iPhone 4S Tracking

UPS tracking shows that the iPhone 4S is in Windsor Locks, Connecticut after arriving in Louisville, KY. Before that the iphone was in Anchorage, Alaska, where it arrived from Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The origination of the shipment was somewhere in China, and from there it went to Shenzhen, China enroute to Hong Kong. I am expecting the 4S to arrive mid-day tomorrow and I can’t wait. Stay tuned. Meanwhile iOS 5 is running on both the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2. The press has had mixed views, but my view is quite positive. The key feature is iCloud. I tested it today. You take a picture with the iPhone and then go to your MacBook or PC or iMac, and the picture is there in your Photo Stream. iCloud is implementing cloud computing for the consumer. Much more to come on the subject.

Tags: 4s, apple, fedex, icloud, ipad, iPhone, iphone 4, iphone 4s, iphone4, itunes

iPad Cover

I am now the proud owner of an iPad 2 case. Now all I need is an iPad 2 to attach it to. Not to worry; the Apple manufacturing and distribution system is in full gear. Fedex gets a lot of credit for their incredible logistics system but it appears to be Apple that sets the rules. I am not aware of any other online retailer that has a “pre-sign” feature. Much as it does with its computers and software, Apple makes things easy. There have been so many times over the years that I have come home to find a Fedex sticker on my door saying that since I was not there to sign for the package, they will try again the next day. After a few days you have to go pick up the item from one of their warehouses. Most of use are busy people, and although there may be something we are really anxious to receive, it does not mean we can sit by the door all day waiting for the Fedex truck. With Apple orders, you click the “pre-sign” link and print out a Fedex-logoed form, sign it, and tape it on your door. Seems so simple and customer-friendly. Why don’t all e-tailers do this for items requiring signature? The “pre-sign” innovation is yet one more example of what is driving Apple’s market capitalization toward making them the most valued company in the world.

Fedex is quite amazing also. When their update says “delivered”, you can go to the porch and the package is there. In this case–no pun intended–the package moved from Shenzen to Lautau Island to Ankorage to Memphis to Orlando to Daytona Beach to Palm Coast. It is just like following trackables and geocoins at geocaching.com. Instant updates along the way enable you to know exactly where the package is and roughly when you can expect it to be delivered. If you see a chance of not being home at delivery time, just get the scotch tape and put the “pre-sign” form on the door. Now all I need is the iPad 2! In the meantime I can follow the order fulfillment process from the iPad.

Tags: fedex, fulfillment, ipad, ipad 2, ipad cover, logistics

iPhone 4 – Part 3: First Impression

The Fedex delivery man pulled up at 10:30 this morning with an iPhone 4 in his hand — there were 15 more on his truck. The packaging is elegant and simple to open. After syncing the iPhone 3GS and Stainless Shuffle to be sure iTunes was up to date, I connected the iPhone 4. The first screen to appear showed my mobile phone number and asked me to enter my zip code and last four of the social for authentication. After agreeing to the Apple and AT&T terms and conditions the phone was activated and the copying of apps plus thousands of songs and music began. I went out for an errand and when I got back the iPhone 4 was loaded with my data. The next step was to set up the Google accounts for over-the-air syncing of my 1,500 contacts plus all the calendar entries and gmail. Minutes later I was good to go. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

One should not judge a book by it’s cover but when it comes to gadgets, first impressions matter. When it came to the iPhone 4 that impression was very positive. The industrial design is elegant. The weight is about the same as the iPhone 3GS but the 4 is thinner and flatter and hence feels more dense and substantial. It has a more contemporary look to it and it is a delight to hold onto. The only physical thing to critique is that when the phone is in your pocket you can’t reach in for it and tell which side is up like you could with the 3GS. No doubt getting familiar with where the buttons are and correlating that to how to grab for the phone face-up will be easy to learn.

Under the covers there are a number of enhancements in the iPhone 4. One reviewer claimed the new battery lasted 31 hours for him. The processor has been upgraded to Apple’s new super-fast A4 processor. A half-gigabyte of memory will also enhance the performance. The iPhone 4 specifications would be mistaken for a supercomputer not that long ago. The addition of a 3-axis gyroscope will enable developers to create some amazing games and along with the GPS there will no doubt be some undreamed of navigation apps coming. The new Retina display is truly brilliant. Icons have no rough edges and photos look like glossy prints. The two cameras and video capability are being raved about. I am not much of a photographer nor do I know much about video editing but it sounds like you can now create candidates for the Cannes film festival on your phone. If photography and video are of interest I would highly recommend reading the review done by Joshua Topolsky over at Engagdet. There are some really good YouTube videos included. As they say a picture (or YouTube clip) is worth a thousand words.

Of most significance to me is the software aspect of the iPhone 4. The upgrade to iOS 4 is available for the iPhone 3GS but the added power of iPhone 4 is able to take much more advantage of the software advancements. The breakthrough is multi-tasking which enables the iPhone to do more than one thing at a time. Not technically exactly really but we won’t know the difference. The best example is that you can start Pandora and select your music and then press the home button again and begin reading your email while you listen to the music. You could do this with the iPod app but not with Pandora. You can stop working on something in an app and switch to a different app and return to find that the prior app is running. For example you can be downloading a large file, go work on something else, and return to find the download completed, all while listening to Pandora. A double press of the home button brings up a new task manager which shows all the apps that are running. You no longer have to push the home button in between apps. I can’t wait for multi-tasking on the iPad — expected in the Fall.

Another breakthrough is FaceTime video chat. To put it in perspective, take a look at the AT&T PicturePhone product of 1969. The FaceTime uses the front camera to capture your face — or that of a grandchild. This could be the feature that gets reluctant grandparents to sign up for an iPhone. At this stage it only works between two iPhones although Apple is releasing specs to make it possible for others to interoperate. I have no doubt that a creative Android developer will implement the feature post haste. The other immediate limitation is that FaceTime video calls are only possible using WiFi. I don’t see that as a problem given the wide availability of WiFi. I think the potential for FaceTime to change the way we communicate is significant. Once multiple participants can be part of a video conference it will change how we think of a “meeting”. For now, I wish I knew someone who had an iPhone 4 so I could try FaceTime instead of just envisioning it!

Another feature that I have envisioned since I got the first iPhone is folders. It took Apple a long time to implement what I consider an essential capability. I have roughly 100 apps. It is amazing how the human brain can remember the content, color, and location of an icon but a way to organize the apps is a superior idea. If you drag a CNN icon onto the top of a BBC icon, the iPhone combines the two into one folder and names the folder “News”. You can drag up to 12 into a folder. Be nice to have more but a dozen is a good start and can allow organizing things into news, weather, sports, utilities, finance, games, etc. This is another feature I can’t wait to get for the iPad.

The iPhone enables you to use whatever email system you want but personally I don’t know why everybody doesn’t use gmail. I am actually glad everyone does not use it because then there would not be enough competition and the governement would step in and shut down Gmail! Whatever mail you use, it is now easier on the iPhone 4 as it has added threaded mail and an integrated inbox. This is yet another feature badly needed on the iPad but for which we have to wait for iOS 4.

The iPhone now has iBooks and syncing of bookmarks between the iPad and iPhone. This is a good thing but I still believe Amazon is ahead in this area. With the new pricing aggressiveness for e-readers I believe the “single purpose” devices will have a place and I look forward to getting the next Kindle this summer. Sunny day reading this summer at the Lake with the iPad or iPhone is not going to happen. The Kindle loves sunny days!

All things considered I am more than pleased with the new iPhone 4. I am sure there will be some things that may disappoint but so far it looks like the winner I expected. The Android phones are going to give Apple a big run for the money and that is exactly what we all want. In the short term the Android will attract techies, those that have poor AT&T coverage and want Verizon, and those that have an aversion to Apple and their high prices and proprietary ways. Over time Android will get better and better as their base of developers grows but for now Apple has a big head start. The only rock they have to drag is AT&T. Their network is not available to many and to many who have it they don’t like it. AT&T is making big investments to improve things and the new iPhone 4 has an improved antenna which some reviewers are saying make dropped calls much more rare. I have not been out of the house with the new iPhone yet but so far it is at least as good as the 3GS. Bottom line for me is that the first impression is a very happy one.

Other iPhone 4 Thoughts
Other iPad Thoughts

Tags: A4, amazon, android, apple, at&t, battery life, design, facetime, fedex, gmail, gps, gyroscope, ibooks, industrial design, ipad, iPhone, iphone 4, iphone4, Kindle

iPhone 4 Tracking

FedEx tracking shows that the iPhone 4 is in Newark, NJ and still scheduled for delivery on June 24 by 4:30 PM. However, I received an email from Apple this morning saying “This email is to confirm that your delivery will occur on June 23rd. Although Apple and FedEx tracking information may currently indicate a later date, you can check the FedEx website the morning of the June 23rd to track your package to your doorstep”. I will be surprised — but delighted — to see the iPhone delivered a day before availability in the Apple stores. Stay tuned. Meanwhile iOS 4 is now available for current iPhones. I really like the new feature which allows app icons to be stacked in folders. This will greatly enhance organization and finding large numbers of applications.

Tags: apple, fedex, iPhone, iphone 4, iphone4

iPhone 4 – Part 2: Shipping Notice

The iPhone 4 was ordered on Tuesday June 15 and in spite of the AT&T web site problems and overloaded servers, the order was confirmed. On Saturday I received an email that was music to my ears. “Dear John Patrick, we are pleased to inform you that your iPhone (4) has shipped. Please check below for your confirmed delivery date. The Apple Store”.

Hyper-linking over to the FedEx site confirmed that the iPhone 4 was “In transit” and that it had shipped on June 19, 2010 from LANTAU ISLAND HK with an estimated delivery of the 1.3 pounds to happen on June 24 by 4:30 PM.  The best part of Apple’s incredibly efficient logistics system is the “pre-sign” process. One click enables you to print a “Shipment Release Authorization” form which you can tape on the door so that the package will be left in case you are not home. There have been so many frustrating times over the years when I got home in great anticipation of a package to find a post-it on the door saying “we tried” but you were not home.

The package started the journey from Shenzhen, China — reputedly the fastest growing city in the world — and today is in Anchorage, Alaska. Lantau Island, Hong Kong must be the aggregation point for distribution to various places around the world, but to me seeing the name Lantau Island struck a nostalgic chord. It was three years ago in May that I made my fourth trip to China (see Asia travel section of photo gallery for pictures from the prior trips). The first three were alone and 90+% business. Eventually the day would come when I would be lucky enough to go back with friends and family and not do any business activity. The prior trips were to just a few of the big cities but this time it was many cities and villages — there was an incredible amount to see and learn.

We were fortunate to be able to get a non-stop flight with Continental from Newark to Hong Kong where we spent the first two and a half days of the trip. The twin-engine Boeing 777 was able to make the journey in roughly fifteen hours. The GPS indicated that our hotel was 8,900 miles from home. There is much to be said about Hong Kong but the most memorable parts were Victoria Peak and the Buddha.

Hong Kong is 425 square miles in size and is located on the southeastern coast of China. The main areas are Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. Hong Kong Island lies just south of Kowloon and the two are separated by Victoria Harbor. The New Territories lie north of Kowloon and include more than 260 outlying islands. Lantau Island is the largest of them.

To get to the peak we walked along the waterfront to the ferry boat which took us to downtown near the convention center (where I had given a speech ten years earlier). We then walked through the city part way up the hill to the tram. The ride up the side of the mountain to Victoria Peak was very steep and the view from the top was spectacular. After a nice lunch we walked the 3,000 meter trail along the edge of the peak and could look down at Victoria Harbor and the beautiful skyscrapers below.

During the trip in 1999 it was a great pleasure to meet Karen and Alfonso. Karen worked for IBM at the time. They were kind enough to take me on a day trip to see the largest Buddha in the world, located at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. We got there by subway and then a boat. Then in 2007, eight years later, we met up with Karen and Alfonso to see the Buddha once again but this time it was by subway and gondola. The area has been developed into quite a tourist attraction, complete with many shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a traditional Chinese lunch before heading to the airport to fly to Guilin.

I feel fortunate to have been to Lantau Island twice and for the iPhone 4 to have been there also. I anxiously await Thursday to receive the iPhone and then to pack and ship the iPhone 3GS to gazelle.com. More on that later.

Index for the trip to China (May 2007)
iPhone 4 Thoughts

Tags: buddha, fedex, hong kong, iPhone, iphone 4, iphone4, lantau