Thread: iPhone-to-iPhoto non-existent operations

After several false starts and some research on the net, I can confirm that Apple has failed pretty miserably in providing us appropriate means by which to manage the iPhone photography. Nothing I found allowed me to download my photos to the iMac.

However, once I brought up the Windows system under Parallels, I could see the iPhone memory just as if it were any other USB drive -- which is exactly what I would have expected the Apple system to do for me. Using standard Windows software, I was able to import all the photos on the phone, manipulate them using a photo editor, and eventually delete them from the phone, leaving the iPhone cleaned off and ready for the next batch of photos.

Although I am one of the earliest adopters and biggest advocates of this product, the lack of attention to these basic elements of use after almost three months of activity are inexcusable. Mr. Jobs and his team owe us a big apology and some decent work to provide basic capabilities that SHOULD have been included with the original release. Between the lack of email management software and any means for managing photos, they've really let their customers down big time. HELP!

Get iLife 08' to get your pics from your iPhone.

yeah iLife 08' will extract the photos from your iPhone with iPhoto

Thanks. I have iLife 08 and it didn't jump up and suggest itself, so it got overlooked. I guess I've been spoiled by the usual Apple ease of use, but photos on iPhone and even other applications are harder on the Mac than on Windows. Sorry to say, but that's my take on it. Also, folks shouldn't have to purchase software to use what for all other phones is a gimme...

Come on Apple; fix the problem. No one should have to use iLife to get photos off the iPhone.

AK

Originally Posted by alkoller

Thanks. I have iLife 08 and it didn't jump up and suggest itself, so it got overlooked. I guess I've been spoiled by the usual Apple ease of use, but photos on iPhone and even other applications are harder on the Mac than on Windows. Sorry to say, but that's my take on it. Also, folks shouldn't have to purchase software to use what for all other phones is a gimme...

Come on Apple; fix the problem. No one should have to use iLife to get photos off the iPhone.

AK

So are you suggesting that Apple NOT use its great iPhoto software to deal with iPhone photos. Should they come up with some other free photo software simply to impress you and keep you happy??? How does that make sense???

The fact is that LONG before the iPhone came around, there was iLife. And, although Apple generously includes this software package for FREE on new computers (which they certainly don't have to do, since they offer so much other great software for free), Apple has never offered free major upgrades to the software.

And why should Apple change all of this simply because YOU don't know what's going on and because they happened to come up with an iPhone capable of interfacing with iLife's iPhoto program???

Bottom Line: If Apple IS offering this software FOR FREE, when you buy a modern Mac computer, or makes upgrades available where and when necessary to older users, how is Apple in any way failing anyone???

The truth is that you didn't know what was going on and you stupidly began to blame Apple for it.

Additionally, you should have received (and probably DID receive - since I did) a system alert that you needed to upgrade your iLife in order to make full use of iPhoto with the iPhone. You probably ignored this, like someone else I know.

Finally, something doesn't make sense: If you have iLife '08, I'm not sure why you had a problem at all. It certainly doesn't have to "jump up and suggest itself", if it is installed. And, as noted previously, if it was NOT installed, you should have received a message letting you know this. Therefore, it is NOT clear whether or not you had iLife '08 installed; but what is clear is that this is nothing more or less than USER ERROR - and has nothing to do with Apple failing anyone.

Certainly, I think there are several important things MISSING from the original version of the iPhone (like MMS and Flash support); but I have hope that Apple will deal with these in the future. In the meantime, INFORM YOURSELF, before spouting off about Apple.

Also, I like how, after everyone explained your problem to you, you still had to pretend as if everything was still "not right" and that Apple needed to do something differently. You even started commenting about how much better Windows is than Mac, when it comes to "photos" and "other software", which is patently ridiculous!

What a jerk!!! You were wrong - frustrated obviously; but wrong - and so now, like a little kid, you're trying to make Apple wrong. In fact, besides iLife, there are SEVERAL software upgrades that had to be in place in order for the new iPhone to work perfectly with a Mac computer. Why aren't you complaining about those upgrades (like the Mac OS, as well as the iTunes program).

Bottom Line: Yeah, you have to do a bit of work to get the iPhone working on your Mac; but it's not nearly as bad as you make it seem. Again, you were simply ignorant about all of the system requirements and then tried to blame Apple for your own ignorance!!!

CL

Gee, thanks so much for the helpful and informative reply. I guess I shouldn't be so harsh on our wonderful friends at Apple, but why would YOU decide to become their defense minister? Maybe you are off of your meds?

Get a life. The iPhone is currently operating at about 60% of its capability and I am doing my best to push Apple to wake up and do smart things for their customers. The email system still completely lacks any reasonable edit capability (you have to delete messages one at a time, which is Neanderthal), and they still haven't fixed the ringtone system to match even the cheapest phones already out there. Last month they killed the system for their developers and disenfranchised a ton of their customers.

I like Apple, but no one is perfect, and if they don't hear input, they can't improve. If you have some positive suggestions, please have at it; otherwise, keep your negative, mean comments to yourself.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by alkoller

Gee, thanks so much for the helpful and informative reply. I guess I shouldn't be so harsh on our wonderful friends at Apple, but why would YOU decide to become their defense minister? Maybe you are off of your meds?

Exactly the sort of ad hominem attack I would expect from you, given your non-circumspect tirade against Apple! I had one point: YOU didn't fully inform yourself about the new iPhone and Mac system requirements. And, whether or not, Apple can come up with a system that makes YOU happy, it was NOT right for you to attack Apple on this one. You were WRONG and there's no way around that.

Originally Posted by alkoller

Get a life. The iPhone is currently operating at about 60% of its capability and I am doing my best to push Apple to wake up and do smart things for their customers. The email system still completely lacks any reasonable edit capability (you have to delete messages one at a time, which is Neanderthal), and they still haven't fixed the ringtone system to match even the cheapest phones already out there. Last month they killed the system for their developers and disenfranchised a ton of their customers.

First, I'm sure Apple knows that the iPhone is not operating at "full capacity". There are many things that could be added or improved. That's not the point and wasn't the point of your original post or my reply.

Second, I doubt if Apple needs YOU to push them to do anything. Apple has a HISTORY of keeping its customer's happy - especially when compared to PC's and Windoze.

I agree with you about email editing; but, again, that wasn't the point of your original post or my response. Additionally, I imagine that Apple was able to get the iPhone out to the public WAY sooner than it would have, if it had waited until it had invented the PERFECT iPhone. I think Apple knows the iPhone is not perfect. But I think what Apple has done is to release an iPhone standard, which can now be improved upon. And I have every confidence that Apple will continue to improve the iPhone and add new features, whether or not they have YOU to motivate them.

Originally Posted by alkoller

I like Apple, but no one is perfect, and if they don't hear input, they can't improve. If you have some positive suggestions, please have at it; otherwise, keep your negative, mean comments to yourself.

No one said Apple was perfect. Additionally, feedback is only important in certain areas. Public feedback is NOT important or necessary, when it comes to features or areas that are OBVIOUSLY only in their infancy and naturally require improving. Indeed there are many things that I expect Apple to improve or fix, whether or not YOU or anyone else says anything. In terms of things that come down to more of a "preference" - fine, provide as much feedback as you want, so Apple knows what YOU PREFER. But, again and finally, this was not the point of your original post or my reply to it.

Your original post was an attack on Apple - pure and simple. It was about complaining that Apple had dropped the ball simply because YOU hadn't fully informed yourself about the Mac system requirements for using the iPhone. I strongly disagreed with this. Additionally, when people made you aware of YOUR ERROR (not Apple's), childishly you had to continue to assert your rightness (undoubtedly due to personal embarrassment that you had brought up such a non issue)!

Let me leave you with this: The iPhone will apparently not work with Mac OS versions earlier than Tiger. Is Apple dropping the ball on this? Given your mindset, Apple should make the iPhone instantly workable and usable no matter what sort of software configuration you might have. Hell, taking your argument to its logical extreme, hasn't Apple dropped the ball, since the iPhone doesn't work seamlessly with ALL of the software on the Windows OS, as well as on every other OS???

This is the ridiculousness and stupidity of your ORIGINAL argument: You are suggesting that the iPhone should work instantly and with no further work on your part on any computer you might happen to have, when you purchase your iPhone! But, in the real world, new hardware and software *almost always* requires some kind of update to one's existing hardware and/ or software. So why is this a "failing" on Apple's part?? How does Apple hurt its customers by using and insisting that users use only the latest hardware and software??

All that to suggest that YOU are the one that needs to get a life!

I would like to apologize for any personal attacks I may have made in my posts to you. To be honest, your original post was so old, I guess I didn't even expect you to read my reply, let alone respond to it.

I was admittedly angered by your suggestions; but feel I can debate with you without having to resort to personal attacks.

As I explained to an Administrator, I only attacked you, because I thought you were unfairly attacking Apple.

Certainly, as I said in one of my posts, submit any feedback to Apple that you want to submit; but it might not do to attack them on something that is clearly not a point of vulnerability.

Adding new hardware or software to a computer system almost always requires some sort of upgrade to existing hardware or software. As such, although there are MANY things Apple can and should improve about the iPhone, I don't think they need to do anything to "work around" this particular fundamental!

Again, I apologize for allowing myself to descend into a name calling contest! I really just wanted to drive home this basic point!

Have a great day!

CL

Thanks. No offense taken. I think we are both trying to improve what is undoubtedly the best hardware and technology on the planet.

Best regards.

And another lovely debate ends peacefully. At least it wasn't "Windoz rulez" "no Max RuLe" hahaha. Too many forums have rubbish like that.