Hasta La Gadget!

Whenever you get the urge to ingest an update without doing a bit of research, just remember: things don’t always end with streamers falling and glasses raised. Such is the case with the latest Apple TV update, which arrived back in September as v5.1. At the time, it promised users the ability to tap into Shared Photo Streams and to easily switch between iTunes accounts. Now, however, Apple’s support boards are rolling with comments about the update. In fact, many users are reporting that the update has killed their device entirely, with most everyone else hitting up links to downgrade in an attempt to dodge the Reaper. Are you amongst the troubled? Let us know how things are going for you in comments below — particularly if you’ve stumbled upon a bulletproof solution.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple

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Via: TUAW

Source: Apple Support Forums

Well, at least no one can blame AT&T for dodging the core issue any longer. After watching Verizon Wireless snag satisfaction crown after satisfaction crown from AT&T over the years, it seems that the latter is finally using a highly defensive blog post on the issue of FaceTime over cellular in order to cop to what we’ve all known: AT&T’s network is in no shape to handle the glut of devices currently running on it. After being taken by storm in 2007 with the iPhone, AT&T has been racing to right the supply / demand curve, and it came to a head once more last week when the operator announced that only Mobile Share users would be able to use FaceTime over its 3G / 4G airwaves once iOS 6 hit. Naturally, pundits were quick to slam the company for implementing a policy that nudges existing users with grandfathered unlimited data plans to slide up to a plan that’s potentially less awesome, but a lengthy letter on AT&T’s Public Policy Blog lays out the real reason.

The company makes clear that the decision to limit FaceTime over cellular to Mobile Share customers does not violate the FCC’s net neutrality rules — after all, it’s being decidedly transparent about the frowned-upon choice — nor does it cross the line on any “blocking” issues. Its argument is simple: it’s not blocking you from using any video chat application you want, but it is exercising its right to manage the doors through which all chat applications can and can’t be used. The money quote is here: “We are broadening our customers’ ability to use the preloaded version of FaceTime but limiting it in this manner to our newly developed AT&T Mobile Share data plans out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience.” Despite our scorn, we’re halfway glad the policy is in place — after all, how would you feel if you couldn’t load a vital email because everyone else on the block was chatting with their mum about chimera cats on FaceTime? Rock, meet hard place.

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T confesses: its network couldn’t handle unchecked FaceTime over cellular originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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