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Everything here is my opinion. I do not speak for your employer.
May 2013
June 2013

2013-05-23 »

Goodbye Sprint Nexus S, hello iPhone 4S 64GB (ie. the last, best one that doesn't have a stupid incompatible new connector).

Some first impressions:
- Hey, cool, the keyboard can keep up with my typing!
- Animations aren't jerky!
- Everything resynced perfectly from my old iPod touch, just by plugging in the USB cable to iTunes for a while.  Including wifi passwords.
- It fits all my music!  And no built-in products are trying to convince me to "stream" music while on the subway!
- Whatever its flaws, Apple Maps shows more street labels on the same zoom level in downtown NYC than Google Maps does, which is what I wanted.  Its UI is also clutter-free and doesn't try to guilt me into logging in.
- You might think the new iOS6 "compass" app is dumb, but it is exactly what I frequently want when getting off the subway in New York.  I don't want a freaking rotating map, I want to know which direction I'm walking. It's super awesome that they added this.
- I have a gnubby now so I won't miss the bluetooth OTP.  (This was the main reason I didn't switch sooner.)
- The Settings app contains the settings for all your programs, all in one place.
- The Settings app has really well thought-out "Notifications" and "Privacy" pages that reflect across all apps.
- Google Voice integration is, er, nonexistent. :(  (For bonus points: voice.google.com refuses to let you add a phone number from a mobile web browser! At least on Android you can "Request Desktop Version" and fake it.)
- iOS "Messages" is what other IM apps wish they were (including the vendor lock-in)

I need this phone to last me 3 years.  That's the runway I want to give whoever is next in line to make a phone that I don't hate.  Unfortunately, I have little faith in present-day Apple to do so.  I'm worried that the uninspiring iPhone 5 and the totally unnecessary new Macbook power connectors are only the beginning of the downward slide.

I'm CEO at Tailscale, where we make network problems disappear.

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