Today, for those of you who don’t know, there was an iPod event. While not a whole lot of the event was geared towards the iPhone, the smallest section of the Stevenote nearly made me wet myself.

Before I go on just let me say that I don’t speak as a fanboy. I don’t simply like Apple because I can. There are clear reasons for my Apple preference. I used PCs, I’ve seen the alternatives. I know how Zunes (don’t) work. The fact is, Apple has an unprecedented attention to detail, and they back it up with awesome support. I have literally never had a good tech support experience…Except with Apple. Every company makes mistakes, but Apple is the only company I know who has a near perfect record for fixing things they royally screw up (when I say “near”, I’m looking at you, mis-contorted mini-bluetooth keyboard of doom and suckiness).

So based on their track record, I’ve always trusted that over time Apple would work out all the things I’ve come to hate about my iPhone. I figured 2.1 would address the words of them: random app crashing, and the overall instability that occurs when you have a lot of apps (like I do). But I had no idea that Steve Jobs would get up on stage today, and tell me that every single little thing I hate about my iPhone will be no more as of this Friday (well, I shouldn’t say EVERYTHING…there’s still no cut and paste!!!).

No 4-hour-long backups, they’ve revamped that backup system. No starting from scratch at least once a week because my iPhone refuses to boot up after installing one too many apps. He even says there’s going to be significant performance improvements, and significant battery life improvements. Based on the demos, I’m guessing that means faster app installs, but it’s always hard to tell with demos

Another great thing they did with this event today was clearly label the iPhone/iPod Touch as a gaming platform. Apple themselves has finally acknowledged the potential for gaming in their device, and this is groundbreaking for consumers. It means that game developers will be willing to look at it very seriously; and the answer will usually be yes! Take EA for example, they’ve been putting out tons of games for iPhone and doing simultaneous release for iPhone with big names like Spore and Need for Speed! It’s fantastic for us gamers, because we get AMAZING games on the iPhone, and it’s great for them too, because development time is tiny in comparison to other platforms; and yet there is a huge profit potential. Win/Win.

They’ve also made significant progress in making the iPod Touch and iPod Nano more green. I am always all for keeping this world a habitable place! It always baffles me that people label Apple as a non-eco-friendly company. They are a tech company, and nearly every piece of tech has strange chemicals in it. It is true that Apple does some not-so-great stuff, but from where I’m sitting, it’s also true that they are the ONLY tech company actually working towards improving on that front.

Wow, Apple. I trusted in you, and I don’t regret it. Today is a great day. Here’s to one of the finest companies I know.

Hello,
So you guys sure seem to be proud of your decision to support a ridiculously restrictive DRM format. I just wanted you to know a few things, you really should consider them before you move forward.

The first is that, I promise you, piracy will still happen. It always happens. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it. DRM just makes it a pain in the ass for those who purchase it legally, making piracy all the more tempting.

For those of us who don’t have moral convictions preventing us from stealing from a giant machine such as many of your clients, the one and only draw to not engaging in piracy is that it makes it easier on us. When you intentionally include a piece of spyware whose job is to hassle the user through hell and back, it doesn’t make it very easy on them.

The second thing I want to warn you about is that you will make less money. Statistics show that DRM hurts sales (here is one of many articles on this: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/sins-publisher-stardock-keeps-piracy-in-perspective/). Aside from statistics, I can tell you first hand that I am one of them. I am making you a promise right now that I will NEVER buy ANY of your games that include SecuROM (I make no promises as to whether or not I’ll acquire them, you just won’t make any money off it if I do).

So, I hope you can see now, DRM is going to hurt you dramatically. And for trying to take away consumer freedoms, and putting your concerns of piracy above the will of your PAYING CUSTOMERS, your company deserves to go under.

Thank you
Jt Hollister

P.S. Your ports aren’t very good anyway.

Phil Hassey, a dedicated and excellent programmer who authored the original Galcon, has put out my favorite app for the iPhone so far. The iPhone and iPod Touch are, in my opinion, the ideal platforms for Galcon. Touch controls are simpler and faster than using your mouse, making the gameplay absolutely incredible!

No multiplayer, as of yet, but I have word from Phil that he plans on putting that together later this year — after he recuperates from the porting process!

I would love to see some more controls implemented, but for a first release this is absolutely gorgeous!

Galcon Touch can be had from the iTunes App Store or in the App Store on your iPhone/iPod Touch.

On the night of Thursday, July 10th the rest of the household was getting ready for bed. I, on the other hand, was getting ready to head out the door to the local Apple store at The Gateway. I arrived at 2:30 AM to something I didn’t exactly expect: a rather long line of people who, like myself, were waiting for the iPhone 3G to hit the shelves.

Throughout the morning, the line continued to grow to a point where I couldn’t even see the end of it. As 8:00 drew nearer, even more people began to arrive in droves. I’ve never seen such a huge crowd lined up for a product before, but then, I’ve never lined up for a product as exciting as the iPhone 3G (although I must admit, Leopard comes close).

After a long, grueling wait, the black veil was dropped and the doors were opened. The first group of people was let in, but it was clear the wait was going to extend for a bit longer. Luckily, Apple employees brought two iPhones out - one white, one black - for those of us in line to glimpse.

Apple was also kind enough to bring coffee and bottled water to those who wanted it. Talk about classy. It was a hot morning, and the water was a welcome surprise.

While most of us waited in line for iPhones, one individual came looking for something else. I watched as this man walked up to one of the Apple reps at the door, entered the building, and minutes later exited the building with a brand new MacBook Pro. Even with hundreds of people lined up outside the store, pining for glimpses of the shiny new toy and shouting out superfluous questions, Apple was able to help someone who wanted nothing to do with the madness! If you ask me, that really speaks to quality service.

After a two hour wait, I entered the building and purchased my new iPhone. The activation servers were down at the time, and I was told to activate it from the comfort of my own home. The process failed a couple times, but within 10 minutes I was good to go. Compared to the time spent in line, this wait was hardly something to complain about.

The first impression of the iPhone 3G is: WOW! I’ve seen the imagery and advertisements put out by Apple, but none of it compares to holding the device in your hand. I can’t say a lot about the new iPhone at this point, but the first impression is definitely there. Here’s to hoping it’s everything it promises!