1. Real journalism and compelling storytelling (something along the lines of ArsTechnica)
2. No gimmicks. I don’t want a magazine app that is “interactive.” Focus on engaging me with your core content. Once you get that down you can explore the interactive stuff.
3. Smaller file sizes for each new issue. Someone really needs to optimize the graphics or something. Google has good ads and they are all text. I don’t want videos.
4. Make and pack my lunch every day.
5. Code an app that doesn’t crash.
6. Reasonable prices. No thanks to The Times at $20 a month.

That is all I’m asking. Nothing fancy. Start small. Go back to the basics of good journalism. Thanks.

Apple should create personal financial software. Quicken used to be fine on the Mac, but they’ve had a shaky development history. Quicken Essentials will never be what Quicken 2007 was and Intuit has no plans to bring the features of 2007 to the Mac anytime soon. They keep adding bandaids to their Mac development (i.e. now Rosetta in Lion). Thankfully some good financial software has sprouted up. I don’t think that there is killer financial software for the Mac yet. Mac users have waited a long time and we deserve something from Apple. Here is what iBalance should be:

• Every great Mac app looks good. I’m thinking something with the GUI of Cha-Ching (which I purchased and it was then bought out by Quicken) and the slick charts in Squirrel.
• Some type of automatic budget tracking (similar to Money) should be included.
• Feature-wise the app needs to shoot for the features in iBank and the Windows version of Quicken.
• iBalance should have a receipt tracking feature like Paperless so that important receipts can be tracked in the program.
• It must allow split transactions, categories, and direct imports. Custom reports would be a nice addition too.
• Above all iBalance must sync perfectly with the iBalance iOS app so that I can enter transactions immediately. A bonus would be that it ties into Apple’s future NFC payements system so that all my purchases can be automatically tracked.

At this point one can only wish. For now I’m trying out the new Money 4.

For me the  Mac App Store was not one of those Apple moments were it was love at first sight. At the same time I don’t see the Mac App Store as a complete failure either (e.g. iTunes Ping). It is the beginning of a good thing. I’ve had some of these thoughts since the initial announcement, but I’ve resisted giving my opinion until seeing it live. Well, it’s now live.

Apple’s True Intent

I’m sure someone already came up with the idea, but Apple did not create the App store for current Mac Developers. I think Apple wants to entice good iOS developers to create Mac apps. I buy software from current Mac developers all the time so I’m not trashing them. I love developers that have been with Apple for a long time and they get designing software for the Mac. But most of the innovation is happening on the iOS side. Apple is coming full circle with the Mac App Store by luring IOS developers to the Mac. Imagine the iOS creativity, beautiful GUIs, and innovative features giving Mac apps a fresh start. Developing for the entire Apple ecosystem will become easier as the iOS way of doing things migrates to the Mac and as mobile devices become more powerful. Eventually iOS and Mac apps will be nearly identical. The Mac App Store of today is simply the beginning.

Arrgghh

When I copied some apps over to Macs in my classroom I was surprised that they functioned without my iTunes account. I found out later that some developers did not implement copy protection in their apps. I’m sure this will change quickly. I guess it’s not a pirates life for me. I am pumped that everything is tied to my iTunes account. With as much software as I evaluate I hate keeping track of license keys. License keys are a pain. If I have to reinstall or remove corrupt preferences I’m stuck copying and pasting license keys. Don’t get me started about Adobe’s licensing system. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to call Adobe about my license key because I moved to a different computer. I’m excited that over time I can ditch most of my license keys and the Adobe phone calls (okay, maybe not Adobe).

Bye, Bye Tedious Updates, Ancient CDs, and DMGs

I grew up in the days when Mac software was sparse. I remember begging developers to create Mac versions. Apple helped expose some good software with their retail stores, but not all of us live ten minutes away from an Apple Store. No more waiting checking my UPS tracking numbers for the latest Apple Software. I can get it right away. If I need a particular software tool I can get it when I need it. I also love not having to update each application individually. Start the updates and walk away. It is nice to have all my apps in one place. It also makes it easier to migrate to new Macs. Just hit the Install button in the purchased section of the App store and voila! I no longer have to keep track of tons of CDs and using up precious hard drive space with DMGs. Sure I don’t save much money ditching the App Bundle Deals, but at least everything is nice and tidy for my future Mac upgrades.

The Average Joe (or the Average Steve since we are talking about Macs)

I think average users will find the Mac App Store easy to use. Like it or not people love and trust Apple as much as they love and trust family. Apple users are conditioned to give money to Apple. Instead of looking at it as a 30% cut for Apple we should be looking at is as a 70% cut for developers along with a larger volume of software sold. I know I’ll be buying more.

There will always be sorry software, but the good software will keep getting better. Good developers compete for placement on the App Store front page and charts. Healthy competition usually makes healthy software. Look at the top iOS apps vying for Apple placement. They are great Apps!

Users can also use iTunes gift cards to purchase apps. In the future I’m sure they will add gifting of apps. I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to gift an app (Pixelmator), but didn’t want to go through an individual company. Now I give an iTunes gift card and later give the app itself.

I think App Reviews and Ratings help developers listen to their users. Most people can recognize a terrible reviewer and ignore the review. It is difficult for users and developers to ignore an honest review though. In the end it helps good Apps rise to the top.

Okay, I Love Apple (or “Don’t tell me how to spend MY money all you critics.”)

The Mac App Store is in its early stages, but I’m glad it has happened today. Better now than never. The Mac App Store is the future and I will gladly be a part of it. Those are my thoughts. As usual I’m on Apple’s side. Then again, maybe Apple is just doing what I’ve always wanted as a customer—a one stop shop for great Mac software.

It has been several months since my last post. I’ve been typing on the latest MacBook Pro line. You are probably asking, “What’s up with the ‘Goodbye Apple‘ post?” Everything. I believe that post helped Apple actually listen.

I made one last ditch effort. I called Apple Care again and asked to speak with a different Product Support Specialist. I explained my call history again. This time I also threw in the blog. I gave the dude on the phone the link to my Goodbye Apple blog post and asked him to share it with his managers. He sympathized with me and asked if he could put me on hold for a moment.

The entire call took over an hour, but it was well worth the wait. When nice Product Support Specialist picked up my call again he said, “Here’s what we want to do for you. A 15″ MacBook Pro with a 2.53GHz Processor, 4GB of memory, 250GB HardDrive, and a NVIDIA 9400M.” All I had to do was ship back my old MacBook Pro when the new one arrived. Well, you bet your snakeskin boots that I accepted the offer. I said, “You just made an excellent customer service recovery. Would you mind connecting me to your manager so I can let him know what a great job you did?” PSS said, “Sure. Thanks.” I said, “No. Thank YOU dude. You rock!”

We parted ways and I can say that I am more than happy with the outcome. To be honest. My confidence, in the company that I love, has been fully restored. Thanks Apple.

Back in May I started having problems with my MacBook. I was pleased that Apple made all the repairs at no charge. Since them I’ve still been having the SAME problems. I called Apple again. They did what they could to help, but my problem still was not resolved. I went so far as to drive four hours to the nearest Apple Store. I spent all that driving time for a sixteen year old Apple “Genuis” to tell me all the things I already tried and some things that I knew would not work. I called Apple again. They finally connected me with a Product Support Specialist named Jeremy. I spoke with Jeremy June 30, he gave me his extension, and told me to contact him if I had any more problems.

The problems did not go away. I called Jeremy several times and all I could get was voicemail. My calls were never returned. Frustration stared setting in. I finally made another trip to the Apple Store and asked to meet with an Apple Genius who actually knew how to do something other than set up a printer. I got the right guy. After two hours he was stumped. The best advice he could offer me was to delete some login items and do and archive and install. Both of which I already did. I was still getting crashes on a clean install of OS X. 

I attempted calling Jeremy several times again. Still no contact. My computer took two trips to Apple Repair, I took two trips to the Apple Store (four hours away), I wasted tons of cell minutes leaving voicemail, and my Mac still does not work! The day I finally gave up on Apple I received a call from a manager at the Apple Store in Albuquerque. I told him my problems with my computer and my problems with Apple Support. He said he would make some calls and get things fixed for me. I waited a couple of weeks and he never called me back. I left messages for him twice and I still have not heard from him. So much for getting things fixed.

I work for a non-profit organization. We are in the business of capturing the hearts of the next generation. We don’t have time to mess with computer problems. That is why we went with Macs. As it stands now I’ve had just as many problems with our Mac as other people have with their PCs. In my opinion our Mac is now just a really expensive PC. Instead of spending my time working with teens I’ve had to spend my time trying to fix my computer. Too bad Apple doesn’t seem to think this is a problem.

So I am now officially saying goodbye to Apple. I will still continue to use their products, but I’ve faced the reality that the old Apple is gone. The Apple that cared about creating quality products. The Apple the loved their loyal customers. The Apple that made things right when things go wrong. Welcome to the new Apple. The Apple that is now like all the other companies (Dell, Microsoft, etc). Companies that want to make a quick buck by throwing excellence out the window. Companies that don’t care about the customer. Companies that take your money and laugh when things go wrong. Welcome to the new Apple. Goodbye old Apple.

1. Read the post on folder templates at Productivity 501 to give you some background. Download the example Automator workflow.

2. New Folder. Customize your subfolders in each New Folder section. I chose to use “_Billing”, “_Contracts”, _Notes, “_Material”, and “_Wrap Up”. Subfolders will initially be created on your Desktop.

3. Get Specified Finder Items. Choose paths to each of your subfolders.

4. New Dated Folder. In this section create a destination for your new client folders. The workflow’s default is the Desktop. On my computer I have it set to my Projects folder.

5. Go to the File menu and save your workflow as a Plug-in or an Application.

When you run the workflow it will create a folder in your specified destination (point #4) with all your specified subfolders (point#2). The template folder will be made with the current date and titled “ProjectName” but you will have the option to change “ProjectName” when you run the workflow. Get the workflow download from Dropio. Hope this helps. Please leave a comment if you have suggestions to make this better or you encounter any problems. Peace.