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Casting a Critical Eye Over the Mac App Store
We’re not even a week in, and the Mac App Store is, for the most part, a huge success. I’m not at all surprised the Mac App Store has proven to be so successful so quickly. If anything, I’m surprised it took Apple this long to release it!

But as the excitement wears off, it’s time to take a long, hard look at what the Mac App Store could mean for Mac users — not just now, but in the future, as the iOS-ification of the Mac continues.

First, the Good News

The Mac App Store improves personal computing in three huge areas; software discovery, security and maintenance.

Until now, the way most Mac users discovered new software was by word-of-mouth, labored research — or sheer serendipity. None of those are entirely bad things, but they’re far from the one-stop-shop ideal the Mac App Store represents. What’s more, it’s built right in to the Mac and it’s easy to use.

Security on Mac OS X has never been a headache, but that doesn’t mean Mac users should be careless. There’s no guarantee third-party software won’t do something naughty once it’s installed. With the Mac App Store, everything comes from Apple’s servers, and users can rest easy in the knowledge that it had to pass some sort of quality control before Apple approved it.

Finally, maintenance — a foreign word to most Mac users. Sometimes, updates are relatively painless and happen automatically. Other times, they require visiting websites, downloading and unzipping packages or messing about with disk images. The Mac App Store does away with all of this and replaces it with one-click updates, centrally located.

Inherited Flaws

That’s not to say there aren’t problems. Let’s first remember that the Mac App Store is modelled after the iOS App Store, which means that it inherits a few bad genes:

No Trial Software
Buy or don’t buy — there is no trial software on the App Store. And if you buy something you ultimately don’t like? Well, that’s tough. The money is gone. Better hope you didn’t spend a lot.

Flaky Reviews
iOS App Store reviews are often misleading and, sometimes, make entirely false (and detrimental) claims. Developers don’t have the option of turning off customer reviews (and imagine how suspicious it would appear if they did) but there has to be a better way for Apple to handle the review process.

Bumpy Approval Process
We’ve all heard stories about the painfully lengthy and opaque approval process developers sometimes face getting their apps (or updates) into the Store. Presumably, this will be no different for the Mac App Store, either.

Freedom

Let’s assume, though, that all of the above aside, the Mac App Store becomes the software repository of choice for developers and end users alike. In this case, it’s necessary to scrutinize the policies and ideologies of the App Store curators — Apple itself.

Foul language, nudity or sexuality, subversive or revolutionary political content — it’s all banned from the App Store, sometimes explicitly covered by the published guidelines, yet always ultimately at Apple’s discretion.

Sure, sure – this is Apple’s store, these are Apple’s policies and if we don’t like them … well, we don’t have to use Apple products, do we? But is that entirely fair? And where does it end?

(Un)Fair Exchange?

There is a difference between responsible curation and outright censorship, and while the former is applauded, the latter is generally considered reprehensible. Yet this is the situation we are in today, both with the iOS and now the Mac App Stores. In my opinion, Apple doesn’t just curate, it censors.

Are the benefits of software discovery, enhanced security and ease-of-use a fair trade for restrictive content policies? When Microsoft enjoyed its absolute power in the 1990s, we called it “The Borg” for exerting such dominance over businesses and end-users. Is Apple so different today in the way it regulates the iOS software ecosystem?

This can never happen on the Mac, some will argue. No Mac user is forced to use the Mac App Store. But what happens when a future version of Mac OS X makes the Mac App Store the only way to get software onto a Mac? It seems like a very real possibility, considering how supportive many developers are of the new marketplace.

Worried

Believe it or not, I’m no conspiracy theorist and, if I’m really honest, I wouldn’t mind if — in a future version of Mac OS X entirely dependent on the App Store for third-party software — Apple rejected certain titles on the grounds of insufficient quality, stability or power efficiency.

But I worry that what started as the cautious regulation of a novel software distribution platform might one day mutate into something far worse — absolute control of my beloved Mac by a company that has decided I shouldn’t be allowed to make it my own in the same way I once could.

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Connecting to Denon's A/V Receivers — Now With AirPlay
There are no less than six distinct means of accessing your iTunes media (with or without an iOS device) on one of Denon’s new A/V receivers. And now Denon has finally followed through on their September announcement regarding AirPlay, bringing the total to seven. So how does the new AirPlay support stack up to the other six options? To find out, I took a look at one of the new AVR-4311CI receivers Denon has in its lineup.

Out of the Box

The chart below indicates at a glance what each connection solution does and doesn’t provide. Read on for more specific details about each potential solution.

Direct USB Connection. The cheapest way to get your music going is to use the USB cable that came with your iOS device. While there’s a USB port both in the front and the back of the AVR-4311CI, only one works at any given time. For the price, you can’t beat it.

Media Server via Twonky DLNA Server. The Denon AVR-4311CI can connect to a media server on your local network. This is the same sort of connectivity that exists on most game consoles and modern television sets today. Twonky is a Mac-based DLNA server that I used prior to AirPlay’s introduction of video support. While the 4311CI Media Server supports both music and photos, the quality of photo playback is very poor.

Airport Express via Toslink. Attaching an Airport Express directly to the A/V receiver via Toslink cable provides access to your iTunes music library. I docked the Airport Express in a Griffin AirBase and even attached a Keyspan USB Remote Control to the Airport Express’ USB port for control. With iOS 4.2, though, you can now use the Remote App to access your iTunes library over Wi-Fi, or even stream music directly from your iOS device to the Airport Express via AirPlay.

Apple’s Universal Dock via Component Cables. Video playback from your iOS device can be achieved using the Apple Universal Dock and the Apple Component AV Cable. If you dock an iOS device, you can even watch YouTube and Netflix from your device.

Denon’s iPod Dock. By far the most expensive connection solution, Denon has a complete line-up of iPod docks that attach to their product line either directly or over the network. I have the ASD-11R attached to my AVR-4311CI via a set of composite audio cables, S-video connection, and a proprietary controller cable that links the amp’s remote control features to the dock. As you get into Denon’s more expensive docks, you basically turn your iPod into a DLNA server, at which point you can then connect to your iPod as if it were a Media Server.

Apple TV via HDMI. Perhaps the most advanced means of getting your full iTunes library onto a Denon A/V Receiver, and definitely the most economical, is the Apple TV. It provides HD video playback, Airplay and Home Sharing support, on-screen navigation and display of information, the works. There is no reason not to have one, and in fact, I have three.

AirPlay Support via Paid Upgrade

Both Denon and Marantz, subsidiaries of D&M Holdings, each claimed to be the world’s first AirPlay-compatible A/V components. Each is also charging $49 for the upgrade, which are finally available for download. The process to register your receiver for the upgrade requires the serial number, MAC address and an upgrade ID generated by the device itself. The mechanics of how AirPlay works is exactly the same as the other solutions. Even the screen layout is exactly the same as the USB, Media Server, and Denon Dock-based solutions. The only difference is that you must use your iOS device, iTunes or the iOS Remote App from Apple to select media you want to play.

Conclusion: Apple TV or USB

Depending on whether or not you need video, the two best solutions are the direct USB cable connection and the Apple TV. AirPlay doesn’t offer any clear advantage over any of the other solutions available, especially not given its cost. For a little more, you can have the full Apple TV experience, as well as everything AirPlay has to offer, including HD video.

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The Verizon iPhone Is Coming: Are You Ready?
Finally, after years of rumours and speculation, it looks like Verizon is about to start selling Apple’s iPhone. On Saturday, citing people “familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal boldly proclaimed “The iPhone is finally coming to Verizon Wireless.” From the WSJ:

The largest U.S. wireless carrier will make the long-awaited announcement at an event Tuesday in New York City… The phone will make its way to Verizon Wireless stores around the end of January.

The move will for the first time let U.S. consumers choose the network that carries their iPhone and perhaps give them additional pricing options that could affect their monthly bills.

The article confirms that the Verizon iPhone will feature a radio chip making it compatible with the carrier’s CDMA wireless network. By comparison, AT&T iPhones work with the (globally ubiquitous) GSM wireless network.

Verizon’s invitation-only “special event” will be held tomorrow, at New York City's Lincoln Center. According to John Paczkowski of All Things Digital, the event will be headed by Verizon COO Lowell McAdam, and, “barring any unforseen circumstances,” Apple’s very own Steve Jobs.

More details (also from Paczkowski) on Verizon’s shiny new iPhone suggest that we can expect the phone to debut with an unlimited data plan;

Sources close to Verizon tell me the carrier will offer the iPhone with an unlimited data plan (presumably the same $30 unlimited plan it offers for other smartphones)–though they wouldn't say for how long. That should distinguish it a bit more from the iPhone on AT&T, which requires a capped plan for data service.

For AT&T, the Damage is Already Done

Of course, the question now is how much a Verizon iPhone will impact AT&T’s business. Since the iPhone launched in 2007, AT&T has been the only carrier in the United States to officially offer Apple’s iconic smartphone to customers; but in the last three years, AT&T has been criticized for high prices and shaky service. The carrier has cited iPhone-customers’ insatiable hunger for data as the reason for sometimes-unreliable service and dropped calls, pledging significant upgrades to their network in order to better meet demand.

Even Steve Jobs (sort of) defended AT&T’s difficult position when he spoke at the D8 Conference in June last year, saying;

“They [AT&T] worry about the network, while we worry about the phone. They’re improving, but they do have some issues. Remember that they’re handling way more traffic than all other competitors combined.

Credible people tell me that things get worse before they get better as the carriers switch things around to make improvements. If you believe that, things should get a lot better soon. Should be better by end of summer. We’ll see.”

However, no amount of high-powered Execu-speak could change the fact that, for AT&T, the damage was already done — by Sept. 2010, Credit Suisse reported that nearly a quarter of AT&T iPhone customers would switch to Verizon “if given the chance”.

Mounting a Desperate Defense

AT&T has already put something of a defense strategy into action; last week they reduced the price of the iPhone 3GS from $99 to $49, presumably hoping that pricing alone might convince customers not to choose an iPhone from their competitor. Apple followed suit today, reducing the price to $49 on its own website.

In addition, AT&T’s PR executive Larry Solomon reached out to Business Week‘s Silicon Alley Insider yesterday with a dig at Verizon;

The iPhone is built for speed, but that’s not what you get with a CDMA phone. I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.

Will you be jumping ship to Verizon? Or are you grandfathered-in to the best deal AT&T can offer? Are you, like me, just relieved that these endless “Verizon iPhone” rumors will finally be put to rest? Are you willing to change carriers now, or will you wait another few months for the iPhone 5? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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How to Fix TV Show Sorting on iOS Devices

If you acquire television shows from sources other than the iTunes Store for enjoyment on your iOS device, some of that enjoyment may be frustrated by a bug that inexplicably missorts shows and episodes. Luckily, the fix is simple, if a little illogical.

In the above screenshot from the iPod app on an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2.1, two shows are listed on the left, Fringe and The Office, the latter showing seven episodes. However, drilling down into The Office reveals three episodes of that show, three of Caprica, and one of Fringe. A variation of this problem may also create an “unknown” television show with one or more shows and episodes within. Annoyingly, this can happen even if shows are properly tagged.

Tagging television shows is done in iTunes through the Get Info (Command + I) dialog box under the Video tab, where show, season, episode ID, and episode number can be edited. Unfortunately, even if all that information is correct, and displays correctly in iTunes, it still might not work right on an iOS device. I’ve seen this problem on an iPhone, an iPod touch, and an iPad, but strangely never on an Apple TV 2.

The solution is to go to the “Info” tab where the “Name” of the episode is found, and under “Artist” enter the show’s name. It makes no sense, but it works. As can be seen above, the episode number is also entered under “Track Number.” Previously, shows that were correctly grouped might have episodes listed alphabetically unless ordered with the Track Number. Apparently, that was fixed in iOS 4. Hopefully, the this bug will soon be fixed, too, but until then this workaround solves the problem of missorted television shows.

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