O , fanboy , iDownloadBlog.
Big changes coming to AppleCare this fall: warranty subscriptions, in-store iOS device repairs, more
In a town hall session held on Thursday, Apple informed tech staff that major changes to the AppleCare and AppleCare+ service programs will be enacted starting this fall, with a broadening of current policies likely to cut costs and make the service more attractive to consumers.
The town hall session was led by Apple Vice President Tara Bunch, who revealed a set of after sales policy shifts would soon be rolling out across the U.S., and eventually the world, with many of the changes referred to under the "One Apple" brand, said a person familiar with the matter. While Bunch was referred to as Vice President of AppleCare, AppleInsider cannot confirm this assertion. On her LinkedIn page, Bunch lists her current job as simply "Vice President at Apple," but it is known that she was previously vice president of Global Customer Support Operations at Hewlett-Packard prior to joining Apple in 2012.
As for the "One Apple" moniker, it is unclear if the term is an internal designation for the vast restructuring about to take place, or is intended to become a consumer mark once the new changes are in place.
"The biggest announcement, was the way repairs for iPhones will be handled soon," the person, who asked not to be identified due to their active status as an Apple employee, told AppleInsider. "The way it is now, if almost anything is wrong with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, the entire device is exchanged for a like-new re manufactured (sic) device, whether brought into an apple store or sent in for mail in repair. Now we are starting to actually repair the products and return the same device to the customer."
Currently, Apple Stores have the tools to replace speakers, receivers, home buttons, the vibrator motor and battery. Come June, capabilities will be expanded to display replacement, and by July cameras, sleep/wake buttons and logic boards will be dealt with in-store.
The new in-house repairs are to be rolled out across the U.S., with international support coming online soon thereafter. Bunch reportedly said Apple expects to save nearly $1 billion per year with the change in policy.
In another huge departure, Apple will reportedly reconfigure its paid AppleCare service as a subscription model, which will be attached to a customer rather than a specific product. Under the proposed system, a customer is entitled to in-store training similar to the One to One program available to new Mac buyers, with each device owned being covered by the warranty. The new AppleCare may also include "exclusive" 24/7 support, though that has not been confirmed as a full set of features and pricing is not yet etched in stone.
Gratis after sales coverage is also slated for an update, and will move over to a new system where phone support will persist for at least an entire year, with possible two-year support offered in the future. Apple currently offers 90 days of free phone support without buying the add-on AppleCare plan. Online support, knowledge base articles, online live chats and Genius Bar visits will continue to be free.
Apple's current term limitations for after sales coverage and service for AppleCare+ for iPhone.
Apple is also looking to grow its home advisor team, which currently consists of over 4,200 technical advisors who work from home instead of an office, approximately double the number from one year ago. The program is meant to cut overhead costs and provide for a larger pool of potential employees.
Finally, the person said Apple's online resources will see an overhaul in the coming months as the company is working to expand its current offerings to include support over iMessage and a revamp of the Support Pages website, which is expected to focus on interactive tutorials and video content. Unsurprisingly, the Web-based enhancements will be optimized for both computer and iOS device perusal.
Most of the changes mentioned above will roll out by fall if all goes according to plan. AppleInsider has reached out to Apple for comment and will update this article upon receiving a response.
Remember all the back-and-forth between Apple and Microsoft before tablets? We heard echoes of that earlier this week when the software giant announced Apples iTunes app wont be available for Windows 8 Metro tablet users any time soon. Although iTunes continues to be available as a Windows 8 Desktop mode app, the lack of a Metro edition leaves owners of Windows tablets in the cold. Even worse is that owners of the Surface RT tablet – which by the way runs only Microsoft apps – will be stuck with just Redmonds Music app…“You shouldnt expect an iTunes app on Windows 8 any time soon,” Microsoft Windows division finance chief Tami Reller
told CNN. “The welcome mat has been laid out. Its not for lack of trying,” Reller said.
This brings to mind old memories.
Initially a Mac-only application, Apple with the October 2003 release of iTunes 4.1 added support for Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. This really helped open up the market for iPods, which sync with computers exclusively through iTunes.
When tech columnist Walt Mossberg at the D 2007 conference asked Steve Jobs why Apple supported a rival platform, he quipped “its like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell.”
Four yeas earlier, the same theme was used during the iTunes for Windows announcement at Apples keynote and in subsequent advertising on Apples web site.
How times have changed.
Today, Apple thinks theres no reason to create an iTunes version for the Windows 8 Metro user interface, which is understandable given Apples lead in mobile and the platform/ecosystem battle between Apple, Google and Microsoft.
So far, Windows 8 adoption has the pace of a slug – it cant even match Vistas poor performance. Microsofts Windows Surface RT tablet is doing equally poorly in the marketplace.
Whereas some ponder whether Apple, the tablet market leader, should throw Microsoft a lifeline, the Windows maker expects to have “all of the most popular apps” on the iTunes App Store ready for Windows 8 devices by this holiday season, according to the report.
Its time to turn out the lights on the PC industry.
Microsoft just didnt get that memo.
The software maker mistakenly saw the growing demand of tablets as a way to save its Windows franchise by simply making Windows 8 behave tablet-like. Then they created a tablet and forced it to bow down to a dying PC-centric software.
The question isnt when an iTunes app will be developed for Windows 8, but whether Windows 8 will even exist in time.
Another day, another iOS 7 concept. In an attempt to depict what Jony Ive-ified, flattened user interface in iOS 7 might look like, digital agency Simply Zesty created this elaborate concept.
The video focuses on a clean look UI and pictures Lock screen widgets, a revamped Notification Center as well as a beautiful new Windows Phone Metro-fied stock apps like Calendar, Music, Siri and Camera.
I love the cleaner Notification Center with animated widgets. If thats the future of iOS 7, then Im very much looking forward to it…
Heres the video.
By the way, whats up with those square Home screen icons?
Here are the slides, via The Next Web.
Theres certainly no shortage of iOS 7 concept as WWDC draws near. An iOS 7 concept by Mohamed Kerroudj seems to be getting a little more attention than others so check it out for more awesomeness, including a new Dashboard feature.
Apple said it will put “new versions of iOS and OS X” into the hands of developers at WWDC, its annual summer developers conference which this year takes place at Moscone West in San Francisco from Monday, June 10 until Friday, June 14.
The iPhone may be one of the most popular cameras in the world today, but it hasnt always been like that. The original iPhone (and the iPhone 3G) had just a 2MP camera, with no flash, putting the handset well behind the competition in terms of photo-taking.
Since the 3G, however, Apple has made sure to update the phones camera with ever iteration. It went from a 3.2MP sensor to a 5, and then to 8. And wouldnt you know it, someone has created an image showing its improvement in picture quality over the years…
The following image is made up of several photos taken by Lisa Bettany, and compiled byReddit user camerack:
Its pretty cool to see how the iPhones camera has evolved over the years. Each picture looks better than the one before it in some way or another, whether it be sharpness, lighting, saturation or color. Its especially noticeable on the right-hand detail side.
And according to the rumor mill, the next iPhone isnt going to break tradition. Recent reports suggest that the 5S will look similar to its predecessor, with upgraded internals and an improved camera system. Weve heard the sensor could be as big as 13MP.
For months weve been hearing rumors regarding iRadio, Apples upcoming streaming music service. It was initially supposed to launch in Q1 of this year, but the company has reportedly been having trouble reaching royalty terms with the record labels.
Then in April came word that it had locked up a deal with Universal, putting the project on track for a summer release. But it seems to have hit another snag this week, as a new report claims that the other record labels are still looking for better terms…
From The Financial Times:“Apples much-anticipated music streaming service has hit a stumbling block as label owners are split over the terms for what industry executives have dubbed “iRadio”.
Despite signing up Universal Music, the largest of the record label majors, the iPhone maker is still negotiating terms with Sony Music, the second-largest recorded music group, while it is close to reaching agreement with Warner Music according to people with knowledge of the discussions.”
The report goes on to say that Apple initially proposed a royalty rate to the labels at roughly $0.06 per every 100 tracks it streams, but it just bumped up the offer to $0.12 per 100 tracks—in line with Pandora. Its not known what rate Universal signed on for.
But thats not the only revenue Apple is offering the labels. The company is also willing to share a portion of its ad profits with them, and is guaranteeing a minimum payout over the course of the contract in the event that the royalties and ad money come up short.
As for the service itself, it sounds like its going to be more like Pandora than Spotify. The FT says that Apple plans to use user download history and other data to create a custom music stream, allowing them to discover new music so theyll (hopefully) buy it.
Obviously, this is all mere speculation until Apple itself announces the service. But given all of the chatter weve heard over the past several months, theres way too much smoke for there to not be a fire.
3D Flyover, a headline feature of Apples in-house mapping service available on compatible iOS 6 devices, initially included only a handful of U.S. cities. The last major expansion was in March, when Apple added 3D Flyovers in twelve new cities – including such venues as Tokyo Station, Japan Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower – and expanded Flyover coverage in more than a dozen U.S. cities.
Today, the company added 3D buildings for Paris, France and surrounding areas. I have a feeling iDBs own Sebastien Page will have lots of fun playing with Maps on his iPad…
French blog iGen.fr reports that new 3D Flyover data includes Paris, France and the areas like Aulnay-sous-Bois, the Versailles, Disneyland Paris and LHay-les-Roses.
Heres Disneyland.
At press time, Apples iOS 6 Feature Compatibility web page did not acknowledge expanded Flyover coverage, listing only Lyon, France. Following the widely reported Maps woes, Apple has been pretty quiet on the mapping front. Thats not saying Apple is standing still – quite the contrary.
Heres Versailles.
In a series of small updates, Apple has been steadily improving reliability of underlying Maps data and correcting inaccuracies. Two months ago, the company advertised a number of job openings calling for software engineers with the specific focus on improving the iOS 6 Maps app.
This includes so-called Ground Truth managers tasked with confirming that the stuff shown on satellite imagery really exists, especially for renderings of landmarks such as the Hoover Dam and Brooklyn Bridge.
Limited manpower is a prime reason why Apples Maps in certain areas fall behind Google, which has been perfecting its cloud-based mapping service over the course of nearly eight years.
And this is a 3D view of Aulnay-sous-Bois.
Last December, it was reported that Apple was “aggressively” hiring former Google Maps engineers in an effort to bolster iOS 6 Maps.
Coincidentally or not, the iPhone maker was recently rumored to be interested in buying Waze. Despite the positive rationale behind such an acquisition, talks fell apart.
The Cupertino firm uses Waze data in Maps and Waze CEO Noam Bardin recently commended Apples efforts by saying iOS Maps offering is “definitely getting better.”
He also warned that Apple may be hostage to its vendors, like Waze rival TomTom (theyre“challenged”) while cautioning that Google “has an unlimited war chest to better its apps.”
And in the latest twist to the Apple Maps saga, TechCrunch has confirmed that the social networking giant Facebook is buying Waze for the reported $1 billion.
The deal should reduce Facebooks dependency on Bing mapping data and on Apple and Google for location, basically allowing Facebook to “own an entire ecosphere,” as one analyst put it.
AllThingsD likens the transaction to Facebooks purchase of Instagram.
Originally Posted by Valkyre
^^ light bleed . !
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks