Conflicts

The Talk Show is one of my favorite podcasts. It is hosted by Dan Benjamin and John Gruber on the 5by5 network. On Episode 47, Gruber talked a bit about his thoughts on iCloud and one item has garnered a lot of attention around the web. Thankfully, the folks at Mac Stories typed up a transcript:

Gruber: The new way does not involve merging and conflicts. […] It doesn’t mean that Apple has magically solved the tech difficulties of syncing. […]

You’ve got 3 devices let’s say. Server-side data stored somewhere on a server, and you’ve got an iPhone and you’ve got a Mac. All data is up to date, say Address Book. You have an entry for Dan Benjamin and all it has is an email address. In all three places it’s the same and I sit down at my Mac, I add your home phone # to your contact and then I sit down with my iPhone at the same time (say everything’s offline) and enter Dan’s home # manually, but I enter it wrong. What happens when you sync? You’ve entered two phone numbers in two places, and at the server there’s no phone number. As it stands now MobileMe often will offer you a dialog box telling you that there is a conflict. It presents it to you and you have to pick which one is right. […]

In iCloud I believe you will never be presented with such a dialog, no matter how much has changed in one of the instances while it was “offline”. The server-side iCloud, when there seemingly is a conflict, will make a decision and it will decide which one is the best (in Apple’s terms the “truth”). That is what Steve Jobs means when he says “The Truth is in the Cloud.” iTunes will decide which one is right and that’s it. iCloud will push that right one to any device that has this account that has a different version. But, here’s the trick – what happens if it’s not the right one? On the server side, it will remember all of the other ones, almost like versioning. There will be some sort of interface like “go and look at your contacts.” There will be some sort of way to say “show me previous versions and let me pick the one that is right”. You pick it and push it back up into the cloud and tell it “that’s the truth” and Apple will push it out.

Dan Benjamin: Whatever is the most recent change will propagate but here are previous versions to pick from if you want.

Gruber: Apple won’t reveal it but iCloud, on the server, will determine the truth when it detects a conflict that will never be published. It will act like a “black box”. Most cases it will go by the most recently implemented change — it will be undefined. The key is that if there is a conflict, they will remember the different conflicting versions. If it picks the “wrong truth” it will be able to go back and get the right one. That’s what I mean when I say no more merging or conflicts. iCloud will make its best guess at merging & conflicts other than having you pick it.

Dan Benjamin: Do you know this or is it just a theory?

Gruber: I know this. What I don’t know but I believe, again, is that I think iBooks is an example of this in action. If you have the same iBook on the iPhone and iPad and take them both offline and flip a couple of pages on the iPhone then flip a different number of pages on the iPad, and them put them both online and they go to sync their “read state” or “current page state” to iTunes servers, iBooks never presents you a dialog. […]

iBooks is and has been one of the testbeds for what Apple is now calling iCloud.

I don't know about you, but I think data conflicts are aggravating and disruptive. Thankfully, I rarely see them, but I hate it when I see them, mainly because conflicts rarely affect just one file.

That said, I am curious if iCloud's conflict resolver will work well. At least when the user is prompted, they can do a little legwork to determine which info is correct, and then be done with it. I almost think it would be more frustrating to have iCloud pick the "wrong truth" and then have to rely on that when you are out and about.

Of course, the versioning support sounds like a great compromise, but how exactly do you access that? Through a Mac or PC? That isn't helpful when you are out with friends. If there is a way to access those versions in iOS, that could make things easier.

One thing that does make sense is that iBooks has likely been a large-scale test for iCloud. And it is very good, in my opinion. I haven't once noticed any anomalies between the last-read state on my iPhone or iPad. Even more so, all my highlights and notes seem to work just fine, too, despite sometimes reading my on my iPad while offline.

In the end, I can see why Apple doesn't want to burden users with conflict resolution. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a system when it throws up errors. If iCloud can make the right choice 99% of the time, that's pretty awesome. And for most types of data, like iBooks and bookmarks, an wrong choice every once in while isn't particularly devastating. Where iCloud will have very little allowance for error will be calendars and contacts.

"Guess I'm Never Buying Anything from Apple Again"

I've been seeing a lot of stink being raised over a new patent from Apple by the media and especially by folks on Twitter.

The patent covers an idea for an camera system that includes an infrared receiver that can accept data. To sum up some of the uses of this new system, Patently Apple states:

On one side, the new system would go a long way in assisting the music and movie industries by automatically disabling camera functions when trying to photograph or film a movie or concert. On the other hand, the new system could turn your iOS device into a kind of automated tour guide for museums or cityscapes as well as eventually being an auto retail clerk providing customers with price, availability and product information. The technology behind Apple's patent application holds a lot of potential.

And of course, everyone latches onto that first sentence. And only that sentence.

I've seen tweets (well, mostly retweets) in my feed saying things along the lines of "Guess I'm never buying anything from Apple again".

Grow up, people.

It's a patent. Do you have any idea how many patents Apple files in a year? Enough to keep a site like Patently Apple in business. Now, with that scale in mind, how many of those patents make it into an actual shipping product? Not many.

With this in mind, let's save the outrage for if this system is ever implemented, and in an evil way. Otherwise, knock it off.

What's In My Cup, 1st Edition

The other day I talked about my new favorite cup. Today I'd like to kick off a new series on the site that will show up from time to time. What's In My Cup will showcase a new coffee I am drinking on occasion.

Normally, I have a standard that I get from the store, which is fairly good coffee, but not really anything to write home about. That isn't what I'll talk about in these posts. Every now & then, I am either gifted, or just treat myself, to a coffee that I consider special. That is what you will find in these occasional articles.

Why coffee? Because I practically have a love affair going on with coffee. And I don't know very many geeks who will disagree with the idea of coffee being essential to workflow and general brain functionality.

I'd like to introduce you to Cultiva Coffee. Cultiva is a local roaster here in Lincoln, NE, and many of the shops around town serve Cultiva exclusively. Their beans are definitely pricey, but worth every penny. They are certainly artisans in their craft.

In honor of my own birthday last week, I treated myself to a pound of Ethiopian Dernaye — Amaro Gayo. It's a light roast, which is a bit of a departure for me. I tend to go for medium. But, man, is it really good.

This coffee goes down really smooth and is downright refreshing in the morning. I've also been enjoying the extra perk of caffeine from a light roast. The taste is reminiscent of a hint of the roasted bit on the top of a crème brûlée.

And that is what is in my cup.

Intelligentsia Filter Coffee Mug

I love coffee. I have a very difficult time functioning day-to-day without it. I may have a slight caffeine addiction.

Even more so, I love good coffee. I always buy whole bean, and usually I go for a nice blend from TJ's. When I feel like a special treat, I'll buy directly from a roaster. (The latter is my preferred, but it's expensive).

I have a very nice coffee maker that my wife bought me (which I'll go over some other time), and have been pondering trying a french press or aeropress.

One part of my coffee drinking that I haven't really paid much attention to is my mug. I mean, really, it's just a cup with a handle, right? There really can't be much difference, right?

Wrong.

I present the Intelligentsia Filter Coffee Mug. After reading some nice words about this, I decided to purchase it. So far, I'm very happy.

The design is classic, and reminiscent of a 1950's era diner. The red stripe offers a bit of visual flair. When you hold the mug, you can instantly tell that a lot of thought went into its design. It is balanced well, and the handle comfortably accommodates two fingers while the flat top gives secure place for your thumb. That flat top makes all the difference in this mug as it provides the right amount of balance when holding the mug.

The mug holds 9 ounces of coffee (or tea), which is neither too much nor too little for my preference — it's just right. Also, the mug has thick walls, retaining the heat of the coffee for a while longer than most generic mugs.

For $12, it seems a decent price for the thought and design put into something that makes drinking your coffee a little more enjoyable.

50 Percent

Out of the many nice things coming in iCloud, one of the best is backup for iOS devices to the cloud.

David Chartier reports:

A little birdie says that about 50 percent of Apple Store customers who need to get their iPhones swapped have never plugged them into iTunes after the initial activation and sync. This is a big reason, according to this birdie, for why Apple Store Geniuses are excited about iCloud.

Backupophobes can get away with never touching iTunes after activating an iOS device. But folks obviously need to plug them into some kind of power source to recharge which, combined with a reachable WiFi network, is what triggers iCloud’s automatic backup feature.

Fifty percent doesn't surprised me at all. I know far too many iPhone (and iPod touch and iPad) users who never sync their devices. Ever. They don't even realize that there is a built-in backup solution.

Don't even get me started on how few people I know back up their computers.

[via DF]

Thoughts on iMessage

One of the upcoming features in iOS 5 that I am downright nearly giddy about is iMessage. I am stingy with text messages because, frankly, they are expensive for what they are. I have had the 200 messages per month plan at $5 since day one with AT&T, which, unfortunately, is no longer an option. If I ever change my texting plan, I lose my preferred option forever. The next one up is $10 plan, which includes 1000 messages. Now, the message per dollar ratio is better with the new low-end plan, but that is an extra $60 per year.

Now, a fair amount of the people I interact with use iPhones (even more with iPads and iPods touch). With iMessage, I will get all the benefits of texting with none of the costs. The best part is the experience looks to be seamless. iOS will check the contact to see if they have iOS 5, and if so, will use iMessage. If not, it will fall back to your carrier texting plan.

I think one of the larger benefits of iMessage will be interacting with several friends in the UK quickly and easily. There have been many times where I have a question for one of these friends, and a text message would be a fantastic medium. Sadly, I've had to resort to twitter or email. Twitter is great, but not everyone is constantly checking it, and email — well, no one wants more email.

iMessage is one of those features that will change things a lot. And I love that it is practically a giant "screw you" to carriers and their insane texting fees.

One Hundred Fifty

A few days ago, I came across this article that states humans are limited to maintaining about 150 active friendships. The article relates this to social networking sites, especially Twitter.

I have been thinking about all this a bit over the past days, and I largely agree from my own observations. When I first started using Twitter, I only followed those who I considered friends. I distinctly remember when I started branching out and following tastemakers and news sources, I shot up over 150, and then sort of became overloaded.

Right now I follow 245 accounts. Now, I know a fair amount are accounts for apps I use that infrequently post news regarding those apps, so those don't factor into the "active friendship" limit. I could honestly filter some of these into lists, as you can add accounts to lists without following them. Others are simply writers I follow, and definitely want to know what they say, but also aren't an "active friendship", even though I may have a short back and forth with them.

Now, I do happen to follow quite a few people in my city. This is where I get a little overwhelmed once this category reaches around 150 people. Every once in a while, I will go prune out some folks who I seldom converse with, who are more acquaintance than friend. Sadly, some folks take that extremely personally, and I wish they wouldn't. A follow does not equal friendship. There are rare gems where a follow does equal friendship.

All said, I think there is some truth to the 150 rule.

Subscribe

Since I have a few new eyes on the site today, I'd just like to point out that you can subscribe to the site either via the RSS feed or Twitter.

Feel free to also follow my personal Twitter account.

Reeder for Mac

Reeder is my favorite RSS reader for iOS, and it is finally out of beta for the Mac. I've been using the betas for months, and couldn't imagine a better experience across all my devices. The Mac version feels like a hybrid of iOS and OS X, and where that feels a bit out of place on Snow Leopard, I have a feeling it will be right at home on Lion next month.

It's $10, and featured over on the Mac App Store. I also recommend the iPhone/iPod touch version and iPad version.

¶ Lofty Promises

Apple has a habit of changing our lives. They did it in the 70's with the Apple I & II, by aiming to make computing available to everyday people. That same focus leaped forward in 1984 with the advent of the Macintosh. The original iMac mitigated the intimidating aesthetic of computers, breaking up some of the presumptions of everyday folks that computers were beyond them.

Then Apple started creating a bond between our computers and ourselves. They truly started to become personal when Apple heralded the idea of the digital hub. Your computer suddenly became the keeper of things most precious to you: your photos, your music. The video of your child's elementary school play.

The iPod came, giving you a medium to carry a copy of your digital hub everywhere. First, it started with music, something that can move the passion within our souls. Then it added photos, so we could show our friends and family a favorite picture. Then videos were integrated. Iteration after iteration brought more and more of our personal lives with us everywhere.

Then another leap — the iPhone. The ability to remove an abstract interaction with these precious digital memories — no more keyboard and mouse, no more click wheel. You simply touch, swipe, pinch, tap. A natural interaction that a two year old can learn, and also the elderly who were too afraid of the complexity of computers.

The iPad expounded that dream even more, and whether you like the catchphrase or not, something magical did indeed happen. To quote John Gruber:

It’s a shame, almost, that we squandered the term “personal computer” 30 years ago.

How true.

A Digital Divide

Somewhere along the line, amongst the magic, some of the smoke and mirrors that the audience is never supposed to see became apparent. It became too difficult to maintain the illusion of these multiple devices working simply and with little maintenance. The digital hub became the digital burden.

It became too much for a person with multiple devices to remember which device had synced back to their digital hub on their computer at what time and with which content. Complexity tainted the promise of simplicity.

A Lofty Solution

Monday, Apple changed the game. Where the computer served as the digital hub for the last decade and, for a time, worked well, the new hub belonged somewhere else. Technology finally allowed for the rest of us to have something special. A hub that exists in the lofty domain of the "cloud".

Apple's forthcoming iCloud serves as the new hub, and your computer is just another device among your iPhone and iPad in this new vision.

The promise of iCloud takes something that happens on your iPhone — a new photograph, for instance — and effortlessly transmits it to iCloud, which then pushes it to your other devices. The same goes for a new music or book purchase, a bookmark, a freshly composed document. It all happens in seconds, and the user never has to think about what is stored where.

A lofty promise, indeed.

Commitment to the Promise

This isn't the first time Apple has attempted cloud services. I vaguely remember iTools in Mac OS 9. I was young and didn't care enough at the time. I also remember .Mac throughout the better part of my life as a serious Mac user, though I never had a need to subscribe. MobileMe is the most current release of iTools/.Mac, and it was this iteration that finally lured me into Apple $99/year subscription.

The promise of MobileMe was push email, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks. It also provided access to iDisk. For me, MobileMe has been a solid investment. It accomplishes the email, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks syncing between my mac, iPhone, & iPad. That is what I bought it for, and it lives up to the promise for me. iDisk, however, is a disaster. I don't use it for much, and Dropbox is what I turn to for that functionality instead.

Many other folks I know or follow think differently of MobileMe. They hate it. It doesn't live up to the promise in their eyes. Apple itself thinks of it as a failure. Steve Jobs even poked fun at it in the keynote.

It was this juncture in Jobs' keynote that we see that where MobileMe was a bolt-on product that Apple put just enough effort into, iCloud will be a first-rate service that Apple will put everything it has behind.

The commitment was revealed in iCloud's availability and pricing. Where MobileMe was adopted by a small percentage of Apple's user base due to its $99/year cost, iCloud is intended for all users to adopt with the low price of free. This fact alone shows that Apple must be committed to iCloud's success. Apple can't afford to have it fail. Apple's reputation with all its customers will be tarnished if iCloud doesn't live up to its promise.

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I, for one, look forward to iCloud with great anticipation. I had a very good run with MobileMe, and if it worked that well without Apple truly focusing on the service, then iCloud should be astounding.