Microsoft Surface

I thought the iPhone was an extraordinary product. With it's user touch-based intuitiveness and integration of multimedia, it is no wonder Time Magazine called it "the Best Invention of the Year."

Secretly, we (the consumer public) forget that technology is always evolving and while Steve Jobs is building his Apple empire, Microsoft is looking ahead to the future....

Meet Microsoft Surface (http://www.microsoft.com/surface), the future of multimedia and interactive technology. Surface is interactive computing taken to the next level. With Surface, users can actually grab multimedia with our hands, and move information between objects simply through touch.

Bill Gates had the opportunity to preview his new project at this past CES. Although, it's not main stream, AT&T stores and T-Mobile stores are soon-to-be launching new Surface displays to display their products. Eventually, Surface would take over retail, restaurants and entertainment. Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas is the first deployment of Surface in an entertainment / bar atmosphere.


Video: Microsoft Surface at the Rio in Las Vegas

And although, the Surface is probably a few years ahead of it's time now, and out of budget for the average consumer, Microsoft Surface is probably the next great technological innovation. Actually, I've tend to keep an open mind; the iPhone did drop $199 after only 1 year of it's first generation. Now only if Microsoft can push product branding and consistency like with what Apple did with the iPhone/iPod products, we just might be able to see a Surface PC in our homes a little sooner.

.MAC / .ME Catastrophe

With the launch of the iPhone 2.0 Update and iPhone 3G, Apple also launched their new service called ".ME." A service in which syncs all devices content info (calendar, address book, settings, media, etc) with your iPhone, Mac, and even PC. Brilliant idea, right?

Theoretically, it certainly is a brilliant idea and helps contribute to my O.C.D. Unfortunately, I experienced (among with other .Mac users) a complete nightmare. I'll accept the fact that this is a new system barely launched by Apple, and it takes a while to work out the bugs. As of the past few years, Apple has done a great job not really having to worry about that, and launching well-tested products during first generation launch.

Unfortunately, it proves that Steve Jobs is merely a man, and Apple (despite their climb vs PC sales) is not 100% perfect.

I've encountered the following:

1.) .MAC to .ME transitions:
I could not login to my previous .MAC account via the new .ME login interface. I followed instructions from the Apple Forums and FAQs but it did not recognize my login/password (despite multiple password resets and the ability to receive email and utilize other functions). To top it off, I couldn't even update my credit card to renew my service which literally expired today. Therefore, I'm loosing my previous .MAC login/email address (which I guess I can really live without).

2.) NEW .ME Trial
More info: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/setup/
So I signed up for a trial .ME account and decided to start new since my old .MAC account had expired today anyway. I initiated the creation of the account, and setup the PUSH/SYNC options.
a.) There is an issue for prioritization of sync. If I just updated an item on my iPhone, and then I update something via web based .ME, it clearly has trouble prioritizing which one goes first.
b.) There obviously is an over-extended lag for the update, it make take a few minutes, or maybe a hard reset for the device to update itself.

3.) iPhone 2.0 update and iPhone 3G server updates stalled
On Friday, when everyone in the world was syncing their new iPhones (and existing iPhones) to iTunes, the Apple servers took a gigantic dump. The fact my iPhone was unable to sync left me phoneless and stranded for several hours.

4.) iPhone 1st Generation is now slow
I haven't tested out the 3G yet but my 1st generation functionality is just slow. It takes forever to load applications, switch from home page to email, text or even phone functions.

In conclusion, I comprehend that new services and new products often come with a trial / clean out the "bugs" moment during the beginning of it's launch. I am also not the one experiencing the issue (as you may see in the Apple Forums). Mr. Jobs, I am disappointed, as the launch of the .ME, updates and the new iPhone technical issues are just NOT up-to-par!