Quick updates on products and services…
The All New Apple TV
I confess that as an AppleTV user, I was looking forward to the next-generation update that they announced earlier this year. Well, my new unit arrived last week, and here are things I really like:
- I love that I can download apps and games.
- I love that programs can be augmented with data; this can change the viewing experience
- I like that Siri is integrated generally.
And this is the list of “needs work” items:
- It’s absolute stunning to me that my home videos aren’t accessible. What a HUGE step backwards.
- My music collection is available, but the searching function is PATHETIC. No joy trying to use Siri here, either.
- How can Apple still not offer a web browser on the AppleTV?
- Not quite loving the Remote just yet.
- Despite supporting bluetooth game controller, it’s stunningly dumb that it doesn’t support bluetooth keyboard.
To my many friends who look to me for guidance on Apple products, I’d say don’t bother to upgrade to the new Apple TV just yet. Games are nice, but you achieve the same effect with an iPad and Airplay today. Give the product a year or so to develop.
What the hell, Audi?
I used to go out of my way to tell my car buying friends about how great my Audi experience has been. Until recently. In the last six months Audi has done two things that are both inexcusable and major deal breakers for me.
First, they apparently let some marketing wonks have a field day with their voice response system, turning a helpful call routing application into a sales pitch for unrelated products/services. I call BS on that. More recently, and in a profoundly stupid attempt to goose sales, Audi intentionally lied about the environmental impact of their vehicles, and sold millions of cards that had a devastating impact on air quality. Further, they installed software hacks that could detect whether their diesel vehicles were being smog-checked, and if so, kicked temporarily into a clean mode that let the car pass a test. Then back to sewage mode. Shame on you Audi/Volkswagon. Say goodbye to this customer forever.
Cox Cable Saga
Ok, part of the total customer experience with cable companies is that they’re supposed to suck, and you’re supposed to treat their suckage as a video game to see how long you can survive. In my case, it’s been internet service that fails 5-10 times per week. I’ve had no fewer than 10 technicians at my house. I’ve replaced every piece of equipment in the networking chain. I’ve rewired a segment or two (just in case). Guess what. No joy.
As of late, I’ve installed two mini-servers and I’m running 24/7 network monitoring and tracking to see what’s going on. The problem is NOT in my home, as evidence by the data I’m collecting. After so many attempts to solve the problem, I’m working at last with their in-field/on premise technicians who has a clue. Based on multiple experiences and all the data I’m gathering, we have just identified that the problem is in fact in “their plant”. Well. We shall see what comes next.
What I can say, is that cable company customer service departments appear to be built to create the maximum friction between the customer and any real solution. I can’t begin to imagine what a non-technical customer would do to get past the hurdles that I’ve had to get past — armed with data. Such a pity.
Filed under: technology
