We had a fantastic New Year's celebration last night, and it went on well past the witching hour. But we wanted to get up this morning in time to set up our football pool for the day, with the plan to go right back to sleep. And so we set our iPhone alarm for a little after 10.
The darned thing never went off.
Now, whenever this has happened in the past, it was the result of human error. Setting the alarm for p.m. when we meant a.m. (or vice versa) has been our typical downfall. But we had been sure to get that part right this time. So what gives?
After several tests in the early afternoon, we determined that the alarm on the phone simply is not working. And Googling around, we learned that it isn't going to work for at least another day. Apparently there's some sort of glitch in the software on the phone that disables the alarm on January 1 and 2.
There are updates out there that get rid of the problem, but they don't work on the old 3G iPhones, which is what we cheapskates still have at our house. And so the only way for us to correct this particular defect is to buy new phones.
We were planning to do this anyway -- running Google has become an excruciating ordeal on the 3G's for a while now -- but this seals it: 2012 will have to be a year of new phones. We've gotten two and a half years out of the ones we have, and they were the old model when we bought them for a big $100 apiece. But it's still a little disconcerting that the Apple people would allow such a basic flaw to persist. Alarms that don't work are a major liability.
I know that my take on this will not be a popular one in this year when Steve Jobs was canonized, but multiple defective products, and a general "...*uck the customer, we won't fix it, let them buy the next generation if they want something that actually works..." corporate philosophy has been Apple's guiding principle for almost 30 years.
And in one sense, Apple has the sheeple perfectly pegged. Folks keep buying Apple's "...latest and greatest..." despite a piss poor track record re: reliability.
I'm not sure what product experiences lie behind Nonny Mouse's opinion about Apple, but they must be very different from mine. I have old, pre-Intel Mac mini's, an early Intel Macbook, and numerous iPods of various generations, all working just fine — some of them after going through the washing machine. Apple is not very forthcoming about admitting that there's a problem — until they're ready to fix it. But in my experience they eventually do just that. Recently, they are replacing recalled first or second generation iPod Nano devices with the latest model.
This particular alarm problem has been around for more than a year. For some of us, they aren't going to fix it. It's clearly planned obsolescence at work.
Well, as Max already said: "It's not a bug, it's a feature."
Reminds me of the early 80's when I bought a new pair of Nikes, I got over 3 yrs out of those shoes, 3-5 miles/day, 3-5 days a week. The next pair lasted about 2 yrs, and now-a-days I get 6-12 months.
Ya think Apple got to the most valuable corp building Maytag iPhones?
I too have the iPhone 3G. I just got my alarm to work. Idk if they fixed it or I did. The trick is to go Settings >> General >> Reset >> Reset Network settings. I did this & tested my alarm 3 times & it works now. No need to update or upgrade. They just trying Get some money out of us iPhone 3G users. I hope it helps.
Apple is not very forthcoming about admitting that there's a problem — until they're ready to fix it. But in my experience they eventually do just that.
My first iPod Mini had an annoying "feature" in which you had to format and re-sync the device after so many song plays, because it would think that the songs on the iPod were no longer properly authorized. So when you went to play the song, it would just skip it.
Apple acknowledged the problem, yet never fixed it.
Of course, there's always the Apple III advise: lift the computer up a couple inches and let it fall to the table to reset the chips into their sockets.
Summary:
7 of the 18 Android phones never ran a current version of the OS.
12 of 18 only ran a current version of the OS for a matter of weeks or less.
10 of 18 were at least two major versions behind well within their two year contract period.
11 of 18 stopped getting any support updates less than a year after release.
13 of 18 stopped getting any support updates before they even stopped selling the device or very shortly thereafter.
15 of 18 don’t run Gingerbread, which shipped in December 2010.
In a few weeks, when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out, every device on here will be another major version behind.
At least 16 of 18 will almost certainly never get Ice Cream Sandwich.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (11)
It's not a bug, it's a feature.
Posted by Max | January 1, 2012 7:48 PM
I know that my take on this will not be a popular one in this year when Steve Jobs was canonized, but multiple defective products, and a general "...*uck the customer, we won't fix it, let them buy the next generation if they want something that actually works..." corporate philosophy has been Apple's guiding principle for almost 30 years.
And in one sense, Apple has the sheeple perfectly pegged. Folks keep buying Apple's "...latest and greatest..." despite a piss poor track record re: reliability.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | January 1, 2012 8:09 PM
I'm not sure what product experiences lie behind Nonny Mouse's opinion about Apple, but they must be very different from mine. I have old, pre-Intel Mac mini's, an early Intel Macbook, and numerous iPods of various generations, all working just fine — some of them after going through the washing machine. Apple is not very forthcoming about admitting that there's a problem — until they're ready to fix it. But in my experience they eventually do just that. Recently, they are replacing recalled first or second generation iPod Nano devices with the latest model.
Posted by Allan L. | January 1, 2012 9:20 PM
This particular alarm problem has been around for more than a year. For some of us, they aren't going to fix it. It's clearly planned obsolescence at work.
Posted by Jack Bog | January 1, 2012 9:29 PM
My God you said "Glitch" and later said "Problem." Uttering those words will get you fired in hi-techville in short order.
Its an Issue and that is all.
Posted by Abe | January 1, 2012 9:58 PM
"It's clearly planned obsolescence at work."
Well, as Max already said: "It's not a bug, it's a feature."
Reminds me of the early 80's when I bought a new pair of Nikes, I got over 3 yrs out of those shoes, 3-5 miles/day, 3-5 days a week. The next pair lasted about 2 yrs, and now-a-days I get 6-12 months.
Ya think Apple got to the most valuable corp building Maytag iPhones?
Posted by Harry | January 1, 2012 10:37 PM
I too have the iPhone 3G. I just got my alarm to work. Idk if they fixed it or I did. The trick is to go Settings >> General >> Reset >> Reset Network settings. I did this & tested my alarm 3 times & it works now. No need to update or upgrade. They just trying Get some money out of us iPhone 3G users. I hope it helps.
Posted by Michele | January 1, 2012 10:51 PM
Using a cell phone as an alarm clock is fraught with multiple risks.
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=5495576
Posted by Newleaf | January 2, 2012 1:35 AM
Steve Jobs is dead and he's still savoring the "Igotcha's".
Posted by Don | January 2, 2012 6:27 PM
Apple is not very forthcoming about admitting that there's a problem — until they're ready to fix it. But in my experience they eventually do just that.
My first iPod Mini had an annoying "feature" in which you had to format and re-sync the device after so many song plays, because it would think that the songs on the iPod were no longer properly authorized. So when you went to play the song, it would just skip it.
Apple acknowledged the problem, yet never fixed it.
Of course, there's always the Apple III advise: lift the computer up a couple inches and let it fall to the table to reset the chips into their sockets.
Posted by Erik H. | January 2, 2012 7:32 PM
Actually the support from apple of apple phone and OS versions has been amazing compared to their android counterparts.
Here's a graph tracking the supported OS updated on android and apple phones in the last few years:
http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
Summary:
7 of the 18 Android phones never ran a current version of the OS.
12 of 18 only ran a current version of the OS for a matter of weeks or less.
10 of 18 were at least two major versions behind well within their two year contract period.
11 of 18 stopped getting any support updates less than a year after release.
13 of 18 stopped getting any support updates before they even stopped selling the device or very shortly thereafter.
15 of 18 don’t run Gingerbread, which shipped in December 2010.
In a few weeks, when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out, every device on here will be another major version behind.
At least 16 of 18 will almost certainly never get Ice Cream Sandwich.
Posted by dgibbons | January 2, 2012 7:57 PM