we have to resort to threats to achieve a positive outcome. Customer service is a war and social media has become the battlefield. Victories are won when companies are shamed into doing what they should have done in the first place.
The other piece to all of this is the praise that is heaped upon companies who “get it.” I love it that companies are out there using social media to communicate with their customers. However, I’m not so sure we should be throwing parades in their honor just because somebody had the common sense to see Twitter as an effective communication tool. For the big boys especially it’s simple, talk to your customers and you’ll likely keep them as customers.
I was just in the bookstore looking at the magazine rack and I again made notice of a sad trend. Magazines are looking downright thin these days. Being a designer, I naturally gravitate to the design related section of the newsstand and that is where I have seen it. In recent months, my favorite design mags have dwindled in size while at the same time, increasing their prices.
The most desired issues of these magazines, for me, has always been their design annuals and I’m not the only one. For that reason, these have historically been more expensive than the average issue. One of the recent HOW magazine design annuals I picked up seemed thinner than an average issue would have been a few years ago. That even included a couple of advertisements for paper companies which always add a little girth to the book. They are typically printed on the heavier stock being advertised. Just holding it in your hand, you can’t help but realize the problem. Ads. While I have only the data gathered by my eyes and the feel of the book in my hand, undoubtedly ad revenues are down in a big way.
Another example was my latest trip to the newsstand. The Print Regional Design Annual is now on sale and it can be safely said that it is half the size it used to be and substantially more expensive at $39. As much as I value these particular issues that showcase the work of fellow designers, I find it hard to justify paying those prices.
Besides the economy, we’ve all heard about the dire straits of print journalism in the media in recent years. Falling circulations and ad sales have delivered a crushing blow that most can’t recover from. With the fast pace of the internet and the hunger for up-to-the-minute news, print publications can’t compete.
I hate to see this happen to such a great medium. I don’t know where magazines fit into the equation, where design is such a crucial component of what they are. Like books, the experience doesn’t translate anywhere near the same when looking at a screen. I do hope they can survive, one way or another.
Wow, what a day in technology. Apple launches a slew of new items and the rumored eBook reader from Barnes & Noble is now a reality. The nook (note the “cool” use of all lowercase letters) is a $259 one-of-a-kind E Ink® based reader that also incorporates a touch sensitive color display strip along the bottom of the device. Like my other posts regarding the Kindle, I won’t regurgitate specs here but instead offer a bit of comparison.
I already like the nook better than the Kindle. Granted I haven’t held one, (I have now tried both models of the Kindle) but unlike the Kindle, I’ll be able to go into a Barnes & Noble store to have a hands on test. This is potentially a HUGE benefit for the nook.
Among its other superlatives, it’s less expensive and includes wi-fi which the Kindle does not. It will use the less regarded AT&T network for its 3G connection for the ability to buy books almost anywhere. Frankly I don’t care which network it runs on, it’ll be good enough. I say make it even less expensive and cut out the subsidized wireless service and just leave the wi-fi. Finding wi-fi is easy lest you find yourself out and in need of making a book purchase.
The color touch panel along the bottom serves as the navigation for moving around the menus of the nook. It’s also where you view your library and make purchases. Another nice feature is the option to lend books to your friends, again something the Kindle doesn’t do.
All-in-all, it seems like B&N has at least one upped Amazon with the nook. Like the Kindle, the nook has shortcomings that I have addressed before. Although I don’t know for certain, there are still likely the same design limitations inherent in the format and therefore not a substitute for good graphic design. For voracious readers, it’s a good investment. For those still unsure, this could very well lead you to take the plunge. The nook certainly has me a step closer to justifying buying an eBook reader.
The latest release in the DesignerPacks Series is DesignerPack 2. DesignerPacks are collections of themed graphics for use in your own designs.
The DesignerPack 2 collection features three 9 x 11.5 layered Photoshop documents (.PSD) that can be used as letterhead, newsletter design, or as a flier, all including a bleed area. Also included is a 9 x 6 layered Photoshop document (.PSD) with a bleed area. Additionally the package has TIFF files that can be directly incorporated into your page layout application of choice such as Quark XPress, Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Word among others. Each file is in CMYK and fully editable. Additionally, the graphic files can be used in your Keynote, PowerPoint or your presentation software of choice. DesignerPack 2 is available now for $24.99.
NOTE: Adobe Photoshop is required to edit .PSD files and produce CMYK files suitable for printing. Other image editors such as Pixelmator or Acorn will produce RGB files suitable for online or on screen viewing.
Defy Creative introduces DesignerPacks. DesignerPacks are collections of themed graphics for use in your own designs and are available now in the Defy Creative Store. The debut collection, DesignerPack 1, features a 9 x 11.5 layered Photoshop document (.PSD) as well as two 9 x 6 layered Photoshop documents (.PSD) both including a bleed area. Also included are TIFF files that can be directly incorporated into your page layout application of choice such as Quark XPress, Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Word among others. Each file is in CMYK and fully editable. Additionally, the files can be used in your Keynote, PowerPoint or your presentation software of choice. NOTE: Adobe Photoshop is required to edit .PSD files and produce CMYK files suitable for printing. Other image editors such as Pixelmator or Acorn will produce RGB files suitable for online or on screen viewing.
I’m trying out AudioBoo for the first time and I think it’s pretty cool. Think of it as the Twitter of audio. You get three minutes worth of audio to record whatever and post it to their website. From there you can post it to your own site and there is also a handy WordPress widget that will form a playlist of your latest Boos. There are also numerous ways to share such as Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to check it out.
Apple fans are a funny bunch. No sooner does a new toy show up and they start asking questions and prognosticating about the next one. I suppose that’s a testament to Apple’s ability make drool-worthy devices and their supernatural powers of persuasion.
For years, it was dreams of a PDA that filled our heads, nevermind a phone. In 2007, the iPhone was released and those dreams were realized and then some. Ever since, it has been talk of a tablet that would do who knows what. A couple of posts ago, I outlined the rumors before WWDC about this possibility and what might be wrong with it.
However, there has been something else that bothers me about an addition to the lineup. Whether it was another iPhone that might be smaller or a tablet, (I don’t think Apple will make a netbook) the thing that didn’t add up was which OS would it use. A smaller iPhone just couldn’t use the same OS as the current phone OS. The Human Interface Guidelines of the iPhone OS are such as to maximize the screen real estate of the phone. For instance, buttons are to be a certain size so your finger can accurately select it. A physically smaller phone would have to account for a smaller screen therefore limiting what can be on screen at one time. I suppose it could happen but it would be quite limited and would not run the crop of applications in the App Store.
Alternatively, a tablet would allow for precise touch input but you still have a problem with the difference in size. So if not the Touch OS then the current desktop OS or the upcoming Snow Leopard OS? It might make sense if it were to use a mouse and keyboard for input but that seems like an awkward setup for a tablet. Finger input might work but it doesn’t seem like the sweet spot and depending on the resolution could be a nightmare. The most likely and yet somewhat un-Apple like solution would be a third OS optimized for touch input on a device sized somewhere between an iPhone and the MacBook. Un-Apple-like because it flies in the face of their philosophy of simplicity.
There are many possibilities as to what this new toy can be and if it comes to fruition, will be innovative. As before, the rumor may linger long enough to become reality.
News began buzzing over the weekend about Apple being in talks with Verizon about carrying the iPhone in the 2010-2011 time frame. A MacRumors story speaks of an “iPhone Lite” and the fabled “other device” that may or may not be a tablet. Specifically it’s referred to as a “Media Pad” that is overall smaller than a Kindle but with a larger screen.
The first question that comes to my mind is, “Why would Apple need to talk to Verizon about a tablet/media pad?” The answer is to have a device with a constant data connection for surfing the web and maybe downloading music and apps like the iPhone. That’s great, but who is going to have another device for which they have to pay a monthly fee especially when the iPhone does such an admirable job at doing the previously listed tasks. If Apple were to make such a device, they would of course want to sell them to iPhone owners. The answer to that may be an arrangement like the Kindle, where the access to the wireless network is subsidized in the purchase price of the device. There are problems with that scenario too, but it’s difficult to see another solution unless access was at a greatly reduced rate. Am I wrong here? Would you as an iPhone owner want a device like this, essentially an overgrown iPhone and then pay another monthly wireless fee? While I would like the device no doubt, I can’t see the justification in paying a monthly fee for wireless service.
One thing’s for sure. This is still just a rumor. If this device even exists, the possibilities are many. It may be just that, a media pad that only has wi-fi and controls other devices like your Apple TV or an extension of your computer screen. Maybe more like an overgrown iPod Touch than an iPhone.
The other thing we know… Apple is the best at making a device you’ve got to have and never knew you needed.
Buy the above illustration from the Defy Creative Store for $0.99.
I wanted to let everyone know that the Defy Creative Store has been revamped to provide a more simple shopping experience. Previously the store had been built using Zen Cart shopping cart software. Zen Cart is a great tool that is absolutely packed full of useful features. However, it has always been more than I needed in terms of its complexity.
Recently I became aware of a plugin for WordPress called WP Shopping Cart that allows shopping cart functionality right in a WordPress installation. Now customers can shop without ever leaving the pages of the main Defy Creative site. This plugin, while rich with features, offers a more seamless and simplified shopping and checkout process. Enjoy!
Just a Theory "With the recent spate of Verizon ads that have been attacking AT&T’s 3G network, and by extension the iPhone, I began wondering what life for ..." Read More
Getting It "In social media circles and particularly stories written about social media, one of the favorite topics is customer service. There are some good examples of ..." Read More
The latest release in the DesignerPacks Series is DesignerPack 2. DesignerPacks are collections of themed graphics for use in your own designs.
News began buzzing over the weekend about Apple being in talks with Verizon about carrying the iPhone in the 2010-2011 time frame. A 