Big Dave’s Blog

Disappointed in Apple

I’ve been using Apple products since the early 90’s. It started with a Mac Iici, and it moved on from there with one stretch where I left. Unfortunately, right now I’m starting to see similar issues  to the last time I left. Back when I left last time, quality was becoming a problem. Lately I’m seeing the same thing. The issues are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but they are a pain. More than the pain factor is the fact that the same two things have been broken for months. Internet searches reveal that I am not the only one.

Now, I’m not exactly inexperienced in the world of technology, and I have not been able to solve the issues. I can’t imagine what a typical consumer is doing when confronted with basic functions not working.

Problem 1: AirPrint stopped working. I’ve been using AirPrint from iPads and iPhones basically since it came out. That all changed once iOS 7 came out. Now, it works only once in a while. All devices report that they can no longer see my AirPrint printer (Epson XP-610). I’ve tried everything from forgetting the network, resetting the network, unplugging, rebooting, etc. Once in a while it will work, but the majority of the time it doesn’t. Months! I don’t print much on iOS, but my family does, and it drives them nuts. What makes this especially annoying is that the fallback position runs square into problem 2.

Problem 2: iCloud can’t open files. In theory, iCloud has this great feature. You open and work on a document on your iPad, and then you move to the Mac to complete it. Unfortunately, I rarely am able to get it to work. This is really fun when my daughter spends an hour on an HW assignment, but she can’t print it due to problem 1 (above). Like the smart girl she is, she tries to switch to the family Mac, but she is stopped in her tracks when iCloud informs he that it can’t open the file. Like problem 1, I can get this to work sometimes by jumping through a lot of hoops (logging out of iCloud, various reboots, clearing of cache, etc.). However, after a little bit of time, it usually goes back to not working.

Bottom line is this is really annoying. Theses are pretty basic features that need to work every time.

Get on it Apple!

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5 responses to “Disappointed in Apple”

  1. Dave Dupre Avatar
    Dave Dupre

    Oh, and one more! I can’t believe I forgot this one. Every 2-4 months, Time Machine declares that my back up is no good, and it must rebuild it from scratch. This one makes me especially nervous.

    Reply
  2. Mark Chapin Avatar
    Mark Chapin

    Ah, Dave. You have run into the conceit of Apple. As a video editor and designer, I have noticed that Apple no longer cares for the people who helped put the company on the map and keep it afloat through the hard times. I have recently switched from Apple’s Final Cut Pro to Adobe’s Premiere Pro. I made this switch not only because of Apple’s mishandling of the upgrade path from FCP7 to FCP X, but also because their hardware offerings now tend to favor consumer grade and mobile products. Adobe is not tied into any particular hardware platform and the project files move seamlessly from Mac to PC. I think of it as my insurance policy against leaving Apple all together.

    I think the key to issues like yours is to find the solutions that work for you and try not to be tied into any one platform. This is difficult as so many companies reach for end-to-end solutions. (think Google, IOS, Android, Windows.) If consumers can keep demanding compatibility then we can hopefully avoid any one provider reaching a monopoly state for our information and infrastructure. It is a more quiet cry than Net Neutrality, but just as important.

    Mark

    Reply
  3. Dave Dupre Avatar
    Dave Dupre

    I did finally get things back working this evening. To do so, I ended up resetting the network on the printer and all the iOS devices. My phone seemed to not take the reset the first time, so I had to still go back and forget my network. After that I unplugged the printer and the Airport Express for a minute or so. Then, I plugged in the router, followed by the printer. Once they were all up, I added the printer followed by all the iOS devices back to the network. Finally, everything works again. Hopefully, for good this time.

    Mark, the thing is that this was a solution that worked seamlessly for me until iOS 7. Prior to that, I never had to think for a second about any of this working. It simply worked — first time, every time. If Apple is trying to go more consumer (I agree they are), then that’s the way it has to be. It has to work all the time. My knock on Google stuff is that it often is to "geeky". Sure, it’s great for the techies like me, but most consumers don’t care. They just want it to work without having to spend hours researching the correct settings and app combinations to make it happen.

    Reply
  4. Dave Dupre Avatar
    Dave Dupre

    Ok, now I’m pissed. After all the resetting and testing last night, my daughter went to print her HW this afternoon, and she got "AirPrint printer not found" again. This is ridiculous!

    Reply
  5. Dave Dupre Avatar
    Dave Dupre

    Still happening! This is a real pain.

    Reply

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