If you've been trying to upload a picture from your iPhone to a MobileMe gallery, and are getting the message "Unable to connect to MobileMe" message you're not alone.

The problem appears to be related to a bug in user name recognition. Apple has published a KB article dealing with the issue. The problem seems to be triggered if your member name is in mixed case, or if it is in all caps. MobileMe requires the user name be in all lower case letters, although the same rule does not apply to passwords.

Apple suggests you go to your iPhone settings, and under account info make sure your name is all lowercase. If not, a visit to the KB article would be advised. The fix is simple: just delete and re-enter your account details, getting your member name in a form Apple will like. When the bug is fixed, this workaround won't be needed.

Apple needs to continue to pay close attention to MobileMe. My perception is it has become generally more reliable since the ugly launch in 2008, but the support page still reports a few new glitches per week. Lately I've noticed a few mail outages/slowness and difficulty getting to my iDisk.

Wi-Fi connectivity problems are not limited to the iPhone 3GS, not by a long shot. The iPhone 3G is widely reported to have connectivity problems that, according to the large number of people discussing it on the Apple Support Discussions, dwarf the reports regarding the 3GS.

In over fourteen Apple Discussion threads, over six hundred messages have been posted with the first one being written on June 17th, shortly after the release of iPhone 3.0 software. These threads have been read by thousands of users. Unfortunately, to date, a solution is not at hand.

The problem, verified by many, is that when updating to the new software, Wi-Fi connectivity on the iPhone 3G either decreased or vanished entirely. Those who were used to getting full bars of Wi-Fi connectivity now experience markedly less bars. Worse, even if some signal strength bars are displayed, often there is no Internet connectivity.

Many solutions have been proposed including resetting the router, changing settings (seemingly at random), and even putting the 3G in the freezer:

"Also i might note, I turned off wifi, turned off the phone, put it in the freezer (in a bag) for 10 mins, turned the phone back on, put the phone right next to my wifi antenna and then turned on wifi and it joined, it JUST joined and I couldnt believe it," says one forum poster. Several others report similar results, but this fix did not last long. In fact, blog posts have been written about possible solutions, but none of them seemed to pan out after using Wi-Fi for a short period of time.

Some writers have said that the 3.1 update will fix the problem while a larger number say that the new software release won't help at all.

Notebook batteries aren't cheap these days, and our own Conrad Quilty-Harper from across the pond (of both TUAW and Engadget fame) blogged a little experiment to give his MacBook some new mobile legs. With a total of 11 parts replaced in six months (which is far more than required to put a machine to sleep for good), he decided it was time Apple threw him a bone and called support for a battery replacement. The Apple rep told him that if he didn't return his old 'n busted battery upon receiving the shiny new one, they would charge him £71 (~$138 USD). Fair enough, but a trip to the UK Apple Store online revealed that new batteries off the shelf cost £99 (~$192) - and that's quite a difference in price no matter where you hang your hat.


Now we aren't sure if the math works the same way in other countries or even the US, and we don't exactly condone calling Apple for no good reason to score or even swap out for a new battery, especially since Apple could very well charge you anyway for making a bogus call and sending them a perfectly functioning battery (i.e. - pull this stunt at your own risk). This might be useful, however, if you're truly experiencing power issues whilst untethered and saving every penny on a replacement counts.

Remember the first rule of computer security? Not writing down all the important stuff like passwords and account names in one place? Kind of fundamental, right? Well, it looks like Apple has just about had it with people being unable to remember basic information like passwords and account names when working with them to provide support for their computers. They've created what they call a Mac "cheat sheet" with the intention that you--or more likely a mac-savvy relative or coworker--write down all these basic facts and then you carefully store the sheet away.

Unless you're the sort of person who wouldn't remember this information in the first place. So you'd probably keep the sheet on-hand, right?

Admittedly, the form contains all the information that could really help a service tech: which OS you're using, the amount of memory in your computer, and the kind of processor. But it also details your user account password, up to three keychain passwords, a password for your ISP, passwords for your email account, your work account, and so forth. This is offset by six light gray repetitions of the phrase "don't forget to hide me", which I guess immunizes Apple from losses due to security breaches.

So bottom line? The cheat sheet is a well-intentioned idea that, when used as intended, could really help during service calls, but when used in its most likely scenario will introduce unacceptable security risks.

Apple has a support article up today discussing how and in which order your iTunes Store credits get redeemed. Here's the run-down in a nutshell:

If you have a free song credit from, for example, a Coke or Pepsi promotion and you're buying a song, that credit gets used first. It doesn't matter what other credits or allowances you have in your account. Buy a song, use the song credit.

Gift certificates, prepaid cards and allowances form the second line of use. If you're buying an album (can't apply free song credits to albums), or if you've used up all your free song credits, these credits get used. If the cost of your items is less than your credits, you're done and dandy. If not, the balance moves up to your credit card.

Your credit card only gets charged after you've exhausted all these other kinds of credits, and only for the remaining balance after applying the free songs, certificates, cards and allowances to your purchase. The credit card is basically the last line of defense, picking up any extra billing at the end of the purchase.

Popsyndicate has an article today detailing the "Confessions" of a Mac Genius, aka a guy who worked at an Apple Store doing tech support. The guy had quite a lot to say. Here are a few highlights:

• Make your support appointments in advance. "Get a clue. Make your Genius Bar appointment in advance so that you're at least guaranteed a seat, even if it is an hour past your appointment time."
• Don't brag. "Don't come in here bragging about how long you've been using Mac's, or that you're a Mac tech at your company, or anything like that. It doesn't impress us and it makes you look stupid when you don't know how to do something simple, like reset your PRAM. We're only going to make fun of you, behind your back."
• Don't fall in love with your data. "[There is] a situation where a customers HD is failing and there's a high likelihood they will lose all their data. I would say something like 'Well, at least you can start over with a clean slate. How many people get that kind of opportunity in their lives?' Naturally, it is purely a case by case basis as there have literally been times we've had to break out a box of Kleenex at the bar."

So how typical is this guy and his attitude? The spin on the article seems to be that being a Genius is a low-wage, thankless job and that tools like sarcasm and making fun of your clients can get you through a day with crybaby customers, with the occasional "good customer" bringing out one's bright side. I've worked in the service industry. I know how difficult and entitled people can be, but the attitude put forth by this article just strikes the wrong note with me.

Pop over and read the whole thing. It's...illuminating.

I was trawling the Apple Support pages last night, when I noticed an orange box appear across the top of the page I was on, all Web 2.0 like. It was an invitation to participate in a short survey regarding my experience with Apple Support.

Who am I turn down an opportunity to give Apple a piece of my mind? So I clicked through and was taken to this survey site, where I was presented with "Your opinion is valuable to us. Please take this short survey to help us improve your Apple Support online experience. Thank you." and then I was asked some innocuous questions. Read the questions after the jump.

Got a new 2G shuffle? Do you know what those status lights indicate? Do you know the difference between the green-orange-orange pattern^[1] and the green-orange-green-orange^[2] one? What about a continuous blinking orange light^[3] or red light^[4]? Apple now has a nice little support article available that explains all the subtleties of the 2nd generation iPod shuffle light patterns and what they mean, complete with easy-to-follow dot patterns. I'm not sure how useful this will be to readers with color-blindness, but for the rest of us it's a pretty fascinating read.

^[1] iPod shuffle error. You're going to have to restore the little bugger.
^[2] Your music was not loaded properly.
^[3] iPod is busy. Do not disconnect.
^[4] Your battery is about to die. Right. Now.
^[5] There is no footnote 5. Does anyone have some chips or pretzels?

There was a interesting Apple Knowledge Base article recently posted and we thought we'd share it here as a public service. We're swell like that.

Article #304693

Holding the Volume Down button while docking may prevent iPod shuffle (Second Generation) from being recognized by iTunes

While connecting your iPod shuffle (Second Generation) to the dock, inadvertently pressing and holding the Volume Down button ( - ) may cause the iPod to not be seen by iTunes. If this happens, follow these steps:

Mac users

1. Remove iPod shuffle (Second Generation) from the dock.
2. Reset your iPod shuffle (Second Generation). To reset, switch the power on, then off-and leave the power off for 5 seconds. This will reset your iPod.
3. Reconnect your iPod shuffle (Second Generation) to the dock for it to be properly recognized.

Windows users

1. In the Notifications area of the Taskbar, left-click the Safely Remove Hardware icon. Note: If you don't see the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the Taskbar, you can remove iPod shuffle (Second Generation) from the dock.
   
2. Choose Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device - Drive(E:) from the shortcut menu. In some cases, the drive letter may be different. If you have other USB drives attached, you may need to repeat this if you're not sure which drive letter corresponds to your iPod.
3. Reset your iPod shuffle (Second Generation). To reset, switch the power on, then off-and leave the power off for 5 seconds. This will reset your iPod.
4. Reconnect your iPod shuffle (Second Generation) to the dock for it to be properly recognized.

Has anyone actually encountered this issue yet? Can anyone figure out why the volume-down key would affect the iPod at all? And why only the 2nd gen shuffle? This is just too much for my addled brain to grasp at this wee hour on a Sunday morning.

Available in a Software Update near you (if you're using Tiger) is Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Release 4, which "improves reliability and addresses issues found in earlier releases of J2SE 5.0 for Mac OS X." This update also brings compatibility with Sun's Java 2 Platform Standard Edition, version 5.0 (1.5.0_06).

See this Apple Support document for more information.

[via Macsimum News]